Galatasaray gain an advantage over Avenida in Semi-Finals first leg

ISTANBUL (EuroCup Women) - Galatasaray will take a precious lead to Pabellon Wurzburg next week after collecting a 69-62 win against Perfumerias Avenida in the first leg of their Semi-Finals clash.

Turning Point: Perfumerias Avenida had worked so hard to get to within a point at 63-62 with less than 60 seconds remaining on the game clock but lost their heads. They gave up two completely unforced turnovers and allowed the home side to score the last six points of the game - something that may yet come back to haunt them.

Stats Don't Lie: Avenida were cursing a below-par 11-of-20 from the free-throw line, but will be relieved Galatasaray didn't go better than 2-of-14 from downtown or the tie could be over. The big number though was 22 points from turnovers for Galatasaray and their super 16 steals.

Game Heroes: This was a game all about the defense and Olivia Epoupa brought it for Galatasaray with a magical 8 steals. She also had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in an all-action line, while Jelena Dubljevic top-scored with 15 points. 

They Said: "We exerted a great team effort. Avenida are a tough team to play against, as they are playing very physical basketball. We made a small step towards the Finals but it's going to be a tough game in Spain. We will do our best to keep our advantage." – Galatasaray head coach Marina Maljkovic.

FIBA