Red-hot Smith takes Gorzow past Galatasaray, Simms seals another triple-double

MUNICH (Germany) - Alanna Smith caught fire for InvestInTheWest ENEA Gorzow with a towering performance on Thursday night which took down two-time winners Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring. 

Smith continued her rich vein of form as she helped Gorzow to take what could prove to be a pivotal 78-71 Group C success. The Australian forward finished with an exceptional 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks to take down the Istanbul giants. 

Meanwhile, Jennie Simms collected her second triple-double of the season as she followed up her feat from the Qualifiers with another for Elitzur Holon. The 28-year-old's amazing line of 17 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists headlined an 86-74 Group E win against Bursa Uludag Basketbol. 

Panathinaikos A.C claimed an impressive 76-62 Group A triumph at Ramat Hasharon as Pinelopi Pavlopoulou did some incredible work. The guard made 10 of 13 from the floor en-route to 24 points and had 4 rebounds and 4 steals for good measure.

Hatay BB Spor rode past Beroe in Group B with ease, as 24 points and 11 rebounds from Alexis Prince paced a 93-73 victory, with Markeisha Gatling also weighing in with 23 points and 9 boards.

Piestanske Cajky came out on top in a big way in the all-Slovakian matchup against Slavia Banska Bystrica. They won the Group C clash 85-51 with a monumental effort from Ke'Shunan James who tallied 29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. 

Polskie Przetwory Bydgoszcz made light work of gliding past FCC UAV Arad in Group D as the Polish hosts completed a one-sided 89-53 victory. Sparkle Taylor and Shante Evans were the main architects as the former top scored with 23 points, while Evans barely missed and collected 15 points to go with 8 boards.

Maccabi Bnot Ashdod enjoyed a 76-64 Group F win in Lithuania at Kibirkstis, helped by the power of Kalani Brown in the paint who came up with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough performed well in the backcourt again with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals. The loss was tough for Gintare Petronyte who recorded 18 points and 17 boards.

Villeneuve d'Ascq LM proved too good for Dinamo Banco Di Sardegna as they claimed a 77-56 win in Group J off the back of 16 points and 9 rebounds from Janelle Salaun, plus 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists from Kariata Diaby. London Lions got their first win in the same group as they completed an impressive 90-79 triumph at home to Roche Vendee Basket Club with Holly Winterburn doing the business with a classy 19 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

BLMA came out on top 80-74 in their Group K game with domestic rivals LDLC ASVEL Feminin after another highly productive display from Haley Peters. She contributed 22 points and 7 rebounds, with teammate Julie Vanloo adding 18 points and 7 assists.

A dazzling downtown show carried BCF Elfic Fribourg to a 94-84 Group G win against T71 Diddeleng as they dropped 12 scores from long-range, whilst also relying on a breathtaking 33 points and 10 rebounds from Courtney Range. 

In the same pool, SL Benfica continued their impressive start to their first campaign by beating Basket Namur Capitale 63-51 to round out Gameday 2 as one of several teams still unbeaten.

FIBA