ZVVZ USK Praha reach Quarter-Finals despite loss; Galatasaray, Basket Landes end slides

MUNICH (Germany) - Three clubs are now confirmed for the EuroLeague Women post-season after ZVVZ USK Praha joined fellow Group A sides UMMC Ekaterinburg and Perfumerias Avenida in the Quarter-Finals.

While Praha can be satisfied to have made the last eight of the competition once again, their berth was sealed despite suffering an 85-75 road loss at Perfumerias Avenida. The Spanish team moved into second place in the Group A standings as they emerged victorious from an entertaining encounter.

Some terrific early work from Kahleah Copper got Avenida onto the front foot and while Praha came back into contention, their failure to hit anything consistently from downtown cost them. Avenida got it done during crunch time and were fueled by 24 points from Copper. Brionna Jones harvested 21 points and 10 rebounds for Praha, with Alyssa Thomas adding 17 points and 12 boards.

ZVVZ USK Praha were actually confirmed as having advanced to the next phase even before the tip-off in Salamanca, courtesy of an  80-45 win by BLMA at TTT Riga. It was widely expected to be a close encounter but it turned out to be a one-sided affair, with the French club enjoying an electric 28-14 start and then throwing a defensive blanket over their opponents and restricting them to just 8 second-quarter points.

 
There was a major sense of deja vu as BLMA prospered mainly because of the standout work of forward Haley Peters.  A difference-maker in the reverse fixture, she caught fire again and this time came out with a fine 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

Galatasaray returned to winning ways as they avoided a fifth straight loss in Group B by beating Spar Girona 80-68. Boosted by the arrival of USA guard Kelsey Plum, the Turkish side were unstoppable in the first half as they won both the first and second quarters by 24-15. 

Managing to fend off a late rescue mission from Girona, the home side were paced by a fabulous 18 points and 10 assists from Pelin Bilgic, while there was also a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards from Tina Krajisnik.

Basket Landes also arrested their slump and a worrying five-game losing streak as they came out on top 87-74 at fellow strugglers VBW Arka Gdynia. The French side came alive during the last period to jump clear and nail down a first victory since the start of last November. 

Young French guard Marine Fauthoux continued her good form and led the way with 22 points and 5 assists, making a fabulous 10 of 15 from the field. She was supported by Regan Magarity who weighed in with 16 points and 9 boards. Megan Gustafson dropped 18 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.

Sopron Basket also got back on track on Wednesday, after ending 2021 with a loss. They completed an eye-catching turnaround at Dynamo Kursk to squeeze out a 77-73 triumph, having trailed by as many as 17 points during the first half. 

Bernadett Hatar and Jelena Brooks excelled for the visitors, with the former claiming 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Brooks meanwhile contributed 17 points and 9 boards, with Gabby Williams netting a team-high 20 points. The defeat was hard to bear for Kursk forward Natasha Howard who had a mammoth 26 points and 17 rebounds.

FIBA