Deja vu as Brooks leads Sopron Basket to Final

ISTANBUL (Turkey) - Sopron Basket have reached the EuroLeague Women Final for the second time in history after beating Perfumerias Avenida 74-69 in Istanbul and once again, it was Jelena Brooks who was the hero.

Four years ago, it was the Serbian veteran who made the huge clutch shot to send her team to the title game and this time she was hot from start to finish as Sopron extracted revenge for last year's Semi-Final defeat to Avenida.

Turning point: There wasn't one. Sopron Basket jumped all over Avenida from the tip-off to take control early and they never loosened their grip. Led by Brooks, they won the opening quarter 22-13 and kept their opponents at arms' length until late in the game when Avenida got back to within four points. However, they had enough of a cushion to see the game out and get the job done.

Game hero(es): Brooks was unstoppable, using all of her experience to get it done and she finished with her highest points tally of the campaign with 27 points. Meanwhile there were two very important cameo performances from both Bernadett Hatar and Gabby Williams. The former claimed a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Williams added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Stats Don't Lie: Avenida love to play with energy and tempo when they can, but Sopron only gave up one fast break bucket. Looking after the ball so carefully and good transition defense was key for Sopron.

Bottom line: Sopron Basket had more intensity, played smart, were physical and exploited some lax Avenida defense early in the contest, made plenty of shots and generally played some excellent team basketball. Perhaps that was driven by the fact they still had the bitter taste of defeat to Avenida at this stage last year. They will relish being underdogs in the Final and will play with no pressure on them as Hungarians look to try and make history by winning the competition for the first time.

While credit must go to Sopron for their approach, this was a very unrecognizable Perfumerias Avenida display. The usual energy, vibrancy and intensity at both ends of the court was not at the usual levels. 

They Said: "It was an amazing team effort from the start .We were really focused on what we had to do. Everyone, from the court, the bench, the staff and the supporters were all in the game. We felt it and we kept our focus for 40 minutes. I am so happy." Sopron Basket star, Jelena Brooks.

"I am really happy about this win and especially because of all that work that we have done lately. We have to now stay strong. We must keep this up. We are happy, but we still have some goals. I would also like to congratulate Avenida as they are a great opponent. But, I was happy that we could take revenge for last year. It was a bonus." - Sopron head coach, David Gaspar.

"My team needed to start with a better sense of urgency. We were two completely different teams in both halves. It was a lesson for us. We had to start more aggressive." - Perfumerias Avenida wing, Kahleah Copper

"We lost the game in the first half. We tried to react and I am proud of the second half.  Congratulations to Sopron Basket as they were much better than us. We don't have to think about it as being only a bad day though. You can't beat everyone all of the time. It is still a big success for us to be at the Final Four." - Perfumerias Avenida head coach, Roberto Iniguez.

FIBA