For several EuroLeague Women clubs, the mission this week is simple: win and they’re in.
The final week of EuroLeague Women group play is upon us, and there are still several play-in spots up for grabs, which sets up an exciting and chaotic finish.
In Group E, the fourth and final play-in berth will come down to the winner of Beretta Famila Schio (6-5) and Tango Bourges Basket (6-5). Whoever wins will advance to the play-ins; whoever loses will be eliminated from the competition.
In Group F, meanwhile, things are a little more complicated. Two play-in spots remain, and three teams will be competing for them: Valencia Basket Club (6-5), Umana Reyer Venezia (6-5) and Casademont Zaragoza (6-5). Valencia and Venezia play each other this week, and the winner of that game will advance. It’s possible the loser advances, too, if Zaragoza can’t take care of business against DVTK HUNTHERM (1-10).
With all 12 teams playing on the same day, we’ve got an exciting slate of games ahead of us. As always, they’ll be streamed live and for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel. Here’s everything you need to know as things wrap up in group play.
Wednesday, February 4
Spar Girona (8-3) vs. Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring (9-2)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Justė Jocytė, Chloe Bibby, Arica Carter, Mariam Coulibaly, Klara Holm (Spar Girona); Marine Johannès, Elizabeth Williams, Dorka Juhász, Awak Kuier, Kamiah Smalls (Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring)
- Matchup details: For seeding purposes, there isn’t much to see here, as Galatasaray and Girona have already locked up the top two play-in spots in Group E and will advance directly to the semifinals. That being said, it’s still a top-tier matchup between championship contenders, and there’s some additional allure this time around with Girona getting their biggest star back from injury. Coulibaly missed their previous game against Galatasaray, and Girona certainly felt her absence. Will Coulibaly’s offensive efficiency be enough to help Girona overcome Galatasaray’s size in the frontcourt?
Basket Landes (8-3) vs. Fenerbahçe Opet (10-1)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Metro Energy Sports Hall in Istanbul, Turkey
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Leïla Lacan, Julie Wojta, Murjanatu Musa (Basket Landes); Emma Meesseman, Kayla McBride, Gabby Williams, Megan Gustafson, Julie Allemand, Iliana Rupert, Sevgi Uzun, Teaira McCowan (Fenerbahçe Opet)
- Matchup details: The last time these two teams met, Landes pulled off one of the most surprising upsets in EuroLeague Women history, and they haven’t lost since. This highly-anticipated rematch will take place on Fenerbahçe’s home court, and while the Turkish club has already secured the top overall play-in seed in Group F, they’ll surely be motivated to get back at Landes for what happened in January. Fenerbahçe has been without McBride for the past two weeks due to a quad injury; if she’s healthy again, that will obviously raise their ceiling, but they may choose to let her rest for when the games truly matter.
ZVVZ USK Praha (7-4) vs. Flammes Carolo Basket (3-8)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Caisse d’épargne Arena in Charleville-Mézères, France
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Brionna Jones, Janelle Salaün, Bridget Carleton, Valeriane Ayayi, Maite Cazorla, Pauline Astier (ZVVZ USK Praha); Liz Dixon, Maïa Hirsch, Noémie Brochant, Isabelle Strunc (Flammes Carolo Basket)
- Matchup details: This game has no postseason implications at all, since Praha is locked into a quarterfinals play-in appearance and Carolo has already been eliminated. The defending champs are already playing with a bit of momentum, having won three-straight games, and the last time they faced Carolo, Carleton hit a league-record nine 3-pointers. It’s not likely that happens again, of course, but it would be surprising nonetheless if this game ends up being close; Carolo simply doesn’t have the firepower to hang with Praha for a full 40 minutes.
Valencia Basket Club (6-5) vs. Umana Reyer Venezia (6-5)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Palasport Taliercio in Venice, Italy
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Leonie Fiebich, Nia Coffey, Awa Fam, Yvonne Anderson, Kayla Alexander, Raquel Carrera, Hind Ben Abdelkader, Leticia Romero (Valencia Basket Club); Kaila Charles, Lorela Cubaj, Joyner Holmes, Stephanie Mavunga, Ivana Dojkic (Umana Reyer Venezia)
- Matchup details: Valencia is, on paper, a well-rounded team with shooting and size, but they’ve underachieved for much of this season, including during their current two-game losing streak. This sets up a must-win matchup for both teams; back in January, Valencia prevailed over Venezia thanks to five double-digit scorers and a massive advantage at the free throw line (28 attempts to Venezia’s nine). Needless to say, defending without fouling will be at the top of Venezia’s gameplan, as will making life in the paint a little more difficult for players like Alexander and Fam.
Tango Bourges Basket (6-5) vs. Beretta Famila Schio (6-5)
- When: 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Palazzetto Livio Rómare in Schio, Italy
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Monique Akoa Makani, Kariata Diaby, Tima Pouye, Alix Duchet (Tango Bourges Basket); Jessica Shepard, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kitija Laksa, Marième Badiane, Maria Conde, Anete Steinberga (Beretta Famila Schio)
- Matchup details: The stakes couldn’t be any higher in this win-or-go-home matchup. Bourges and Schio are both certainly postseason-caliber teams, and they showed it in their last meeting, which ended as a 92-81 barn burner in favor of Bourges. The French club hasn’t had much luck since then, however, and it’s kept the door open for a Schio club that is among the best in the league at creating assisted shots. Bourges is one of EuroLeague Women’s top rebounding teams (39.9 rebounds per game), but they haven’t had to face a post presence of Shepard’s caliber very often; the Schio center is averaging 9.2 boards per game on her own.
DVTK HUNTHERM (1-10) vs. Casademont Zaragoza (6-5)
- When: 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe in Zaragoza, Spain
- How to watch:FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Kathryn Westbeld, Nina Aho, Monika Grigalauskyte, Paula Ginzo (DVTK HUNTHERM); Carla Leite, Stephanie Mawuli, Helena Pueyo, Mariona Ortiz, Nadia Fingall (Casademont Zaragoza)
- Matchup details: Zaragoza has the luxury of controlling their own destiny without having to face another team that’s gunning for the play-ins. DVTK has struggled for the entirety of group play and remains winless in the second round, and while they’ve had a couple of close games in recent weeks, they also lost by 19 points to Zaragoza back in January. Zaragoza can’t afford to get complacent, of course, but on paper, the odds of them advancing to the postseason by winning this game seem good.
Category: General Sports
