When FIBA introduced the new, two-round format of EuroLeague Women group play, part of the reasoning was to ensure the level of competition remained high throughout the regular season.
One week into the second round and it’s so far, so good. Five of the six EuroLeague Women games played last week were decided by single digits, including an epic clash between perennial powerhouses Fenerbahçe Opet and ZVVZ USK Praha and a nail-biter between Perfumerias Avenida and ÇBK Mersin that was nearly sent to overtime thanks to an intentionally missed free throw.
Will there be more drama in store for this week? Mersin’s game against Beretta Famila Schio should be a good one. At 5-2, Schio quietly has been one of the best teams in EuroLeague Women, and Mersin won’t have an easy time maintaining its undefeated record if the Italian club brings its A-game. We’ll also have another intra-country rivalry game, this time between Casademont Zaragoza (5-2) and Valencia Basket Club (6-1), a matchup with plenty of defense and physicality.
Wednesday’s matchup between Schio and Mersin will be streamed live via the DAZN streaming service. All other EuroLeague Women games can be streamed for free via the official EuroLeague Women YouTube channel. Here’s a rundown of what we’ll be watching for this week.
Tuesday, December 17
Basket Landes (5-2) vs. Žabiny Brno (2-5)
When: 11 a.m. ET
Where: Starez Aréna Vodova in Brno, Czech Republic
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Destiny Slocum, Leïla Lacan, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder (Basket Landes); Elissa Cunane, Eliška Hamzová (Žabiny Brno)
Matchup details: Landes remains perhaps the biggest enigma in EuroLeague Women, now sitting at 5-2 after a victory over Bourges, yet still owning a negative point differential (-9). The French club has a chance to pad both stats against Brno, which is giving up by far the most points per game (75.6) of any team in Group E. Brno hasn’t been a pushover by any means, but both of its wins thus far have come against an Olympiacos club that went winless in the first round of group play. Even so, these two clubs may be more evenly-matched than their records suggest.
Casademont Zaragoza (5-2) vs. Valencia Basket Club (6-1)
When: 1:15 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Fuente de San Luis in Valencia, Spain
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Markeisha Gatling, Helena Pueyo, Tanaya Atkinson, Stephanie Mawuli (Casademont Zaragoza); Alina Iagupova, Stephanie Mavunga, Yvonne Turner, Kayla Alexander, Leticia Romero, Bernadett Határ, Alba Torrens (Valencia Basket Club)
Matchup details: The biggest comeback of last week belonged to Zaragoza, which overcame a 15-point deficit to Venezia thanks to a strong second half. Zaragoza will now get a crack at fellow Spanish club Valencia, which hasn’t lost in nearly two months and recorded the only double-digit victory in the competition last week. Expect this to be a tough, physical game; Valencia and Zaragoza rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in rebounding, while Valencia is also among the top teams in blocks (3.4) and steals per game (10.1). Finally, both clubs are allowing fewer than 67 points per game, so don’t expect this to be a high-scoring contest.
Wednesday, December 18
Beretta Famila Schio (5-2) vs. ÇBK Mersin (7-0)
When: 11 a.m. ET
Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu in Mersin, Turkey
How to watch: DAZN
Notable players: Kitija Laksa, Jasmine Keys, Janelle Salaün, Ivana Dojkić, Dorka Juhász (Beretta Famila Schio); Marine Johannès, Natasha Howard, Teaira McCowan, Kayla Thornton, Karlie Samuelson, Yvonne Anderson, Iliana Rupert, Marine Fauthoux, Regan Magarity (ÇBK Mersin)
Matchup details: Mersin found itself in a tighter-than-expected game last week against a depleted Avenida squad, but held on in the final seconds to remain undefeated. Schio, meanwhile, led by as many as 15 over Brno, coasting to victory in its own second-round opener. These results set up a game between probably the two strongest clubs in Group E: Mersin, which boasts elite playmaking in its backcourt and a frontcourt that can single-handedly take over a game, and Schio, which has scorers at every position and leads EuroLeague Women in 3-point shooting accuracy (38.6 percent). Schio has also done an excellent job of taking care of the basketball, averaging just 13.6 turnovers per game, but will need to be extra cautious against Anderson, who was last season’s Defensive Player of the Year.
KGHM BC Polkowice (1-6) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (4-3)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Královka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Alexis Peterson, Amanda Zahui B., Rennia Davis, Emma Cannon (KGHM BC Polkowice); Ezi Magbegor, Brionna Jones, Maite Cazorla, Valeriane Ayayi, Maria Conde, Emese Hof (ZVVZ USK Praha)
Matchup details: A shorthanded Polkowice gave Valencia its best shot last week and was actually leading at halftime before succumbing to its own lack of depth. Things won’t get any easier for the Polish club this week, especially if it still has just seven healthy players at its disposal. Praha is coming off a close loss to Fenerbahçe and, while that’s nothing to be ashamed of, the loss still counts all the same; Praha will likely be looking at this matchup as an opportunity to bounce back and improve upon what is a fairly lukewarm record by its usual standards. Until Polkowice gets some reinforcements—Peterson’s absence, in particular, has left the team without a significant chunk of its overall playmaking abilities—most of its opponents will probably hold the same attitude.
Fenerbahçe Opet (7-0) vs. Umana Reyer Venezia (3-4)
When: 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Palasport Taliercio in Venice, Italy
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Ariel Atkins, Emma Meesseman, Tina Charles, Gabby Williams, Julie Allemand, Nikolina Milić, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet); Awak Kuier, Lorela Cubaj, Kamiah Smalls (Umana Reyer Venezia)
Matchup details: Fenerbahçe emerged from its big game against Praha challenged but unscathed, further raising confidence that the Turkish giant may have the juice for yet another EuroLeague Women championship. Next up is a young but talented Venezia team that most recently scored just 23 second-half points in an unfortunate collapse against Zaragoza. Kuier (17 points and 5.6 rebounds per game) is playing well in her first EuroLeague Women season, but Venezia will need much more from the rest of its roster if it’s going to upset a star-studded Fenerbahçe team that’s leading the competition in scoring (85 points per game).
Perfumerias Avenida (3-4) vs. Tango Bourges Basket (4-3)
When: 2 p.m. ET
Where: Palais des Sports du Prado in Bourges, France
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Sika Koné, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Arica Carter (Perfumerias Avenida); Amy Okonkwo, Morgan Green, Pauline Astier, Kariata Diaby (Tango Bourges Basket)
Matchup details: Bourges came up just short against fellow French club Landes last week, scoring fewer than 80 points for just the third time this season, but gets a bit of a reprieve against an Avenida team that is dangerously close to hitting a tailspin. Avenida has parted ways with guards Arella Guirantes and Laura Cornelius in recent days, and while Iyana Martín Carrión has done a fine job of managing the backcourt (9.7 points and 3.6 assists per game), there’s only so much the club can ask of the 18-year old. Her individual matchup against Astier (11 points and 5.7 assists per game) should be an entertaining one between two youngsters, though Bourges has plenty of veteran experience as a team.
