FIBA: Howard scores 35, highlighting Week 3 of EuroLeague Women

The vets came out to play in Week 3 of the EuroLeague Women competition, with some familiar names delivering memorable performances.

No starts, no problems

After a close defeat against Venezia last week, Valencia bounced back and beat UNI Győr 74-59. The win was a team effort, as only three players scored in double figures, yet none had more than 12 points. Out of the three, only one came off the bench: Stephanie Mavunga, who had 11 points and 12 boards. Asked after the game whether she approaches competition differently as a sixth woman, she noted that it gives her “a special opportunity to read the game a bit differently,” but ultimately emphasized that playing hard, more than starting or coming off the bench, is her priority.

Hers wasn’t the only off-the-bench performance that stood out during this week’s competition. Yvonne Anderson, this season’s sixth player for ÇBK Mersin, had 10 points, four boards and two steals in her team’s win over Olympiacos (more on that game below). The 34-year-old is excelling in her role this season, while the sixth-player veteran for the other Turkish EuroLeague Women team, Fenerbahçe’s 35-year-old Tina Charles, had 19 points and six boards (more on that game below as well).

Natasha Howard’s big night

This was undoubtedly the performance of the week. Natasha Howard, who had another good season for the Dallas Wings, is again back in Europe and hungry for some team success. At 33 years old, she’s still able to put up dominant performances. She scored her team’s first basket and from then on established a permanent home in the Greek team’s interior. This was a showcase in efficiency (15-for-22 shooting for 68 percent from the field) and under the basket play, as she was getting past her opponents with ease, regardless of who Olympiacos threw her way. She finished the game with 35 points and nine boards, while her team won 81-67.

Fenerbahçe remain unbeaten

Polkowice almost pulled it off. They were up two points against Fenerbahçe, 88-86, with one and a half minutes to play. Yet, they weren’t able to score again during the game. Up until that point, the Polish champs were carried by Latvian Anete Šteinberga and vet Emma Cannon. At 35 years old, Cannon has been phenomenal this season, averaging 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague. Cannon met her quota, scoring 22 points on Wednesday, with Šteinberga adding 21. The reigning champs, however, are just too deep and have too many versatile players. Emma Meesseman had 22 points, six boards and six assists. Gabby Williams added 14 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals, while Sevgi Uzun had 12 points, four boards and seven assists. At this stage, it looks that the title is Fener’s to lose.