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The headline for Week 3 of EuroLeague Women—the expected debuts of Kayla McBride and Megan Gustafson for Fenerbahçe—delivered an unsurprising outcome in the matchup between the powerhouse club and Olympiacos.
With 13 points and four assists from McBride and nine points and six rebounds from Gustafson to bolster Emma Meesseman’s 17 points and six boards and Iliana Rupert’s 15 points and seven boards, Fenerbahçe cruised to a 94-73 win, solidifying their spot atop Group C at 3-0.
Praha similarly won comfortably, finally securing a result requisite of their status as defending champions. In the 97-51 blowout win over Gdyina, Kaitlyn Chen paced Praha with a 10-point and 10-assist double-double, with a side of seven rebounds to go with it, as Valeriane Ayayi posted yet another impressive stat line with 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds. 2026 WNBA Draft prospect Pauline Astier added 16 points, on better than 83 percent shooting, along with seven assists.
Those results left no lingering questions. However, the outcomes of three other games spark inquires that likely will prove relevant as group play continues:
What’s wrong with Mersin?
Despite sporting a roster stocked with WNBA talent, ÇBK Mersin has stumbled to an 0-3 start, losing by seven points, 79-72, to Casademont Zaragoza.
The production of Kennedy Burke, Tiffany Hayes and Lusia Geiselsoder was not enough; those three combined for 57 of Mersin’s 72 points, with the rest of the roster managing only 15 points. Burke led the way with 22, followed by Hayes’ 21 and Geiselsoder’s 14. Julie Vanloo, Mersin’s fourth WNBA player, continued to experience a rough start to her EuroLeague career, going scoreless with five fouls and four turnovers.
Mersin led with just over a minute left in the game, gaining a one-point advantage via a Burke 3-pointer.
But then Carla Leite closed the door for Zaragoza, converting on a jumper and a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute before a steal in the waning seconds by Stephanie Mawuli turned into a long-distance dagger from Helena Pueyo, as her heave from beyond halfcourt found the bottom of the net. Leite finished with 22 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. Pueyo scored 15 points on 75 percent shooting while also grabbing eight boards.
Mersin sinks to the bottom of Group D at 0-3, while all of Zaragoza, Basket Landes and Umana Reyer Venezia are 2-1 after Landes edged Venezia, 63-57, in their Week 3 matchup.
In his Week 3 preview, Eric Nemchock cited Girona as “one of the competition’s pleasant surprises early on,” and they earned another pleasing result, topping Bourges in dominant fashion, 92-62, to advance to 3-0 at the head of Group A.
Girona enjoyed excellent shooting, not only hitting 57 percent of all their attempts but also cashing in on almost 42 percent of their 3s. And most exciting for WNBA fans, and Golden State Valkyries’ fans, in particular, was the performance of Justė Jocytė, who exemplified her club’s offensive efficiency by going 9-for-11 from the field, including 5-for-7 from 3, as she scored a game-best 23 points.
Is Galatasaray a real threat?
Galatasaray, still without the sweet-shooting services of Marine Johannès, also remained undefeated in group play, controlling Group B at 3-0 with the 83-64 win over Sopron.
On a team featuring a number of WNBA players, Dorka Juhász assumed the starring role, netting a season-high 21 points, including a pair of 3s, and 10 rebounds. She now leads the competition in both rebounds and double-doubles. Kamiah Smalls also continued her strong guard play for Galatasaray, as she tallied her own double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.
With Elizabeth Williams and Awak Kuier already on the active roster and Johannès on the way, Galatasaray, which earned their spot in the competition through qualification, appears equipped challenge the expected powers.
Schio, however, will aim to unseat Galatasaray from their first-place position in Group B, a task that remained in reach after they survived against Carolo, 81-79, when Maia Hirsch released what would have been the game-winning 3 for Carolo just after the buzzer. The duo of Jessica Shepard and Cecilia Zandalasini allowed Schio to escape, with Shepard delivering a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double as Zandalasini had 15 points and four assists.
Keep up with the current group standings here.
