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The still-undefeated Turkish clubs—Fenerbahçe and ÇBK Mersin—are on a roll, yes, but there were some noteworthy performances from other players and teams as the second round of EuroLeague Women group play continued.
On Tuesday, Steph Kostowicz had 17 points and seven boards, while Elissa Cunane had 14 points for Žabiny in an 82-71 loss to Schio, which carried by Dorka Juhasz’s 15 points and Janelle Salaün’s 17 points. On Wednesday Emma Meesseman had 19 points and nine boards for Fenerbahçe in their 63-54 win over Praha.
Not a good week for shooters
Out of the five games played during this three-day week of games, only the two games played on Tuesday featured better than 40 percent accuracy from the field, as all four teams—Beretta Famila Schio, Žabiny Brno, Perfumerias Avenida and ÇBK Mersin—made at least 40 percent of their shots. The rest weren’t as precise. Fans of shooting weren’t particularly happy with Thursday’s game between Umana Reyer Venezia and Casademont Zaragoza, in which both teams shot below 30 percent, resulting in a 44-39 final score that favored Zaragoza. Venezia had a particularly bad night, as they made only one-fourth (16-for-63) of their attempts, with Awak Kuier being the only player in the game to score in double figures. Only three players made at least 50 percent of their shots in the shooting-starved affair, with Zaragoza’s Helena Pueyo, who shot 60 percent, being the most accurate.
Now we know why the Valkyries drafted Iliana Rupert
ÇBK Mersin’s unbeaten streak continues, this time thanks to Iliana Rupert’s awesome showing in the 79-62 win against Perfumerias Avenida. The 23-year-old scored 34 points on 70 percent shooting. It was a perfect performance and a showcase of her unique skills. The Mersin center not only shot efficiently from the interior, either on the fastbreak or when matched up with a defender, but she also made four three-pointers on 50 percent accuracy. This allowed Mersin’s usual top-performers, Yvonne Anderson and Natasha Howard, to take a backseat.
Week 10 scores
Group E
ÇBK Mersin (10-0) 79, Perfumerias Avenida (4-5) 62
Tango Bourges Basket (6-4) 75, Basket Landes (5-5) 61
Beretta Famila Schio (7-3) 82, Žabiny Brno (3-7) 71
Group F
Fenerbahçe Opet (8-0) 63, ZVVZ USK Praha (4-5) 54
Umana Reyer Venezia (3-6) 44, Casademont Zaragoza (5-3) 39
