Fenerbahce and Ros Casares Dominate Foes, Avenida Suffers Upset

Heavy favorites Fenerbahce and Ros Casares rolled through convincing victories in Game One of their respective playoff series, while defending champions Perfumerias Avenida suffered an upset that could be a big blow to their title defense.

Fenerbahce Too Much for BLMA

Fenerbahce extended their unbeaten run to 13-straight games after scoring a convincing 83-71 win over the fighting BLMA in game one of the best-of-three series in Istanbul.

Penny Taylor rose into the occasion as she finished with a game-high 24 points and 9-for-15 shooting from the field, while Ivana Matovic and Angel McCoughtry added 20 and 17 points, respectively, for Fenerbahce, who dominated Lattes Montpellier in the opening period.

Coming into the game as the heavy favorite, Fenerbahce proved why they were undefeated in the elimination round as they quickly jumped to a 26-8 lead early in the opening period and they never looked back despite several comeback attempts from BLMA.

“We played well. At this point at the EuroLeague Women any sort of mistake or lack of concentration is irreversible,” said Zane Tamane, who scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards. “Any point is important like any other. This is team work and step by step we want to head to the Finals.”

Ros Casares Blows Out CCC Polkowice

Ros Casares had a strong third period and continued to dominate in the final period to score a dominating 88-54 win over first-round playoff rival CCC Polkowice in Valencia.

Leading 41-32 at the half, the Spanish Club outscored CCC Polkowice, 26-9, in the third period, and 21-13 in the final period to complete the dominating performance in game one, putting themselves in a good odds to sweep their best-of-three series.

Veteran Ann Wauters spearheaded Ros Casares’ attack with her 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Maya Moore and Lauren Jackson added 17 and 13 points, respectively, with the former grabbing eight rebounds.

Beretta-Famila Schio Shocks Perfumerias Avenida

While Fenerbahce and Ros Casares scored rousing victories to kick off their title drive, defending champions Perfumerias Avenida suffered an opposite fate as Beretta-Famila scored a stunning 67-59 upset win in Avenida.

Playing in front a loud crowd in their opponent’s home court, Schio played with a lot of poise and silenced the crowd after building a 37-20 lead late in the first half. Avenida tried to launch several comeback attempts, but they failed to erase the huge deficit, putting themselves in the brink of elimination.

Laura Macchi led Beretta-Famila with her 19 points, while Erika De Souza led Avenida with 23 points and 17 rebounds, which was not enough to lift the defending champions.

Complete EuroLeague Women Eighth-Final Game One Results

• Ros Casares 88 – 54 CCC Polkowice
• Sparta&K Moscow 93 – 79 Nadezhda
• UMMC Ekaterinburg 61 – 55 Good Angels Kosice
• Wisla Can-Pack 66 – 52 ZVVZ USK Prague
• Rivas Ecopolis 65 – 59 Bourges Basket
• Fenerbahce 83 – 71 BLMA
• Perfumerias Avenida 59 – 67 Beretta-Famila