2018 EuroCup Women Semi Finals Review
Sparks flew in two heated match-ups as four teams vied for a place in the final of Europe's second-tier competition for women's basketball teams. Played over two games, at both teams' home arenas, the one with the highest total score at the end would go through to the final.
Two teams - Galatasaray and Avenida - were looking to prove themselves having been relegated from the Euroleague, while Hatay BB and Reyer Venezia were seeking both a title of their own and to move on to greater glory, as the EuroCup champions earn a place in the next Euroleague season.
Galatasaray vs Avenida
Early on, the teams seemed equally yet oppositely matched - Galatasaray were getting it done from close range, while Avenida's shooters kept the scoreline tight. A defensively minded game throughout, both teams were making it hard for the other to get shots off and were separated by just five points down the stretch, with Galatasaray on top. The Turkish club made numerous attempts to break away even more, but Avenida matched their scoring and Kim Mestdagh completed a three-point play to narrow the gap to two early in the fourth quarter. Galatasaray responded with a six point run, then with two minutes left Angelica Robinson made two successive layups, narrowing the gap to one. In the remaining time, Gintare Petronyte hit from the foul line and Jelena Dublevic - Galatasray’s top scorer in the game - made the last four of her 15 points to win the game 69-62 for Galatasaray, and give them an eight-point advantage in the second leg.
Avenida got off to a great start in the reverse fixture, scoring ten points in the last five minutes of the opening quarter and limiting Galatasaray to two. The Turkish club were quick to fight back, though, narrowing the gap to two after three minutes in the next period. Avenida gave themselves a more comfortable lead by getting shots to drop in the low post, before Allie Quigley tied the scores late in the third, then gave Galatasaray their first lead with a three-pointer. Avenida’s shooters put them up by six as the game went down to the wire, but they started to feel the pressure and could not shake Quigley, who led all scorers with an amazing 24. It was a punishing end to the game for Avenida, who flatlined and slowly watched the tie fall away from them. They won the game 57-55, but leading six points on aggregate, Galatasaray advance to the EuroCup final.
Hatay BB vs Reyer Venezia
Hind Ben Abdelkader opened the first game in the tie with seven points in a row, beginning what would be a seven-point run for Hatay, who led 13-4 early on. Venezia’s three-point shooters responded, but Hatay kept finding open looks in the paint and took their biggest lead of the game, 22 points, before half-time. After a clumsy start, Venezia started to look more confident in the second half, reducing their arrears from long range, but their rhythm was regularly interrupted by Hatay.
After a stilted start to the fourth quarter, Marie Ruzickova began a seven-point run for Venezia, and the gap stood at six points with five minutes left in the game. This seemingly woke up Hatay, who then went rampant on offence and limited Venezia to just one more basket in the game. Abdelkader was the stand out in this one with a great all-around show on offence, while Leilani Mitchell and Katsiaryna Snytsia both led all scorers with 17 points each and Courtney Paris played monster defence for Hatay, particularly in the final quarter. Hatay win the home leg of the tie with a dominant and confident performance, and give themselves a big advantage going into game two, winning here 74-54.
Venezia went into game two with a mountain to climb, and after an unconvincing start they took a double-digit lead over Hatay behind two unbeaten runs of 8 and 11 points in the second quarter. Hatay kept making the occasional shot - mostly from Courtney Paris and Hind Ben Abdelkader, joint top scorers for Hatay with 17 points - but they couldn’t consistently get shot attempts to drop, and Venezia were quick to collect loose balls. Venezia reached the twenty-point lead they needed seconds into the third quarter, but then went looking for more, and went ahead by thirty by the end of the third.
Hatay had a 16-point run throughout the second half, reducing it to a nineteen-point game and giving the advantage back to them. With the teams deadlocked down the stretch, Rinqua Williams put Venezia up by 23. Courtney Paris reduced the aggregate gap to just one point with ten seconds left, then Ashley Williams hit two from the free-throw line, putting Veneiza up 80-57. With the last shot of the game Abdelkader put up a three-pointer that would have seen Hatay through to the final, but it missed. Venezia had done the impossible, coming back from a huge deficit and winning a well-earned place in the EuroCup final, beating Hatay 80-57 here and 134-131 in total.
Venezia and Galatasaray will now play for the EuroCup final, with game one in Venice on April 11th and the final leg taking place on April 18th in Istanbul. If both teams are on the same form as they were in the semi finals, we should be in for a deciding contest.
Check back here for reports on the EuroCup final, and for regular news and updates visit the tournament's official website.
