2018 EuroCup Women Finals Review
Across two gamedays, Galatasaray and Reyer Venezia fought for one of European basketball's biggest prizes. Both of these teams had spotless records so far in the competition, winning at every stage they competed in. For one, that was about to change.
Like in the semi-finals, the team with the largest total score at the end of both games would be the winner. Galatasaray were on home court for the first game, at Istanbul's basketball hub, the Sinan Erden Dome.
Allie Quigley gave Galatasaray a comfortable early lead in the first game, but Milica Micovic kept hitting from outside and put Venezia on top late in the first quarter. Quigley and Gintare Petronyte gave Galatasaray the lead back, though they were put under pressure by Valeria De Pretto on Venezia’s offensive end.
Five points separated the teams for much of the second quarter, with Galatasaray working hard in the paint while Venezia were equally consistent from long range. The Italian’s ability to collect loose balls also proving problematic for Galatasaray’s game plan.
Quigley never let up on offence, with a three from her in the third beginning a sixteen-point unbeaten run for Galatasaray, at the end of which they were ahead by twenty points. Meanwhile, Isil Alben did really well to share the ball, dishing 12 assists in the game, while Jelena Dubljevic was great on Galatasaray’s front court and Gintare Petronyte had a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds:
Caterina Dotto and Ashley Walker got Venezia off to a good start in the fourth quarter, but the team still had a lot of ground to cover - and ultimately, they weren't able to. Allie Quigley had a historic night in this first leg - her 37 points in the game was the most scored by any player in a EuroCup final. It was teamwork, though, and not individual heroics that saw Galatasaray win their home tie by twenty-two points.
Galatarasy then had a big advantage as they travelled to Italy for the second leg of the finals, but Venezia have already made one enormous comeback in this competition - could they do it again now in their own house?
As the game got underway in Venice, Gintare Petronyte made the biggest impression early on for Galatasaray, but the home team were able to keep it a tight behind some nice three-point shooting. The Italian side’s Martina Bestago ended a long scoring drought on the floor early in the second quarter, and began what would be a ten-point unanswered run from Venezia, which saw them take a six-point lead. Galatasaray put in good work on their defensive end to hold off their opponents, but were finding it hard to get their own shots to drop.
Marie Ruzickova made sure Venezia were ahead at half time, and they were given an eight point lead early in the third by Valeria De Pretto - but it was slow progress as they tried to reach their target. To make matters worse, Galatasaray regained their shooting composure, with a three-pointer from Isil Alben narrowing the gap down to three.
Riquna Davis later gave Venezia their first double-digit lead of the game, but Galatasaray kept breaking their momentum with decisive plays on both ends of the floor. Their points mostly came from top scorer Kaela Davis, who had 21 points, and Petronyte who finished with 19 points along with 13 total rebounds for her second double-double of the finals.
Intermittent scoring from Venezia would not be enough, and as every second ticked down in the game the final result became more inevitable. Venezia won the home tie 72-65, but ahead by fifteen points on aggregate, Galatasaray finished as 2017/18 EuroCup champions.
While it was a star-making show from Reyer Venezia, who will no doubt proven their contention, Galatasaray's first-rate play, both in the finals and throughout their season, made them worthy winners in a difficult match-up. They take home silverware in the form of this year's EuroCup trophy and have guaranteed they will be back in the Euroleague next season.
For more, visit the official EuroCup website.
