Canadians in Europe: February 20th - 21st
This week, the Women's Euroleague regular season entered the home stretch and there were quarter-final places up for grabs in the EuroCup competition, while the men's Euroleague season continues to roll on.
Euroleague
Kevin Pangos started and had nine points for Barcelona, but it was their bench players who put up the best numbers - Kevin Seraphin and Pau Ribas both totalled 15 points in this contest over compatriot team Baskonia.
Barcelona got off to the best start, finished 22-9 ahead after the first quarter, and better contesting the loose balls they had a twenty-point lead at half-time. With a game-high 18 points Shavon Shields did his best to lift Baskonia, but with Barcelona staying the course there was no way back for the visitors.
Getting the ten-point win, 77-67, Barcelona remain fifth in the league standings overall, while eight-place Baskonia's playoff hopes hang in the balance.
Elsewhere, the week's highlight game saw Olimpia Milano score a close victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, taking their win streak to four and jumping up into the playoff zone.
Euroleague Women
With superior field shooting, Villeneuve D'Ascq had the early lead over Bourges, who found their rhythm in the second quarter, taking their first lead of the game - a lead they held on to for the remainder of the game.
Bourges saw eight points from both Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe and Katherine Plouffe, who also grabbed 14 rebounds, and the their 12 total threes helped them see off a late push from Villeneuve D'Ascq to secure the win by 78 points to 74 and remain firmly in the top four of Group A.
EuroCup Women
Lyon ASVEL had the comfort of a 27-point advantage - their lead at the end of their home tie against Tarbes the previous week. The team came to their opponents house fighting, though, not just looking to sit back on that lead - exemplified by Michelle Plouffe's standout performance of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
After a close start, Lyon took a double-digit lead, then showed Tarbes no mercy when they flatlined, scoring sixteen unanswered points and going on to lead by twenty four. Marine Fauthoux did her best to try and salvage things for Tarbes, with a team-high 12 points off the bench, but there was no way back for Tarbes.
Winning 65-44 here and 160-112 on aggragate, Lyon advance to the quarter-finals, where they will be taking on Spanish club Girona, again across two games.
