Canadians in Europe: January 10th - 13th

This week saw the start of the round of sixteen playoffs in the EuroCup Women, while the FIBA Champions League began their play-in tournament and the Europe Cup and the Euroleague both continued. In amongst them all were Canadians players all looking to help their respective teams make the next step on their continental journey. Here's what happened:

EuroCup Women

Castors Braine saw fifteen points from Aislinn Konig, but she and everyone else on the team were outclassed by Quinn Dornstauder, who had 22 points off the bench in their first round of sixteen game. They started on the back foot against BC Prometey, who built an early thirteen-point lead over their Belgian hosts, who had to pull out all the stops to keep the game from getting away from them.

With 8:30 to go and Prometey leading by ten, Castors kept cutting the deficit from the field and the game was tied going into the final stretch. Konig and Jessica Lindstrom combined to put the hosts up by three with a minute to go, Ariel Atkins responded with a three to tie the scores and in the dying seconds, made one of two free-throws to edge out the win for Prometey by a single point.

Elsewhere Michelle Plouffe and Ruth Hamblin combined for twenty points and ten rebounds for Olympiacos, who were hosting Turkish club Nesbie Aydin. Greater success in the low post and beyond the arc took Nesbie from down four to up by seventeen and led by 27 from Kamile Nacickatie and a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double from Alaina Coates, Aydin handed Olympiacos their first EuroCup loss in five games, they go into the away fixture needing to win by five or more.

FIBA Champions League

There was a highlight game in San Cristobal, where Canarias Tenerife hosted Turkish team Karsiyaka. There was almost nothing to choose between the teams, who were never separated by more than seven points and the lead changed hands sixteen times.

The turning point in the game was a six-point Tenerfie run at the end of the third quarter, plus matching Karsiyaka's scoring in the final quarter kept the lead with the Spanish team. Kyle Wiltjer posting thirteen points and seven rebounds for Tenerfie, who gain a seven-point advantage ahead of the away leg with Karsiyaka.

FIBA Europe Cup

Kenny Cherry posted fourteen points and Philip Scrubb had nine for Avtodor Saratov in an unpredictable match-up with Bahçeşehir Koleji. A troubling start for Saratov opened the door for the Turkish team to take control the game. While Avtodor started the final quarter trailing, twelve points in the paint from them in the final quarter, and outscoring Bahcesehir by five in the fourth, kept them undefeated so far in Group L, winning 75-70.

Euroleague

Fenerbahce hosted Olympiacos in Istanbul, where the Greek visitors' outside shooting kept them on top throughout the first half. In the third quarter Fenerbahce erupted from beyond the arc - putting up seven of their fifteen threes in the game - and continuing this form into the fourth they went up by double-digits and paved a clear and comfortable way home to the win.

It was a good night for Dyshawn Pierre, with fourteen points in Fenerbahce's victory, keeping their hunt for a playoff place alive with the 94-80 win over Olympiacos.