EuroLeague Women : We take a look at what is in store during the eleventh week of action in EuroLeague Women - Europes premier womens club competition. GROUP A . ZVVZ USK Prague vs. Galatasaray Wed, 18:00 CET Watch live on youtube/FIBA Key Match-Up : Sonja Petrovic vs. Jelena Dubljevic Both forwards will relish this game as it is more than just about getting the victory. Dubljevic was a kingpin for Prague the past two seasons and has effectively been replaced by Petrovic. Both players currently lead their respective teams in scoring, although neither have probably found their very top gear on a consistent basis. However, they ooze quality and this battle should have a significant outcome on the contest. Key Stat : Galatasaray have lost all six games this season when their opponents have shot the ball better than them. Game Notes : The hosts won the first meeting comfortably in Istanbul with a 72-43 success. However, Prague have lost three of their last four games. The mirror opposite, Galatasaray are in the process of trying to save their season with three wins in their last four games. Prague playmaker Laia Palau leads the competition in both assists and turnovers. She will go up against Spanish national team colleague Nuria Martinez, who played an astonishing 49 minutes for Galatasaray in their double-overtime thriller against Dynamo Kursk last week. . Dynamo Kursk vs. Good Angels Kosice Wed, 17:00 CET Watch live on youtube/FIBA Key Match-Up: Nnemkadi Ogwumike vs. Crystal Langhorne There is no player quite lighting it up like Ogwumike right now and so therefore much will rest on whether Langhorne can cause some trouble in the paint down the other end of the floor and help her team shackle her opponent. Ogwumike made 14 field goals in the last game against Galatasaray and that was the best of the tournament this far. Both players also know each other from the WNBA too and can score and rebound for fun, so it should be a fascinating match-up. Key Stat : The difference in the scoring capacity of the respective teams is cavernous, with Kursk pouring in almost 79 points per game and Kosice 21 points behind that average. Game Notes : The first ever meeting between the clubs resulted in a 92-70 win for Kursk in Slovakia. Zuzana Zirkova scored a season high 22 points in her last game for Kosice. Kursk pair Irina Osipova and Isil Alben have both missed their last eight field goal attempts and Osipova in particular will want to correct that against one of her former teams. . UMMC Ekaterinburg vs. Wisla Can-Pack Wed, 15:00 CET Watch live on youtube/FIBA Key Match-Up : Ewelina Kobryn vs. Gintare Petronyte Two leading European centers, the duo will enjoy duelling inside and competing on the glass. Petronyte heads into the game after a perfect six of six shooting display last week and for added pleasure, came up with four blocks against UMMC in the first game - a number yet to be beaten this season. Kobryn meanwhile has played effective cameos for UMMC and is shooting a nice 53% at the hoop. The Polish star could be handed more minutes to counteract the sheer size of her opponent in this one and will enjoy playing against the club which retains a special place in her heart after spending five seasons in Krakow. Key Stat : Wisla head into the game as underdogs, but buoyed by a 63% shooting effort in their last game which was the best of the season anywhere in the competition and demonstrates that if they get it right and play with confidence, they can be a highly dangerous unit. Game Notes : Wisla Can-Pack have never beaten UMMC and lost the first meeting earlier this season 66-56 on their home floor. Sandrine Gruda edged past the 2,000 points landmark in the last game for Ekaterinburg, a milestone which only 17 other players have managed to reach. And, three more blocks will take Gruda to 100 in the competition, a feat which only 12 players have ever accomplished. GROUP B . Energa Torun vs. BK Imos Brno Wed, 19:00 CET Key Match-Up : Amanda Jackson vs. Katerina Hindrakova Hindrakova is one of the few Brno players to have shone during what has been a very testing and challenging season. The swingman may not have been able to inspire her team to a much needed maiden victory, but she has at least shown she can score at the highest level and probably done enough to retain her Czech national team spot for EuroBasket Women 2015. Jackson meanwhile endured a rough initiation to the competition with no double digit returns in her first eight games, shes scored 13 and 14 in her last two outings, so is finally warming up. Key Stat : Aside from a couple of young guns who have played a handful of minutes, only two players on the Brno roster are shooting more than 40% this season and Torun have only one player who is shooting the ball well and post 40%. That highlights a fundamental problem in both teams struggles so far. Game Notes : Energa Torun won the first contest 82-62 on the road. Something has to give this week since Brno have not won all season and Torun are looking to halt a six game losing skid. Brno are now the worst team in no fewer than nine different statistical categories and looking to end their 15 game losing run in the tournament. Torun are still the worst three-point shooting side, but the best at steals. . Nadezhda vs. Beretta Famila Schio Wed, 15:00 CET Key Match-Up : DeWanna Bonner vs. Laura Macchi While completely different in style, both players are very effective and potential game winners. Bonner is the second leading scorer in the competition with 16.8 points per game and has the athleticism and offensive range to trouble any opponent both inside and out. Macchi will use all of her experience to help neutralise that threat as best as possible and if she can sink a few threes and jump-shots, then Schio will have a good chance of overhauling the home side. Key Stat : Nadezhda cant get sloppy on defence and start reaching when tired, since Schio will punish them from the line. The visitors are the best free-throw shooting team around, with 79.4%. Game Notes : Nadezhda recorded their biggest ever victory against Schio earlier this season with a spectacular 77-58 victory in Italy. Nadezhda have won 5 out of 5 games when rebounding better than their opponent. They have also won 5 out of 6 games when leading at half-time. Schio have won all three games when they have scored more than 80 points, although they have lost the last five games against Russian opposition. . Agu Spor Kulubu vs. Tango Bourges Wed, 18.00 CET Key Match-Up : Tanisha Wright vs. Johannah Leedham Wright has lost some of the limelight since the arrival of Lindsay Whalen and was 2 of 11 last week at Avenida. However, her 38 minutes of court time demonstrate her value and she will continue to be a key player, but needs to find her shooting touch consistently again. Like her opponent, she does so many other things and Leedham is certainly underlining her eye-catching ability to hussle and collect rebounds with a career high 11 against Schio, followed up by another 10 against Nadezhda. She is also shooting over 50% across her last three games. Key Stat : The only stat that matters in this one is that Bourges have still not won a single road game all season. Game Notes : Bourges won the clash in France by 79-71. Lindsay Whalen loves the number 22 and has finished with that points tally in every one of her three EuroLeague Women outings so far for Agu Spor. Styliani Kaltsidou will line-up against her former side after spending several seasons in France. . Fenerbahce vs. CB Avenida Wed, 19.00 CET Key Match-Up : Tina Charles vs. Angelica Robinson Two genuine heavyweights of this seasons leading players in the competition, both will be looking forward to re-engaging on the hardwood . They are each leading their respective teams in both scoring and rebounding, although they have perhaps slowed down in the last couple of weeks. This is just the kind of platform they will use to try and slip back up the gears again. Key Stat : Both teams are very closely matched in every statistical category. The one stat that does stand out is the 26 game winning streak for Fenerbahce in the tournament and reiterates what Avenida are up against and how well they must play to end that incredible record. Game Notes : CB Avenida held the upper hand in the first encounter and took a 66-60 success in Salamanca. It is still the only game that Fenerbahce have lost this season. Angel McCoughtry moved past 1,500 points in the last game and fellow wing star Agnieszka Bibryzycka is now only one steal away from 300 in the competition. Tugba Palazoglu scored a Euroleague Women career high 16 points last week for Fenerbahce. Katerina Hindrakova and BK IMOS Brno are looking for their first victory of the EuroLeague Women season !
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:24:31 +0000