This Week in Women’s Basketball: 2024 EuroCup Women Finals are set

We’ve got two first-time contenders in the EuroCup Women Finals, a WNBA trade, a NCAAW college all-star game and more news from around women’s basketball.

Catch up on the latest happenings from FIBA, WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball:

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A new EuroCup Women champion will soon be crowned

A first-time EuroCup Women champion will be crowned when Besiktas and the London Lions meet in the 2024 EuroCup Women Finals. Both clubs prevailed in the two-leg Semi-Finals, where the aggregate score from across the two games determined which teams advanced.

Turkish Besiktas triumphed over Spanish Spar Girona by an aggregate score of 149-126. In Game 1 on Mar. 7, the Chicago Sky’s Dana Evans led Besiktas with 27 points and six assists, while Li Yueru, now with the Los Angeles Sparks, added a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Besiktas won 81-60, giving them a 21-point edge heading into Game 2 on Mar. 14. Thus, a two-point win on the scoreboard, 68-66, was actually a much more comfortable victory for Besiktas. On an off shooting night for Evans, she still tied for the team-high with 14 points. Li again was all over the glass, with 15 boards to go with her 12 points. Besiktas is the fifth Turkish club to advance to the EuroCup Women Finals, although it is their first trip to the Finals stage.

The British London Lions were victorious over Italian Umana Reyer Venice by a combined score of 140-127, making history by becoming the first British club to reach the EuroCup Women Finals. Game 1, held on Mar. 6, was a closely-contested affair, with London squeaking out the 69-68 win. WNBA favorites Megan Gustafson, now with the Las Vegas Aces, and Temi Fagbenle, returning to the Indiana Fever, combined to lead the way for London. Gustafson tallied a 14-point and 12-rebound double-double, with Fagbenle scoring a game-high 24 points. New Washington Mystic Karlie Samuelson and Phoenix Mercury stalwart Shey Peddy both chipped in for London, with Samuelson contributing eight points, six assists and four boards and Peddy adding four points and four boards.

Umana Reyer features a pair of players familiar to WNBA fans, the Minnesota Lynx’s Jessica Shepard and the Dallas Wings’ Awak Kuier, both whom are not expected to play in the W in 2024 due to overseas and international obligations. In Game 1, Shepard had 10 points and seven boards, while Kueir scored 12 points and grabbed three boards.

With Umana Reyer up by two points at halftime of Mar. 12’s Game 2, it appeared a berth to the Finals could go down to the wire. Instead, the Lions dismissed any drama, taking control with a 24-12 third quarter. Gustafson and Fagbenle again were big for the British side; Gustafson had 19 points and six boards, while Fagbenle posted 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Shepard did all she could to keep her club in contention, finishing with a 21-point and 13-rebound double-double; Kuier chipped in four points and four boards.

The 2024 EuroCup Women Finals begin on April 3, with Game 1 in Istanbul. Game 2 will be in London on April 10, with the champion determined by the aggregate score of the two games. Games can be streamed live on FIBA’s Youtube channel.

Liberty acquire Gardner from Sky

On Thursday, we had a rare, mid-March WNBA trade, with the New York Liberty sending two future first-round picks to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Rebekah Gardner.

Gardner impressed as unrelenting perimeter defender in her first season in the WNBA in 2022. Last season, she was limited to three games due to foot surgery. Then, while playing in Spain for Spar Girona this offseason, she tore her Achilles, which will sideline her for the 2024 season. A reserved free agent, Gardner had yet to sign the qualifying offer issued by the Sky.

For the Liberty, this is a future- and financial-focused move. They will retain Gardner’s rights, but owe her nothing for the 2024 season. Then, after she, hopefully, fully recovers from another injury setback, she can serve as a valuable, high-impact player for New York beginning in 2025.

Get set for #SeafoamSZN

In more Liberty news, games will be broadcast locally over the air on FOX 5 NY. Last season, the Phoenix Mercury debuted a local broadcast on Arizona Family.

The Liberty also announced that courtside and club season tickets have sold out, leading the organization to introduce the WNBA’s first-ever public premium seating waitlist.

Ally Tipoff announces 2024 field

The 2024 Ally Tipoff will feature South Carolina, Iowa, NC State and Virginia Tech. The doubleheader will take place on Nov. 10 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, with both games broadcast on ESPN.

South Carolina will face NC State, while Iowa and Virginia Tech, competitors in the 2023 Ally Tipoff, will meet again.

Women’s hoops legends to coach 2024 College All-Star Game

An illustrious group of women’s basketball legends—Cheryl Miller, Nancy Lieberman, Cynthia Cooper and Janice Braxton—will serve as coaches for the 2024 Women’s College All-Star Game. The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), in partnership with Intersport, is sponsoring the event, which will be held April 6 at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University. Current WNBA All-Stars Satou Sabally and Kelsey Plum are slated to serve as assistant coaches.

This will be the first women’s college all-star game since 2006, with the event highlighting players who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility ahead of April 15’s WNBA Draft. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

College coaching changes begin

For high-major programs that had ambitions of breaking through, a disappointing season often leads to an end-of-season dismissal. That was the case at Kentucky and Clemson, with Kentucky moving on from Kyra Elzy after four seasons and Clemson cutting ties with Amanda Butler after six seasons.

Keep up with portal madness

Having trouble keeping up with which NCAAW players have entered the transfer portal and where they might be going? Us to! Luckily, our friends at The Next have created a transfer portal tracker.

As a reminder, just because a player enters the portal doesn’t mean that she’s guaranteed to depart her current school; it’s an opportunity for players to explore their options and decide what direction is best for their basketball and/or academic careers.