With three dominant wins, ÇBK Mersin, Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM and ZVVZ USK Praha are heading to the Final Four.
The EuroLeague Women Final Four is set, with Çukurova Basketbol Mersin, Villeneuve-d’Ascq and ZVVZ USK Praha joining Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding. Here’s how Mersin, Villeneuve-d’Ascq and Praha advanced:
Çukurova Basketbol Mersin (2-1) vs. Casademont Zaragoza (1-2), 86-63
The first quarter, won comfortably by Mersin 23-11, was a scoring duel between two players: Maria Araújo, who scored 10 points for Mersin, and Leonie Fiebich, who went 4-for-4 during the first 10 minutes and had nine points for Zaragoza. In the second quarter, Zaragoza picked up the pace and, at one point, got the lead down to single digits, but Mersin still won the first half, 44-33. While her team made half of their field goals, Marina Mabrey was forcing her shots in an effort to get in the game, going just 1-for-6 from the field. However, she also didn’t neglect her teammates, as she had six dimes. In the second half, she continued to struggle with long-distance shots, although one of those misses gave us the highlight of the night, with Mabrey rebounding her own 3-point miss and scoring a 2-pointer.
She remained a facilitator and continued to find Kahleah Copper, among others. The new member of the Phoenix Mercury finished the game with 18 points and three steals. Mersin began the fourth quarter up by 24 points. In their current form, Zaragoza had little chance at winning the game. Despite her shooting struggles, Mabrey was the player of the game, if not of the gameday, with 16 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists. Stephanie Mavunga had 10 points and 10 boards for Mersin, which progresses to the Final Four after a truly dominant 86-63 performance.
Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM (2-1) vs. DVTK HUN-Therm (1-2), 73-58
DVTK opened the game cold, missing their first six shots, while Villeneuve continued to drain buckets, get second-chance points and play hard defense. During one play, DVTK missed three 3-pointers in a row. After 12 misses and more than five minutes of play, they finally got their break and more points followed. All of their first 10 points came from the interior, and they were able to finish the first quarter down by only eight points, 23-15. As we’ve learned during this series, both teams are prone to go on a hot run or lose their lead. In this game, though, that wasn’t the story. Villeneuve didn’t let themselves get comfortable, continuing to wrestle in the interior and fire from long-distance. The first-half highlight was Janelle Salaün’s one-legged fade away from just in front of the 3-point line. The French won the first half 38-26, led by Kamiah Smalls’ 11 points and two steals and Kariata Diaby’s seven points and six rebounds; DVTK made just 29 percent of their shot attempts.
Now, guess what happened after the break? With four minutes left in the third quarter, DVTK got as close as six points. It wasn’t the most beautiful of games, filled with turnovers, blocks and fouls, but the Hungarians somehow got close—only for Villeneuve to get away and finish the quarter with a 12-point lead. They won the game by 15 points, 73-58, with four players scoring in double digits and the French out-rebounding the Hungarians, 44-36. The player of the game is a toss-up between Smalls, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals, and Diaby, who had a 15-point and 12-rebound double-double.
ZVVZ USK Praha (2-1) vs. Beretta Famila Schio (1-2), 74-54
This was the first of the three games that began with a promise of a tight contest. With both teams tied at 16 in the first quarter and not shooting particularly well (around 35 percent), things could have gone two ways: the game would continue to be tight or one team would pick up the pace and rather easily run away with the score. The first part of the second quarter would have made one lean towards the former outcome; through the first five minutes, there was just a four-point difference between both teams. But then Schio’s Arella Guirantes committed two turnovers during two plays in a row, which were easily converted into points by Praha’s Nyara Sabally. The turnovers then piled on—10 in the first half and eight in the second quarter—and Schio continued to play with a palpable nervousness. Praha, in contrast, was organized and calm, winning the first half 34-25. The best scorer was Dorka Juhász, who had 10 points on 43-percent shooting and five rebounds for Schio.
After the break, Ezi Magbegor scored six unanswered points for Praha, and things didn’t get better for Schio. The Italians were taking risks, as evidenced by their 31-percent shooting entering the fourth quarter. They were down by 12 points. The opening of the fourth quarter then became the Nyara Sabally show; the German had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first five minutes of the quarter, and her team was feeling more and more comfortable. She finished the game with 19 points and four steals, María Conde had 11 points and 11 rebounds and three other players scored in double digits for Praha in the 74-54 victory. It was a great team effort by a great team that is finally healthy and in full force just before the Final Four.
