Two weeks of group play remain in the 2023-24 EuroLeague Women season, and five playoff spots are still up for grabs. Week 13 features several key matchups, including Sika Koné and Perfumerias Avenida vs. Brittney Sykes and KGHM BC Polkowice.
The group play phase of EuroLeague Women is almost wrapped up for the 2023-24 season, with only two weeks remaining and three of eight postseason spots secured. Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding and DVTK HUN-Therm have already clinched two playoff seeds in Group A, while ZVVZ USK Praha remains the lone club in Group B to have clinched.
Needless to say, the final two weeks of group play will be action-packed as the competition’s remaining playoff-eligible clubs jockey for position. Two games in particular stand out: matchups between Perfumerias Avenida (6-6) and KGHM BC Polkowice (6-6) in Group B and Casademont Zaragoza (8-4) and Beretta Famila Schio (8-4) in Group A. The latter game has been tabbed as FIBA’s EuroLeague Women Game of the Week:
A battle you don’t want to miss
Two teams in the race for a spot in the Quarter-Finals meet tomorrow: who’s going to come out on top? #EuroLeagueWomen
— EuroLeague Women (@EuroLeagueWomen) January 23, 2024
These will be must-see games, and there’s plenty of individual talent to watch for, too. Some of EuroLeague Women’s biggest names, including Sika Koné (Avenida), Brittney Sykes (Polkowice), Leonie Fiebich (Zaragoza) and Arella Guirantes (Schio) will be competing for their clubs as they try to secure playoff-clinching victories.
You’ll be able to watch these players, as well as dozens more of the world’s best, compete on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel. Here’s the complete list of EuroLeague Women games for Week 13 of group play, including who to watch for and which clubs are in the hunt for a postseason berth.
Wednesday, January 24
Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding (10-2) vs. ACS Sepsi-SIC (2-10)
When: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Sepsi Aréna in Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Emma Meesseman, Yvonne Anderson, Kitija Laksa (Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding); Borislava Hristova, Morgan Green, Courtney Range, Ellen Nystrom (ACS Sepsi-SIC)
Matchup details: There are a handful of games with playoff implications this week, but this isn’t one of them. Fenerbahçe was the first club in the competition to clinch a playoff berth, while Sepsi-SIC hasn’t looked like a team ready for the postseason at any point during group play. Last week was Collier’s first game with Fenerbahçe since early in group play, and she recorded a double-double despite the game itself being close by Fenerbahçe standards. So, this will probably be more of a tune-up for the defending champs than anything else. As for Sepsi-SIC, the goal should be to keep things respectable; almost anything would be better than the 47-point blowout in Week 6.
LDLC ASVEL Féminin (3-9) vs. Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin (2-10)
When: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Hala Mosir in, Lublin, Poland
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Gabby Williams, Marine Johannès, Stefanie Dolson, Julie Allemand, Sandrine Gruda, Marine Fauthoux (LDLC ASVEL Féminin); Veronica Burton, Kylee Shook, Elin Gustavsson (Polski Cukier AZS UMCS Lublin)
Matchup details: Two-straight losses officially put the nail in ASVEL’s postseason coffin, bookending what has been a tremendously disappointing season for the French club. Regardless, ASVEL’s matchup this week against Lublin has the potential to be a good one. Dolson’s game-winner against the Polish club back in Week 6 was one of this season’s more exciting moments, and it’s not like Lublin is completely devoid of talent either. Gustavsson is currently leading the competition in rebounding at 9.3 per game, and Burton is averaging 12 points and a whopping 4.2 steals in five games.
Çukurova Basketbol Mersin (8-4) vs. Serco UNI Győr (2-10)
When: 12 p.m. ET
Where: University Hall of Györ in Györ, Hungary
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams, Olivia Epoupa (Çukurova Basketbol Mersin); Bridget Carleton, Kristine Anigwe, Cyesha Goree, Destiny Slocum (Serco UNI Győr)
Matchup details: Győr quietly earned an impressive upset victory last week in a shootout against Polkowice, breaking a seven-game losing streak. The Hungarian club will once again get the chance to play spoiler against Mersin. Pretty much every game Győr plays is a high-scoring one, and the 75-63 Mersin victory in the last matchup between these two clubs seemed sluggish in comparison. The 20 points Mabrey scored, though, were right in line with her season average (19.9), and the competition’s leading scorer will now get the opportunity to lead her club to a third-straight win and a EuroLeague Women playoff berth. Keep an eye on the frontcourt matchup between Williams and Anigwe, the latter of whom is still getting her feet beneath her after an extended midseason absence.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna (6-6) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (10-2)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Královka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Lauren Cox, Iliana Rupert, Cecilia Zandalasini, Ivana Dojkić, Haley Peters (Virtus Segafredo Bologna); Ezi Magbegor, Nyara Sabally, Maite Cazorla, Maria Conde, Valériane Ayayi (ZVVZ USK Praha)
Matchup details: Praha suffered an uncharacteristic defensive meltdown last week against Villeneuve-d’Ascq, allowing more than 80 points for the first time this season. Though the Czech club has already clinched a playoff berth, there’s obviously still work to be done. Bologna has more to play for, though, and as one of three teams in Group B tied at 6-6, it’s about as close to must-win territory as one can get without being in danger of elimination. Bologna was unable to handle Praha on the glass or behind the 3-point arc the last time the clubs met, suffering a 90-69 loss.
Perfumerias Avenida (6-6) vs. KGHM BC Polkowice (6-6)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: City Sports Hall in Polkowice, Poland
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Sika Koné, Alexis Prince, Bernadett Határ, Arica Carter, Silvia Dominguez (Perfumerias Avenida); Brittney Sykes, Stephanie Mavunga, Brianna Fraser (KGHM BC Polkowice)
Matchup details: The playoff implications of this game are greater than those of any other on this week’s slate. It’s win or go home for Avenida, while Polkowice can only survive a loss if Villeneuve-d’Ascq also loses, according to FIBA.com. Back in Week 6, Avenida defeated Polkowice thanks to superior fourth-quarter defense and 21 points from Koné. It’s not easy to hold Polkowice down (73.4 points per game), but the Polish club isn’t as disciplined defensively as Avenida, either. Whether the game is low-scoring or high-scoring might be a good predictor of who comes out on top. Either way, it’s going to be a must-watch game, as the stakes can’t be much higher.
DVTK HUN-Therm (9-3) vs. Valencia Basket Club (6-6)
When: 1:15 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia, Spain
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Kaila Charles, Darcee Garbin, Réka Lelik, Nina Aho (DVTK HUN-Therm); Alina Iagupova, Marie Gülich, Alba Torrens, Leticia Romero, Raquel Carrera, Clauda Contell (Valencia Basket Club)
Matchup details: Valencia’s late-season acquisition of Iagupova is paying dividends so far—two-straight wins with the star Ukranian guard, the most recent a 29-point drubbing of Zaragoza—and the Spanish club is still alive in the playoff race, albeit barely. DVTK, on the other hand, has fallen off somewhat since the November break, but has clinched a spot in the postseason anyway. We’ll see if DVTK can get out of cruise control and eliminate Valencia or if Iagupova and company can continue their improbable run.
Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM (7-5) vs. Basket Landes (3-9)
When: 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Espace François Mitterrand in Mont-de-Marsan, France
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Kennedy Burke, Kamiah Smalls, Shavonte Zellous, Bethy Mununga, Kariata Diaby (Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM); Alexis Peterson, Cierra Burdick, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder (Basket Landes)
Matchup details: Villeneuve-d’Ascq earned a huge win last week over Group B favorite Praha. While the French club hasn’t qualified for the playoffs just yet, there are several avenues for that to happen this week, including either a Bologna or Polkowice loss. Villeneuve-d’Ascq has also climbed to third in the competition in scoring (73.9 points per game), so we’ll see if fellow French club Landes will be able to keep pace with Burke, Smalls and company. Landes, however, has already been eliminated from postseason qualification.
Casademont Zaragoza (8-4) vs. Beretta Famila Schio (8-4)
When: 2 p.m. ET
Where: Palazzetto Livio Romare in Schio, Italy
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Tanaya Atkinson, Leonie Fiebich, Mikayla Pivec, Aleksa Gulbe (Casademont Zaragoza); Dorka Juhász, Arella Guirantes, Robyn Parks, Jasmine Keys (Beretta Famila Schio)
Matchup details: This is by far the most intriguing matchup out of Group A this week, although both Zaragoza and Schio likely will end up making the playoffs no matter the result of this game. According to FIBA.com, the winner of this matchup will qualify for a spot in the postseason, and both clubs will qualify simultaneously should Valencia lose. In any case, Schio will look to keep its hot streak of four wins in five games going, while Zaragoza must bounce back after getting blown out by Valencia last week.
