Bourges Basket need one win to qualify for EuroLeague Women 2008 final four
Bourges Basket on route for EuroLeague Women 2008 Final Four
Sonja Kireta was in unstoppable form in the first period. She scored 10 points with 5-of-5. Bourges’ impressive shooting in the first minutes gave them a 10-points lead (25-15) going into the second quarter.
Cappie Pondexter’s tenacity from Fenerbahce kept Bourges from extending their advantage. She added 7 more points to her tally to leave her as top scorer at the midway point with 13 points.
Although Bourges were not as fluid offensively and started to miss their shots, they were able to maintain their advantage due to the generosity of their guests. Fenerbahce only managed 12-of-20 from the charity stripes by the interval (44-34).
The third period was almost a replica of the second one with Bourges maintaining their 10-point lead (64-54).
Kireta (left) regained her scoring touch in the final period and scored 6-of-9 team points as Bourges attempted to distance themselves from their opponents (73-60).
Pondexter attempted to keep Fenerbahce in the game with quick points but a Céline Dumerc trey more or less broke the resistance of the guests (76-64) with still four minutes to play.
Fenerbahce had nothing more to offer and allowed Bourges to win the first game (85-69).
Kireta top scored for Bourges with 19 points, while Endeme Miyem contributed 16 points.
Ekaterinburg surprise CSKA in Euroleague Women 2008
UMMC Ekaterinburg got it right in the first leg
CSKA Moscow suffered their first loss of the season in a dramatic fashion at the end of a closely fought match against Russian super league rivals UMMC Ekaterinburg (74-81).
In a sea-saw battle in the first half, the hosts CSKA managed to open up a 7-point game early in the second period (32-25). Ekaterinburg did not panic and reversed the situation by taking the lead (41-37) as half-time was approaching.
Ekaterinburg were unable to extend their advantage due to foul problems. This situation allowed the hosts several trips to the free-throw line. Ekaterinburg eventually lost the lead as Kristi Harrower’s pass did not reach its destination and Amaya Valdemoro found herself with the ball. She eventually fed it to Edwinge Lawson-Wade (left) who in turn hit a trey which was the last score of the first half. The home side was then back in front (44-43).
With Sandrine Gruda and Yelena Leuchanka on three fouls, UMMC were at a disadvantage just after the interval. CSKA used this and moved away (51-45). Despite both players picking up their fourth foul during the third quarter their side managed to reduce their deficit to a single point as the game reached its final stanza (59-60).
Deanna Nolan who had only scored 2 points in the game had the satisfaction of putting UMMC back in front for good with a trey to open the final period (60-62).
CSKA had a frustrating time. Also Maria Stepanova did not have a productive evening and her side were unable to find a solution allowing Laurent Buffard to walk away with the victory.
Penny Taylor led the scoring for UMMC with 18 points while Gruda and Asjha Jones scored 15 apiece.
CSKA had four players in double digits with Valdemoro leading the way with 17 points. Wauters finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Becky Hammon and Lawson-Wade finished with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Lauren Jackson made the difference in the Moscow Derby
Lauren Jackson (in picture) from Spartak finished with a game high 29 points in her side’s victory against local rival Dynamo Moscow. Jackson’s total was the difference in score between the two teams as Spartak won (96-67). They are now just one victory away from qualifying for the EuroLeague Women 2008 final four.
Without Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, unavailable until the beginning of March with a shoulder injury, the last thing that Dynamo required was a Jackson and Tina Thompson show.
Jackson and Thompson scored the first 11 points for Spartak as they opened (11-0). Spartak were not to have all their way for the rest of the period as Dynamo hit back. Nuria Martinez for the guests was scoring 3 three-pointers and reduced Spartak’s advantage to (24-19).
After 13 minutes of play Seimone Augustus brought Dynamo on level terms (26-26) for the only time in the game.
Spartak then stepped on the accelerator. By the interval they had an 11-point lead (51-33). Then the hosts stretched their advantage to more than 30 points by the end of the third period (82-51).
In the final period Spartak switched to cruise control. Thompson was the only other player from the winning team in double digits with 16 points while Irina Osipova and Diana Taurasi scored 9 apiece. Sue Bird and Tatiana Shchegoleva each had 8 points respectively.
For Dynamo Martinez led her team with 20 points and was joined in double digits by Augustus with 19 and Dubrava Dacic with 11 points.
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Kireta (left) regained her scoring touch in the final period and scored 6-of-9 team points as Bourges attempted to distance themselves from their opponents (73-60).
Ekaterinburg were unable to extend their advantage due to foul problems. This situation allowed the hosts several trips to the free-throw line. Ekaterinburg eventually lost the lead as Kristi Harrower’s pass did not reach its destination and Amaya Valdemoro found herself with the ball. She eventually fed it to Edwinge Lawson-Wade (left) who in turn hit a trey which was the last score of the first half. The home side was then back in front (44-43).
