So… Euroleague Women regular-season games have started Wednesday, October the 16th, and we’re so excited to see more players in the WNBA balling out in Euroleague Women! The first three weeks of Euroleague Women recap. (Times have gone by so quickly!) has been filled with incredible performances by the stars.
Alina Iagupova of Fenerbahce wins the top performer
Sami Whitcomb wins the top performer for that week
Private Jet Life for the UMMC!
Maria Vadeeva and Brittney Griner of UMMC Ekaterinburg (2019 champs in Euroleague Women)
In their first game back against Castors Braine on October 16. The dangerous duo of Griner and Vadeeva has combined 42 points and 18 rebounds! Griner has 2 blocked shots throughout the game! Man, their dominance has continued to shine! In week 2, Maria Vadeeva has once again become one of the top 5 best performances as she has scored 30 points and 11 rebounds! She’s one of the MVP candidates for the Euroleague Women for this season! Meanwhile, Brittney Griner has scored only 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. In week 3, Brittney Griner leads the UMMC Mighty Foxes to another blowout victory over the Reyer Venezia by scoring 22 points along with Maria Vadeeva’s 21 points.
Welcome Allie Quigley to UMMC!
VanderQuigs have reunited, but this time in Russia! In her debut with the UMMC Ekaterinburg, she has gone to work with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. The good replacement for Nika Baric, who left to go play for the Dynamo Kursk, has worked out well! (In weeks 2-3 she has scored combined 19 points, 11 points in week 2 and 7 points in week 3).
Welcome back Emma Meesseman to UMMC!
The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP is back at it again! She has returned to UMMC in week 2, as she has 11 points and 2 rebounds in a blowout win over Nadezhda. Then in week 3, she had her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. In another blowout victory over the Reyer Venezia on the road! Watch out for her along with BG and Vadeeva in the next few weeks! They’ll be unstoppable!
For Dynamo Kursk fans who miss Breanna Stewart, DeWanna Bonner has their fans’ back!
DeWanna Bonner, a Phoenix Mercury Forward came to work with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in a win over Lyon France at home. Then in week 2, she has a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds in a win over the Familia Schio. I’m really impressed by her performances with the Kursk in their first two games of the season. But in week 3, the Kursk’s chances of being one of the undefeated teams has ended as they lose to BLMA 76-64. Meanwhile, Bonner has 15 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
Sami Whitcomb of the Seattle Storm finds her groove with the BLMA. So does Gabby Williams of the Chicago Sky and Stephanie Mavunga of the Indiana Fever.
A 2018 WNBA Champion of the Seattle Storm is off to a wonderful start in France! An MVP Performer for week 2. Whitcomb leads the BLMA to a victory over Poland’s Arka Gdynia with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. As it’s almost a triple-double along with Stephanie Mavunga’s double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds! In week 3, Mavunga has once again dominated in the win over the undefeated Dynamo Kursk with 25 points and 19 rebounds (Another double-double!) with 67% of field goals made in the game! What did Gabby Williams have for breakfast? She has scored 25 points and grabbed 6 rebounds during the BLMA’s victory over the Kursk! The trio in BLMA is bright and steady for the Euroleague Women with a 2-1 record!
Yvonne Turner’s clutch moments in Nadezhda’s 62-55 win over Castors Braine!
In the Nadezhda-Castors Braine matchup game, this game was a close one! But Yvonne Turner, a Phoenix Mercury guard, has guided the win for Nadezhda after becoming clutch with 7 of the team’s 14 points scored in the 4th quarter. She has gone off with 20 points (3 three-pointers made) and 5 rebounds. This Nadezhda team with Nayo Raincock-Ekwune, Erica Wheeler and Yvonne Turner is a wonderful sight to see! And… She’s named to the top 5 performers in Euroleague Women for week 3!
Alyssa Thomas never gives up!
After Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun end their incredible season in a heartbreak in game 5 of the WNBA Finals. Thomas has gone to work with ZVVZ USK Praha in Czech Republic. Thomas In her first game back with the team. Alyssa has filled up the stats with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 steals in a road win over the TTT Riga. In week 2, she has her first double-double (almost a triple-double) of the season with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 steals. (Woah, she’s so incredible at defense) in another road win (Also a blowout) over the Bourges Basket in France.
In week 3, she has another double-double to lead the ZVVZ USK Praha to an undefeated 3-0 record in a 54 point win over the Cukurova with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists (almost another triple-double!). She’s one of my picks for the MVP award in this Euroleague Women season!
Cecilia Zandalisini (of the Minnesota Lynx), Elizabeth Williams (of the Atlanta Dream), and Alina Iagupova’s impact on the Fenerbahce this season
In Fenerbahce’s first game of the season. Zandalisini and Iagupova score a combined 43 points as they led the Fenerbahce to a win in a close game over the Uni Girona. Both of them were named to the top performers in the Euroleague Women in week 1. Alina Iagupova wins the MVP for week 1 with 22 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals. In the 2nd week of the season, the team fought hard till the buzzer. But they lose on the road to the Sopron Basket 62-60. Meanwhile, Alina Iagupova had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds along with Zandalisini’s 16 points and 4 personal fouls (omg foul trouble) in the loss. In week 3, the Fenerbahce blew out Poland’s Arka Gdynia (0-3 record) 68-48.
In the win, Cecilia Zandalisini and Alina Iagupova are both scoring machines with 44 combined points (Iagupova- 24 points and 10 rebounds, Zandalisini- 20 points). Elizabeth Williams has stepped up for the team with 10 points and 6 points. To add along with it, she has also stepped up on the defense with 4 blocked shots and 2 steals. I can’t wait to hear more about this team after their 2-1 record!
The big questions
Scoring a team total of 28 points for the Cukurova
The Gelecek Koleji Cukurova scored a total of 28 points in a huge blowout loss to the undefeated ZVVZ USK Praha (82 points). Nia Coffey, the 5th overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft. Which now plays for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She has 2 points and 7 rebounds in her 26 minutes of playing time. I have no idea why this team has scored that low in the game. The Cukurova has 26 rebounds for the whole game, but they were out-rebounded by 27 rebounds in the game. Thats’ the reason why the Cukurova has lost this game by 54 points. I want to know how the Cukurova can rebound from that loss in the next few weeks…
Diamond DeShields’ transition from her incredible Chicago Sky season to the Familia Schio
Through the first 2 games of the season for Diamond DeShields, she has struggled in scoring (8 total p points through week 2 of the season. Before their 3rd game on October 31) and rebounding a total of 7 (6 in her first game, 1 in her second). But in week 3, she has led the Familia Schio to a win over Lyon France with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The surprises into the season
Briann January’s first time playing in the overseas after assistant coaching for the Arizona State University
When I first heard about the news of the team signing her for the overseas. It surprised me to see how she’ll improve in the game as she focuses on her basketball career. In her team’s debut, she has scored 5 points (1-3 3-pt FG) caught 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the team’s road win over the BLMA. Then in week 2, she has became clutch in a close win over the Fenerbahce with 16 points, a blocked shot, and 3 steals. I’m impressed with her performance in that week as a Mercury fan. In the 3rd week of the season, she has played 15 minutes and scored 6 points and 2 steals in Sopron’s loss to the Uni Girona. Those were the first three weeks of Euroleague women recap.
I can’t wait to hear more about her game. Briann, I believe in you!
More to come in the next few weeks of the Euroleague Women season.
