Recap: UMMC Ekaterinburg wins EuroLeague Women championship in blowout 91-67 win over Dynamo Kursk

The EuroLeague Women’s Final Four weekend is now complete. UMMC Ekaterinburg won its fifth continental title, while USK Praha won the third-place game. Here’s how both games went down.

UMMC Ekaterinburg blows out Dynamo Kursk, 91-67

UMMC Ekaterinburg made quick work of their rivals, shooting 61 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three to win the EuroLeague Women championship.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was named the EuroLeague Women Final Four MVP, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the victory. A case for the MVP award could also have been made for Courtney Vandersloot, who scored 18 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished 7 assists and made 3 steals in the championship. Vandersloot was nearly as strong in the semifinals as well.

But their performances don’t seem to matter as much with the news that Seattle Storm forward 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart injured her right foot in the second quarter of game. At the time, Kursk was already losing by double digits.

According to FIBA’s Paul Nilsen, Stewart tore her Achilles tendon. If this is the case, she will likely miss at least the 2019 WNBA season. Stewart’s injury didn’t just make an impact on Kursk; it also impacts the Storm’s immediate and medium-term future.

USK Praha wins third-place game, 64-53, over Sopron Basket

The day’s first match featured the hometown Sopron against their Czech foes. Though this game ultimately was a double-digit loss for Sopron, they were down by just two at the start of the fourth quarter. But USK Praha held them to just seven points the rest of the way.

Isabelle Harrison scored 14 points to lead USK Praha, while Alyssa Thomas scored another 13 points. But Thomas was held to just 5-of-14 shooting in the low-scoring affair.

Yvonne Turner led Sopron with 12 points.