Last week’s slate of EuroLeague Women games featured a match between the competition’s two top teams: UMMC Ekaterinburg and ZVVZ USK Praha. The standings promised a competitive game with plenty on the line — both teams came in at 9-1 and showing no signs of slowing down.
The results, however, were decidedly in Ekaterinburg’s favor. The Russian titan held Alyssa Thomas to one of her worst outings of the season, running away to a 88-65 victory and securing Group A’s top spot.
Ekaterinburg now sets its sights on TTT Riga — and revenge. Riga pulled the upset of the season last November when it defeated Ekaterinburg, something you can bet Ekaterinburg’s slew of WNBA stars hasn’t forgotten.
Elsewhere, Praha will look to get back on track, while Fenerbahçe will try to sew up the top record in Group B. It’s all part of a one-day slate of games that has every single EuroLeague Women team in action, and you can watch all of them live and for free on FIBA’s YouTube channel.
Tuesday, January 28
Nadezhda (7-4) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (9-2)
When: 7:00 a.m. ET
Where: Orenburzhje Sport Hall, Orenburg
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: Praha is still licking its wounds from last week’s disappointing blowout. Nadezhda was unable to hang with Praha in the last meeting between the two teams, which was somewhat sloppy (37 total turnovers) but ultimately favored the better-shooting team. We’ll see if Nadezhda can knock down a few more threes than it did last time.
UMMC Ekaterinburg (10-1) vs. TTT Riga (3-8)
When: 7:00 a.m. ET
Where: DIVS Sport Hall, Ekaterinburg
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: Riga definitely shocked the world when it upended Ekaterinburg, and as the EuroLeague season continued on, the result of that game appeared to be more and more of an anomaly. Ekaterinburg hasn’t lost since, while Riga has scuffled along at the bottom of Group A. It would be absolutely stunning to see a repeat of the Week 5 upset; Ekaterinburg simply has too much star power.
Gelecek Koleji Çukurova (2-9) vs. Bourges Basket (7-4)
When: 8:00 a.m. ET
Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu, Mersin
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: Çukurova hasn’t won since November 6 and now finds itself in the basement of Group A, posting an astoundingly poor cumulative point differential of -287. The porous defense will be welcomed by Bourges, which has won two straight and is trying to distance itself from Nadezhda in the standings.
Dynamo Kursk (4-7) vs. Spar CityLift Girona (4-7)
When: 9:00 a.m. ET
Where: Sport Concert Complex, Kursk
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: Kursk continues to be a complete enigma, losing its past four games — and remaining winless since signing Angel McCoughtry. It does now have Astou Ndour’s services, however, and Girona is severely outgunned in this matchup when it comes to WNBA talent. Kursk’s season is a great example of how individual talent isn’t the sole determining factor of a team’s success, but the Russian club should have enough to win this one.
Arka Gdynia (3-8) vs. Sopron Basket (5-6)
When: 10:00 a.m. ET
Where: Gdynia Arena, Gdynia
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: We’re finally seeing signs of life from Sopron, which has won two straight games. It might be too little too late, but the addition of Candice Dupree has paid dividends. Sopron now has a chance to get back to .500, facing a Gdynia team that has lost five consecutive contests. Gdynia took the last meeting between these two teams in a close one, 61-59.
LDLC ASVEL Féminin (5-6) vs. BLMA (7-4)
When: 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Gymnase Mado Bonnet, Lyon
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: Stephanie Mavunga is currently on the shelf with a foot injury, which means BLMA is without EuroLeague Women’s second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Her absence was obvious in the club’s loss to Schio last week, and will be something Lyon tries to take advantage of here in a battle between the competition’s two French teams.
Castors Braine (3-8) vs. Reyer Venezia (3-8)
When: 12:15 p.m. ET
Where: Spiroudome, Belgium
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: The records of these two teams may make this game seem skippable, although Castors Braine is still getting consistently solid play from Celeste Trahan-Davis (14.7 points, 11 rebounds). Trahan-Davis’ play justifies the price of viewership (which, of course, is free), which is good, since there’s not much else going on here: Braine and Venezia have combined to win just two of their past ten games.
Famila Schio (7-4) vs. Fenerbahçe Öznur Kablo (9-2)
When: 12:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pala Campagnola, Schio
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Matchup details: This is a critical game for Schio, which is two points behind Fenerbahçe in Group B with three group phase games remaining. It won’t be easy; Sandrine Gruda will have to repeat her Week 11 Top Performer play if Schio hopes to upset the Turkish powerhouse. Alina Iagupova is currently scoring 20.9 points per game for Fenerbahçe, which leads EuroLeague Women.