With the EuroLeague playoffs quickly approaching, the EuroCup round of 16 finishing up and the Australian WNBL midway through the season, highlights of the week include Kayla McBride’s 26 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point, Katie Lou Samuelson’s 27 points, teammates Ariel Atkins and Joyner Holmes continuing to power their EuroCup team forward in the playoffs and Marina Mabrey pouring in 34 points in an Australia league contest.

EuroCup Round of 16 and Quarterfinal Contests
The remaining round of 16 games were held this week, along with the first of the quarterfinals games.
Olympiacos, Valencia BC, BC Polkowice and Tango Bourges finished their round of 16 games last week to qualify for the quarterfinals, and BC Prometey and AZS UMCS Lublin advanced this week.  

Both of the round of 16 games between Flammes and CBK Mersin Yenisehir Bld have not been contested and will be held Feb. 16-17 following the FIBA international window of competition, and the LDLC ASVEL Feminin versus Nika Syktyvkar contest has been postponed.

EuroCup Quarterfinals
Olympiacos and Tango Bourges will go head-to-head in one of the quarterfinal series, while two additional series matchups await the outcome of rescheduled round of 16 contests. In the one quarterfinal game played to date, Valencia BC traveled to Poland and handed host BC Polkowice an 85-77 defeat. Valencia was paced to victory by 21 points from Germany’s Marie Guelich, while Stephanie Mavunga poured in 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor for Polkowice.

EuroCup Round of 16
BC Prometey 79, Castors Braine 56
Winning both games by a total of eight points, BC Prometey advanced to the quarterfinals after a 79-56 win over Castors Braine in Game 2. Playing at home in Ukraine, Prometey once again was led by its American duo of Ariel Atkins, who scored 20 points and added four assists, and Joyner Holmes, who notched 15 points, five boards, four assists and three steals. Castors Braine received a team-high 16 points from Canada’s Quinn Dornstauder.

AZS UMCS Lublin 158, Villeneuve d’Ascq LM 142
Teams split the two-game series, but AZS UMCS Lublin advanced past Villenueve d’Ascq due to owning a +16 margin of victory. Lublin was led by Americans Natasha Mack and Kamiah Smalls. Mack averaged 12.5 ppg. and 6.5 rpg., while Smalls contributed 20.0 ppg., 7.5 rpg. and 5.5 apg. in the two games. Jolene Anderson contributed 14.0 ppg. and 8.0 rpg. in her final two EuroCup games of the season.

2021-22 EuroLeague Regular Season Standings & Week 13 Games
With up to three games still to play in the regular season due to postponements, and only one team having played all 13 scheduled contests, three teams from Group A have officially advanced into the quarterfinals, UMMC Ekaterinburg, ZVVZ USK Prague and Perfumerias Avenida.

Make-up games will be played on Jan. 29-30, with UMMC Ekaterinburg facing KSC Szekszard, Spar Girona playing Dynamo Kursk, Sopron Basket hosting Fenerbahce, and Basket Landes competing against Galatasaray.

Beretta Famila Schio 75, VBW Arka Gdynia 61
After an even first quarter, Beretta Famila Schio (7-5) outscored VBW Arka Gdynia (2-11) 30-12 in the second quarter and cruised in for the eventual 75-61 victory. Schio received 19 points apiece from Italy’s Jasmine Keys and Latvia’s Kitija Laska, while Diamond DeShields added 11 points and three assists. Poland’s Marissa Kastanek was Gdynia’s leading scorer with 15 points, and Megan Gustafson added 13 points and six rebounds.  

Perfumerias Avenda 88, KSC Szekszard 84          
Winless KSC Szekszard (0-12) took Perfumerias Avenida (10-2) to overtime at home in Hungary before falling in the extra period, 88-84. Katie Lou Samuelson, who finished with 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals on the night, scored eight of her team’s 14 points in overtime to help Avenida earn its 10th EuroLeague win of the season. Avenidas also received 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots from Kahleah Copper.

Szekszard’s roster is mostly filled out with Hungarians and includes the USA’s Dana Evans, who played just two EuroLeague games for the Hungarian squad, which made its EuroLeague debut this year, earlier in the season. Leading the team in scoring against the EuroLeague stalwart was Zala Friskivec’s 23 points.

Fenerbahce 87, VBW Arka Gdynia 67
Holding a 39-33 lead at the midway break, Fenerbahce (8-3) outscored VBW Arka Gdynia (2-11) 24-14 in the third quarter and expanded its lead in the final stanza for the 87-67 win in Istanbul. Kayla McBride helped key the victory with 26 points on 6-of-9 from 3-point range, while Germany’s Satou Sabally contributed 16 points, seven boards and four assists. The visitors were led by Gustafson’s 20 points.

Dynamo Kursk 80, Beretta Famila Schio 64
Dynamo Kursk (7-5) broke a tie midway through the first quarter and never again trailed en route to an 80-64 victory over Beretta Famila Schio (7-5) in Italy. Kursk was paced to victory by Arike Ogunbowale’s 20 points and four assists and Natasha Howard’s 16 points and eight rebounds. DeShields finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Schio.  

Sopron Basket 73, Galatasaray 44
Leading 16-14 after the first quarter, Sopron Basket (8-4) turned up the heat in the second quarter to take a commanding 44-26 lead over Galatasaray (5-7) at halftime and cruised in for the 73-44 victory. Sopron had a well-rounded scoring effort that saw three players finish in double digits for points, led by Hungarian Bernadett Hatar’s 16 points. Briann January contributed eight points and passed out five assists in the win. Gala’s two Americans, Kaela Davis and Kelsey Plum were their team’s lone double-digit scorers with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Mabrey, Mitchell Leading WNBL Scorers
In a pair of games this week, Marina Mabrey scored 56 points and is currently averaging 22.1 ppg. (155 points), 5.3 rpg. and 3.9 apg. over seven WNBL games this year. She and Tiffany Mitchell (151 points, 16.8 ppg) are currently are anked No. 1 and No. 2 among WNBL scorers.

Townsville Fire 77, Bendigo Spirit 67 || Townsville Fire 68, Melbourne Boomers 66
Sug Sutton had 10 points and five rebounds to help lift Townsville Fire to a 77-67 victory over Bendigo Spirit in the Fire’s first game of the week. Sutton followed that up with another 10-point, five-rebound performance in the Fire’s 68-66 win over Melbourne Boomers, which saw Tiffany Mitchell chip in nine points and Lindsay Allen add six points and seven assists in the loss.

UC Capitals 94, Bendigo Spirit 60
Behind 16 points apiece from Kelsey Griffin and Brittney Sykes, the UC Capitals thrashed Bendigo Spirit 94-60. Sykes also dished out seven assists and Griffin pulled down eight boards.

Perth Lynx 86, Sydney Uni Flames 81 || Perth Lynx 85, Southside Flyers 78
The Perth Lynx, which went 2-0 on the week, opened with an 86-81 win over the Sydney Uni Flames with the help of 34 points from Marina Mabrey, while Jackie Young contributed 13 points. Mabrey and Young then scored 22 and 19 points, respectively, in taking down the Southside Flyers 85-78.

Sydney Uni Flames 83, Bendigo Spirit 72
Shyla Heal scored 22 points and passed out five assists to help the Flames to an 83-72 win over Bendigo Spirit.