EuroLeague Women play is officially underway, and Alyssa Thomas picked up where she left off at the conclusion of the 2022 WNBA season: dropping triple-doubles.
Thomas, who suits up alongside Connecticut Sun teammate Brionna Jones for Czech club ZVVZ USK Praha, recorded a massive 15-point, 15-rebound and 10-assist game in the opening week of EuroLeague Women action, carrying her team to victory over Victoria Vivians, Ruthy Hebard and Hungarian team Atomerőmű KSC Szekszárd. Thomas also racked up five steals in the game, stuffing the stat sheet in a way fans all around the world have become accustomed to seeing.
Does Thomas have a repeat performance in store for Week 2? Can Natasha Howard, Kayla McBride and Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding come back strong after a shocking upset loss to Stephanie Mavunga and BC Polkowice? And just how quickly has Rhyne Howard adjusted to the European game with Beretta Famila Schio?
These are all questions that will be answered Wednesday, as EuroLeague Women play continues. All games will be streamed live and for free on FIBA’s YouTube channel.
Wednesday, November 2
Olympiacós SFP (0-1) vs. BC Polkowice (1-0)
When: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Peace and Friendship Stadium, Piraeus
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Megan Gustafson, Kylee Shook (Olympiacós SFP); Stephanie Mavunga, Yvonne Turner (BC Polkowice)
Matchup details: Polkowice was on the right side of perhaps the biggest upset of Week 1, getting a massive 23-point, 21-rebound double-double from Mavunga and hitting 12 threes as a team in its surprising win over Fenerbahçe. While Olympiacós was not as fortunate in its opener, Gustafson was plenty impressive in her own right, recording 24 points and 11 rebounds. The matchup between her and Mavunga will definitely be one to watch.
CBK Mersin Yenişehir Bld (0-1) vs. Sopron Basket (1-0)
When: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Servet Tazegül Spor Salonu, Mersin
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Tiffany Hayes, Temi Fagbenle, Briann January (CBK Mersin Yenişehir Bld); Brittney Sykes, Ezi Magbegor (Sopron Basket)
Matchup details: In fairness to Mersin, a big chunk of the club’s stacked roster (Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner and Chelsea Gray) were not present for its opening-week loss to Avenida, which is not an uncommon problem for EuroLeague teams depending heavily on international talent to have at the beginning of any given season. Things won’t get any easier, though, against a Sopron club that won its first game by 29 points (Sykes with a game-high 24).
Atomerőmű KSC Szekszárd (0-1) vs. Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding (0-1)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Szekszárd Városi Sportcsarnok, Szekszárd
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Victoria Vivians, Ruthy Hebard (Atomerőmű KSC Szekszárd); Natasha Howard, Alina Iagupova, Kayla McBride, Kiah Stokes (Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding)
Matchup details: Fenerbahçe’s opening-week loss to Polkowice was a flat-out disaster for a club widely expected to compete for the EuroLeague Women title. Though Fenerbahçe has yet to reach full strength — Breanna Stewart, Emma Meesseman and Satou Sabally are not currently with the team — a 25.7 percent field goal percentage is still astoundingly low. Expect the Turkish powerhouse to play significantly better against Szekszárd, which got a combined 47 points from its American duo of Vivians and Hebard in Week 1.
Valencia Basket Club (1-0) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (1-0)
When: 3 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Municipal Fuente de San Luis, Valencia
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Lauren Cox, Marie Gülich (Valencia Basket Club); Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, Maria Conde (ZVVZ USK Praha)
Matchup details: Thomas’ Week 1 heroics were timely for Praha, as Jones was with the team but did not play. The Czech club will obviously need her more this week as it goes up against the big front line of Valencia, though if Week 1’s results carry over, it’ll be Valencia’s backcourt that will be more of a threat; Leticia Romero and Queralt Casas combined to score 31 points as Valencia eked out a close win over Bologna.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna (0-1) vs. Tango Bourges Basket (1-0)
When: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: PalaDozza. Bologna
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Cheyenne Parker, Cecilia Zandalasini, Iliana Rupert, Kitija Laksa (Virtus Segafredo Bologna); Yvonne Anderson, Kayla Alexander (Tango Bourges Basket)
Matchup details: Bologna may have fallen in Week 1, but its imports certainly pulled their weight; Laksa and Parker combined to score 39 of the team’s 71 points. A more well-rounded effort will be required, however, for the Italian club to get into the win column against Bourges, which grinded out a 67-61 victory over Olympiacós to open its EuroLeague Women season.
Perfumerias Avenida (1-0) vs. Basket Landes (0-1)
When: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pabellón Municipal Würzburg, Salamanca
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Erica McCall, Maite Cazorla (Perfumerias Avenida); Evelyn Akhator, Regan Magarity, Celine Dumerc, Marine Fauthoux (Basket Landes)
Matchup details: Avenida lost a lot of talent from last season’s Final Four team, but still looked sharp in its first game of 2022-23, defeating Group B favorite Mersin behind 23 points and 11 rebounds from Aleksandra Crvendakić. Landes, meanwhile, struggled in its opener, managing just 53 points in a close loss to Girona. The French club will need to better utilize its size in the frontcourt in order to bounce back in Week 2.
Spar Girona (1-0) vs. Beretta Famila Schio (1-0)
When: 3:45 p.m. ET
Where: Pavelló Fontajau, Girona
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Rebekah Gardner, Crystal Bradford, Marianna Tolo, Shay Murphy (Spar Girona); Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey, Amanda Zahui B., Kim Mestdagh (Beretta Famila Schio)
Matchup details: Those who tuned into Howard’s EuroLeague Women debut picked a good game to watch, as the WNBA Rookie of the Year scored 24 points in an overtime Schio victory. The Italian club will have its hands full this week with the defense of Girona, which allowed just 53 points to Landes in Week 1.
Thursday, November 3
DVTK-Hun-Therm (0-1) vs. Kangoeroes Basket (0-1)
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: DVTK Arena, Miskolc
How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
Notable players: Arella Guirantes (DVTK-Hun-Therm); Morgan Bertsch (Kangoeroes Basket)
Matchup details: On the surface, this may not seem like a big-time matchup; DVTK and Kangoeroes were ranked No. 13 and No. 16, respectively, in FIBA’s preseason EuroLeague Women power rankings. It’s the first season either club is competing in EuroLeague Women, however, so, no matter who wins in Week 2, history will be made. Last week, DVTK took a superior Schio team to overtime, while Kangoeroes did not fare quite as well against Sopron.