Only the Turkish League is still in the regular season as all other international competition has shifted to postseason play. In Turkey, Shavonte Zellous and Kiah Stokes continue to roll for Besiktas, picking up a 75-60 win over Botas last week, their 5th in a row, to improve to 14-9 overall. Zellous had 19 points in the win, while Stokes scored 6 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals.
In Russia, Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk and Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg both advanced to the league semifinals with easy sweeps over the competition in the quarters. Piph scored 12 points with 3 rebounds in an easy 86-60 win for Dynamo Kursk, while Zahui B continues to rest as Orenburg eased past its quarterfinal competition. Up next is a much more challenging task as they will play UMMC in the semifinals starting on April 2.
Kia Vaughn and USK Praha made short work of Karlovy Vary in the Czech quarters, sweeping them in three games with Vaughn seeing limited action, resting and preparing for the EuroLeague semifinals in mid April. Rebecca Allen’s Good Angels team advanced to the Slovakian semifinals, but she is also resting with the Eastern European Women’s Basketball League playoffs on the horizon later this week.
LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shavonte Zellous – Besiktas
Shavonte Zellous repeats as the Liberty International Player of the Week after helping lift Besiktas to a 5th-straight victory last week in Turkey. She finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds in the win, also dishing out 5 assists with 2 steals. Besiktas is now 14-9 and holds a solid 2-game lead over Hatay for the 5th position in the league standings.
Slovakia-Extraliga (11-1, Ranked 1st)
Eurocup (Defeated by Galatasaray in the Quarterfinals)
EEWBL (7-1, Ranked 2nd)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#5 R. ALLEN (Slovakia) | 21 | 20.4 | 74 | 146 | .507 | 30 | 55 | .545 | 42 | 48 | .875 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 13.3 |
#5 R. ALLEN (EuroCup) | 12 | 25.8 | 24 | 59 | .407 | 21 | 47 | .447 | 27 | 35 | .771 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 11.5 |
#5 R. ALLEN (EEWBL) | 5 | 17.8 | 12 | 24 | .500 | 6 | 15 | .400 | 7 | 9 | .778 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.8 |
Rebecca Allen and Good Angels continue to ease through the Slovakian League playoffs. After sweeping Slovan in the quarterfinal round, Kosice picked up an 81-43 win in its first game against Samorin in the semifinal round, but Rebecca Allen did not play in the game. The 2nd game against Samorin is scheduled for March 28, with the Eastern European Women’s Basketball League playoffs slated to tip off on March 31.
Czech Republic-ZBL (22-0, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague Quarterfinals (Tied with Orenburg 1-1)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#1 K. VAUGHN (Czech Republic) | 16 | 15.6 | 64 | 103 | .621 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 23 | 33 | .697 | 4.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 9.4 |
#1 K. VAUGHN (EuroLeague) | 17 | 29.8 | 84 | 176 | .477 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 15 | 21 | .714 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 10.8 |
Kia Vaughn and USK Praha made quick work of Karlovy Vary in the Czech League quarterfinals, sweeping the team in three games to advance to play Nymburk in the semifinals. In the 103-55 win on March 22, Vaughn played just 12 minutes, finishing with 4 rebounds, and in the 80-40 series clinching win, she scored 4 points with 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. The semifinals tip off on March 29, and USK Praha is still gearing up for the EuroLeague semifinals in mid-April.
Russia-PBL (19-1, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague (Swept Bourges in Quarterfinals, will face either Orenburg or USK Praha in Semifinals)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#10 E. PRINCE (Russia) | 21 | 22.7 | 52 | 110 | .473 | 11 | 40 | .275 | 26 | 35 | .743 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 7.8 |
#10 E. PRINCE (EuroLeague) | 16 | 28.2 | 55 | 107 | .514 | 7 | 26 | .269 | 16 | 22 | .727 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 9.2 |
Not surprisingly after finishing 1st in the league standings through the regular season, Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk easily advanced to the Russian League semifinals after sweeping Sparta in two games. In last weeks series clinching win, Prince scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, nailing a 3-pointers with 3 rebounds. By nature of its 1st-place finish, Dynamo Kursk avoided having to face either UMMC or Nadezhda Orenburg in the semifinals, and will instead play Dynamo M. starting on April 2, with game two scheduled for April 9, about a week before the EuroLeague semifinals tip off at UMMC.
Russia-PBL (16-4, Ranked 3rd)
Euroleague (Tied 1-1 with USK Praha in Quarterfinals)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#17 A. ZAHUI B (Russia) | 19 | 19.9 | 87 | 143 | .608 | 11 | 27 | .407 | 42 | 50 | .840 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 13.1 |
#17 A. ZAHUI B (EuroLeague) | 16 | 28.4 | 79 | 156 | .506 | 14 | 59 | .237 | 39 | 52 | .750 | 9.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 14.9 |
Amanda Zahui B continued to rest as Nadezhda Orenburg swept away MBA in the Russian League quarterfinals, defeating them 94-60 in the series clincher over the weekend. Up next for Nadezhda Orenburg is one of the toughest tests of the season, matching up with UMMC in the league semifinals. Game 1 tips off April 2, with the 2nd contest scheduled for a week later.
Turkey-KBSL (14-9, Ranked 5th)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#2 S. ZELLOUS (Turkey) | 23 | 37.0 | 129 | 302 | .427 | 25 | 96 | .260 | 88 | 106 | .830 | 6.1 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 18.3 |
Besiktas remained one of the hottest teams in Turkey thanks to a 75-60 win over Botas last week, pushing its current win streak to five in a row dating back to Feb. 25. Zellous scored in double figures to help lead her team to the win, finishing with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and a pair of steals. Averaging 18.4 ppg, she ranks 6th in Turkey in scoring, and is filling out the stat sheet every game, also averaging 6.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. There are three games remaining in the regular season schedule as Besiktas aims to keep its momentum heading into the postseason; they tip off against 2nd place Yakin Dogu BGD on March 29.
Turkey-KBSL (14-9, Ranked 5th)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#41 K. STOKES (Turkey) | 19 | 35.4 | 92 | 158 | .582 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 36 | 45 | .800 | 14.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 11.7 |
Besiktas pushed its winning streak to five in a row and solidified its hold on 5th place in the Turkish League standings with a 75-60 win over Botas last week. Kiah Stokes, the league’s leader in rebounding (14.4 rpg) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg), had 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocked shots in the most recent victory. There are just three games remaining in the regular season in Turkey as Besiktas looks to keep its momentum heading into the postseason. They play 2nd-place Yakin Dogu BGD on March 29.