Liberty Players Racking Up W’s in European Leagues – International Update 11-28
November 28, 2017
It was back to a full week of action for the Liberty players abroad as EuroCup and EuroLeague action resumed in addition to domestic league play.
While EuroLeague is approaching the midway point of its group action, EuroCup is down to one more week, with Bria Hartley and Mersin on their way to the next round while Shavonte Zellous (Besiktas) and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Nantes) are situated outside of the top two in their respective groups.
Amanda Zahui B had the top performance of the week, dropping 27 points on Villeneuve in EuroLeague action to garner EuroLeague Player of the Week honors. Kia Vaughn and Fenerbahce topped Avenida in EuroLeague and edged Hatay in the Turkish League, a game between the only remaining unbeatens at this early stage of the season.
Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk remain undefeated after picking up a pair of EuroLeague and Russian league wins.
In the only game of the week that featured a pair of Liberty players, Zellous and Besiktas came away with an 82-75 victory over Hartley and Mersin in Turkey.
LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amanda Zahui B – USK Praha
She earned EuroLeague Player of the Week accolades, which also is enough for Amanda Zahui B to be named the Liberty International Player of the Week. In a win over Villeneuve she scored 27 points with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots. In her Czech League game, Zahui B needed just 23 minutes to score 16 points with 6 steals. In two games, her averages were 21.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 3.0 apg.
REBECCA ALLEN #8 – Lyon Basket
France-LFB (4-4, Ranked 6th)
Recent Results
Nov. 18 vs. Nice: W, 86-67 (13 pts, 6-11 FG, 1 3FG, 8 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 33 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. Hainaut: W, 89-67 (7 pts, 3-5 FG, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 21 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #8 R. ALLEN (France) |
8 |
28.0 |
18 |
45 |
.400 |
8 |
28 |
.286 |
9 |
10 |
.900 |
5.6 |
2.6 |
0.5 |
1.0 |
8.6 |
Lyon won its 2nd in a row and evened its league record at 4-4 thanks to an 89-67 win over Hainaut over the weekend. Getting the start, Rebecca Allen scored 7 points, hitting a 3-pointer, with 2 rebounds and a pair of assists with a blocked shot. For the season she is averaging 8.6 ppg in 28.0 mpg. Lyon is back in action next weekend against 1st place Bourges before getting a week off in early December.
NAYO RAINCOCK-EKUNWE #4 – Nantes Reze Basket
France-LFB (3-5, Ranked T-7th)
EuroCup Group J (1-4, Ranked 4th)
Recent Results
Nov. 22 vs. UNI Gyor: L, 60-64 (20 pts, 7-15 FG, 12 reb, 4 stl, 1 blk, 36 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. Villeneuve: L, 55-66 (14 pts, 4-12 FG, 17 reb, 3 ast, 36 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #4 N. RAINCOCK-EKUNWE (France) |
8 |
32.3 |
42 |
102 |
.412 |
3 |
12 |
.250 |
35 |
58 |
.603 |
13.4 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
0.4 |
16.0 |
| #4 N. RAINCOCK-EKUNWE (EuroCup) |
5 |
34.6 |
27 |
50 |
.540 |
2 |
11 |
.182 |
17 |
30 |
.567 |
11.2 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
0.8 |
17.2 |
Despite a pair of strong performances from Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Nantes dropped a pair of difficult matchups last week. Facing what amounted to a must-win EuroCup group game against UNI Gyor, Nantes came up just short 64-60, falling to 1-4 in the group with one game to play this week. Raincock-Ekunwe posted 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace her squad. In the French League, Nantes was defeated by 2nd place Villeneuve 66-55. Again Raincock-Ekunwe shined, scoring 14 points with 17 rebounds and 3 assists. In two games last week she averaged 17.0 ppg and 14.5 rpg.
AMANDA ZAHUI B #17 – USK Praha
Czech Republic-ZBL (10-0, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague Group A (3-2, Ranked T-3rd)
Recent Results
Nov 22 vs. Villeneuve: W, 88-51 (27 pts, 10-15 FG, 1 3FG, 11 reb, 4 ast, 4 blk, 36 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov 25 vs. MK Technic: W, 114-42 (16 pts, 6-11 FG, 1 3FG, 6 reb, 2 ast, 6 stl, 23 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (Czech Republic) |
10 |
23.5 |
67 |
108 |
.620 |
6 |
11 |
.545 |
48 |
55 |
.873 |
6.7 |
1.5 |
2.3 |
1.2 |
20.0 |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (EuroLeague) |
5 |
32.8 |
33 |
63 |
.524 |
5 |
14 |
.357 |
21 |
24 |
.875 |
9.0 |
2.0 |
0.6 |
2.0 |
20.4 |
Another monster week for Amanda Zahui B, who has been one of the EuroLeague top performers of the season, and earned the league’s Player of the Week honors after leading USK Praha to a lopsided 88-51 win over Villeneuve last week. Zahui B scored 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots. She currently ranks 2nd in EuroLeague in scoring (20.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) while pacing the league with 2.0 blocks per contest. In the Czech League, Praha remained unbeaten following a 114-42 win over MK Technic. Zahui B logged just 23 minutes, scoring 16 points with 6 rebounds and 6 steals. In the week ahead, Praha will face Sopron in EuroLeague play.
EPIPHANNY PRINCE #10 – Dynamo Kursk
Russia-PBL (7-0, Ranked 2nd)
EuroLeague Group A (5-0, Ranked 1st)
Recent Results
Nov 22 vs. Bourges: W, 76-65 (5 pts, 2-5 FG, 2 reb, 24 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov 26 vs. MBA: W, 83-59 (15 pts, 5-7 FG, 3 3FG, 5 reb, 4 stl, 14 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #10 E. PRINCE (Russia) |
7 |
18.6 |
15 |
29 |
.517 |
9 |
16 |
.563 |
7 |
7 |
1.000 |
2.9 |
2.3 |
1.1 |
0.1 |
9.1 |
| #10 E. PRINCE (EuroLeague) |
5 |
18.0 |
9 |
16 |
.563 |
4 |
13 |
.308 |
2 |
2 |
1.000 |
1.6 |
2.0 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
6.4 |
Dynamo Kursk remains unbeaten this year after picking up two more wins last week. In a 76-65 win over Bourges in EuroLeague action, Epiphanny Prince scored 5 points with a pair of rebounds. She saw her scoring pick up in the 83-59 win over MBA in the Russian League as she posted 15 points behind a steady barrage of 3 3-pointers, also finishing with 5 rebounds and 4 steals while logging just 14 minutes of action. This week, Dynamo Kursk will face Galatassaray in EuroLeague, followed by a Russian League matchup with Lindsay Allen and Dynamo Moscow.
LINDSAY ALLEN #15 – Dynamo Moscow
Russia-PBL (2-6, Ranked 10th)
EEWBL (0-3, Ranked T-14th)
Recent Results
Nov. 17 vs. MBA: L, 55-70 (8 pts, 4-12 FG, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 25 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. UMMC: L, 70-85 (15 pts, 6-11 FG, 3 3FG, 9 ast, 30 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #15 L. ALLEN (Russia) |
8 |
29.6 |
29 |
70 |
.414 |
5 |
9 |
.556 |
22 |
28 |
.786 |
4.1 |
4.8 |
0.9 |
0.0 |
11.9 |
| #15 L. ALLEN (EEWBL) |
3 |
29.3 |
7 |
15 |
.467 |
1 |
1 |
1.000 |
9 |
11 |
.818 |
3.7 |
4.0 |
1.7 |
0.3 |
8.7 |
Lindsay Allen had a big game for Dynamo Moscow against 1st place UMMC, but it was not enough to lead her team to a win as they suffered an 85-70 setback. Allen was hot from 3-point range, stroking 3 3-pointers on the way to 15 points to go along with 9 assists in 30 minutes of action. Through 8 games in the Russian Premier League, Allen is averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 assists per game, pacing the entire league in assists. This week, Dynamo Kursk will look to bounce back with another tough matchup, this time against also undefeated Dynamo Kursk, featuring Liberty teammate Epiphanny Prince.
BRIA HARTLEY #14 – Mersin
Turkey-KBSL (4-3, Ranked T-4th)
EuroCup Group B (4-1, T-1st)
Recent Results
Nov. 22 vs. MBK Ruzomb: W, 54-42 (9 pts, 3-13 FG, 5 reb, 2 ast, 30 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. Besiktas: L, 75-82 (16 pts, 6-18 FG, 2 3FG, 2 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 38 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #14 B. HARTLEY (Turkey) |
7 |
29.6 |
30 |
73 |
.411 |
15 |
43 |
.349 |
21 |
29 |
.724 |
3.1 |
3.4 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
18.0 |
| #14 B. HARTLEY (EuroCup) |
5 |
29.8 |
20 |
46 |
.435 |
11 |
28 |
.393 |
21 |
27 |
.778 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
2.2 |
0.2 |
18.8 |
It was a pair of mixed results for Bria Hartley and Mersin last week. After picking up a 54-42 win over MBK Ruzomb in EuroCup group play, ensuring advancement to the next round, they lost a close Turkish League game to Shavonte Zellous and a surging Besiktas team, 82-75. Hartley scored 9 points with 5 rebounds and a pair of assists in the EuroCup victory, following that up with 16 points, 2 3-pointers, and 4 assists against Besiktas. Hartley ranks 5th in EuroCup averaging 18.8 ppg and is still 3rd in Turkey at 18.0 points per contest. Mersin concludes EuroCup group play against Enisey this week then faces Yakin Dogu in a tough Turkish League matchup over the weekend.
KIA VAUGHN #8 – Fenerbahce
Turkey-KBSL (7-0, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague Group B (4-1, Ranked T-1st)
Recent Results
Nov. 22 vs. Avenida: W, 68-56 (11 pts, 4-9 FG, 9 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 34 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 26 vs. Hatay: W, 86-84 (8 pts, 4-7 FG, 5 reb, 32 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #8 K. VAUGHN (Turkey) |
7 |
27.3 |
35 |
57 |
.614 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
10 |
15 |
.667 |
5.9 |
1.1 |
1.6 |
0.3 |
11.4 |
| #8 K. VAUGHN (EuroLeague) |
5 |
30.8 |
16 |
38 |
.421 |
0 |
1 |
.000 |
10 |
13 |
.769 |
5.6 |
0.6 |
1.4 |
0.4 |
8.4 |
Fenerbahce took down a pair of tough foes last week, beating Avenida in EuroLeague action and winning a one possession game for 1st place in the Turkish League against Hatay. Kia Vaughn scored 11 points with 9 rebounds in the 68-56 win over Avenida, which saw Fenerbahce improve to 4-1 in Group B, maintaining a 3-way tie for 1st place. Fenerbahce edged Hatay 86-84 in the battle between the last two unbeaten teams in Turkey, Vaughn scored 8 points with 5 rebounds in the victory.
KIAH STOKES #41 – Botas
Turkey-KBSL (3-4, T-8th)
Recent Results
Nov. 18 vs. Abdullah Gul: L, 54-56 (8 pts, 4-7 FG, 13 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk, 36 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. Galatasaray: L, 63-70 (18 pts, 19 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk, 33 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #41 K. STOKES (Turkey) |
7 |
35.0 |
45 |
73 |
.616 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
20 |
27 |
.741 |
16.3 |
0.9 |
1.1 |
2.6 |
15.7 |
Despite a monster game from Kiah Stokes (18 points, 19 rebounds, 2 blocked shots), Botas lost to Galatasaray in the Turkish League to fall to 3-4 on the season. Stokes continues to be amongst the league leaders in rebounding and blocked shots, leading the league with 2.6 swatted shots per game, and sitting 2nd behind just Courtney Paris with 16.3 rpg.
SHAVONTE ZELLOUS #1 – Besiktas
Turkey-KBSL (3-4, T-8th)
EuroCup Group A (1-4, 3rd)
Recent Results
Nov. 22 vs. Olympiacos: L, 45-68 (11 pts, 4-12 FG, 2 3FG, 5 reb, 1 stl, 35 min) | BOX SCORE
Nov. 25 vs. Mersin BSB: W, 82-75 (11 pts, 1-6 FG, 9-9 FT, 8 reb, 6 ast, 27 min) | BOX SCORE
|
GM |
MIN |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
3FG |
3FGA |
3FG% |
FTM |
FTA |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
PTS |
| #1 S. ZELLOUS (Turkey) |
2 |
26.5 |
6 |
14 |
.429 |
3 |
6 |
.500 |
19 |
19 |
1.000 |
9.5 |
5.0 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
20.0 |
| #1 S. ZELLOUS (EuroCup) |
1 |
35.0 |
2 |
9 |
.222 |
2 |
3 |
.667 |
1 |
2 |
.500 |
5.0 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
11.0 |
Shavonte Zellous and Besiktas went 1-1 last week, falling to Olympiacos in EuroCup group action, 68-45, then bouncing back to edge Bria Hartley and Mersin 82-75 in the Turkish League. Zellous scored in double figures in both games, netting 11 points each time, but made her biggest impact off the ball against Mersin. While she did go 9-of-9 from the line, she filled up the stat sheet with 8 rebounds and 6 assists in 27 minutes of action.
