What a week for the New York Liberty stars competing across the globe, some of the best individual and teams wins of the season for several of the Libs.
For Rebecca Allen and Tanisha Wright, EuroCup Round of 16 action began, and both helped their teams pick up big wins that put them one step close to the tournament quarterfinals.
Allen’s week stood out more than any other, as she scored 27 points while nailing all 5 of her 3-point attempts in a 83-64 win over Flammes in the 1st leg of their tournament pairing. Wright and Abdullah Gul made quick work of Nice, winning 78-50, as Wright scored 10 points with 8 assists.
The other big game of the week was a head-to-head meeting between Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk and Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg, with Piph’s squad winning 83-51. Prince scored 12 points with 3 assists in the win, while Zahui B posted 10 points and 3 rebounds.
Shavonte Zellous and Kiah Stokes helped Besiktas improve to 8-6 with a 68-54 win over Mersin BSB, and both players had a double-double with Zellous scored 24 points with 10 rebounds and Stokes scored 12 points with 17 rebounds.
In Poland, Carolyn Swords and Basket Gdynia beat AZS UMCS 62-56, as Swords scored 17 points with 8 rebounds.
LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rebecca Allen – Good Angels
There were so many strong performances from Liberty players this past week, but Rebecca Allen’s 27 points in a EuroCup win for underdog Good Angels really stood out. Allen was en fuego in nailing all 5 of her 3-point attempts, also hauling in 7 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action, as Kosice dispatched Flammes 83-64 in the 1st leg of their EuroCup Round of 16 matchup.
Slovakia-Extraliga (12-1, Ranked 1st)
Eurocup Round of 16 (Defeated Flammes in 1st leg: 83-64)
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) | 12 | 19.5 | 50 | 88 | .568 | 18 | 31 | .581 | 21 | 26 | .808 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 14.6 |
| #5 R. ALLEN (EuroCup) | 7 | 25.0 | 14 | 38 | .368 | 14 | 26 | .538 | 24 | 31 | .774 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 13.4 |
| #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 |
With Rebecca Allen leading the way, Good Angels Kosice picked up a huge home victory over Flammes (Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis) in the 1st leg of its EuroCup Round of 16 matchup, winning 83-64, with the 2nd game scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 26. Allen was on fire from downtown, where she shot a blistering 5-of-5 from deep, finishing with a game-high 29 points with 7 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action. For her efforts she was named one of the EuroCup Performers of the Week, as Good Angels sets its sights on advancing to the tournament quarterfinals. After Thursday’s game, Good Angels resumes play in the Slovakian League against Samorin on Saturday.
Poland-TBLK (6-9, Ranked 8th)
EEWBL (7-1, Ranked 1st)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #30 C. SWORDS (Poland) | 14 | 27.9 | 103 | 173 | .595 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 37 | 44 | .841 | 10.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 17.4 |
| #30 C. SWORDS (EEWBL) | 5 | 26.6 | 40 | 59 | .678 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 19 | 28 | .679 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 19.8 |
Carolyn Swords and Basket 90 Gdynia moved up to 8th place in the Polish League table thanks to a 62-56 win over AZS UMCS on Sunday. Swords scored 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and hauled in 8 rebounds with a pair of blocked shots, logging 31 minutes of action in the win. She is now averaging 17.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during league play, sitting 5th in Poland in scoring, 4th in rebounding, and 8th in blocked shots. Basket Gdynia will play Artego Bydg. on Jan. 25, and then not again until Feb. 4.
Russia-PBL (13-1, Ranked 2nd)
EuroLeague Group A (9-0, Ranked 1st)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #10 E. PRINCE (Russia) | 13 | 23.8 | 37 | 74 | .500 | 7 | 20 | .350 | 15 | 19 | .789 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 8.5 |
| #10 E. PRINCE (EuroLeague) | 9 | 26.8 | 29 | 51 | .569 | 2 | 12 | .167 | 7 | 9 | .778 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 7.9 |
Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk picked up a couple of difficult wins last week, including an 83-51 victory over her Liberty teammate Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg in the Russian League. In that game, Prince played 28 minutes, shooting 5-of-8 from the field to finish with 13 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. In EuroLeague Group play, Prince and Dyanamo Kursk are still undefeated, as they held off Mersin (Danielle Robinson, Aneika Henry) 84-70. Prince scored 9 points in the victory, nailing a 3-pointer with a pair of assists and steals. It will be two more games this week as regular season action continues in both leagues, with Lattes Montp. on Jan. 25, and Chevakata on Jan. 29.
Russia-PBL (11-3, Ranked 3rd)
Euroleague Group B (7-2, Ranked 2nd)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (Russia) | 13 | 19.5 | 56 | 94 | .596 | 7 | 16 | .438 | 30 | 35 | .857 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 12.5 |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (EuroLeague) | 9 | 28.2 | 40 | 84 | .476 | 4 | 24 | .167 | 26 | 30 | .867 | 8.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 13.1 |
It was a tough week for Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg, as they suffered a pair of defeats against tough competition in EuroLeague and Russian play. One of the highlights of the week came when Zahui B faced off against Liberty teammate Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk on Sunday, with Prince’s squad picking up the 83-51 win. Zahui B came off the bench to score 10 points with 3 rebounds in the contest. Earlier in the week, Orenburg saw its Euroleague win streak ended by Villeneuva 83-71, a game in which Zahui B scored 12 points with 8 rebounds. Zahui B will look to bounce back against CCC Polkowice on Jan. 25, and Kazanochka on Jan. 29.
Turkey-KBSL (9-4, Ranked 4th)
EuroCup Round of 16 (Defeated Nice in 1st leg: 78-50)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #30 T. WRIGHT (Turkey) | 11 | 34.5 | 54 | 119 | .454 | 8 | 17 | .471 | 30 | 37 | .811 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 14.7 |
| #30 T. WRIGHT (EuroCup) | 7 | 27.4 | 38 | 58 | .655 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 18 | 22 | .818 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 13.4 |
Abdulluh Gul went 2-0 last week and moved into prime position to advance to the EuroCup quarterfinals thanks to a 78-50 win over Nice in the 1st leg of its Round of 16 matchup. In that win, Tanisha Wright finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, also dishing out 8 assists. Later in the week, Kayseri maintained a hold of 4th place in the Turkish League standings thanks to a 65-60 win over Samsun; Wright scored 10 points with 4 rebounds. Wright is now averaging 13.4 ppg and 4.0 apg in EuroCup action, in which Abdullah Gul has posted a 7-0 record. They will look to close out Nice on Jan. 26, and face Shavonte Zellous and Kiah Stokes and Besiktas on Jan. 28.
Turkey-KBSL (8-6, Ranked 5th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #2 S. ZELLOUS (Turkey) | 14 | 35.9 | 71 | 175 | .406 | 13 | 53 | .245 | 49 | 59 | .831 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 16.4 |
Shavonte Zellous is on fire for Besiktas, scoring 20+ points for a 2nd-straight game to help lead her team to a 68-54 win against Mersin BSB (Danielle Robinson, Aneika Henry-Morello) over the weekend. Zellous was aggressive on the offensive end, shooting 10-of-20 from the field, nailing a pair of 3-pointers. She made it a double-double, also hauling in 10 rebounds, with 2 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes of action. She is now averaging 16.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in Turkey, ranking 10th in the league scoring. Up next is Tanisha Wright and her 4th place Abdullah Gul squad on Jan. 28.
Turkey-KBSL (8-6, Ranked 5th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #41 K. STOKES (Turkey) | 10 | 34.8 | 54 | 90 | .600 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 20 | 27 | .741 | 15.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 13.1 |
Kiah Stokes posted yet another double-double for Besiktas, as her Turkish club team improved to 8-6 with a 68-54 win over Mersin BSB (Danielle Robinson, Aneika Henry-Morello) over the weekend, jumping up to 5th place in the league table, setting up a matchup against 4th ranked Abdullah Gul and Tanisha Wright next weekend. Against Mersin, Stokes scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, pulling in 17 rebounds 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocked shots. She has been dominant since joining Besiktas, averaging 13.1 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, leading the league in both rebounding and blocked shots. She is also shooting .600 from the field.