With a much deserved week off coming up for all of the New York Liberty players competing across Europe, there were several impressive performances and another head-to-head battle for New York’s stars.
The highlight of the week came in EuroLeague group action, as Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg faced Brittany Boyd’s CCC Polkowice squad, with Zahui B’s team picking up the 70-46 win to remain unbeaten during the early stages of the EuroLeague Women’s Tournament.
Epiphanny Prince helped deliver a big international victory to Dynamo Kursk, who also improved to 3-0 in the prestigious EuroLeague competition with a win over Lattes Montpellier, where Prince poured in 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. In EuroCup action, Tanisha Wright and Kayseri went unbeaten through the first round of group play, as she posted 15 points in a victory over MBA.
Elsewhere, Sugar Rodgers returned to action with 25 points for Osmaniye, although her squad fell short of a win. Carolyn Swords continued to look dominant in Poland, as Basket 90 Gdynia posted back-to-back wins, and Rebecca Allen helped Good Angels improve to 8-1 in the Slovakian League.
LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Carolyn Swords – Basket 90 Gdynia
Basket 90 Gdynia picked up its second win a a row thanks in large part to another huge double-double from center Carolyn Swords, who has been dominant in her first season playing in the Polish League. Swords posted 22 points and 15 rebounds as Basket 90 beat TS Ostrovia over the weekend, shooting an impressive 10-of-13 from the floor. Swords is averaging a double-double so far this fall for her Polish club team, scoring 14.1 points with 13.0 rebounds per game.
Slovakia-Extraliga (8-1, Ranked 2nd)
Eurocup Group D (1-2, Ranked 3rd)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #5 R. ALLEN (Slovakia) | 8 | 18.6 | 36 | 67 | .537 | 13 | 20 | .650 | 19 | 24 | .792 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 16.3 |
| #5 R. ALLEN (EuroCup) | 3 | 21.3 | 7 | 21 | .333 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 8 | 13 | .615 | 6.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 11.3 |
Two more strong performances from Rebecca Allen as she continues to thrive as one of the most complete players in the Slovakian League in addition to performing well in EuroCup action. She had 17 points and nailed 3 3-pointers against Olympiacos in Good Angels EuropCup game last week, but her team suffered an 85-78 loss, to fall to 1-2 in group play heading into a bye week. She followed that up with 19 points on 4-of-4 shooting from downtown in a blowout victory over BAM Poprad in Slovakia. For the week, Allen shot 7-of-9 from 3-point range and averaged 18.0 ppg. She ranks 3rd overall in scoring, now averaging 16.3 ppg, and is also second with 1.8 bpg. Good Angels is off until it resumes league play on Nov. 26.
Poland-TBLK (2-6, Ranked 9th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #30 C. SWORDS (Poland) | 7 | 29.1 | 43 | 74 | .581 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 13 | 18 | .722 | 13.0 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 14.1 |
A monster double-double from Carolyn Swords helped Basket 90 Gdynia pick up its second-straight win and improve to 2-6 overall. Swords shot 10-of-13 from the field, also hauling in 15 rebounds to help lift Basket 90 to its 82-68 victory over TS Ostrovia. She is now averaging 14.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game, leading the league on the glass. Swords and Gdynia are now off until Nov. 27, when they will face Brittany Boyd and CCC Polkowice in a league game.
Poland-TBLK (4-4, Ranked 7th)
Euroleague Group B (0-3, Ranked 7th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #15 B. BOYD (Poland) | 3 | 25.3 | 5 | 22 | .227 | 3 | 12 | .250 | 10 | 14 | .714 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 9.7 |
| #15 B. BOYD (Euroleague) | 3 | 25.7 | 7 | 22 | .318 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
Brittany Boyd has been excelling at dishing the rock for CCC Polkowice, now averaging 5.0 assists per game during league play, which would rank 8th in the Polish, and she is at 5.3 assists per game through three EuroLeague contests. Earlier this week, Boyd’s squad took on Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg in EuroLeague action, with Zahui B’s squad coming out on top, 70-46. Boyd had 2 points, but finished with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. In a setback during Polish league play to Sleza Wroclaw, Boyd was back in double figures offensively, with 5 boards and 4 assists. She is averaging 9.7 ppg in Poland, and 5.7 ppg during EuroLeague group play. CCC Polkowice returns to action against Carolyn Swords and Basket 90 Gdynia on Nov. 27.
Russia-PBL (7-0, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague Group A (3-0, Ranked 1st)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #10 E. PRINCE (Russia) | 6 | 24.5 | 17 | 33 | .515 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 8 | 11 | .727 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 8.5 |
| #10 E. PRINCE (EuroLeague) | 3 | 28.7 | 13 | 20 | .650 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 9.3 |
Just one game last week for Epiphanny Prince and Dynamo Kursk, but it was a great performance for the Liberty guard as she poured in 14 points to help lead them to an 88-50 victory over Lattes Montpellier, remaining unbeaten in EuroLeague group action through the first slate of games. Prince was 7-of-9 from inside the arc, missing her only 3-point attempt, but also had 3 assists and 3 steals. She is now averaging 9.3 ppg in three EuroLeague contests, to go along with 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Prince and Dynamo are off until Nov. 27, when one of the biggest international games of the year to date will take place against the stacked UMMC squad that features Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Emma Meesseman.
Russia-PBL (6-1, Ranked 3rd)
Euroleague Group B (3-0, Ranked 3rd)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (Russia) | 6 | 20.8 | 33 | 52 | .635 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 12 | 13 | .923 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 14.0 |
| #17 A. ZAHUI B (EuroLeague) | 3 | 25.3 | 15 | 34 | .441 | 0 | 6 | .000 | 10 | 12 | .833 | 10.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 13.3 |
Nadezhda Orenburg was able to remain unbeaten in EuroLeague group action thanks to its 70-46 victory over Brittany Boyd’s CCC Polkowice squad last week. Amanda Zahui B, who has been excelling during the international competition, had 7 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes to help pace her squad to another victory. Zahui B is now averaging 10.0 rebounds per game, good for the 4th-best tally in EuroLeague action to date, along with 13.3 ppg early in the group stage of the tournament, shooting .441 from inside the arc, but 0-for-6 from downtown. Nadezhda returns to action to face Dynamo MR on Nov. 28.
Turkey-KBSL (2-2, Ranked 9th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #14 S. RODGERS (Turkey) | 3 | 41.0 | 10 | 22 | .455 | 9 | 27 | .333 | 9 | 15 | .600 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 18.7 |
Back after missing Osmaniye’s last game, Sugar Rodgers turned in an impressive performance against Istanbul University, but it was not enough to lift her team to a win as they suffered a 66-62 loss. Rodgers scored 25 points, now averaging 18.7 ppg in three contests for her Turkish club team, but this time she did most of her damage inside of the arc. While she did make 3 3-pointers, they came on 14 attempts, and she shot 7-of-9 from inside of the arc. Statistically, Rodgers has been one of the most impressive players in the competitive Turkish League early in the season, ranking 7th in scoring, 8th in assists (5.7 per game) and 4th in steals (3.0 per game.) Rodgers and Osmaniye return to action against Samsun on Nov. 26. .
Turkey-KBSL (3-1, Ranked 7th)
EuroCup Group B (3-0, Ranked 1st)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #30 T. WRIGHT (Turkey) | 4 | 33.8 | 19 | 46 | .413 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 16 | 19 | .842 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 15.5 |
| #30 T. WRIGHT (EuroCup) | 3 | 31.3 | 19 | 31 | .613 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 12 | 13 | .923 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 16.7 |
Abdullah Gul remained on a roll last week, picking up wins in EuroCup group play and the Turkish League with Tanisha Wright leading the way. In a 71-57 victory over MBA in the EuroCup, Wright finished with 15 points, also dishing out 4 assists with 2 steals. Three days later, Kayseri beat Adana ASKI (Alex Bentley, Alysha Clark, Avery Warley-Talbert) 66-47, and Wright scored 11 points with 3 assists in 20 minutes. She is now averaging 7.8 assists per game in Turkey, ranking 3rd overall in the league. Wright and Kayseri are now off until a meeting with Fenerbahce on Nov. 26.
Turkey-KBSL (0-4, Ranked 12th)
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #2 S. ZELLOUS (Turkey) | 4 | 34.8 | 17 | 46 | .370 | 2 | 13 | .154 | 10 | 14 | .714 | 5.3 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 12.5 |
Despite 15 points from Shavonte Zellous, Besiktas was unable to pick up its first win of the season in its meeting with 1st place Fenerbahce (Jantel Lavender, Allie Quigley) over the weekend. Zellous shot 5-of-12 from the field and also hauled in 7 rebounds in 38 minutes for Besiktas. Zellous is averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for Besiktas, ranking third on her team in both scoring and rebounding.