It has become pretty common for Liberty players to celebrate some big wins overseas this offseason, and that trend continued last week.
One of the biggest victories of the year came for Shavonte Zellous and Kiah Stokes, as Besiktas took down the top team in the Turkish League, Fenerbahce (Jantel Lavender, Allie Quigley, Shekinna Stricklen), 62-60. Both played extremely well in the one possession game, with Zellous scoring a team-high 15 points while Stokes posted a 13 point, 13 rebound double-double.
In EuroCup action, Rebecca Allen and Good Angels took one big step towards securing home court in the EuroCup quarterfinals as they beat Cegledi EKK in the 1st leg of their Round of 8 matchup, 79-64. Allen scored 9 points with 5 assists, and 3 blocked shots.
Epiphanny Prince and Dyanamo Kursk are still unbeaten in the EuroLeague after beating Kia Vaughn and USK Praha 73-49. Amanda Zahui B and Nadezhda Orenburg also scored a EuroLeague win, holding off Bourges 69-61, and Zahui B dropped 30 points and 9 rebounds in an 83-79 win over Chevakata in the Russian Premier League.
This week will see the 2nd leg of EuroCup games for Allen and Tanisha Wright, along with a showdown between Zahui B’s Orenburg squad and UMMC in EuroLeague Group play. Besiktas will face Hatay in Turkey as it looks to climb into the top four of the league table.
LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kiah Stokes – Besiktas
Both Shavonte Zellous and Kiah Stokes made big contributions in one of the biggest wins of the season for Besiktas as they knocked off 1st place Fenerbahce over the weekend in the Turkish League, but Stokes notched a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds to pick up Player of the Week Honors. She is still averaging a double-double in Turkey (12.8 ppg, 15.4 rpg) and leads the league in rebounding and blocks.
Slovakia-Extraliga (6-1, Ranked 1st)
Eurocup Round of 8 (Defeated Cegledi EKK in 1st leg 79-64)
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) | 15 | 19.9 | 60 | 111 | .541 | 20 | 37 | .541 | 27 | 32 | .844 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 13.8 |
#5 R. ALLEN (EuroCup) | 9 | 25.9 | 20 | 48 | .417 | 16 | 34 | .471 | 26 | 33 | .788 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 12.7 |
#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 are in prime position to advance to the EuroCup Quarterfinals thanks to a 79-64 win over Cegledi at home last week. Allen scored just 9 points in that win, but also had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks to help Kosice grab a 15-point edge heading into this week’s 2nd leg on the road. Good Angels also easily beat MBK in the Slovakian League, 65-45, with Allen scoring 9 more points in just 20 minutes of action. Her EuroCup averages continue to show how much she is impacting each game, as she is averaging 12.7 ppg, shooting .471 from 3-point range, with 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. The 2nd matchup with Cegledi comes on Feb. 16, with a Slovakian game against Samorin to follow two days later.
Czech Republic-ZBL (19-0, Ranked 1st)
EuroLeague Group A (9-3, Ranked 3rd)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#1 K. VAUGHN (Czech Republic) | 12 | 16.4 | 56 | 83 | .675 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 18 | 26 | .692 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 10.8 |
#1 K. VAUGHN (EuroLeague) | 12 | 28.9 | 62 | 118 | .525 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 15 | 18 | .833 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 11.6 |
It was a quiet week for Kia Vaughn as she played in just one of USK Praha’s games. In EuroLeague action, Praha matched up with unbeaten Dynamo Kursk, feating Vaughn’s new Liberty teammate Epiphanny Prince along with Angel McCoughtry, Nneka Ogwumike, and Anna Cruz, a game that Kursk won 73-49. Later in the week, Praha beat U19 Chance 116-19, and Vaughn did not play. Up next is a game that could decide who finishes 2nd in the EuroLeague Group A standings, as USK Praha will face Fenerbahce on Feb. 15. Both teams are 9-3 heading into the game, with just two group stage games remaining.
Russia-PBL (16-1, Ranked 2nd)
EuroLeague Group A (12-0, Ranked 1st)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#10 E. PRINCE (Russia) | 16 | 22.6 | 41 | 85 | .482 | 8 | 27 | .296 | 16 | 23 | .696 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 7.6 |
#10 E. PRINCE (EuroLeague) | 12 | 28.0 | 43 | 77 | .558 | 3 | 17 | .176 | 13 | 18 | .722 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 9.0 |
Dynamo Kursk eased into a pair of wins last week, remaining unbeaten in EuroLeague group play while improving to 16-1 in the Russian League. Epiphanny Prince helped Kursk pick up a 79-43 win over her new Liberty teammate Kia Vaughn and USK Praha last Wednesday, scoring 9 points with 3 assists, and 3 steals. Over the weekend, Kursk easily handled Enisey in its domestic league, as Prince played just 12 minutes, scoring 3 points with a pair of assists. Kursk’s second-to-last EuroLeague group game will be against Familia Schio on Feb. 15, then they will face MBA next weekend.
Russia-PBL (14-3, Ranked 3rd)
Euroleague Group B (9-3, Ranked 2nd)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#17 A. ZAHUI B (Russia) | 16 | 20.2 | 72 | 119 | .605 | 9 | 22 | .409 | 42 | 50 | .840 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 13.3 |
#17 A. ZAHUI B (EuroLeague) | 12 | 28.8 | 56 | 119 | .471 | 7 | 35 | .200 | 32 | 40 | .800 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 13.8 |
Amanda Zahui B capped off a 2-0 week for Nadezhda Orenburg by dropping 30 points for Nadezhda Orenburg in an 83-79 win over Chevakata in the Russian domestic league. During a mid-week EuroLeague contest against Bourges, which Orenburg won 69-61, Zahui B finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds in 25 minutes. On Sunday, she went 11-of-19 from the field, nailed a 3-pointer, and hauled in 9 rebounds, with 4 steals as Orenburg improved to 16-3 in the Russian League. Zahui B continues to be amongst the league leaders in rebounding in EuroLeague action, ranking 4th with 9.5 per game. Orenburg returns to action against UMMC in EuroLeague action on Feb. 16, then faces Dynamo MR next weekend.
Turkey-KBSL (12-4, Ranked 4th)
EuroCup Round of 8 (Fell to Girona in 1st leg 71-63)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#30 T. WRIGHT (Turkey) | 15 | 33.9 | 65 | 149 | .436 | 8 | 18 | .444 | 48 | 56 | .857 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 13.5 |
#30 T. WRIGHT (EuroCup) | 9 | 27.0 | 46 | 71 | .648 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 24 | 28 | .857 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 12.9 |
A mixed week of results for Tanisha Wright and Abdullah Gul last week as they fell to Girona in the 1st leg of their EuroCup Round of 16 matchup 71-63, but held off Adana ASKI (Alysha Clark, Alex Bentley, Avery Warley-Talbert) 61-60 in Turkish League play on Saturday. Despite the loss to Girona, Abdullah Gul is in good shape, facing just an 8 point deficit before Wednesday’s home game in the 2nd leg. Wright had 14 points and 4 assists in that 1st game last week. Against Adana, she scored 13 points, grabbing 8 boards with 3 assists. In two games, her averages were 13.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 3.5 apg. Abdullah is back in action against Girona on Feb. 16, before facing Fenerbahce in a critical Turkish League game next weekend.
Turkey-KBSL (9-8, Ranked 5th)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#2 S. ZELLOUS (Turkey) | 17 | 36.2 | 86 | 210 | .410 | 17 | 71 | .239 | 58 | 70 | .829 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 16.5 |
One of the biggest wins of the season came over the weekend for Shavonte Zellous and Besiktas as they held off 1st place Fenerbahce (Jantel Lavender, Allie Quigley, Shekinna Stricklen) 62-60 in the Turkish League. Zellous led the way offensively for Besiktas, keeping her double-digit scoring streak alive with 15 points, also grabbing 8 rebounds with 2 assists. She is now averaging 16.6 ppg in Turkey, ranking 10th in scoring in the competitive league. Despite the win, Besiktas remains locked in a 4-way tie for the 5th position in the league table, and will face one of the teams they are currently tied with Hatay, next weekend.
Turkey-KBSL (9-8, Ranked 5th)
GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
#41 K. STOKES (Turkey) | 13 | 35.6 | 69 | 116 | .595 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 25 | 32 | .781 | 15.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 12.8 |
Thanks in part to a big Kiah Stokes double-double, Besiktas was able to score a big win in the Turkish League over 1st place Fenerbahce (Jantel Lavender, Allie Quigley, Shekinna Stricklen), 62-60, over the weekend. Stokes went 5-of-7 from the field to finish with 13 points and 13 rebounds, helping Besiktas improve to 9-8. She continues to lead the league in rebounding (15.4 rpg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg), while averaging 12.8 ppg. Stokes and Besiktas face one of the teams they are tied with in the league table, Hatay, next weekend.