Dominique Faurie has covered women's basketball all over Europe and will write regularly for FIBAEurope.com during the EuroLeague season.
Let's have a look at the four teams leading the EuroLeague group tables after Day Six.
They are two Russian teams and two clubs from South Europe. Will they be the ones making it to the Final Four?
Group A - Halcon Avenida
With a 5-0 win/loss run, the Spanish team confirmed that they are in great shape. As long as Snow remains a dominant rebounder (9.8 rpg) and scorer (15.7 ppg) then their scoring is well balanced. Their last four games weren't really complicated in this quite "easy" group. They played two home games, against Besiktas and a dangerous Wisla Krakow team and two games away. Their next one is in Orenburg who have yet to win, but their last one is in Bourges, a game which might as well be the decider for top honours in the group standings.
Group B - Umana Reyer
If they were hailed as the surprise package in the beginning of the season that's not the case anymore for the Venice club after posting six straight wins in the group. CSKA Moscow still boast the best defense and best offense in the group but are two points behind the Italians! But their remaining schedule is not exactly friendly for Reyer: they play three games away, in Sopron, Riga, and at CSKA, and only one game at home, against Villeneuve d'Ascq. Note the Italians' average of 10 steals per game.
Group C - Ekaterinburg
This is a so-called group of death, but maybe not for Ekaterinbug who are undefeated, posting an average of more than 90 ppg offensively and have Bibrzycka on 17.3 ppg and 50% from outside the arc. In the paint, Stepanova is a great addition to Gruda, Leuchanka. And what's more Candace Parker, an WNBA star, is due to arrive in January. The rest of the programme says: three home games to finish the job and an exciting trip to Valencia to remain unbeaten.
Group D - Spartak Moscow
The surprise here is not that the defending champions are leading this group, but to see that they have actually lost one game (in Vilnius). It shouldn't have any consequences, but Ratgeber's team doesn't seem to be at their best... yet. Fowles is the new attraction (18.5 ppg; 11.5 rpg), Jackson only scores 12 ppg. But with three games at home and only one away (in Fenerbahce), better days should arrive for the champions.
Thumbs up
Fenerbahce won its last three games, including two on the road. The Turkish team can expect to finish second behind Spartak in group D, one more so as they finish with three games at home.
Thumbs down
Gdynia, after two victories, seemed to be in the mood. But Valencia who don't do any favours, came to remind the Polish team the nightmare of their first game: that was a 51-93 defeat; yesterday a 59-85 loss at home.
By the numbers
59.1
Points conceded in average by Bourges, the best defending team of the competition so far.
30
Points for Shay Doron, top scorer of Game Day Six. It's all the more striking that her team, Besiktas, only scored 56 points against Bourges. Behind her, we find Fröhlich (Kosice, 28 ), Cash (Prague, 27 points, with 21 shots), Brasilian Castro Marques (Villeneuve) who threatened CSKA Moscow with her 25 points, and three players on 23: Wauters (CSKA), Fernandez and Maksimovic (Krakow). No one from the Top 5 though...
21
Rebounds (yes !) for Hayden-Johnson, one of the Venezia weapons. It's hard to do more for your team. Fröhlich grabbed 14, N'dongue (Bourges) and the regular in this list, Langhorne (Vilnius) got 13.
8.3
Assists per game for Dalma Ivanyi, who leads this ranking. The Hungarian point guard of Pecs was the leader in the same category last season, but with ‘only' 5.7.
5
Blocks in a game for Venezia's Hayden-Johnson (yes, again!) against Brno.
Quote of the day
"In my opinion, Ekaterinburg is the best team in the world", Stipe Bralic, Sibenik Head Coach
fibaeurope.com
do rzeczy.
Bourges - Wisła
UMMC - Lotos.
będzie ciężko.
przy okazji. nie wyobrażam sobie Halconu i Wenecji w FF
Ciekawe, czy Halcon zagrał tak słabo, czy Nadieżda tak dobrze. Faktem pozostaje, że wróciła do gry Garcia, no i pierwszy raz zagrała dobrze znana w Gdyni Betty Lennox. Jak wskazują statystyki - obie miały duży udział w wygranej. Oby nie była to ostatnia wygrana Nadieżdy.
