EuroLeague Women second-round group play resumes this week, and there’s been a good amount of player movement since the last time Europe’s best took the court.
Most notably, defending EuroLeague Women champions ZVVZ USK Praha have welcomed back Brionna Jones, who put on a stellar performance in last season’s Final Six to win MVP honors. Jones has played for Praha since 2019—which, by EuroLeague standards, is quite a while—and will bring her trademark low-post efficiency back to a roster that had been
lacking a strong frontcourt presence.
Elsewhere, veteran guard Yvonne Anderson has joined Valencia Basket Club, while Spar Girona has replaced forward Laeticia Amihere with Chloe Bibby. Anderson has made plenty of stops during her EuroLeague Women career, winning a championship with Fenerbahçe Opet in 2024; Bibby, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the competition, though she did play for Girona in EuroCup Women last season.
Speaking of Girona, they’re set to take on Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring this week, and it’s going to be a crucial game. Both clubs are 7-1 and tied atop the standings in Group E, so whoever wins will gain a major advantage when it comes to seeding for this year’s Final Six. The matchup between Girona and Galatasaray, as well as the rest of this week’s games, will be streamed live and for free on FIBA’s EuroLeague Women YouTube channel.
Wednesday, January 17
Casademont Zaragoza (4-4) vs. DVTK HUNTHERM (1-7)
- When: 12 p.m. ET
- Where: DVTK Aréna in Miskolc, Hungary
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Carla Leite, Stephanie Mawuli, Helena Pueyo, Mariona Ortiz, Nadia Fingall (Casademont Zaragoza); Kathryn Westbeld, Nina Aho, Monika Grigalauskyte, Paula Ginzo (DVTK HUNTHERM)
- Matchup details: Zaragoza will try to get back on track this week after they were dealt a humbling loss by Fenerbahçe in December. A game against DVTK could be exactly what the doctor ordered; as expected, DVTK has been struggling since the second round of group play began, and while they took Venezia to the brink in their most recent game, no one is expecting them to make much noise as the playoffs approach. Anyone can play spoiler, however, and for a Zaragoza club that’s currently outside of the playoff picture, they won’t be able to afford another letdown.
Flammes Carolo Basket (2-6) vs. ZVVZ USK Praha (4-4)
- When: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: Královka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Liz Dixon, Maïa Hirsch, Noémie Brochant, Isabelle Strunc (Flammes Carolo Basket); Brionna Jones, Janelle Salaün, Bridget Carleton, Valeriane Ayayi, Maite Cazorla, Pauline Astier (ZVVZ USK Praha)
- Matchup details: Praha hasn’t looked quite as fearsome as in past seasons, but with Jones back on board, they become a much more dangerous and well-rounded team. How she plays in her season debut will obviously be one of this game’s bigger storylines, though Carolo may not be the best measuring stick. The French club has lost its first two second-round games by a total of 43 points, and is probably the weakest team in Group E unless something changes dramatically in the next few weeks.
Umana Reyer Venezia (5-3) vs. Valencia Basket Club (5-3)
- When: 1:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Roig Arena in Valencia, Spain
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Kaila Charles, Lorela Cubaj, Joyner Holmes, Stephanie Mavunga, Ivana Dojkic (Umana Reyer Venezia); Leonie Fiebich, Nia Coffey, Awa Fam, Yvonne Anderson, Kayla Alexander, Raquel Carrera, Hind Ben Abdelkader, Leticia Romero (Valencia Basket Club)
- Matchup details: The hype around Valencia has died down a bit since the season began, but on paper, they’re still a top-three team in Group F, especially having added Anderson’s defense and experience to their backcourt. They’ll now get an opportunity to create some separation in the standings against Venezia, who had a surprisingly hard time against DVTK in their last game. Both teams have strong frontcourts, with Holmes and Mavunga leading the way for Venezia and Alexander and Fam anchoring Valencia, so expect a physical game that emphasizes paint play.
Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring (7-1) vs. Spar Girona (7-1)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Pavelló Fontajau in Girona, Spain
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Marine Johannès, Elizabeth Williams, Dorka Juhász, Awak Kuier, Kamiah Smalls (Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring); Justė Jocytė, Chloe Bibby, Arica Carter, Mariam Coulibaly, Klara Holm (Spar Girona)
- This is, without a doubt, the biggest game of the week. It’s the first meeting of the season between Group E’s best teams, and though the play-ins don’t begin for another month, whoever wins this matchup will be in the driver’s seat when it comes to seeding. While Girona has been one of the best offensive teams in EuroLeague Women, averaging 81.6 points per game and shooting 47.9 percent from the field, Galatasaray is one of the competition’s few clubs that has enough size up front to make things difficult for Coulibaly, who scored 30 points on 14-for-21 shooting in her last game. We’ll see if Galatasaray can slow Girona’s offense enough to take advantage of that size.
Fenerbahçe Opet (8-0) vs. Basket Landes (5-3)
- When: 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Espace François-Mitterrand in Mont-de-Marsan, France
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Emma Meesseman, Kayla McBride, Gabby Williams, Megan Gustafson, Julie Allemand, Iliana Rupert, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet); Leïla Lacan, Julie Wojta, Murjanatu Musa (Basket Landes)
- Matchup details: Fenerbahçe is still rolling, last defeating Zaragoza for their fourth 30-plus point victory in their last five games, and at this point it’s hard to imagine anyone in Group F stopping them. Landes will be the next team to try, and they’ll have one key advantage: rebounding. At 41.6 boards per game (13.3 offensive), Landes leads the league, and that’s something they’ll have to lean on against a Fenerbahçe team that has skill, shooting and passing at every position. Could the secret to beating EuroLeague Women’s top team be to hammer them on the glass? We’ll find out.
Beretta Famila Schio (5-3) vs. Tango Bourges Basket (5-3)
- When: 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Caisse d’Epargne Loire Centre in Bourges, France
- How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream
- Players to watch: Monique Akoa Makani, Kariata Diaby, Tima Pouye, Alix Duchet (Tango Bourges Basket); Jessica Shepard, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kitija Laksa, Marième Badiane, Maria Conde, Anete Steinberga (Beretta Famila Schio)
- Matchup details: This game might not get the fanfare of the Galatasaray vs. Girona matchup, but it’s another important one for postseason seeding. Schio and Bourges are both play-in-worthy teams, but things are looking awfully tight around the middle of the Group E standings, and with Praha getting some major reinforcements, every game between these clubs will be crucial. Schio has made a name for themselves with selfless and efficient offense, and they scored nearly 100 points in their most recent game. Don’t underestimate Bourges, though; the French club may lack the big international names of the competition’s other top teams, but they’re tough to handle on the boards (41.1 rebounds per game), and they’re disruptive enough on defense to knock a team like Schio off rhythm.
