Behind Julie Vanloo’s best EuroLeague Women game yet, ÇBK Mersin avoids falling to 0-4 in Week 4

ÇBK Mersin finally gets their first win, as Girona, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe remain undefeated in EuroLeague Women.

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Things had not gone well for Julie Vanloo during her debut EuroLeague Women campaign with ÇBK Mersin.

Through the first three group play games, the Belgian guard has tallied eight total points, all of which came in a single game. She was 3-for-19 from the field and 1-for-7 from 3, although she had contributed 16 assists to just six turnovers. On top of that, Mersin, which also rosters WNBA players Tiffany Hayes, Kennedy Burke and Lusia Geiselsoder, in addition to former WNBA player Beatrice Mompremier,

was 0-3, last in Group D.

On Thursday, when a loss would have all-but-officially prevented Mersin from advancing out of the competition’s group phase, Vanloo came through. Looking like her signature spark-plug self, Vanloo scored a gameday-high 23 points, hitting five 3s while also dishing six assists. Her performance helped Mersin run away from Umana Reyer Venezia in the second half and finally enter the win column in Group D with the 83-69 victory.

Group D also housed the week’s other most consequential game, with Basket Landes’ two-point win over Casademont Zaragoza, 65-63, putting them at the top of the group, with seven points to the six points of both Zaragoza and Venezia. Up just one point entering the fourth after having established a 12-point lead in the first quarter, Landes escaped in part due to a strong closing stretch from Leïla Lacan, whose swipe of a Carla Leite pass with just over three minutes remaining broke a 58-58 tie. Later, Lacan iced the game at the line, hitting a pair of free throws to put Landes up five until a late Zaragoza 3 resulted in a deceptively-closer final score. Overall, Lacan had 11 points, six steals, four rebounds and two assists. Murjanatu Musa also was productive on the glass for the victors, corralling a game-best 10 boards.

In contrast to the hotly-contested Group D, the other three groups are topped by a still-undefeated club, with Girona in Group A, Galatasaray in Group B and Fenerbahçe in Group C.

Girona had no problem with overmatched Gydina, using a dominant second half to cruise to the 90-65 win. Justē Jocytē, once again, showed off her sharpshooting, going 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3 as she tied for the game high with 18 points. She also handed out seven assists. Klara Holm, named to the EuroLeague Women Team of the Month for October, also was excellent for Girona. The 26-year-old Swedish point guard had 17 points, four assists and three boards as Girona outscored Gydina by a game-best 32 points in her minutes.

Kamiah Smalls joins Holm on the Team of the Month. The Galatasaray guard who has had a couple of cups of coffee in the WNBA scored her season-high 17 points to help her club maintain their perfect mark in Group B, as Galatasaray used a late run to pull away for the 72-61 win over Beretta Famila Schio. Galatasaray also benefitted from their trio of WNBA bigs, with Dorka Juhász, Awak Kuier and Elizabeth Williams combining for 39 points and 18 rebounds, with Juhász adding a pair of steals and Kuier a pair of blocks.

Group C-leading Fenerbahçe pounded DVTK HUNTHERM, 113-65. Fenerbahçe received contributions from all their familiar WNBA faces, including 16 points from Kayla McBride, 14 from Megan Gustafson, three 3s and 11 points from Rebecca Allen and 10 points and three blocks from Emma Meesseman. The club’s two Team of the Month honorees also stuffed the box score, with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists from Julie Allemand and 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Iliana Rupert.

Kayla Alexander, the leader of the second-place club in Group C, Valencia, rounds out the Team of the Month. The Canadian National Team stalwart who last played in the W in 2020 had 15 points and five boards in a comfortable win over Olympiacos, 99-57. Valencia also enjoyed 12 points from new arrival Leonie Fiebich.

Valencia, like undefeated Girona, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, has already qualified for the second round. Flammes Carolo Basket, in second place in Group B, also has advanced after besting winless Sopron, 72-62. Ashley Joens had a team-leading 15 points, including three 3s, for the winning side.

One club that has yet to punch their ticket to the second round? The defending champs, ZVVZ USK Praha. And they turned in a performance far from title-winning form in Week 4, managing just 43 points as they fell 78-43 to Tango Bourges Basket. Newcomer Bridget Carleton’s nine points were the most scored by a Praha player, as the club shot less than 21 percent from the field and just over 18 percent from 3. They also were under 70 percent from the foul line. Coughing up the ball 15 times, a problem cited by Eric Nemchock in his preview, led to 19 points off turnovers for Bourges and further compounded Praha’s woes.