The game intense and the battle was enrapturing Emmet Ryan on a memorable night in Galicia as Claire Melia and Baxi Ferrol kept hope alive despite losing the first leg of their Eurocup Women final to Villeneuve d’Ascq Will all respect to the wonderful people at Unicaja Malaga that provided a wonderful game of basketball against Real Madrid on Sunday For two weeks Irish basketball and the whole of Spanish basketball have been united waiting for this Baxi Ferrol more than held their own in a dramatic first leg of Eurocup Women final against Villeneuve d’Ascq The fan zone opened a full three hours before tip the redhead wig wearing Claire Melia fan club were amongst the first to arrive Carolina from Ferrol 360 noted how this game had far more media than the norm for a Baxi Ferrol game the Eurocup Women final was being played in an “old school gym” as Raúl Villares Villar described it Cameras from stations national and regional were on site Baxi Ferrol was just the third Spanish side to reach this final The nation’s basketball fans were beside the shipyard town The Galicians, of course, had managed to get here at the first attempt. Their story is well-known to regular visitors to this site by now The only question was how the ball would end The one common concern among locals in the build up to the Eurocup Women final was that few of the players were familiar with a game of this importance Their fears proved well-founded in the first quarter Villeneuve d’Ascq made everything work both inside and out A barrage of threes coupled with some excellent iso play in the post rattled the hosts kept the battle going through her first stint A nice finish inside for her team’s first score coupled with a three kept Baxi Ferrol in touch The most vital moment however came as Melia sat With the seconds ticking down towards the end of the quarter Julie Pospisilova made a vital three to leave the score in a manageable position Villeneuve d’Ascq probably didn’t expect a history lesson in the Eurocup Women final That’s exactly what they got in the second quarter of this basketball game The re-introduction of Claire Melia steeled the defence of Baxi Ferrol The Galicians made life a nightmare for opponents looking to score in the paint Through the opening minutes of that frame however the home side struggled to make their shots land An unselfish move by Melia on a fast break changed the momentum She neatly stopped to put Angela Mataix in position to finish The Monasterevin woman followed up with a three before feeding Julie Pospisilova for a three of her own to given Baxi Ferrol a 44-42 lead at the half BallinEurope has a book, a real life actual book called I Like it Loud, and you can buy it on Amazon now. It’s here as a book and here in Kindle form Carla Leite was a force of nature in the third quarter for Villeneuve d’Ascq The French side showed the pedigree of previous winners of Eurocup Women to open the second half Baxi Ferrol managed to keep primary control of the tempo but it was clear that the visitors were becoming more comfortable Carla Mestres hit a couple of crucial threes early in the third to ensure Ferrol stayed in touch The full 40 minutes of a basketball game matter even if we often only remember the dramatic endings Those early scores from Mestres ensured the hot start from Villeneuve d’Ascq was tempered It took grit and guile for Baxi Ferrol to stay within touching distance to close the third Lino Lopez would have been relieved his charges only trailed by a possession entering the final 10 minutes The Baxi Ferrol fans were extraordinary throughout the first leg of the Eurocup Women final The lead for Villeneuve d’Ascq stretched to 7 points That’s not a lot but it’s the point where things tend to teeter Baxi Ferrol gave Claire Melia the minimum possible rest and sent her back into battle What we got was a gloriously bruising back and forth between both sides This was the type of clash worthy of a Eurocup Women final Basketball is a game of skill but also one of toughness Baxi Ferrol however travel to Lille with hope All the pressure in on the French side and the Galicians are used to some explosive performances on the road and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Notice: It seems you have Javascript disabled in your Browser please copy this code and paste it along with your comment: c02336cfa347383ecde8fadc74b8b90d Email: emmetryan@gmail.com VILLENEUVE D'ASCQ (France) - Villeneuve d'Ascq LM are EuroCup Women champions for a second time after they defeated BAXI Ferrol in the Finals. The French side backed up a narrow first leg victory on the road with an 84-70 success in front of their home fans to seal a 162-145 triumph on aggregate. Villeneuve d'Ascq LM had been runners-up in EuroLeague Women last season, but ensured they closed out the Finals on this occasion - adding to the title they won in this competition a decade ago. Carla Leite was named Finals MVP after an explosive first leg performance of 25 points was followed by a 16-point effort along with 7 assists in the reverse fixture. It ended an impressive run from Spanish rookies Ferrol, who had started their debut season in the competition in the Qualifiers. They had strong performances from the likes of Angela Mataix and Claire Melia, but came up short. For Villeneuve, they become the third team to win the competition on more than one occasion - joining Dynamo Moscow and Galatasaray in the exclusive club. Now Ferrol will look to further underline this incredible track record of opportunity, while Villeneuve try to add to the title that they proudly won in 2015. Played over two legs, Ferrol will have home advantage first on Wednesday March 26 at 20:00 CET, with the return game taking place a week later in Villeneuve on Wednesday April 2 at 20:30 CET. Mataix leads her team in scoring and assists, so can expect a lot of defensive attention from Villeneuve. She may be ready to guard Leite, the French rising star who has continued to build her reputation as one of the best young players in Europe. She is also adept at putting points on the board in a flash and is averaging almost 17.0 points per outing, so if she gets rolling, she will be tough to slow down X-factor: There is barely anything to separate these two teams when it comes to the numbers. You can pour over every statistical category and there is hardly anything between them both - suggesting this could be an epic Finals lying in wait.There's only one standout area and that is the bench power that Ferrol can lean on. They average a super near 30 points per game from that source, which is 9 points more than Villeneuve usually get. Did you know? Shavonte Zellous is the only player in the Finals to have previously won a European trophy. The 38-year-old was crowned EuroLeague Women champion in 2014 when featuring for Turkish giants, Galatasaray. FERROL (Spain) - Villeneuve d'Ascq LM came out on top against BAXI Ferrol in a classic EuroCup Women Finals first leg matchup as they won a roller-coaster encounter 78-75 on the road. Played out in front of a sold out and passionate home crowd, Villeneuve kept their cool under pressure to take a precious three-point advantage into the second meeting next week. The victory came thanks mainly to the brilliance of 20-year-old guard Carla Leite. The French club are chasing a second title, while rookies Ferrol are still dreaming of landing a first ever piece of silverware. The second leg of the Final will take place on Wednesday, April 01 at 20.30 CET. After some sharp-shooting early from the visitors, Ferrol could have found their hopes hanging by a thread had they not responded to being 40-28 behind with a blistering 16-2 run to give them the lead at half-time. While they were still squeezed out by their rivals, they're still very much in the tie and avoided what had looked at one stage to be a potentially worrying blowout. Leite lit it up as usual for Villeneuve, with the young guard pouring in 25 points after going 9 of 11 from the field. She also handed out 5 assists for good measure. Angela Mataix impressed for Ferrol in defeat with 17 points, as did Claire Melia with 12 points and 6 assists. While Villeneuve were unstoppable from downtown in the early stages, it was a massive 40 points in the paint that founded their victory - along with 24 points off the bench compared to just 9 for Ferrol. MUNICH (Germany) - The 2024-25 EuroCup Women Finals are now set after BAXI Ferrol and Villeneuve d'Ascq LM both moved a step closer to being crowned champions. It will be a battle of the debutantes against the former winners, as Spanish first-timers Ferrol will meet 2015 champions Villeneuve in the two-legged Finals. Ferrol continued their fairytale run in the competition by knocking out 2023 title winners LDLC ASVEL Feminin, as they set up a 156-136 aggregate victory with a dominant 31-point win at home - despite a second leg loss. Meanwhile, Villeneuve - who were runners-up in EuroLeague Women last season - had to fend off strong opposition of their own as they overcame Sopron Basket for a 127-112 triumph across the two legs. Ferrol aim to become just the second Spanish team to win the competition with the chance of emulating the feat of Valencia Basket, who were victorious in the 2020-21 season. There have been two clubs that have lifted the title on more than one occasion - Dynamo Moscow and Galatasaray - and Villeneuve have the opportunity to add their name to the exclusive club, whilst potentially making it three French winners in the past four editions. The first leg of the Finals is set to take place in Ferrol, Spain on March 26, with the return fixture held in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France on April 2. while Cukurova Basketbol Mersin and ZVVZ USK Praha both banked returns MUNICH (Germany) - Villeneuve d'Ascq LM penned another exciting new chapter as they took a first ever Final Four place The trio all cemented their respective slots for the big show with game three wins in the Quarter-Finals to join holders Fenerbahce Alagoz Holding at the end of season showpiece It's turned out to be a landmark season for Villeneuve d'Ascq LM after the French club wrapped up their first trip to Final Four having never even previously qualified for the Quarter-Finals of the competition They stayed cool in front of a noisy and partisan crowd in Miskolc to take a decisive 73-58 success against DVTK HUN-Therm They got it done in an intense encounter with a strong showing in the first-half and once onto the front foot they managed to keep the home side at arms' length FROM DOWNTOWN 🏹#EuroLeagueWomen x @ESBVALM pic.twitter.com/1EhCvVPpms A double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds from Kariata Diaby was critical as was 18 points from Kamiah Smalls and 16 points from Janelle Salaun DVTK had also been searching for their first appearance at the Final Four in what has still been a special season after emerging from the Qualifiers they just couldn't find their offensive edge on the night Cukurova Basketbol Mersin loved being back on their home floor as they eased past Casademont Zaragoza 86-63 in their decisive third game of the Quarter-Finals series THESE DIMES ARE WILD 🤯@mmabrey1 x #EuroLeagueWomen pic.twitter.com/eMpVeafWTQ Star guard Marina Mabrey inspired them as usual after handing out a spectacular 14 assists to go with 16 points with Stephanie Mavunga also dropping 10 points and 10 boards The hosts put their foot on the gas in a one-sided and brutal third quarter That was enough to ensure they added to their home victory in Game 1 The loss proved to be a tough ending to the campaign for Casademont Zaragoza who will never forget their truly remarkable rookie season Last year's Final Four hosts ZVVZ USK Praha are safely back at the flagship season finale once again after having too much in the bank for Beretta Famila Schio. They rode past the Italians 74-54 in the Czech capital to extract some revenge for last year's loss at Final Four in the Third Place Game Maria is different 🔮#EuroLeagueWomen x @ZVVZUSKPRAHA pic.twitter.com/BnJXbDjhn3  Praha made a strong move when they snapped the encounter open by posting a 12-0 run during the second quarter after both clubs had been locked up at 18-18 That gave them the daylight they needed to pull clear and they never had cause to look back Germany national team forward Nyara Sabally stood out with a game-high 19 points while Maria Conde also impressed with 11 points Efficiency: 28 - Marina Mabrey (Cukurova Basketbol Mersin) Points: 19 - Nyara Sabally (ZVVZ USK Praha)Rebounds: 10 - Stephanie Mavunga (Cukurova Basketbol Mersin) Assists: 14  -  Marina Mabrey (Cukurova Basketbol Mersin) Steals: 4 - Mariona Ortiz (Casademont Zaragoza); Nyara Sabally (ZVVZ USK Praha)Blocks: 2 - Multiple Players VILLENEUVE D'ASCQ (France) - Villeneuve d'Ascq LM are celebrating a second EuroCup Women crown after they made home advantage pay with an 84-70 second leg Finals success against Spanish underdogs BAXI Ferrol. Holding a modest three-point advantage from a thrilling first matchup on Spanish soil, Villeneuve proved too good on the night as they finished the job in style for a 17-point aggregate triumph. It also marked the end of a truly remarkable rookie season for Ferrol, who having had to come through the Qualifiers, can reflect with pride on having taken an unlikely Finals spot. The second quarter was when the hosts turned a hill into more of a mountain for Ferrol. A Marie-Eve Paget triple put Villeneuve 32-20 ahead and 15 on aggregate. Ferrol's problems were soon compounded further by the influential Claire Melia picking up her third foul. Then when home favorite Shavonte Zellous drained a downtown score on the half-time buzzer, it always looked a long way back - and so it proved. Zellous used all of her experience to terrific effect and got Villeneuve off to a lightning start. Into double-digits in the first quarter, she eventually harvested 23 points and that came alongside 16 points and 7 assists for young gun Carla Leite who was named MVP. Julie Pospisilova impressed in defeat with 19 points, 5 boards and 3 assists. Villeneuve played with tremendous control when they had the ball and particularly in the context of this being a game to win EuroCup Women. Despite that excitement and pressure, they only turned the ball over 11 times and combined with 25 points off the bench compared to 8 for Ferrol, that was significant. Bottom LineVilleneuve simply had far too much on the night for Ferrol and they used their superior physicality brilliantly to wear down their opponents. Massive credit must go to playcaller Maxim Bezine who had to pick up the coaching reins mid-season from the departed Rachid Meziane. His team rode their luck at times through this campaign, but they showed a lot of heart and nice basketball to deliver a wonderful and memorable success - built around that brilliant backcourt partnership of Leite and Zellous and plenty of muscle in the paint. What a ride it has been for Ferrol and while ultimately left empty-handed and disappointed to have fallen at the very last hurdle, few if anybody could have ever envisaged them making it to the last game of the season and fighting for silverware. Coach Lino Lopez and his players have all punched way above their weight in a fabulous Cinderella story. Meanwhile, their fans have also left a lasting impression after incredible support in the Finals. We also get to press the play button on our 'Beat the Expert' game for the first time in the 2024-25 season Each week our FIBA women's basketball specialist and resident EuroLeague Women expert Paul Nilsen faces a different guest challenger in our prediction game. He also takes on Week 1 guest Mark Mills, who is a lead EuroLeague Women commentator and knows the league inside out. Predict the winners of this week's games below! VILLENEUVE (France) - One of the most exciting young talents in Europe, 20-year-old Carla Leite is already used to having the spotlight thrust upon her and having to live up to the hype the free-scoring guard is delivering in a big way as she looks to take Villeneuve d'Ascq LM to the EuroCup Women title They take a three-point advantage into the second leg of the Finals on Wednesday night after Leite lit it up in the first meeting with BAXI Ferrol by dropping a 25-piece in a thrilling 78-75 success After plenty of other majestic displays in the competition as well as some eye-catching first footsteps in EuroLeague Women earlier in the campaign the buzz around the guard is growing ever louder But rather than feeling the weight of expectation "I just want to become the best player I can be I don't necessarily put pressure on myself It helps having a veteran baller alongside her in the backcourt like Shavonte Zellous The Croatian national team standout won EuroLeague Women more than a decade ago and at 38-years-old has been passing on her wealth of know-how to her younger teammate "Z is like my big sister," smiled Leite I respect her and I draw a lot of inspiration from her She has a lot of experience and brings us her leadership "I am very happy to have her on my team!" No doubt happy because it's been such a roller-coaster ride Dumped out of EuroLeague Women after a 1-5 First Round record also having to deal with revered head coach Rachid Meziane departing mid-season and an underwhelming domestic effort in the French league having shown remarkable resilience - just one step away from adding to the EuroCup Women title the club previously won exactly a decade ago "We are not having an easy season," agreed Leite "We were directly eliminated from EuroLeague Women so obviously there have been a lot of disappointments "We have had a lot of injuries during the season and we have changed coaches too that's also our strength as we fight to win EuroCup Women." Standing in their way are Spanish newcomers Ferrol who are no pushovers and have shown their capacity to surprise right across their gruelling season Leite has huge respect for her opponents and is expecting a battle - even if Villeneuve will benefit from home advantage She said: "The atmosphere in Ferrol last week was incredible They had a great crowd behind them and I really enjoyed playing there The second leg of the Finals takes place in Villeneueve d'Ascq, France at 20:30 CET. MUNICH (Germany) - It was a landmark night for Villeneuve d'Ascq LM as they made the EuroCup Women Final for a third time with a win-double against Sopron Basket while this season's newcomers BAXI Ferrol took a Final ticket at their first attempt This season's rookies eliminated EuroCup Women frontrunners LDLC ASVEL Feminin despite a loss on French soil advancing courtesy of last week's huge home victory The Finals will take place across two legs and will be played on Wednesday Having won on their road trip to Hungary last week in the first leg of the Semi-Final, Villeneuve d'Ascq LM finished the job in the second meeting with a hard-fought 54-46 triumph that handed them a 127-112 aggregate win they kept their opponents at arms' length and were again grateful to another impressive effort from Aminata Gueye The forward came to the party again and finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds while young Carla Leite continued to enhance her growing reputation with a 15-point haul ASVEL completed a 74-63 second leg Semi-Finals success against Ferrol after a dominant display from teenage sensation Dominique Malonga, but still exited the competition 156-136 on aggregate. Losing the first leg by an eye-popping 31 points, it always looked like a mountain for the French side and so it proved. That was despite Malonga finishing the contest with a big double-double of 22 points and 18 rebounds, as well as Laura Quevedo harvesting 23 points and 10 boards. Ferrol were fuelled by Claire Melia and Blanca Millan again, with the duo sharing 26 points and making sure their team kept rolling and didn't reach the danger zone of giving up a huge first leg advantage. ASVEL turned around their tie with Spar Girona in convincing fashion as they carved out a brilliant 72-51 success to race into the Semi-Finals Their defense was outstanding and blunted a free-scoring opponent who had no answer to the tenacity of the hosts but with Dominique Malonga leading the way as usual The center harvested a massive double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds The incredible rise of BAXI Ferrol will continue after the Spanish rookies jumped into the Semi-Finals off the back of an 89-70 win against BDS Dinamo Sassari who they beat just as comfortably in the first encounter Angela Mataix continues to have a sensational season and was the top performer for her team with 19 points and 8 assists while Julie Pospisilova had an all-action 15 points It was an exciting second leg game as Villeneuve drew 81-81 against Besiktas but the outcome of the tie was emphatic as the French hosts stormed through courtesy of their first leg success Shavonte Zellous came alive for Villeneuve with 19 points while Alexis Peterson showed out for Besiktas with 25 points as their run came to an end Sopron were never in serious danger of missing out on a Semi-Finals ticket as so it proved after losing 69-57 at BLMA but still easing into the next stage A late surge into the final quarter by the home side was too little always looking a long way from overturning the damage from the first game Jasmine Bailey's 10 points and 10 boards paced BLMA along with 10 dimes from Romane Bernies Jacinta Monroe replied with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Sopron with Stephanie Reid also handed out 10 assists Villeneuve d’Ascq LM and Baxi Ferrol will face off in the Finals for the 2025 EuroCup Women championship Villeneuve d’Ascq LM made the EuroLeague Women final they are the favorites to take the EuroCup Women trophy against Baxi Ferrol the underdogs who just beat the 2023 winners Ferrol triumphed in their first semifinal game against ASVEL on Mar The big victory secured them a strong point differential advantage allowing them to advance even as they dropped the second semifinal game on Mar Villeneuve-d’Ascq won both of their semifinal contests WHO YOU GOT IN THE FINALS? Our #EuroCupWomen finalists are confirmed! pic.twitter.com/s0TkruqyxV For WNBA fans New Connecticut Sun head coach Rachid Meziane is finishing out his tenure as head coach of favored Villeneuve d’Ascq The main reason to tune into the Finals is to see his game plan Regarded as one of the best basketball tacticians in European women’s basketball Meziane will undoubtedly prepare something special for Ferrol with four players averaging over 10 points per game Villeneuve d’Ascq’s tight defense limited the Hungarians to 27 percent accuracy from the floor had just a total 16 points and eight rebounds in the two games Clark is a talented wing who also is wise beyond her years and is willing to do the little things necessary for her team to win Higher arc than a rainbow #EuroCupWomen x @ESBVALM pic.twitter.com/USMbJoxYXb Ferrol’s standout players are swingwomen Angela Mataix and Julie Pospisilova. Mataix, a 5-foot-11 Spaniard, leads the team in points and assists, while Pospisilova, a former Wisconsin Badger, is a Swiss-Army-Knife player. Ferrol’s frontcourt consists of Claire Melia, a native of Ireland who played a Saint Joesph’s, and Spanish veteran Gala Mestres. The point guard position is handled by former Michigan State Spartan Moira Joiner Ladies and gentlemen, your Thanks to your votes, Julie Pospisilova is crowned as the best player of this week in #EuroCupWomen ✨ pic.twitter.com/JVaZhlWvdk Ferrol are on a dream run and it remains to be seen if Villeneuve d’Ascq can put an end to it. Both final games can be streamed on FIBA’s YouTube channel MUNICH (Germany) - Surprise package BAXI Ferrol showed no signs of slowing down in their pursuit of EuroCup Women silverware in their first ever season after jumping all over LDLC ASVEL Feminin in the first leg of their Semi-Finals matchup there was better news for French basketball as Villeneuve d'Ascq LM grabbed a handy seven point advantage against Sopron Basket for next weeks second meeting The second leg games will take place next week on Thursday ASVEL have come from behind in many games this season but it will take something seriously special to take down Ferrol after the Spanish rookies produced their best display of the season to claim a stunning 93-62 first leg triumph In one of the biggest shocks in memory in terms of the size of victory the newcomers will feel they already have one foot in the Final Ireland national team powerhouse Claire Melia had her best game of the campaign and that paced the win She recorded 27 points and was supported by Blanca Millan with 18 points ASVEL had Dominique Malonga and Dayshanette Harris scoring 17 and 15 points respectively but the team shot poorly from long-range making just 4 of 25 attempts They may have had a slow start on the road in Hungary, but Villeneuve d'Ascq LM were cooking by the last quarter as a late surge handed them a precious 73-66 first leg victory. A seven point lead and home court advantage will make them favorites to now finish the job and make the Final. Inflicting only a second home loss of the campaign on Sopron, the visitors showed their teeth defensively and inside, shooting a super 63 percent from two-point range. Experienced campaigner Shavonte Zellous produced another all-action effort with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while fellow veteran Jelena Brooks just about kept Sopron in the tie with 18 points and 6 steals. MUNICH (Germany) - The matchups for the Semi-Finals of the 2024-25 EuroCup Women season were finalized on Thursday Sopron Basket and Villeneuve d'Ascq LM all made it through the last eight stage with aggregate victories 2023 champions ASVEL pulled off another comeback to overturn a five-point first leg deficit as they knocked out Spar Girona while French compatriots Villeneuve d'Ascq LM - winners in 2015 - held off a fightback from last season's runners-up Besiktas JK to advance Sopron prevented a third French side from making the Semi-Finals who add another chapter to their memorable run on debut from the Qualifiers Each tie is played across two legs with the highest-seeded team from the Regular Season rankings earning home advantage for the second leg The Semi-Finals are set to take place on March 6 and 13 with the Finals starting at the end of March ShareEuroCup Women The games will be played on Thursday, March 6 and Thursday, March 13 with the full schedule available, here. Could we see a second EuroCup Women title in three editions for ASVEL? They've now eliminated other big-hitters Galatasaray and Girona and have the incredible teenage duo of Dominque Malonga and Juste Jocyte on form. But while favorites, the Cinderella story of rookies BAXI Ferrol shows no signs of ending. Navigating the Qualifiers, the likes of Angela Mataix and Gala Mestres are still balling out, so perhaps another big upset could be incoming! Key matchup: Claire Melia (BAXI Ferrol) vs Dominique Malonga (LDLC ASVEL Feminin) "I don’t think it will hit until after we finish the season, exactly what our team has done. It's a great achievement by such a small club. "The main thing that jumps out to me, is that we have had people step up at different times in every game when we needed it. It’s a full team effort throughout the whole journey. "We go out and enjoy playing. We take it all in and try our best each time. Our coach Lino [Lopez] always says to go out and enjoy it. It’s important to do that and take in these moments as they don't come around often." "She is a hard worker and leaves it all on the court. She is a really enjoyable player to watch play and play alongside." For everyone connected with Ferrol, completing the full fairytale would indeed be sensational and if it does happen, then there would be an added dimension for Melia. She is the leading light for the Ireland national team – something she underlined impressively in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. If she does take a winners' medal, Melia will become the first Irish champion of a women's European title. WinterburnPollCarla Leite continues to light it up for Villeneuve d'Ascq LMThere were some stunning displays pushing their clubs towards the Semi-Finals Despite the loss, Holly Winterburn still managed to catch the eye in defeat as the British guard finished the contest having posted 20 points Natasha Mack was superb for Spar Girona as they eased past LDLC ASVEL Feminin 77-72 The forward enjoyed a fabulous night and returned 21 points The loss might have been more damaging for ASVEL had their teenage ace Dominique Malonga not produced yet another double-double This time the center harvested 23 points and 10 boards Finally, BAXI Ferrol continued their fairytale run as they claimed a superb 95-76 triumph at BDS Dinamo Sassari. The main architect of the win was Noa Morro who stepped off court with 22 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists - having also shot 75 percent from the field Full Screen1 / 38Previous photoNext photoGeorgios Papagiannis fight for position in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics (Sameer Al-Doumy/Pool Photo via AP)Victor Wembanyama in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics Terrill)Mathias Lessort (26) and Evan Fournier celebrate after a Brazil turnover in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)Josh Giddey Terrill)The French bench celebrates in a men's basketball game against Brazil at the 2024 Summer Olympics (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)Josh Giddey go up for a rebound in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics celebrates three-point basket against Germany in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics celebrates after scoring against Germany in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics gets a basket on a dunk against Brazil in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics for a dunk in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics shoots against Germany in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics Terrill)Germany head coach Gordie Herbert speaks to his team as they played against Japan in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics tips a rebound away from Giannis Antetokounmpo (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)Giannis Antetokounmpo goes up for a dunk against Canada in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics after making a basket and being fouled by Brazil in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics get a basket on a dunk against France in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics Terrill)Copyright 2024 The Associated Press VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ – VILLENEUVE-D'Canada was tested then held on to get its first Olympic win in 24 years Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 and Canada survived a big effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat Greece 86-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams in Group A play on Saturday night Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points for Greece Even though Antetokounmpo had the big night Barrett lauded the waves of defenders Canada threw his way “That’s why you have the word ‘team,’” Barrett said Canada led by as many as 16 and never trailed though Greece made matters very interesting in the final moments Vasilis Toilopoulos scored with 1:15 remaining to get Greece within four and a Canada turnover on the next possession led to a dunk by Antetokounmpo to cut the lead to 80-78 But Gilgeous-Alexander got a high-arching shot over Antetokounmpo's outstretched arm to kiss off the glass for a score with 42.8 seconds left “They’re a really good team so that’s going to happen,” Gilgeous-Alexander said We expected we’d make our run and they’d have a little more juice and make their run For us it was just about weathering the storms and kind of sticking to our game plan throughout the runs We just try to weather the other teams' better than they weather yours.” There were 52 fouls called in the game resulting in 64 free throws — 32 for each team It was Canada's first Olympic men's basketball win since 2000 at Sydney The Canadians hadn't made an Olympic tournament since — but earned this spot after a run to the bronze medal at the World Cup last summer in the Philippines Victor Wembanyama had 19 points four steals and three blocks to help France overcome an early deficit and get past Brazil in Group B “We're all here for a purpose,” Wembanyama said France coach Vincent Collet acknowledged he noticed Wembanyama consumed by something he'd never seen on the young phenom this week: anxiety “I think for the first time in his career he was a little bit stressed this week,” Collet said He's so mature that day-by-day he got better People who know basketball understand he's only 20 years (old) they like sports but they do not know basketball they think Victor is always Michael Jordan." but he still needs some time,” Collet said with a smile which was showered with chants of “Les Bleus!” France next plays Japan Leo Meindl and Cristiano Felicio led Brazil with 14 points apiece Jock Landale had 20 points and nine rebounds and Australia opened Group A play with a win Patty Mills scored 19 points and Josh Giddey added 17 to lift Australia while Spain will face Greece in a game that will be big for both teams in terms of making the knockout stage “They made two heavy runs at us and then took the lead I thought we were fearless and were courageous and I thought we had great guard play,” Australia coach Brian Goorjian said “Just a good contribution from everybody.” Santi Aldama scored 27 points for Spain and Sergio Llull added 17 points Spain’s Usman Garuba set a hard screen on Australia’s Josh Green Green took exception and got in Garuba’s face Garuba slapped Green’s hand away and Will Magnay stepped in to defend his teammate Referees reviewed the incident and accessed double unsportsmanlike fouls on Garuba and Magnay Two more incidents also resulted in brief game stoppages Franz Wagner had 22 points and six rebounds and Germany pulled away from Japan in the second half to secure a Group B win Daniel Theis added 18 points and seven rebounds Moritz Wagner scored 15 for the defending World Cup champions who never trailed and face Brazil on Tuesday Japan takes on Olympics host France that same day “We kind of got a target on our back after last year's success," Theis said “Everybody wants to beat the world champion." Rui Hachimura finished with 20 points for Japan which has only 13 wins in its seven Olympic appearances so we have to get together,” Hachimura said Dennis Schroder had 13 points and 12 assists for Germany which entered the Olympics ranked third in FIBA’s world rankings behind the U.S AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us Careers at WJXT / WCWJ Closed Captioning / Audio Description WJXT Public File WJXT EEO Report WCWJ Public File WCWJ EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group 1 seed going into the medal round at the Paris Olympics This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance Show Breaking News BarCloseNewsDoug Feinberg puts itself in contention to advance to quartersDoug Feinberg Full Screen1 / 5Previous photoNext photoChina's Li Yueru shoots as Puerto Rico's Tayra Melendez defends during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics tie up Puerto Rico's India Pagan during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)China head coach Zheng Wei gestures during a women's basketball game against Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Puerto Rico's Sofia Roma shoots as China's Sun Mengran defends during a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics shoots as China's Sun Mengran defends during a basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)Copyright 2024 The Associated Press VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ – VILLENEUVE-D'Li Meng scored 18 points and China topped Puerto Rico 80-58 on Saturday in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament to keep its chances alive of reaching the quarterfinals Now China will have to wait until Sunday to see if it advances to the elimination round The top two teams in each group as well as the next best two squads will advance to Paris for the quarterfinals on Wednesday The tiebreaker to determine the final two slots is point differential China has a point differential of minus-1 points in its three games Spain faces Serbia later Saturday to determine the winner of Group A China (1-2) was up six points after one quarter and 40-29 at the half It extended its lead to 16 in the third quarter on Li's 3-pointer and Puerto Rico never got within single digits again Arella Guirantes led Puerto Rico (0-3) with 20 points The loss ended a disappointing Games for Puerto Rico which remained winless in two Olympic appearances The Puerto Ricans had good chances to win their first two games before falling by three points to Serbia and one to Spain Puerto Rico came into the Olympics after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup rewritten or redistributed without permission TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. The 2024-25 EuroLeague Women season will look a little different tiered group phase promising to raise the stakes of regular-season games and diversify the pool of competition In preparation for the upcoming 2024-25 EuroLeague Women season, FIBA has sorted the competing clubs into four regular-season groups. This highlights the first of several changes that will be made to the competition’s format this coming season, which FIBA promises will “raise the stakes” of its regular-season (or “group”) phase EuroLeague Women last had a four-group system for the entirety of the 2020-21 regular season each club will play its group opponents twice (described by FIBA as “round-robin” fashion) after which the top three clubs from each group will advance to the second phase and be re-seeded into two new groups competing clubs will once again play their group opponents in round-robin fashion The winners of these second-phase groups will advance to the new EuroLeague Women Play-Ins which will determine which clubs participate in the postseason; two clubs will make to the semifinals automatically while the remaining four will play for the right to make the semifinals This takes what was previously known as the EuroLeague Women Final Four and creates a “Final Six” instead This may seem like a lot of work logistically the tiered regular-season format will make things more exciting it was obvious right away which clubs would end up competing for the EuroLeague Women championship; while that will likely still be the case by introducing a second phase to group play the pool of competition will be diversified earlier on in the season the first round of the postseason may also now be more competitive than in years past Fasten your seatbelts, we're ready for the new season Who is your very early #EuroLeagueWomen favorite There will be a total of 16 clubs competing in EuroLeague Women for 2024-25 and 13 have already been put into groups for the first phase of group play These include defending champions Fenerbahçe Alagöz Holding runners-up Villeneuve-d’Ascq and other frequent participants such as Perfumerias Avenida The remaining three spots will be decided in the EuroLeague Women qualifiers which are set to be played on September 18 and September 25 Participants in these qualifiers include Casademont Zaragoza and Basket Landes both of which played in EuroLeague Women last season The three clubs that fail to advance out of the qualifiers will be placed in the EuroCup Women competition Claire Melia in action for Baxi Ferrol during the Eurocup Women final second leg against Villeneuve d’Ascq. Pic: Fiba A gutsy performance from Ireland’s Claire Melia wasn’t enough as Baxi Ferrol were outclassed in France in the second leg of the EuroCup Women final Around 30 Irish fans joined the Baxi Ferrol travelling support in the away end and they were in full song over an hour before the game got under way A win alone wouldn’t be enough for Melia’s side They knew they had to win by at least 4 points on the night to overcome the first leg deficit The nerves got to Baxi Ferrol early and this enabled the hosts to race into an early 7-0 lead Melia assisted on a three pointer for Mo Joiner to get Ferrol off the mark but Villeneuve d’Ascq kept on coming had no choice but to call a timeout with his troops trailing 13-3 A pair of three pointers out of the timeout from Bianca Millan and Mo Joiner gave Baxi Ferrol cause for hope A drive along the baseline for a lay-up opened Melia’s account on the scoreboard to cut the gap to fivepoints The Monasterevin woman then assisted on two scores by Julie Pospisilova but Baxi Ferrol were struggling to keep pace with their opponents Things didn’t go well for her side while she rested and Lopez was forced to call another timeout with his side trailing by nine points on the night The Monasterevin woman was right back on the floor out of the timeout There was little that could be done however about the shift in momentum French international Carla Leite pushed the gap out to double digits once more The hosts were simply more efficient in every area it looked a tall order for Baxi Ferrol as Villeneuve d’Ascq led 42-30 Things went from bad to worse for Baxi Ferrol to start the third quarter A three from Haley Peters followed by an and-one play by Leite extended the Villeneuve d’Ascq lead to 18 on the night Shavonte Zellous then poured on the pain with a three Melia was able to respond from inside but her side was swimming against the tide The hosts kept on coasting through the final quarter and never looked in danger Villeneuve d’Ascq deservedly took victory and the Eurocup Women title Baxi Ferrol and Claire Melia can come out of this competition with pride Neither was expected to make much of an impact on the competition at the start of the season and the Ireland international made history with their Cinderella run The defeat will sting for the night but the memories of this extraordinary run will last a lifetime From as little as €1 a week with our digital introductory offer Already a subscriber? Sign in more basketball articles Zhao Xintong was crowned China’s first world snooker champion By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here In the interview (which has since gone viral) "Our commissioner talked about us being able to make $700,000 "We were promised team marketing agreements and league marketing agreements but they've fallen quite short," Williams continued "So it's still not enough for us international players to want to stay here and then teams are mad that I don't come back Gabby Williams speaks about how the WNBA can do better when it comes to international players 🗣️"Our commissioner talked about us being able to, you know, make $700,000. That's actually not true at all. There's not one player who makes that." pic.twitter.com/RPh7IzN4lh Williams followed this up with a TikTok on Friday that addressed some of the feedback she received, as it pertains to Caitlin Clark's fanbase claiming that the rookie earned more than $700,000 from the WNBA this season "So I know all these, you know, Caitlin Clark fans, whatever, like 'Caitlin Clark makes $700,000'. That's off of endorsements. I'm not talking about endorsements," Williams said in the TikTok there is not one player in the entire WNBA that makes the money that the commissioner likes to brag about And that was the point of that clip as well." Williams appeared to have posted that TikTok from an airplane it became clear where the 28-year-old was headed She has returned overseas to play with the Istanbul posted an image of Williams holding up their team banner on Saturday with the caption Yeni transferimiz Gabby Williams, İstanbul’da! 💛💙Welcome to Istanbul, @gabbywilliams15! 🫶#PotanınKraliçeleri pic.twitter.com/5Un4HhBywO This caption (loosely) translates to, "Our new transfer, Gabby Williams, is in Istanbul!" Given that Fenerbahçe S.K.'s season continues until June 1, 2025, this would theoretically mean that Williams, who is an unrestricted free agent in the WNBA, would miss the start of the next WNBA season (which is also what she elected to do in 2024). But Williams is clearly prioritizing money at this point rather than playing in the WNBA. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER France (AP) — When Lille lost its opening Champions League match in September only a few bold gamblers would have bet on the Ligue 1 side to qualify for the last 16 of European club soccer's elite tournament But the northern France side defied all the odds and concluded the league phase campaign of the competition with a 6-1 thrashing of Feyenoord on Wednesday “We’ve done the job,” Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier said “We’ve got some absentees but we’ve got that extra bit of spirit We were in a group of death and now we’re seventh we’ve been rewarded and we can dream even more.” It was the first time Lille scored more than three goals in the Champions League Feyenoord center-back Gernot Trauner set a record that his team will not be celebrating Trauner became the first player to score two own goals in a single Champions League game The win saw Lille finish seventh in the standings Lille was the standout French club — Paris Saint-Germain Monaco and Brest will have to go through playoffs Lille pulled away with four second-half goals after Osame Sahraoui opened the scoring in the fourth minute “We couldn’t have wished for anything better,” Lille coach Bruno Genesio said We finished this group phase in the best possible way and that’s a great source of pride for my players my staff and all the hard work we’ve put in.” a tough result,” Feyenoord coach Brian Priske said we really wanted to try and get into the top eight I know we have the quality to pick up the points French police said 86 fans of the Dutch team had been refused entry to France and that 30 had been arrested at the border France’s interior ministry said a travel ban was introduced because of a “real and serious risk of confrontation” between fans of the two teams and Lille's Mitchel Bakker battle for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Lille's Remy Cabella celebrates after scoring his side's sixth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq celebrates with a teammate after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq tried to score as Feyenoord's Jeyland Mitchell tries to stop him during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq congrats Lille's Remy Cabella during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq celebrates after scoring his side's sixth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq congratulates Lille's Jonathan David after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Lille's players celebrate their win after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's sixth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Lille's Jonathan David shoots to score his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Lille's players and fans celebrate their win after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Lille's players and head coach Bruno Genesio celebrate after their fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Lille and Feyenoord at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors Friedrich Merz casts his vote during the election of a new Chancellor at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin centre and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil stand together n the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Friedrich Merz waits for the beginning of a session where he is supposed to be elected new Chancellor in the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Friedrich Merz arrives at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin and Constanze Merz during the election of a new Chancellor at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Lawmakers wait for the beginning of a session were Friedrich Merz is supposed to be elected new chancellor at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin AfD leader Alice Weidel gestures in the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Friedrich Merz reacts after he was not elected new Chancellor in the first voting process at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Friedrich Merz reacts after he fell short of votes need to be chancellor in first round vote at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Friedrich Merz walks in the plenary after he was not elected new Chancellor in the first voting process at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin Canada knocked Spain out of contention of advancing to the knockout rounds with a 88-85 victory in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Oregon's Brooks was showing off his continuous effort on the defensive end but what has really been impressive with his play in Paris is the consistency to knock down spot-up shots on the perimeter He has hands and feet ready to catch-and-fire at all times Against the Spaniards, Brooks finished with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and 1-for-3 on three-pointers to go along with four rebounds France; Canada small forward Dillon Brooks (24) defends against Spain small forward Alex Abrines (21) in the second half in a men’s group A basketball game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy / John David Mercer-USA TODAY SportsShai Gilgeous-Alexander was doing his best Michael Jordan impression with the steal and tongue sticking out during the fast break dunk on the other end Canada's leader scored a game-high 20 points as well as grabbed three rebounds None of this celebrating about being the No.1 seed for Canada could've been possible without RJ Barrett and his clutch three-pointer to seal the win over Spain Only two players in the Olympics have scored more points than the Maple Mamba (63 total points) and that's Giannis Antetokounmpo (81 total points) and Franz Wagner (65 total points) After winning Group A, the run for gold is truly on for the former Duck and Canada rumors are abound Steve Kerr is considering stepping down as the coach of the U.S the same post indicates Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra would be next in line to take over the storied program who is national NBA writer for Forbes magazine speculates Kerr is considering resigning to concentrate on coaching the Golden State Warriors who has served as one of Kerr's assistants in Paris is rumored to be the assistant who gets promoted Kerr’s appointed Spoelstra to the USA coaching staff in Dec 2021 after Spoelstra coached the 2021 Select team which trained and practiced with Team USA ahead of the Tokyo Olympics Spoelstra has also won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat in six trips to the FInals "Erik Spoelstra is viewed as the strong internal favorite to become Team USA's next in line following Gregg Popovich and Kerr," Sidery said automatically qualifies for the 2028 Olympic games as the host country Spoelstra could be in line to coach the Team USA at the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar Steve Kerr is likely to retire as Team USA head coach, which means a new lead voice for 2028 in Los Angeles.Erik Spoelstra is viewed as the strong internal favorite to become Team USA’s next in line following Gregg Popovich and Kerr. pic.twitter.com/njYm4I8Cfx Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook HERE crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.