World Basketball

Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje completed a 2-0 sweep of Fenerbahce on Friday to earn a trip to the EuroLeague Women Final Four for the fifth year in a row.

After surprising Fener on Tuesday in Istanbul with an 86-78 come-from-behind triumph, the Russians returned home and routed the Turkish outfit, 74-56.

Pokey Chatman's team led from start to finish and got 22 points from Epiphanny Prince.

Fenerbahce trailed early on but were threatening to pull level after Hana Horakova, the FIBA Europe Women's Player of the Year, hit one of two free-throws to cut the Sparta&K lead to 20-17.

Sparta&K then hit them with two three-point daggers they never recovered from.

Jelena Milovanovic drilled the first and Sue Bird the second to make it 26-17.

Five straight points from Ivana Matovic reduced the deficit to 32-27 with 24 seconds to go in the second quarter but Prince buried a jumper right before half-time to take the lead back to seven.

She then started the second half with a three-pointer to stretch the advantage to 10.

The Sparta&K lead ballooned to 21 later in the quarter.

Fenerbahce got no closer than 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Fener coach Laszlo Ratgeber, the coach of Sparta&K when they captured the title in 2009, had called his former team the favorites before the season.

He knew that any team with Bird and Lauren Jackson back would be formidable, but when the Turkish club went unbeaten in the Qualifying Round and then swept Galatasaray in the Eighth-Finals, they had the look of champions.

Fener had done this despite the loss of their two best players, Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor.

Their fourth-quarter collapse in Game 1 against Sparta&K, and a tough day at the office in Vidnoje, has brought their season in Europe to an early end.

Bird had 13 points, Milovanovic 10 and both Ilona Korstin and McWilliams eight.

McWilliams, who began the season with Ros Casares but departed following the arrival of Nicky Anosike to Valencia, had a game-high 10 rebounds.

The 40-year-old veteran is starting to look like the most important acquisition of the season in the league.

As for Angel McCoughtry, who was transferred from MKB Euroleasing Sopron to Fener, the American had eight points in 19 minutes.

Sparta&K M. R. VIDNOJE RUS ( 8] vs UMMC EKATERINBURG RUS (4)

Ros Casares VALENCIA ESP (2) vs Halcon Avenida SALAMANCA ESP (3)

UMMC Ekaterinburg ran riot against Cras Basket Taranto in Italy on Friday night to storm into the EuroLeague Women Final Four for the fourth year running.

Gundars Vetra's side destroyed the Italian outfit in Game 2 of the Quarter-Final tie, 74-32, and will now face four-time defending champions and Russian rivals Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje.

Ekat got points from 11 of their 12 players, including 16 by Candace Parker, 10 from Maria Stepanova and eight apiece by Cappie Pondexter, Zuzana Zirkova and Tatiana Vidmer.

Ekaterinburg led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter and then raced into a 33-17 lead at half-time.

The visitors finished off their opponents in the third quarter when they outscored Taranto 20-7.

Sandrine Gruda weighed in with seven points and Olga Arteshina finished with five, along with six rebounds and two steals.

Taranto were no match for Ekaterinburg as the Russian giants made 24 of their 41 shots inside the arc.

Cras were a mere 12 of 37.

Ekaterinburg forced the Italians into 22 turnovers.

I have question for the Turkish Users- Will Diana Taurasi play in Fenerbahce in the next season? Is the Club want Her back?

What is She doing now? Where is She playing?

There may be a familiar feel to the EuroLeague Women Final Four but the heart of the champions is now even bigger than ever before.

Yes, it will be five Final Four appearances in a row for Sparta&K M.R.Vidnoje and having won four successive titles, what price for a fifth?

Well, before their series with Fenerbahce, the price may have been rather generous. After all, this was supposed to be the year when Fener realised their ambitions and all of that promise of the first few months came to fruition.

Oh but how the defending champs hadn't quite read the script - they tore it up and wrote a different one. Yes, a script which centered around a true champion team with hearts as big as you could ever imagine.

For let's not forget that while Fenerbahce did lose their two most influential players, Sparta&K were also stripped of their prize assets. Not only last summer when the likes of Diana Taurasi, Syl Fowles and Janel McCarville departed but once again when Lauren Jackson headed back to Australia.

They couldn't win on the road during the Qualifying Round and after three defeats, it looked like the wheels may have finally come off their glorious EuroLeague Women bandwagon.

How false that notion was to prove and much of that was due to the club making the signing of the season with the acquisition of the forty year old Taj McWilliams. This golden oldie rejuvenated the team and gave them experience in the frontcourt to match the leadership of Sue Bird in the backcourt.

Most impressive of all, when the going got tough, Pokey Chatman and her players really did get going. They showed a superb mental toughness and heart to emerge victorious and reach the promised land yet again.

Their 2-0 quarter-final series win against Fenerbahce was sensational. Their victory in Istanbul was the result of the season as far as I am concerned as they delivered a magnificent fatal first blow which ultimately floored their opponents psychologically.

You really can't give everyone involved with the champions enough credit for securing a fifth appearance. Taking into account the loss of DT, LJ, their inconsistent early season form and potential quarter-final mountain of playing at Fener, this was hugely impressive.

Now what about if they actually go on to win two more basketball games this season and how high would it rank as an achievement in the context of Women's Basketball through history?

Even the handful of haters would have to concede that while they do have more resources than many other clubs, such an accomplishment could not be dismissed as them being ‘the team with Taurasi'.

In a somewhat similar vein, although admittedly to a lesser degree, it's difficult not to be thoroughly impressed with Ros Casares also. I was sceptical after their clear-out last summer and they too have had the double whammy of some pre-season upheaval and things not exactly going to plan during the season itself.

They had to stomach the rather bitter pill of seeing the likes of Amaya Valdemoro and Elisa Aguilar return to win the Copa De La Reina on their home-floor and then they even had to change their coach - yet here they are. In Final Four once again and having done it in just two quarter-final games, including a terrific road win at Bourges.

I tip my hat in admiration. I am not quite sure whether I should apologise for not believing in the ‘Ros Revolution' since they did have to go to a Plan B themselves with the appointment of Coach Hejkova but I am happy to say be proven wrong is never something I mind - however it happens.

While eulogising about Sparta&K and Ros Casares, I guess it is only fair to congratulate both UMMC Ekaterinburg for making the Final Four again (this time in quite devastating fashion) and also Halcon Avenida who return after a one year's absence having ruthlessly despatched Wisla-Can Pack to help us avoid a repeat of 2010!

Finally, since much of the talk this season has centered around Fenerbahce, I can only imagine how they must be feeling. While I prefer to consider Ekat as being always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it comes to Final Four, I think Fener might be feeling what it must be like to be jilted at the altar right now.

They dealt with everything fate threw at them with such aplomb during the Qualifying Round and offered so much promise. However, the cold and unpalatable facts are that despite all of that significant investment, they made it just one round further than their arch rivals Galatasaray and have missed out on Final Four yet again.

It will be intriguing to see if Fenerbahce can bounce back next season and if they do, whether they will take the ruthless Ros Casares approach or perhaps more prudently, just accept they came up against a champion team with heart, the kind of which money alone can't buy.

FIBA Europe will announce a decision on the hosts of the EuroLeague Women 2011 Final Four tournament as early as next week, during the EuroLeague Women 2011 All Star Game which will be played in Gdynia, Poland, on Tuesday 8 March.

The hosts of the tournament, which is to be staged April 8-10 and will decide this season's European champion, must be one of the four participating clubs, according to the competition's regulations.

Two Russian clubs, defending champions Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje and UMMC Ekaterinburg, and two Spanish clubs, Ros Casares Valencia and Halcon Avenida Salamanca, have punched their ticket to the Final Four and with it a shot at the title.

The two Russian teams will face each other in the first semi-final while the two Spanish challengers will contest the second one.

The order of games in the schedule is subject to change based on TV requirements.

All four clubs are experienced EuroLeague Women sides. Sparta&K will play their fifth Final Four in a row, while UMMC count four consecutive ones.

Ros Casares boast three Final Four appearances in the last five years while Halcon Avenida played in the final of the 2009 edition of the tournament.

Quote from Ömer

Latest rumors; they will come back.

So They will play in the season 2011/2012?

So They comeback to play in this season? What the phase of the competition is now in the turkish league?

UMMC Ekaterinburg is going to the second Gold Medal. In the Home They have 90% to win the Euroleague.

In the new season in the Women's Euroleague will be changes:
1- 24 Teams, 3 Groups, 8 Teams in one,
2- Final Eight, 2 Groups, 4 Teams in one will play each other,
3- The Winners of the Groups will play for the Gold, the Teams from the 2nd places-for the Bronze,
4- The Host will be chosen before the end of the first phase.
What do You think about New Rules?