After starting the season with a 1-2 record, Valenciennes faced a huge game on Wednesday night to get their EuroLeague Women ambitions back on track. The French Champions, and 2003 EuroLeague Winners Runners-up faced old foes, Lotos Gydnia from Poland, the team they defeated to win the 2002 title.

A 94-85 win was reason enough for Valenciennes‘ fans to breathe a little easier, but perhaps even more encouraging was the form of Suzy Batkovic. The 194 cm center who hails from Newcastle, Australia, scored 29 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in her best game for Valenciennes since arriving at the club last season.

Facing 213 cm Polish center Margot Dydek is never an easy task and one that Batkovic found a little awe inspiring.

“That was the first time I had seen her (Dydek) for a very long time so I actually looked at her and I was like, wow, because I came up to about where her chest was,” says Batkovic

		Batkovic goes against Ekaterinburg's Elena Baranova at the 2003 EuroLeague Women Final Four

“I think I’m more built up top than her so I try to use my strength to push her out of the game a little bit. I didn’t find her as physical as I thought she would be so basically I just tried to push her around as much as I could.”

It was a strategy that worked as Batkovic made 9/14 shots inside and 2/2 three-pointers.

“Well usually players scout me a little better and know that I want to shoot the ball out there,” explains Batkovic. “But for some reason she just wouldn’t come out so I just kept pinging. I thought after I had hit a couple of shots she would come out but she stayed in the key. I just kept hitting them and she wouldn’t adjust.”

It is no secret that Batkovic struggled in her first season with the French Champions, averaging 8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench.

“Last season I think I struggled a lot, away from my family and friends and my safety blanket so it was a bit different,“ she says.

“Last season I came off the bench which was different for me, something new, I’m not used to coming off the bench. I’ve got my starting spot now and know my role so I’m fitting into the team really well this season.”

So far this season Batkovic has upped her EuroLeague Women points output to 14.8 and rebounding to 8.5, although Valenciennes has had a tough time in the competition, currently placed 5th in Group B at 2-2. It is fair to say that the French champions are only just hitting their stride, a fact which Batkovic attributes to the lack of preparation time they had before the start of this season.

“We also have a lot of girls on the French national team so we started practice late together, I think we had 4 days preparation before Russia (at the World Cup for Women’s clubs),” she says.

“So we didn’t really get to work on our plays, defense or anything like that. We had new players in the team so it was difficult.”

Batkovic began her career at the famed Australian Institute of Sport where she played alongside current WNBA MVP, Lauren Jackson, and the teammates won a WNBL title.

Perhaps the experience helped her to settle in and play with another star center, Valenciennes’ Ann Wauters, whom alongside Jackson is rated as one of the top players in the world. With her experience and knowledge of both players, we couldn’t resist asking Batkovic to compare them.

“That’s a tough question and I know both very well,” answers Batkovic

“Lauren is extremely athletic, in that sense she’s a freak just an amazing player. She can knock the 3 down, penetrate, she’s very mobile. She’s strong outside but she also has a strong inside game. That’s a little bit different to Ann who is more inside. Don’t get me wrong, she can also penetrate and hit the 3, but I think she wants the ball more inside than out, so I think that’s probably the difference.”

Jackson and Batkovic will team up again next summer where they will play at the 2004 Olympic Games, an event which Batkovic says she is “psyched” about.

“Its an achievement for me to get there and play and hopefully we can win a medal which is everybody’s dream but to win a medal I’d be really happy,” she says.

In the meantime of course, there is the small matter of the French Championship and the EuroLeague Women. Valenciennes’ aim is to go right back to the final four and avenge their loss to Russian side Ekaterinburg.

Being used to the Australian beach and sun (Batkovic comes from Newcastle which is known for some of the country's best beaches), Valenciennes will never be home for Batkovic. But now that she has settled in and rediscovered her game, she will no doubt play a huge part in any success that Valenciennes have this season.