Russian side Samara got their 2005 EuroLeague Women ambitions off the ground early with an away win over Italian outfit Parma.

		Ana Kostaki

Samara, who have brought in star names in the offseason such as Edwige Lawson, Ann Wauters and Svetlana Abrosimova, are one of the title favourites.

Parma were also busy during the summer, signing Greek guard Ana Kostaki who impressed during the Olympics and they did not make life easy for their Russian visitors.

The game was actually decided in the last minutes and Samara's inside firepower was too much for Parma. Maria Stepanova was in particularly dominant form and her 20 points was a team high. Tatiana Shchegoleva added 17 points and 11 rebounds.