Ros Casares got their wake-up call in a first EuroLeague Women defeat of the season at US Valenciennes on Friday.

Five days later and it was business as usual for the Spanish giants, who beat USVO 70-46 back in Valencia to clinch a 2-1 win in their eighth-finals series to stay in the title hunt.

Ros held their French opponents to just six first-quarter points and went into the second period leading by 15.

The closest USVO got the rest of the way was 11.

"I think tonight we had the intensity that we lacked in France," Ros Casares coach Manolo Real said.

"The key has been the defense. We were strong from the start and kept it up throughout the game."

Now Real's team will attempt to get back to the final four, just as it did last year when it also made it to the title game before falling to Spartak Moscow Region.

"It's great to be in the quarter-finals, but no games are easy anymore," Real said.

Katie Douglas had 17 points to lead Ros, scoring seven of those in the first quarter.

Once USVO fell behind, they encountered a team that gave nothing away defensively and opened up a 50-29 advantage near the end of the third quarter.

Elena Tornikidou, the Ros Casares veteran, had 12 points but with defense setting the tone for the game, it was her three steals - Delisha Milton-Jones also came up with three - that was the more important statistic.

Milton-Jones also had 13 rebounds to go with her nine points.

Krissy Bade and Emilie Gomis each had 10 points in defeat for USVO.

Manolo Real, Ciudad Ros Casares Coach: 

"It was a very tactical game, where our defense once again became a force for us."

"I'm not thinking about Brno yet.  For now only I think about Rivas Futura, our rival in the Spanish Cup on Friday."

Hervé Coudray, USVO Valenciennes Coach: 

"We made the same mistakes we made in the first game and Ciudad Ros Casares damaged us very much with their defense and fastbreaks".