Her biggest shot snapped a 73-73 tie and shortly after, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota nailed a jumper for a five-point advantage.

After Isabelle Yacoubou-Dehoui made a lay-up for Tarbes with 2:58 to go to close the gap to 78-75, Spartak knew they were in for a tight finish.

Both sides failed to score the rest of the way, however.

The final minute saw Janell McCarville miss a jump shot for Spartak, but after Tarbes' Frida Eldebrink grabbed the rebound, she had her pass intercepted by Irina Osipova.

Taurasi was off target with a jumper 33 seconds from the end but Eldebrink was whistled for travelling as Spartak held on.

Sylvia Fowles scored 17 points for Spartak (9-0) while for Tarbes, Eldebrink scored 19.

Tarbes missed out on the bid to claim a third win in their quest for a fourth-place finish.

They will go for win number three next week at Fenerbahce and if they get it, they have a chance of qualifying for the Eighth-Final Play-offs.