A devastating 31 point haul from Diana Taurasi put an end to the hopes of Lotos Gdynia causing an upset as three-time defending champion Spartak Moscow Region breezed into the last eight of EuroLeague Women.

Having been battered in game one, Gdynia had been hoping for a more spirited display on their own floor and initially they delivered by racing into a shock 21-13 lead early in the second period.

However that sparked coach Pokey Chatman and her players into life and they responded in fine style. Trailing 29-23 with just over five minutes to go until the break, they posted a 13-2 run to take control.

They never looked back and from that point onwards, Gdynia were left chasing shadows as the visitors began to pick apart their hosts all over the floor as they dominated the remainder of the game.

In addition to Taurasi, Janel Mc Carville was also in irresistible form for the champions.

The center recorded a mammoth 9 steals - the best anywhere in EuroLeague Women this season to go with an impressive 13 points and 2 blocked shots.

Ivana Matovic ended her involvement in the competition for the home team with a typically solid 18 points and 6 rebounds.

 

Pokey Chatman, Spartak Moscow Region coach:
"It was a tough game. We didn't play good basketball at the beginning but later we changed our defence. It was the key to the success today."

Jacek Winnicki, Lotos Gdynia coach:
"For me the most important thing is the chance that my young players had to play against such a strong team like Spartak. It was our last game in EuroLeague this season, we've managed a Top-16 finish. Now we have to concentrate on the Polish League."

Janel McCarville, Spartak Moscow Region player:
"Lotos started very strong but our bench playersdid a great job. Diana Taurasi was amazing."

Ivana Matovic, Lotos Gdynia player:
"We played very well as long as Spartak let us play. They have a lot of such great players, so it wasn't possible to win. I think, they are going to win EuroLeague."