Spanish Eyes Smiling In Prague

All the pre-game signs pointed to a tight and exciting contest in Prague and so it proved as Halcon Avenida escaped with a vital 66-65 road win to open up their EuroLeague Women 2010 account in Group B.

While both teams will feel they could and indeed probably should have shot the ball better from both inside and out, it didn't detract too much from the nail-biting clash that had been anticipated.

The visitors made most of the running in the first quarter and that enabled them to take an 18-14 lead into the second period but within three minutes, Delisha Milton-Jones levelled things at 22-22 after she converted from downtown.

Both teams then enjoyed a share of the lead heading towards the interval with a last second buzzer beating and very long two along the baseline by Katerina Elhotova ensuring the home team were only one point behind at 34-33.

When Petra Kulichova tied things back up at 44-44 with three minutes left in the penultimate period, there looked to be little chance of either team putting any daylight between each other but Halcon Avenida then looked to have done so.

Successive three-pointers by Alba Torrens and Belinda Snell briefly opened things up but six unanswered points either side of the break maintained the status quo at 50-50.

It set up a real thrilling finish and with the game still in the balance with just over a minute to go despite home favourites Lindsay Whalen and Eve Viteckova fouling out, it was left to Marketa Bednarova to put Prague in front at 63-62.

However Torrens, who finished with 20 points, stepped up from outside to drain a big triple before a free-throw by Silvia Dominguez was just enough for the Spanish side to squeeze out a victory.

The home team will certainly feel this was the one that got away and particularly Milton-Jones. So often the thorn in the side of Salamanca when donning the vest of Ros Casares, the veteran star suffered mixed fortunes on debut for her new team after claiming a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds but lacked her usual clinical finishing around the hoop.

USK Prague did at least show that even when not at their best, they certainly have a team capable of competing this season to great effect and living up to their tag as one of the dark horses this season in the competition.

ZVVZ USK PRAGUE vs. HALCON AVENIDA SALAMANCA Coach Quotes

Lucas Mondelo, Head Coach of Halcon Avenida Salamanca:
"It was a difficult game for us but we knew we have to expect it as the roster of USK Prague is very strong. We wanted to play our game whatever it takes but USK did not allow us. But we were figthing hard and managed to win, maybe also thanks to little bit of luck towards the end of the game."

Alba Torrens, player of Halcon Avenida Salamanca:
"As coach says we were expecting a very close game, although we had problems with rebounding in this game we managed to win. In the end of the game we played disciplined which paid back and maybe the luck stayed with us, too."

Lubor Blažek, Head Coach of ZVVZ USK Prague:
"The roster of Halcon Avenida is also very strong so we knew that we need to get ready for tough game, too. The team was preparing for this game, we knew what we wanted to play. But in the first half-time we received 9 or 11 easy ponits from fastbreaks, which cost us a lot of energy and we had troubles to keep up with the score. A final loss by 1 point is painful but at the same time it is a good motivation for us. I believe in my team and hopefully we will do better in further games."

DeLisha Milton – Jones, player of ZVVZ USK Prague:
"Both teams were fighting hard in this game, both teams wanted the victory. Although we lost the game, we have to learn from it for future games because this game can prepare us for what we can expect from other Euroleague teams. All game went in very high tempo fullcourt. Undoubtedly our team did great on rebouds, gave a lot of intensity into the game and the heart. On the other hand in hot moments we made some unneccesary mistakes and were missing those few points in the end, and togehter with the fact that we only had 5 free thows during the game it reflected in the result."

Game Of The Week: ZVVZ USK Prague vs Halcon Avenida Salamanca

By Paul Nilsen

ZVVZ USK Prague v Halcon Avenida Salamanca

Finally, the new EuroLeague Women season is here and we have picked out a superb opening clash for you from Group C as our featured Game Of The Week. It's certainly been a busy summer for ZVVZ USK Prague who have bolstered their roster in impressive fashion and consequently expectations are high on the eve of the big tip-off.

Having retained the services of their top performers from last season, they have drafted in veteran All Star and former ELW champion Delisha Milton-Jones and pulled off real coup by luring Eve Viteckova and Petra Kulichova from arch rivals Frisco Sika Brno. There is a real buzz around the club and certainly Prague look like one of the teams who have seriously upgraded during the off-season and have the impetus to make some serious noise.

We meet again: former teammates DeLisha Milton-Jones and Anna Montañana were a great front court duo for Ros Casares and now face each other again as opponents

Halcon Avenida meanwhile look to be as strong as ever and they too have arguably upgraded since the 2010 campaign by luring players from their arch rivals also. Erika De Souza, Belinda Snell and Anna Montanana who all arrived from Valencia while the club has managed to keep last season's stand-out Sancho Lyttle which is a sensational re-signing.

Overall it promises to be an absolute cracker with both teams having genuine ambitions of not only doing well in Group C but also progressing in the knockout phase.

The Form - With no EuroLeague Women games having played, domestic form is all we have to measure right now and not surprisingly, USK Prague have dominated in their first couple of domestic league games winning them both by more than 50 points. Halcon Avenida meanwhile have not only won all five games in their domestic league but also have one piece of silverware safely tucked away in the trophy cabinet having won the Spanish SuperCopa.

Perimeter & Penetration - It looks to me like the home team have a very slight edge in the backcourt and on the perimeter and on that basis, I think it is essential Halcon Avenida play well defensively to lock down some potentially devastating shooting by Viteckova and Elhotova. Similarly Maltsi and Whalen pose big threats so expect Dominguez and De Mondt to be pretty busy in this game trying to disrupt the rhythm and ball movement of the USK Prague offence with pressure at the top. While I am no coach, I think I would be less concerned the hosts threw the ball inside rather than had space to hit jump shots or get into their shooting motion via penetration.

In The Paint - This is where the key battleground surely is in this game. The paint is dripping with experience, genuine All Star quality and is saturated with talent and production. Both teams have real strength in those areas but I feel this time it is the visiting team who an take advantage. Erika De Souza is in great form and looking as powerful as ever while Sancho Lyttle is an ever present danger. With Montanana offering additional experience, you sense Milton-Jones and Kulichova will do well to match their opponents on the boards and around the hoop. I expect Salamanca might bang the ball inside quite a bit. Equally I feel Halcon Avanida could be a tough nut to crack inside for the Prague forwards on offence.

The Hot Hands - USK Prague will be looking to new signing Eve Viteckova to continue her hot streak from the FIBA World Championship Women and the first couple of weeks of the domestic season. She has really shot the ball superbly well and thee has been a barrage of buckets from downtown - long may that continue hail Prague supporters. While for Halcon Avenida, Erika De Souza has enjoyed a great start to the season with her new club and after five games is averaging a near double-double with Sancho Lyttle hot on her heels for the status of being the kingpin.

The ‘X Factors' - I mentioned it in my Paulball Previews but I want to underline it again - I am intrigued to see how USK Prague are defensively in comparison to last season when they were poor. The addition of Milton-Jones and Kulichova inside should assist with the powerful front-court of the visitors but can the team play the kind of defence to hold Salamanca to a low enough tally to prevail? Oh and who is going to compete with the athleticism of Sancho Lyttle around the rim? Perhaps the biggest ‘X Factor' of all however will be Belinda Snell who has the versatility to defend a couple of positions and is the perfect kind of ‘glue' player in a game like this to do a little bit of everything.

Katerina Elhotova has been a constant threat from outside last season but needs to step up on defence to meet lofty expectations

Rising Star Watch - With an energetic and action-packed game combined with some silky skills, Alba Torrens is one of the most exciting young players in Europe and watching her is always a treat. She has also had a great start to the season in Liga Femenina. For the home team, Katerina Elhotova is a little more than a rising star having already made a name for herself in the past couple of seasons but it will be interesting to see if that continues and how she will be used alongside Viteckova. Another couple of players worth keeping an eye on despite probably only being given handful of minutes are USK Prague guard Katerina Bartonova and Halcon Avenida guard Marta Xargay. Their respective roles in this game and during the season are worthy of keeping a roving eye on.

Did You Know? - The first home game for Prague last season was also against Spanish opposition in the form of a clash with Rivas Ecopolis. For the record, they lost 83-76.

Fighting For Fitness - Both teams should be at relatively full strength for this ELW opener!

What They Say - Halcon Avenida guard Anke De Mondt "'It's a tough start for us on the road first of all and against a great team. All players they have possess a lot of experience at the highest level, both in club and national team competitions. Therefore we have to be at our best and really concentrated to try and take the win back home! Every game in this group is going to be a big fight, so let's see what it's going to bring for us on this first EuroLeague Women game day!'

Prediction - A nightmare to predict the outcome of this one, my heart says USK Prague will progress well in this competition and led by Eve Viteckova they will grab a tight home win to start off. However my head is telling me never to bet against a quality team like Salamanca. It's a tough one to call, especially first up but on balance, I am going for the strength of the visitors inside to prevail and for them to possibly shade it.