Avenida Set Up Sparta&K Rematch

Sancho Lyttle dominated the boards, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to guide Halcon Avenida into Sunday's Final

Halcon Avenida ran into a determined Ros Casares on Friday at the EuroLeague Final Four but beat their Spanish rivals for the fourth time in a row.

The Salamanca club pulled away for a 61-49 triumph to set up a rematch of the title game from 2009, when they lost to Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje in Salamanca.

Avenida and four-time defending champions Sparta&K know each other well.

They met during the Qualifying Round, with each team winning once.

Lucas Mondelo's team, just as it did in its last game against Ros Casares in Valencia last month, encountered some problems early on.

The Valencia outfit, which hosted last year's Final Four and lost to Sparta&K in the title game, led Avenida 29-28 at half-time.

A three-pointer from Edwige Lawson-Wade midway through the third quarter put Nata Hejkova's side into a 39-36 lead.

A basket by Anke De Mondt reduced the deficit to one and then Erika De Souza made three of four free-throws to put Avenida in front, 41-39.

The Salamanca outfit then hit Ros with a couple of blows they didn't recover from.

With 28 seconds to play in the third quarter, De Mondt was several feet behind the arc when she launched a shot that fell through the hoop for a five-point lead.

Avenida then got the ball back after a Ros Casares turnover to set up an Alba Torrens buzzer-beater.

With just seconds remaining, the Spain international knifed her way into the lane and while jumping off her right foot, released the ball with both hands from close to the free-throw line and banked it in for a 46-39 lead at the end of the quarter.

Ros lost their way offensively in the fourth quarter and Avenida kept the pressure on.

Torrens was fouled by Lithuania international Agne Abromaite midway through the quarter while attempting a shot from the arc.

The youngster went to line and made all three free-throws for a 53-42 lead.

There was no way back for Ros.

The lead ballooned to 60-45 in the last minute after two Silvia Dominguez free-throws.

Sancho Lyttle had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Avenida.

Quotes Ros Casares vs. Halcon Avenida

Halcon Avenida Head Coach Lucas Mondelo:
"I think the result was foreseeable. The key for us was fixing the problem and trying to solve it. We played aggressively, in the first half we suffered from pick-and-rolls, but in the second, we controlled the offensive rebounds."

Halcon Avenida player Anke De Mondt:
"We are really happy, very excited with our win in the Final Four. We came a little nervous, but then we got up steam, and worked as a really good team. We know how to play. We are really a big team, and we are ready for the Final. In the second half our fans helped us a lot."

Ros Casares Valencia Head Coach Natalia Hejkova:
"The first reason of our defeat is the good game of Salamanca. But in many situations it was our fault. Our defense was pretty good - 60 points - it's OK. Just 49 is not very good for us. Our tall players were not properly working under the basket - Brunson and Abromaite were not scoring. They lost self-confidence, and were not ready to fight. The problem is that we had lost one of our centers, and the last ten days we played 5 to 5 in practices.

Ros Casares Valencia player Edwige Lawson:
"We played a solid game in the first half, while in the second we missed shots. If you don't score, you cannot win a basketball game."