Schio Squeeze past Wisla For Seventh

Turning Point: The game was still in the balance during the last minute but three successive offensive rebounds by Cheryl Ford kept the ball in possession of Schio when it really mattered.

Game Heroes: Ford had an impressive double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds while Maja Erkic finished with an efficient 15 point haul.

Stats Don't Lie: Wisla-Can Pack were beaten up 45-33 on the boards and including 14 offensive rebounds which cost them dearly.

Beretta-Famila Schio signed off their Final Eight campaign with a first victory in Istanbul as they edged past Can-Pack with a 65-62 success to resign their winless opponent to last spot.

Schio started like an express train and raced out to a 9-0 lead to leave Wisla playing catch-up during the first quarter. The Polish club eventually managed to ease their way into things although they barely scraped into double digits and trailed 16-10 heading into the second quarter.

Laura Macchi scored from downtown to put Schio 21-12 ahead and by the interval, the Italian side still held a healthy lead at 38-30 - despite missing their other seven attempts from three-point range.

Cheryl Ford was doing the damage in the paint with 11 points and six rebounds during an impressive display.

Wisla Can-Pack head coach Jose Hernandez was clearly not satisfied with the performance of his players and coming out for the second half, they looked like a different team.

While Macchi initially opened the scoring with a pair of free-throws, Wisla then exploded with a 14-3 run. Anke De Mondt was central to their renaissance, making successive baskets to put her team 44-43 ahead.

A lay-up by Raffaella Masciadri at the end of the third quarter allowed Schio to get their noses back in front but once more it was Wisla who posted a big run, this time outscoring their opponent 12-4 to jump into the lead at 57-52 with four minutes remaining.

Schio needed someone to step up and it was Maja Erkic and Liron Cohen who assumed the responsibility with the former producing a stunning seven point burst inside the space of just over sixty seconds and the latter firing five points in a row as the pendulum swing back once again.

It set up an intriguing last minute or so as Erin Phillps kept Wisla in the game with a three-pointer but they just couldn't keep Schio off the offensive glass and that proved decisive.

Quotes Beretta-Famila vs. Wisla Can-Pack

Beretta-Famila Schio head coach Maurizio Lasi
"We finished at 7th place but that is not a big deal. Because we played 3 tight games and we were so close to win at least one of these games for sure. We know that we had the chance but couldn't keep it. We were unlucky. On the other hand to stay in the game for three matches and finish 7th is a good thing. Because it was a tournament that we shot really badly from three point range. Today I am happy for the girls for we will return to the Italian playoffs with a win. Thanks to the organisation and also thanks to the players, coaches and the referees. It has been a really nice and very fair tournament, especially on the court."

Schio point guard Liron Cohen
"As far as the tournament goes, I have to say it was a long week. I think it was difficult for all teams to play so many games in such a short time. Our aim was not 7th or 8th place but this is the situation. But I believe every team tries to play strong and finish in a respectful way. We fought hard today because that is the only way against Jose's (Hernandez) teams where ever he goes. He told me not to shoot but I had to in the end and we won. It is always great to be at the top level of European basketball. Hope we do best."

Wisla Can-Pack head coach Jose Hernandez
"Congratulations to Maurizio Lasi. It was very important for us to beat Schio and finish the tournament with a win. But we played badly in the first half. I think they were more aggressive and much better in the paint. On the second half we played better defensively and offensively. But at the last moment Lorin (Cohen) made some crucial shots and they grabbed very important offensive rebounds. That was the key for Schio to win the game."

Wisla center Petra Ujhelyi
"We are obviously disappointed to finish 8th at the end. It has been a long week and if we were luckier against Sparta&K or Ektarerinburg, we could have finished higher in the rankings. But you know this is basketball. I feel like we fought hard as a team throughout the whole tournament. We fell behind at the beginning today and we had to come from behind for pretty much 36-37 minutes. We made a last run but had trouble to stop Liron (Cohen) at the end. They also outrebounded us by 12. That was a big key to the game."