Rampant Chevakata Jump Towards Semis

Katsiaryna Snytsina had a team-high 19 points for Chevakata

Chevakata have taken a huge stride towards sealing a place in the EuroCup Women semi-finals after completing an impressive 79-51 first-leg quarter final rout against Hainaut Basket in Vologda.

The hosts simply had far too much offensive in their armoury for Hainaut Basket to contend with in a one-sided encounter.

Whilst the French visitors battled gamely during the opening quarter and were only edged out 21-19, the superior depth of Chevakata slowly began to make an impact.

With Hainaut unable to find any production outside of their starting five, Chevakata were able to rely on 17 bench points by half-time alone, as they established a handy double-digit advantage at 43-33.

Hainaut needed to hang tough to avoid being blown out, but things only got worse as the hosts sensed a real opportunity to give their opponents a mountain to climb in the second leg.

They posted a 10-0 run in the middle of the quarter to knock the stuffing out of the French club, a burst of scoring primarily fuelled by successive triples from Katsiaryna Snytsina and Jasmine Thomas.

The visitors tried desperately to stop the bleeding but failed miserably.

When their offensive also dried up in the final quarter leading to them managing a meagre eight points, it completed a real horror show as Chevakata romped to the win and put one foot firmly in the last four of the competition.

Glory Johnson had a double-double 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Russians whilst Snytsina added 19 points.

Croatian forward Petra Stampalija stood out for the losing team with 21 points and eight rebounds.

Quotes Chevakata vs. Hainaut Basket

Hainaut head coach Corinne Benintendi:
"It was a very difficult game for us. We missed two players. Chevakata played a fast game. We hope in France at least one of the missing players will join us and help."

Chevakata head coach Dmitry Donskov:
"It was the first game after a long break. That was difficult. I am satisfied with the result, but, unfortunately, not with the quality. In many moments, we could have played much better."

Chevakata player Katsiaryna Snytsina:
"Our goal for today was just to win. It was easier to play in the second half when the difference was big. It is always more difficult to play score-by-score, everyone must be concentrated."