It was glory for the home team tonight at the FIBA World Cup for Women’s clubs as Samara lifted the title after a 72-68 victory over the WNBA Select team.

Samara had a rocky start to the tournament, losing convincingly to French side USVO Valenciennes in the first round, and looking unlikely tournament favourites.

However, they overcame the loss to defeat Russian and EuroLeague Women champions and domestic arch-rivals Ekaterinburg 75-67 in the semi-final, and make it to today’s final.

The momentum they took in from the win over Ekaterinburg seemed to spark them in the final and they got off to a terrific start. At the end of the first quarter the score stood 19-11 in the Russians’ favour and by halftime the lead had been stretched to 16 (42-26).

The Americans did not go down without a fight though, and they battled their way back into the game with a much improved second half performance to finish the game just 4 points adrift.

Neither team set the net on fire with their shooting, with the Americans having particular problems at just 35% from 2-point range, while Samara hit only 1 of their 8 attempted 3-pointers.

The battle on the boards proved more decisive, as Samara hauled down 43 rebounds to the WNBA’s 33.

Russian center Maria Stepanova turned in a dominant display for Samara as she top scored with 17 points, whilst also pulling down 16 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. Czech star Kamila Vodickova added 13 points and 9 rebounds.

WNBA guard Nikki Teasley led all scorers with 21 points.

Bronze Medal Game

The bronze medal game was a repeat of last year’s EuroLeague Women final between French champion Valenciennes and Russian champion Ekaterinburg. In that game Valenciennes was the title holder and Ekaterinburg the EuroLeague rookies.

Nonetheless, the Russians were not fazed and they knocked off the French 82-80 to win the title.

This time the stakes were not so high, but it was a chance for both teams to test themselves before the start of the 2004 EuroLeague Women this Wednesday. And it was Ekaterinburg who staked the first claim to European dominance as they beat Valenciennes 70-64.

A third-quarter run was the key to the game for the Russians, as they turned a 3-point deficit into a 5-point advantage. It was one they were able to maintain until the final buzzer.

A trio of American stars topped the bill for Ekaterinburg as Natalie Williams (18 points, 11 rebounds), Sheryl Swoopes (15 points, 6 rebounds) and Delisha Milton (14 points, 6 steals) masterminded the win.

Allison Feaster scored 14 points for Valenciennes, while Ann Wauters had 12 and up-and-coming Australian center Suzy Batkovic added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

World Cup for Women's Clubs Tournament Results and Standings.