In the end, there was only one team that was going to win FIBA's 2004 Women's World League and that was powerhouse Volgaburmash.

A side that will contend for FIBA EuroLeague Women honours this season was superlative in

		French international Edwige Lawson is one of Samara's new signings

every facet of the game on their home patch, and they finished their march through the field with an 87-63 demolition of BK Lotos of Poland.

Igor Grudin's team, champions in the inaugural event in 2003, were ruthless.

They actually beat BK Lotos, another EuroLeague outfit, in their first game, 96-50. Next they destroyed Cathay Life Insurance of Taipei, 91-58.

In their final preliminary round game, Grudin's team swept aside ADCF Unimed 93-50, before laying waste to another EuroLeague side, Russians Baltiyskaya Zwezda 96-52.

The quality in the side shows why they were so awesome.

Maria Stepanova, Olga Arteshina, Svetlana Abrosimova, Ilona Korstine, Irina Osipova and Tatiana Shchgoleva are all players who have made their marks for Russia's national side.

Edwige Lawson is a member of France's national team, one of the most exciting guards in the international game.

Against BK Lotos in the final, they hardly gave the Poles a chance, storming out to a 28-14 lead in the first quarter and holding a commanding 49-25 advantage at half-time.

The Polish outfit would end up losing by 24 points. Shchegoleva had 17 points to lead Volgaburmash, with Russia's outstanding Stepanova contributing 16.

Abrosimova had 13 and Arteshina 12. Deanna Nolan had a game-high 21 points for BK Lotos.
The other Russian side, Baltiyskaya Zwezda, defeated Dandenong Rangers 84-69 in the battle for third place as Natalia Vodopianova poured in 22 points in a winning cause. Carly Wilson had 25 for the Australians.

Brazilians ADCF Unimed finished in fifth place after defeating the Korean WKBL All-Stars, 92-76. And Basketball Club Habana ended their tournament on a winning note, beating Cathay Life Insurance of Chinese Taipei 87-78.