The first day of the EuroLeague Women Final Four is in the books and for our money we got plenty of great basketball including an overtime thriller between Bourges and hosts Brno.

In the great tradition of the Faurie Files here are some news and notes from the semi-finals.

Lauren Jackson erupted for 35 points and Tina Thompson weighed in with 24 as Spartak Moscow Region beat fellow Russian heavyweights UMMC Ekaterinburg in the opening game of the EuroLeague Women Final Four on Friday in Brno.

Jackson, the Australia international superstar, also had 12 rebounds as the defending champions won 78-68 but she played the last several minutes in discomfort after injuring her foot.

The big day is coming! Who will take Spartak's Euroleague crown? Will it be a Spartak repeat or will Ekaterinburg, Brno or Bourges take home the title? In the last three seasons, the club who organized the Final Four kept the cup: Samara in 2005, Brno in 2006, and Spartak in 2007.

We asked some of our experts what they thought about this Czech spring. Before the quarter final round, Sandra Valuzyte (TEO Vilnius), Kathy Wambe (Villeneuve d'Ascq) and Nicole Ohlde (Valenciennes) gave relevant analysis.

Has there ever been a more valuable acquisition before the EuroLeague Women play-offs than Ekaterinburg pick-up Yelena Leuchanka this season?

Don't even think about it.

The EuroLeague Women Final Four is headed to Brno, Czech Republic.

FIBA Europe announced on Friday that Gambrinus Brno will play host to the event, with the semi-finals taking place on 11^th April and the finals two days later on 13^th April.