Tarsus Break Duck With Huge Win

Amaya Valdemoro and Tarsus finally got off the mark in EuroLeague Women Group A action on Wednesday night

Tarsus had clearly had enough of losing in the EuroLeague Women as they demolished BK Imos Brno 90-70 on the back of a stunning first-half display

After four straight losses to start their Group A campaign, Tarsus unloaded all their frustrations in a first quarter that saw them outscore their hosts 28-6.

And the onslaught continued until half-time as they built a 49-18 advantage before the buzzer.
Brno would have the better of the second half, but by then it barely mattered. Tarsus had made their statement, and secured their first win.

That first quarter was something of a masterclass at both ends of the court. 

They scored the first 12 points of the game unanswered, all within the opening four minutes as DeLisha Milton-Jones accounted for six of them.

It was Milton-Jones again with a lay-up that made it 20-2 with 2:35 left in the period, and the American also scored the final bucket of the period on a fast-break after Hana Horakova came up empty with a three-point attempt for desperate Brno. 

As if that had not been bad enough for the hosts, Tarsus began to find their range from three-point land in the second quarter as big shots came in from Dila Askin and Liene Jansone to further stretch the advantage. 

The lead hit its peak at 54-21 on another Askin three, two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, and although Brno would begin to chip away at the advantage thereafter, it is unlikely that anyone from Tarsus cared much as they finally got a 'W' on the board.

Milton-Jones finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Shay Doron had 16 points. Jansone and Amaya Valdemoro had 11 each, with Deniz Colakoglu and Askin chipping in 10 apiece.

Romana Hejdova led Brno with 20 points while Farhiya Abdi added 11 and Anna Jurcenkova 10.

Quotes: BK IMOS Brno vs. Tarsus

Brno head coach John Bobrovský

"I saw the first half as a catastrophe. It is hard to deal with it. After ten minutes we were losing by twenty points. We had four attacks and all were lost. Our players shot as they wanted. Without tactics. Still, I asked the players between periods to improve our performance. Unfortunately, it had no outcome on the conclusion. Today the best Tarsus players didn't play..."

Brno player Romana Hejdová

"My comment is very simple. For us, the match was one big tragedy. From the beginning of the game we didn´t settle. We tried to concentrate, our tactical preparation before the game was good. We played poorly on defence and attack. When Tarsus went twenty points ahead, it was difficult to come back. Tonight we couldn´t do anything. We wanted to take a step towards the play-offs. But we need to win home games."

Tarsus head coach Erdal Yegin

"In the last matches we were unlucky. Today we concentrated very well at the start of the game. Helped us a lot to get over our rivals. There were alot of mistakes. Their mistakes we punished with precise attacks. I appreciated our excellent game in defence. We did not give our rival space to shoot. This victory after four previous defeats helped us a lot. We still have a chance for the play-offs."

Tarsus player Liene Janson

"We are all happy with our first victory. We had a very good start to the game. We played very good together and hard on defence. I have to say once again, we are very happy because we are now on the road. This victory will help our psyche alot.

Quotes: BK IMOS Brno vs. Tarsus

Brno head coach John Bobrovský

"I saw the first half as a catastrophe. It is hard to deal with it. After ten minutes we were losing by twenty points. We had four attacks and all were lost. Our players shot as they wanted. Without tactics. Still, I asked the players between periods to improve our performance. Unfortunately, it had no outcome on the conclusion. Today the best Tarsus players didn't play..."

Brno player Romana Hejdová

"My comment is very simple. For us, the match was one big tragedy. From the beginning of the game we didn´t settle. We tried to concentrate, our tactical preparation before the game was good. We played poorly on defence and attack. When Tarsus went twenty points ahead, it was difficult to come back. Tonight we couldn´t do anything. We wanted to take a step towards the play-offs. But we need to win home games."

Tarsus head coach Erdal Yegin

"In the last matches we were unlucky. Today we concentrated very well at the start of the game. Helped us a lot to get over our rivals. There were alot of mistakes. Their mistakes we punished with precise attacks. I appreciated our excellent game in defence. We did not give our rival space to shoot. This victory after four previous defeats helped us a lot. We still have a chance for the play-offs."

Tarsus player Liene Janson

"We are all happy with our first victory. We had a very good start to the game. We played very good together and hard on defence. I have to say once again, we are very happy because we are now on the road. This victory will help our psyche alot.