Schio Storm To A Super Seventh Win

Jantel Lavender made sure Famila Schio remain front-runners in Group B with a 7-2 record

Famila Schio showcased their potency in the paint as they overwhelmed UE Sopron 89-71 to rack up their seventh success of the season in EuroLeague Women Group B.

The Italian hosts pounded the ball inside all night long and absolutely battered their opponents on the glass by landing twice as many rebounds which made it a real uphill struggle for the visitors.

Leading the way was Jantel Lavender, who picked up where she left off during 2012 with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Much of her best work came during the first half when she harvested 16 of her final tally, as Schio grabbed the contest by the scruff of the neck.

Leading 21-17 after the opening period, they really stepped it up in the second quarter when a 14-5 burst of scoring put them in complete control.

Sopron fought hard and with Jelena Milovanovic around, they had a player who was capable of dragging her team back into contention.

However, she lacked support with far too many of her team-mates suffering a poor shooting night and that allowed Schio to stroll to the win during the second-half, when their superiority was never seriously threatened.

Schio highlighted their quality with five players landing double-figure scores and Lavender was well supported by Raffaella Masciadri and Jenifer Nadalin in particular.

The pair combined to shoot a highly efficient 12 of 16 from the floor and with Elodie Godin pulling down 10 rebounds and Danielle McCray taking care of business in the backcourt with 17 points, it was a great team effort by Schio.

The other bonus for head coach Maurizio Lasi was that influential point guard Giorgia Sottana returned to action having missed the last month or so though injury.

Milovanovic finished with 16 points for the losing team.

Quotes Famila Schio vs. UE Sopron

Schio head coach Maurizio Lasi
"I'm grateful to my players for this game.  In the last month we had some injuries (Sottana, Godin, Macchi) but we stayed together and we worked hard to be ready in this January full of decisive games. Tonight we played very well against a strong team, it wasn't easy but stats are clear and show how important it is to play together, believing in what we are doing."

Schio player Jantel Lavender
"We pushed in the second quarter and we kept control of the game. Two games in this beginning of 2013 and two wins: we're happy for that but we'll need to be focused to our target. Mostly in the EuroLeagueWomen, things can change fast, so that's why since tomorrow we'll work on the Arras game."

Sopron head coach Norbert Székely
"We did not play as we used to. We know that Beretta Schio is a tough team to play against, especially at their home. We didn't play as a team, a lot of players played selfish and against a team like Schio, you can never win, only with the players you need to be a united team."

Sopron center Reka Cserny
"We missed too many shots during this game. We know that in the EuroLeagueWomen it's necessary to play hard for 40 minutes and tonight this was our mistake. Now we'll try to win at least 2 of the next 3 games to have the best ranking in our group."

Quotes Famila Schio vs. UE Sopron

Schio head coach Maurizio Lasi
"I'm grateful to my players for this game.  In the last month we had some injuries (Sottana, Godin, Macchi) but we stayed together and we worked hard to be ready in this January full of decisive games. Tonight we played very well against a strong team, it wasn't easy but stats are clear and show how important it is to play together, believing in what we are doing."

Schio player Jantel Lavender
"We pushed in the second quarter and we kept control of the game. Two games in this beginning of 2013 and two wins: we're happy for that but we'll need to be focused to our target. Mostly in the EuroLeagueWomen, things can change fast, so that's why since tomorrow we'll work on the Arras game."

Sopron head coach Norbert Székely
"We did not play as we used to. We know that Beretta Schio is a tough team to play against, especially at their home. We didn't play as a team, a lot of players played selfish and against a team like Schio, you can never win, only with the players you need to be a united team."

Sopron center Reka Cserny
"We missed too many shots during this game. We know that in the EuroLeagueWomen it's necessary to play hard for 40 minutes and tonight this was our mistake. Now we'll try to win at least 2 of the next 3 games to have the best ranking in our group."