Belarusian basketballers play home matches for Euro-cup group stage

By Igor Leshin

Belarusian basketballers play home matches for Euro-cup group stage

Tsmoki-Minsk’s female basketballers are the new national champions, having confidently beaten Lithuanian Utena — 72:62 — at home. They conducted the first half brilliantly, leading by 22 points — 53:31. Unfortunately, in the third quarter, they relaxed a little too much, failing to earn a single point, and allowing their rival 15 points. Fortunately, in the final 10 minutes, Andrey Vavlev’s trainees composed themselves and brought the match to victory. Olga Zyuzkova was the team’s top scorer in the game, boasting 20 points.

In the first round of the competition in Group B, Tsmoki-Minsk lost in Istanbul to the Turkish University — 47:66. The final match of the first round will see the Belarusians play in Minsk, facing Russian Chevakata, from Vologda.

The second round match in Group D saw Anatoly Buyalsky’s women’s Horizont Minsk squad lose to Lithuanian Kibirkstis-Vici — 51:73. From the very beginning, the guests seized the initiative and, after two quarters, led by 17 points — 38:21.

Despite this big difference in score, the Minskers continued to fight, reducing the gap by the final 10 minutes to 42:54. However, the Lithuanians soon owned the advantage and won, with a difference of 22 points.