For two Atlanta Dream players participating in Eurocup, Game Two of a best-of-two series would be do or die, and their teams had to not just win on the road but win big.

Would either team win?  Would Tiffany Hayes and Yakin Dogu avoid an eighth straight loss?  Which Atlanta Dream player would suffer a split lip after her domestic league game?  To find out the answers to these and other questions, read this week’s Dream Overseas Report!

Matee Ajavon
(Energa Torun, Poland)

On Saturday, January 16, Ajavon’s Energa Torun team went on the road and won a close 66-63 OT win against Widzew to move to 7-8 overall in league play.  Ajavon tied the game up in regulation at 60-60 with 45 seconds left with a pair of free throws, but those were the last points scored in the fourth quarter as Marta Urbaniak’s triple attempt for Widzew fell short.

Torun then got the jump on their opponents in the overtime period, leading 66-61 with 1:30 left to go. Widzew scored again, but Angel Robinson’s missed shot with 11 seconds left closed the door on the home team.

Energa Torun:  Victoria Maucalay 20/12 reb, Charity Szczechowiak 14/11 reb, Avjavon 12.

Widzew:   Marta Urbaniak 20, Angel Robinson 12, Tynikki Crook (Marshall 2011) 8/8 reb, Aija Brumermain 2/11 reb.

Box score Energa Torun/Widzew:
http://basketligakobiet.pl/mecz/35082/widzew-lodz—energa-torun.html

Complete game Energa Torun/Widzew:
https://youtu.be/hvglvaSZJMU

 

Cierra Burdick
(Napoli, Italy)

The second game of the best-of-two series matchups in Eurocup’s Round of 16 matchups took place on Thursday and Burdick’s Napoli team found itself with an impossible burden – travel to Russia to take on Sparta&K MR and somehow beat them by 23 points to win in aggregate and advance.  Unfortunately, Napoli was knocked out of the playoffs as Sparta&K beat the visitors 62-60 to win the best-of-two series two games to none.

Napoli tried its damnedest.  They led 41-29 at halftime but ran out of steam, held to just seven points in the third quarter and their lead cut down to three points with just one quarter left.  Sparta&K MR won despite going 0-for-14 from 3-point range.

Napoli:  Gintare Petronyte 19, Beatrice Carta 10, Natalie Achonwa 10, Burdick 8.

Sparta&K MR:  Maria Vadeeva 20/7 reb, Emma Meesseman 12/10 reb.

Box Score Napoli/Sparta&K MR:  http://www.fibaeurope.com/eurocupwomen/compID_Rn2Om4j3HOcXtTFwJWFsh3.season_2016.roundID_11803.gameID_11818-3-B-2.html

Burdick got banged up during that game and spoke about it after the game on Twitter:

@C_Burdick11 In today’s game, I got my eyelid slit open, got a bloody nose & busted my lip, all in the same action. I didn’t even know that was possible.

On Sunday, January 17, Napoli traveled to Vigarano and barely lost there 72-69.  The loss knocks Napoli down to 7-8 in the Italian league.  Burdick had a great game but it wasn’t enough.  Raelin D’Aile hit a pair of free throws for Vigarano with 23 seconds left to put the home squad up 72-69 giving Napoli another possession.  Sara Bocchetti would miss a 3-pointer, Vigarano would get the rebound, miss the fast break, and Bocchetti would get another chance from 3-point range but miss again.

Napoli:  Burdick 20/10 reb, Sara Bocchetti 14, Gintare Petronyte 13/6 reb, Noelle Quinn 11/6 reb/5 ast.

Vigarano:  Federica Tognalini 22/10 reb, Samantha Ostraello (Purdue 2013) 20/12 reb/6 ast.

Box score Napoli/Vigarano:
http://lbf-web.dataproject-stats.com/Tabellino.asp?IdGara=16003

Complete game Napoli/Vigarano: 
https://youtu.be/hvglvaSZJMU

Sydney Carter
(TTT Riga, Latvia)

The only game Sydney Carter had to worry about was the Eurocup game on Thursday against Venezia.  They needed to go to Italy and win the game by seven or more points to advance, but were swept out of Eurocup by a 69-61 defeat.  Venezia only shot 33 percent for the game but were a decisive 22-for-25 from the free throw stripe and holding Riga to 38 percent shooting was good enough for the win.

TTT Riga:  Carter 17, Zenta Melnika 16/8 reb/4 blk, Ieva Krastina 9.

Venezia:  Karima Christmas 18/10 reb, Debora Carangelo 11, Ashleigh Fontenette (Texas 2012) 10/10 reb, Marie Ruzikova 10.

Box score TTT Riga/Venezia:  http://www.fibaeurope.com/eurocupwomen/compID_Rn2Om4j3HOcXtTFwJWFsh3.season_2016.roundID_11803.gameID_11818-8-B-2.html

Complete game TTT Riga/Venezia:
https://youtu.be/W3Bi-C1VPNY

Damiris Dantas

Damiris Dantas is currently recovering from a left leg tibia stress injury.

Reshanda Gray
(Battipaglia, Italy)

The Battlipaglia squad beat visiting Orvieto 91-76 to move to 6-9 on the regular season.  The key for the win for Battipaglia was probably their bench play and the strong performance from Asia Boyd.  Head coach Massimo Riga of Battipaglia called it a “team victory”.

Battipaglia:  Asia Boyd 25/7 ast, Kourtney Treffers 22/17 reb, Valentina Bonasia 14, Tagliamento Marzia 13, Gray 11/9 reb.

Orvieto:  Taryn Wicijowski 29/8 reb, Jelena Ivezic 18, Maria Miccoli 16.

Box score Battipaglia/Orvieto:
http://lbf-web.dataproject-stats.com/Tabellino.asp?IdGara=15998

Complete game Battipaglia/Orvieto: 
https://youtu.be/WCT5RxpCD9M

Tiffany Hayes
(Yakin Dogu, Turkey)

On Saturday the 16th, Yakin Dogu remained under its dark cloud as they traveled to Galatasaray and lost 84-70.  Yakin Dogu now falls to 4-11 on the season and the team has lost eight straight games and nine of their last ten.  Gala’s 10 steals appeared to make the difference in a close game.

Yakin Dogu:  Alyssa Thomas 23/13 reb, Kelsey Bone 17/6 reb, Hayes 15/6 ast.

Galatasaray:  Jewell Loyd 24, Nevriye Yilmaz 18/8 reb, Nuria Martinez 15, Jelena Dubljevic 11, Isil Alben 10/11 reb.

Box score Yakin Dogu/Galatasaray: 
http://www.tbf.org.tr/ligler/kbsl/mac-detay?Lig=7368&MacNo=1BA1430&Sezon=156

Aneika Henry/Angel McCoughtry
(Mersin, Turkey)

On Sunday the 17, Mersin traveled to Fenerbahce with each team holding identical 10-4 records.  The home team would prevail 71-67, dropping Mersin to sole possession of fifth place in the Turkish league.  I can’t find many details about the game, but Mersin was up by five points after the third quarter.  Fenerbahce “rose to the occasion” as a brief account put it and won the game, scoring 54 points in the paint and forcing Mersin into 19 turnovers.

Mersin:  McCoughtry 24, Bria Hartley 17/6 ast, Henry 14/13 reb.

Fenerbahce:  Allie Quigley 15, Anastasiya Veremeenko 13/7 reb, Jantel Lavender 12, Marissa Coleman 11, Quanitra Hollingsworth 13/7 reb.

Box score Mersin/Fenerbahce:
http://www.tbf.org.tr/ligler/kbsl/mac-detay?Lig=7368&MacNo=1BA1435&Sezon=156

Sancho Lyttle
(UMMC, Ekaterinburg)

On Thursday, UMMC not only walloped visiting Wisla Krakow 89-48 in Group B play in Euroleague, but Nadezhda Orenburg lost its Group B game to allow UMMC to move into sole possession of first place in Group B at 8-2.  The win by UMMC killed a five-game win streak by the Poles.  Over the second and third quarters, Wisla was outscored 50-15.

UMMC:  Diana Taurasi 29, Sandrine Gruda 15, Kristi Toliver 12/7 reb, Lyttle 10.

Wisla Krakow:  Devereaux Peters 16/6 reb, Yvonne Turner 16.

Box score UMMC/Wisla Krakow: 
http://www.fibaeurope.com/euroleaguewomen/gameID_11814-B-40-10.html

Complete game UMMC/Wisla Krakow:
https://youtu.be/YPZbv3Iea3U

Current Overall Statistics:

Matee Ajavon (Poland):  12 games, 13.6 ppg/3.8 rpg/4.8 apg

Cierra Burdick (Eurocup **):  8 games, 10.1 ppg/10.3 rpg/1.4 apg

Cierra Burdick (Italy):  15 games, 10.5 ppg/8.3 rpg/1.4 apg

Sydney Carter (Eurocup **):  10 games, 15.9 ppg/3.0 rpg/3.2 apg

Sydney Carter (Latvia):  8 games, 10.3 ppg/2.5 rpg/3.6 apg

Sydney Carter (EEWBL):  7 games, 9.1 ppg/2.0 rpg/2.1 apg

Reshanda Gray (Italy):  15 games, 16.6 ppg/10.9 rpg/0.9 apg

Tiffany Hayes (Turkey):  15 games, 19.1 ppg/4.4 rpg/2.4 apg

Aneika Henry (Turkey): 15 games, 15.2 ppg/10.6 rpg/2.4 apg

Sancho Lyttle (Euroleague):  10 games, 6.4 ppg/6.3 rpg/0.8 apg

Sancho Lyttle (Russia):  8 games, 12.1 ppg/8.1 rpg/2.3 apg

Angel McCoughtry (Turkey):  14 games, 25.0 ppg/7.4 rpg/3.1 apg

** – Eurocup season complete