Kibirkštis MRU Vilnius (1-0) outrebounded their opponents and, despite low scoring in the second half, posted a 51-47 win over Piešťanské Čajky (0-1) on Saturday, October 30, at Hala Rosnička in Brno.
Players of the game
Livija Sakevičiute registered the first double-double of the season. Kibirkštis captain scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Sakevičiute dished out three assists, stole the ball twice and forced three fouls for a team high efficiency rating of 19.
Camille Droguet became the best scorer for the Sparks. French guard had 15 point on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. She added three free throws too.
Gabriele Sulske struggled on offense. She still worked hard to finish with six rebounds and seven forced fouls.
Matea Tadič replied with 28 points. She connected 10-of-15 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from the three point line.
Her final three point shot came 26 seconds before the end of regulation to cut the gap to two points 49-47.
Tadič by herself outscored the Kibirkštis MRU during the second half 18-19. She made three three pointers in the third quarter and added a hook shot.
Čajky captain stole the ball five times and forced six fouls for a game high efficiency rating of 29.
Key stats
Kibirkštis MRU outrebounded Piešťanské Čajky (50-31, offensive rebounds 17-12) and scored more second chance points (13-5).
Gitautas Kievina`s team was more effective in the paint (34-18) and added more points from the bench (13-5).
Kibirkštis dominated until the 18th minute to build a 22 point lead 30-8.
Matea Tadič scored 23 of 39 Čajky points afterwards. Her final three point shot brought the Čajky within striking distance 49-47 with 00:26 left.
Alexandra Haškova fouled Droguet. Kibirkštis player split the free throws to renew a three point lead 50-47.
Veera Pirttinen missed a potential game tying three pointer with 00:06 left, while Karolina Kazočiunaite grabbed a rebound.
Rusisakova fouled Droguet again. The French player set the final score of the game.
Game notes
Both teams missed important players. Piešťanské Čajky played without a Stanford graduate Sarah Boothe, while Isis Lane (Florida Memorial) didn`t dressed for Kibirkštis MRU.
Čajky used a seven player rotation and experienced a foul trouble. Three starters – Tadič, Haškova and Martiškova – had four fouls each.
Peter Jankovič posted a 21-1 record with the Good Angels, while Gitautas Kievinas stopped a five game losing streak on Saturday.
Kibirkštis MRU are still undefeated in all competitions (WBBL 3-0, EWBL 1-0).
Photos: Miroslav Štěpánek
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