Sami Whitcomb clutch in EuroLeague Women thriller
Sami Whitcomb put on a show in round 6 of EuroLeague Women in a top of the table clash between Group B leaders Fenerbahce Oznur Kablo in what proved to be one of the games of the season.
Whitcomb was a near unstoppable force for BLMA in their thrilling 2 point win against Fenerbahce to draw level with their Turkish rivals at the top of Group B, bot sides now boasting a 5-2 record.
The Seattle Storm and former Perth Lynx star got things going early with three triples in the first term, before coming up with the clutch plays down the stretch to hold off Fenerbahce's frantic final quarter finish.
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BLMA led by as many as 15 points late in the third period, before the visitors stormed home in the final term to take the lead 67-65 with just under 4 minutes remaining. Yet it was Whitcomb who came up big down the stretch, with the 2018 World Cup silver medalist making plays at both ends to steady the ship.
Whitcomb helped her club level the scores twice by setting up team mates with the assist, before burying an ice-cold triple to put her club back ahead by 1 point with 1:10 to play. She then handed off her fifth assist of the night to extend the margin to 3, but Fenerbahce responded from deep with a three-ball of their own to tie it back up 34 seconds left.
On the next possession, Whitcomb came up with the defensive stop before being fouled. She calmly made both to put her club back in the box seat.With 24 seconds left, Fenerbahce had plenty of time to tie the game or even steal the win, however Whitcomb picked off an errant pass to assure BLMA of an important home victory.
Whitcomb was the star for BLMA, pouring in a team-high 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting including 5 three-pointers. She also gathered 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in a 76-74 victory. For Fenerbahce, Cecilia Zandalasini dropped a game-high 25 points.
Bec Allen's Arka Gdynia enjoyed a big win against French side ASVEL, cruising to an 87-71 win to win their third game in a row and improve to 3-3, also in Group B.
Bec Allen | EuroLeague Women
After a tight first term, Gdynia created some breathing room across the next two periods to take control of the contest. The final term also belonged to the Polish superpower, running away to a 16 point win.
Allen started and added 7 points (2-9 FG) with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in playing 31 minutes. Yet with team mates Maryia Papova dropping 29 points and Barbora Balintova going for 22, Allen wisely allowed the hot hands to do all the damage.