The 1,200 Landes supporters, amidst a Spanish red wave, watched with resignation as their team was metaphorically slain. Basket Landes’ offensive struggles, with a dismal 21-of-66 shooting accuracy, proved fatal. They were also significantly outrebounded by Saragossa, 32 to 46. Murjanatu Musa, with 19 points and 8 rebounds, was left too isolated in her efforts.
The primary tormentors for Basket Landes were French players. Ornella Bankole (16 points, 4/4 from three-point range) and Aminata Gueye (17 points), aided by American Merritt Hempe (15 points), accounted for 48 of Saragossa’s 69 points. Another French player for the Spanish team, Carla Leite, played only three minutes due to a cheekbone injury.
Basket Landes faced this historic match without the injured Camille Droguet and Destiny Littleton, who was ineligible for EuroLeague. Consequently, Leïla Lacan was placed directly into the starting lineup.
Leïla Lacan showed immediate initiative, while Murjanatu Musa was the main scorer. After several ties, Basket Landes took a five-point lead at 11-6 with a fortunate three-pointer from Louise Bussière that bounced off the backboard. The first quarter was marked by Carla Leite’s injury to her cheekbone, sustained from an unintentional elbow by Sixtine Macquet during a rebound, which incensed the Spanish crowd. Another French player, Ornella Bankole, helped Saragossa take the lead just before the end of the period, making it 18-19.
The duo of Ornella Bankole (7 points) and Aminata Gueye (12 points on 6/6 shooting) disrupted the Landes defense, and Saragossa went on a run: 22-29 (14th minute), 24-33 (18th minute). While the Landes players showed effort and speed, their play was disorganized, and their shooting was abysmal, leading to a five-minute scoring drought. Only Nigeria’s Musa had contributed significantly to the score (10 points on 5/8 shooting) up to that point. This explains the nine-point deficit at halftime (26-35).
American forward Merritt Hempe, with Macedonian citizenship, perfectly initiated the offense for Casademont, further widening the gap: 29-44. The alarm bells were ringing, and coach Julie Barennes called an urgent timeout, but a coach is powerless when her players consistently miss shots. The score reached 32-49 after a three-pointer from Ornella Bankole, and 34-54 with another triple from the French player for Saragossa. The Landes team was in deep trouble, trailing 40-62 at the buzzer, with another three-pointer from Bankole.
Motivated by Murjanatu Musa, the Landes players, showing great fight – their primary quality on Wednesday – finally confronted the Spanish bull: 50-64. However, this did not shake the confidence of the Aragonese team.
The box score is available HERE.
Quarter-finals:
Girona def. Venice: 70-64
Saragossa def. Basket Landes: 69-53
Semi-finals:
Galatasaray vs. Saragossa
Fenerbahçe vs. Girona
