Near East University Women’s Basketball Team, who completed the Regular Season games of FIBA EuroLeague Women as the leader of Group B and had the all-important home advantage for the Quarter-Final, paired with French Bourges Basket (the 4th place team in Group A).
Near East University Sports Club released that the Women’s Basketball Team of Near East University had completed the regular season of FIBA EuroLeague Women as the leader of Group B with 12 wins and 2 defeats. As group leaders are paired with the 4th place team of the other group with home advantage, Near East University paired with French Bourges Basket (the 4th place team in Group A) for Quarter Final. The other Turkish team of Group B, Fenerbahçe completed the group matches in the third place and paired with Hungarian Sopron Basket (the 2nd place team of Group A) for quarter Final.
The First Match is at Caferağa Sports Saloon…
FIBA EuroLeague Women Quarter Final Play-Offs will take place on February 28, March 7 and, if necessary, on March 14, 2018. On gameday 1 of play offs, Near East University will host the French Team Bourges Basket at Caferağa Sports Saloon in Istanbul on Wednesday 28 February 2018. The teams will play home and away three games. The winner of two games will qualify for the Final Four. In case of 1-1 draw after the first two games, the group leaders will play the final match on their own ground as they have home advantage.
Semi-Final Can Be the Scene of a Turkish Derby…..
Since the winner of Near East University – Bourges Basket, and the winner of Sopron Basket – Fenerbahçe will face at FIBA EuroLeague Women Semi Final, it is possible that the two Turkish teams; Near East University and Fenarbahçe will fight at the Semi Final to get the ticket for FIBA EuroLeague Women Final 2018. In regular season of FIBA EuroLeague Women, Near East University played home and away versus Fenerbahçe and won both games by net scores of 72-61 and 65-76.
Eight Strong Teams Will Be Fighting…
The pairings of FIBA EuroLeague Women Quarter Final Play-Offs are as follows:
- Dynamo Kursk (Russia) – Famila Schio (Italy)
- Near East University – Bourges Basket (France)
- Sopron Basket (Hungary) – Fenerbahçe
- UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia) – ZVVZ USK Prague (Czech Republic)
Zafer Kalaycıoğlu: “We Are Proceeding Towards Our Goals Step by Step…..”
Underlining the significance of completing the regular season of FIBA EuroLeague Women, which is considered as the number one organization of Women’s Basketball in Europe, as group leader and having the all-important home advantage for the Quarter-Final Play-Offs, Near East University Women’s Basketball Team Head Coach Zafer Kalaycıoğlu said: “We are proceeding towards our goals step by step”.
Reminding that EuroLeague is considered as a lane where the world’s best basketball players are fighting, the Head Coach Kalaycıoğlu highlights that they want to be amongst the teams playing Final Four. “We set it as our first goal to complete the group matches as a leader and we have achieved this. To secure the top spot in the group was important for us because the group leaders have the most important home advantage. If the first two matches that we will play versus Bourges Basket result with 1-1 draw, we will play the third match at home as we have the home advantage. In this respect, it is an advantage that we have completed the group matches as leader. However, I hope we will win two games without needing the third game to qualify for Final Four.
We Want to Have Our Name Written Amongst the Teams of Distinction……”
Stating that it is not easy to qualify for the Final Four in Euroleague, Zafer Kalaycıoğlu expressed his views: “Our opponents are experienced teams that played in the final four before. If we qualify for Final Four, we will be among these teams and we will have the name of Near East University written among elite basketball teams. I hope we will also accomplish this goal this season without experiencing any injury” said he.