Vilniaus „Kibirkšties-VIČI-IKI“ merginos ketvirtadienį nesulaukė savo varžovių malonės – Turkijoje vykusiose paskutinėse H grupės rungtynėse Antakijos „Belediyesi Genčlik“ (2/2) 65:77 (18:24, 14:21, 11:15, 22:17) nusileido „MBK Ružomberok“ (2/2) ekipai iš Slovakijos, kuri paskutinę akimirką ir pateko į kitą Europos taurės turnyro etapą.
The other two clubs to progress to the post-season were actually playing each other in Group H, with hosts Antakya and visiting MBK Ruzomberok both reaching the Eighth-Finals at the expense of Vilnius Kibirkstis who lost out in a three-way tie.
Pasibaigus H grupės varžyboms visos trys joje kovojusios komandos surinko po 2 pergales ir 2 pralaimėjimus, bet vilnietėms dėl prasčiausio įmestų ir praleistų taškų santykio atiteko trečioji vieta.
Jei ketvirtadienį pergalę būtų iškovojusios turkės, „Kibirkštis-VIČI-IKI“ grupėje būtų užėmusi antrą vietą ir žengusi į aštuntfinalį.
Šeimininkių gretose nesustabdoma buvo Jolene Anderson, įmetusi net 30 taškų (14/15 baudos), atkovojusi 10, o perėmusi 4 kamuolius bei atlikusi 5 rezultatyvius perdavimus. 10 taškų surinko Ana Turčinovič.
Slovakėms po 18 taškų pelnė Eva Kmetova ir Sequoia Holmes, 16 pridėjo Katarina Tetemondova.
Galutinė H grupės turnyro lentelė:
| 1. | „Belediyesi Genčlik“ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 294:275 | 6 |
| 2. | „MBK Ružomberok“ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 263:256 | 6 |
| 3. | „Kibirkštis-VIČI-IKI“ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 257:283 | 6 |
Informacija: DELFI.lt
The Slovak side needed to win the game otherwise they would have been dumped out of the competition, and Stefan Svitek and his players obliged with a 77-65 victory to progress – quite a turnaround after a terrible start to the campaign.
There were a trip of big performances which made the difference for the winning team with Eva Kmetova, Katarina Tetemondova and Sequoia Holmes combining for 50 points. Jolene Anderson had a massive 30 points and 10 rebounds for Antakya who endured a bitter-sweet evening.
VS Prague, Horizont, Antakya and Ruzomberok were the last teams to qualify for the Eighth-Finals of the EuroCup Women after Regular Season action concluded on Thursday night.
The two best-placed teams from each of the eight Regular Season groups sealed a spot in the Last 16.
Group E saw a dramatic finish on the ultimate game day, as Horizont and Telge Basket met in a straightforward fight to advance, with the Belarusian side prevailing 65-64.
Antakya and Ruzomberok advanced from a three-way tie in Group H, putting Vilnius Kibirkstis out of contention.
Defending champions Dynamo Kursk are the only undefeated team left in the competition after winning Group F with a 4-0 record.
Russia, Turkey and France have four representatives in the Eighth-Finals, respectively.
The Eighth-Finalists were ranked from 1 to 16, based on their W/L percentage and their goal average coefficient. The teams were then paired based on that ranking.
The first leg of the Eighth-Finals will be played on 6th December 2012, with the return leg to take place a week later. The team ranked higher will play its first game away.
The Eighth-Finals pairings are:
VS Prague (16) vs. Dynamo Kursk (1)
Adana Botas (15) vs. BLMA (2)
Horizont (14) vs. Hainaut Basket (3)
MBK Ruzomberok (13) vs. Dynamo-GUVD (4)
Olimpia Grodno (12) vs. Nantes Reze (5)
Antakya (11) vs. Chevakata (6)
Dynamo Moscow (10) vs. Tarbes GB (7)
Kayseri Kaski spor (9) vs. Mersin (8)
Info: FIBA Europe