BC "Elfic Fribourg" (Switzerland) - BC "Prometey" (Ukraine). December 16. 8:30 pm. EuroCup Women. 1/16 finals. 1st match. Fribourg (Switzerland). "City Sport St. Leonard". Broadcast - prometeybc.com, Youtube.com/FIBA
The first matches of the 1/16 finals of EuroCup Women will take place on December 15 and 16. At this stage, which is the first in the playoffs, rivals will play one match at home and one away and the amount of points scored in these games will determine those teams that will reach the 1/8 finals. Prometey will close the program of the first game week of the playoffs with an away match in Fribourg, Switzerland, with the local club Elfic Fribourg.
"Fribourg" represents a city of the same name in Switzerland with a population of just under 40,000, which is known outside the country not only for basketball but also for its hockey traditions. "Fribourg" is the current champion of the country, and in the group round of EuroCup Women in his group G took second place. Victory in overtime (82:78) over the Spanish "Tenerife" brought the Swiss team this position and 27th place in the overall standings in the first stage of the tournament, which became their third victory in six matches. Sports director of "Prometey" Kyrylo Bolshakov considers the successful performance of "Fribourg" at the first stage of the tournament quite natural, highlighting the leaders of the team and its main playing abilities:
We will face a good opponent. The Swiss Women's Championship is not one of the top European championships, but two or three of its leading teams always represent the country in European Cups, where they perform with varying ups and downs. In the current draw, EuroCup Women “Fribourg” played in a group where the obvious leader was the French Bourges, and the Sassari from Italy and the Spanish Tenerife were behind them, and the Swiss team had to work hard to make it happen. Those, who thought that “Fribourg “ is a simple team, has already left the tournament.
The opponent has some leaders in their line-up .First of all, it is a good center from Canada Abigail Fogg and Mariel Giroud - quite possibly the best player in Switzerland nowadays. She can do absolutely anything: she can score any ball from any position, she has already been recognized as a player of the EuroCup Women tour. In general, we will face a strong and organized opponent. In addition, do not forget that Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world. An invitation to the Swiss championship is worth something, because a high standard of living implies a high level of salaries. Ordinary players will not play there.
One of the strongest points of "Fribourg" would be the correct placement of accents in the team: each of its players knows what to do on the court. For example, the light, agile player from Belgium, Laura Devos, plays smartly in the transit attacks and does not take over the functions performed, for example, by the Slovenian national team player Alexandra Croseli and Marielle Giroud. All roles in the team are distributed. Everything is clear, calm, confident and masterful. ”
Kyrylo Bolshakov does not think that "Prometey" has any precedence before the confrontation, as the second match will take place at home: "All 80 minutes of the two-match confrontation, if we do not have to play overtime, we must be focused, fight for every point. It doesn’t matter whether we plat at home or away. We need to show a good degree of preparation and the desire to win. We would like to have a day or two more to prepare for the first match, but there is a calendar. We knew from the start, so now we just have to go to Switzerland and fight there! "
Let's hope that already in Fribourg "Prometey" will make the necessary reserve for a joint victory following the results of two matches. The course of the first of the two matches of the teams will be available on December 16 starting at 8:30 pm on the Prometey website and on the FIBA YouTube channel.
