Seven wins in seven games – Polonia Warszawa withstood the comeback attempts by Šiauliai Vilmers to post a 67-61 success on Sunday, January 15, at the Mestska sportovni hala in Chomutov, western Czechia.
Players of the game
All nine available players scored at least four points for Polonia Warszawa.
Anna Pawlowska had a team high 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from the three point line.
She added two rebounds and two steals.
Andreona Keys scored 11 points from all positions.
Purdue graduate blocked one shot as well.
Marta Mystigacz posted nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and made her lone three-pointer.
Warszawa captain grabbed eight rebounds, made two assists and blocked one shot for a game high efficiency rating of 19.
Morgan Lenahan led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Wagner standout scored 13 points for Šiauliai in the second half.
Yulia Hutevych had 14 points, including a 4-of-7 effort from the three point land.
Šiauliai newcomer stole the ball once and registered a positive +/- ratio of 4.
Rūta Stiprā had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Key stats
Polonia Warszawa bench outscored Šiauliai 19-6 in the first half.
Fresh reserves poured in – Marta Mystigacz and Anna Pawlowska went for 3-of-3 from the three point line for a 47-31 lead at the half.
Polonia offense almost stopped in the second half.
Lenahan, Hutevych and Stiprā started the hunt to cut the gap to four points twice, 63-59 and 65-61.
Pawlowska and Wiktoria Stepien secured the win for the Poles.
Polonia won the battle of rebounds, 42-32, and scored more second chance points, 9-4.
Game notes
Polonia Warszawa started the regular season with a 3-0 record at the home stage.
Maciej Gordon`s team defeated Levharti Chomutov, Rīga Stradiņs University and Neptūnas Klaipeda.
Ten Polonia supporters traveled to Rīga in December to witness two more wins as the Czarne Koszule prevailed over SBŠ Ostrava and TTT Rīga.
Warszawa team started the 2023 with a trip to Czechia and added two more wins over Frankivsk Prykarpattya and Šiauliai Vilmers.
Polonia Warszawa was the first to book a ticket to the Final Four.
Šiauliai Vilmers proved its resilience, being a tough nut to crack.
They will play one more game against Neptūnas Klaipeda.
SCHEDULE (local time, GMT+2h)
Thursday, January 12, Ostrava
SBŠ Ostrava 63–74 Frankivsk Prykarpattya
Saturday, January 14, Chomutov
Polonia Warszawa 73–70 Frankivsk Prykarpattya
Levharti Chomutov 74–58 Šiauliai Vilmers
Sunday, January 15, Chomutov
Šiauliai Vilmers 61–67 Polonia Warszawa
13:00 Frankivsk Prykarpattya – Levharti Chomutov
Standings, as of January 15, 2023, CET 12:00
SKK Polonia Warszawa 7-0 (+55) Qualified
Frankivsk Prykarpattya 4-2 (+33) Qualified
Levharti Chomutov 3-3 (+32)
Šiauliai Vilmers 2-4 (-66)
TTT Rīga 2-3 (-10)
SBŠ Ostrava 2-3 (-8)
RSU 1-4 (-29)
Neptūnas Klaipeda 1-3 (-7)
Tie-breaker (1): TTT Rīga 1-0, +8; Levharti Chomutov 0-1, -8.
Tie-breaker (2): SBŠ Ostrava 1-0, +21; Šiauliai Vilmers 0-1, -21.
Tie-breaker (3): TTT Rīga 2-0, +15; SBŠ Ostrava 1-1, -2; Levharti Chomutov 0-2, -13.
Tie-breaker (4): SBŠ Ostrava 1-1, +14; TTT Rīga 1-1, +3; Šiauliai Vilmers 1-1, -17.
Tie-breaker (5): TTT Rīga 1-0, +7; SBŠ Ostrava 0-1, -7.