Euroleague 8/2008 - Gdynia 86, Union Hainaut 62

A win would have differentiated Union Hainaut (3-5) from the teams below it, putting the French squad in third place with two games to go in the first round of Euroleague. Instead, Union Hainaut traveled to Gdynia (3-5) and lost, 86-62, in front of 1700 Polish spectators.

The loss forces a three-way tie for third place in Group C. Sure, if Union Hainaut wins their next two Euroleague games, they could make it to the second round. Unfortunately, the next two games for Union Hainaut are against Ros Casares (6-2) at home and Ekaterinburg (7-1) on the road.

The box score is here.

Union Hainaut lost every quarter of the game. Down by only five points at halftime, 37-34, Gydnia scored 30 points in the third quarter and turned a five point lead into an 18 point lead. They would win going away easily.

Gdynia outshot Union Hainaut 55 percent to 39 percent. How do you make that up? You don't make it up with three extra offensive rebounds. You don't make it up with one fewer turnover. And you sure as hell don't make it up by sending Gdynia to the free throw line 21 times.

Gdynia's two WNBA acquisitions would lead the team in scoring. Alana Beard led all players on both teams with 22 points and eight rebounds. Monique Currie would score 19 points and three rebounds, and Ivana Matovic would score 15 points. Beard and Currie both play for the Washington Mystics.

For the visiting "Panthers", Sabrina Reghaissia would score 11 points to lead Union Hainaut and Vedrana Grgin Fonseca would score 10 points. The player of the game for Union Hainaut, however, was Tiffany Stansbury, with eight points and eight rebounds.

As for Chioma Nnamaka, she was held scoreless in twenty minutes of play. She only took one shot. I don't know if that was deliberate or not.