Lointek Gernika Bizkaia put their presence on track in the Group Stage of the Women’s European Championship with an incontestable victory in Belgium against the Belgian Phantoms Basket Boom in the first leg of the previous tie played at the Heylen Vastgoed Basketcampus in Antwerp, a victory by 62-102 which makes next week’s return to Maloste practically a formality. It was a game almost without history dominated from start to finish by those directed this year by the former international player Anna Montañana, who played the match without the American power forward Keyona Hayes, whose withdrawal was announced by the Biscayan team shortly before the match.
Gernika was already winning at the end of the first quarter by 16-28, at the break by 30-55 and did not stop widening the gap in the second half (41-77 at the end of the third quarter) until the final 62-102. The clash remained even in the first few minutes in which the Belgian team went ahead 3-0 and 5-2 with a triple by Sam van Buggnehout and a basket by Habibatou Bah, but Gernika came back quickly and after 11-14 midway through the first quarter it was already much higher.
In the festival of the Biscayan team, the American forwards Julie Wojta (20 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals and a PIR of 31) and the Lithuanian Gabija Meskonyte (21, 5 and 25) stood out especially statistically. Although up to six players exceeded the ten points scored and seven the ten points of evaluation. Gernika Andrijana Cvitkovic (13), Sofia Silva (12), Sandra Ygueravide (12), Rosó Buch (11), Laura Sprefico (11), and Itziar Aristimuño (3) completed the scoring. Among the Belgians, the most outstanding was the young point guard Van Buggenhout (22, 7 assists and 22), who was barely helped by the American center Jaelencia Williams (10, 6 rebounds and 12).
If, as seems clear, they win the tie next week after the second leg of this preliminary tie at their Maloste stadium, Gernika will be drawn in Group H of the Eurocup together with the Italian Reyer Venezia, the German Rutronik Stars Keltern and Movistar Students.
Lointek announced that the American power forward Keyona Hayes will not continue with the Basque team and, therefore, will not play in Antwerp. Hayes, 28 years old and 1.86 tall, signed for the Biscayan team at the end of July from the Hungarian DVTK Miskolc, being then the player with whom the squad was closed. “From Lointek Gernika Bizkaia we want to thank the work and professionalism of Keyona Hayes. In the same way, we wish him luck in the future, both professionally and personally”, concludes the note from the Villa Foral entity.
