Women's Beroe lost to the Spanish Baxi Ferrol 61:76 in the first match of the EuroCup qualifiers. The match was played in the Sports Hall “Stara Zagora“, and the halves ended 9:23, 26:14, 11:22 and 15:17.
The guests started more confidently and took advantage of Beroe's mistakes near the basket. After the first quarter, Baxi Ferrol led 23:9. Nikolay Gospodinov changed his starting five, but the Spanish team maintained its advantage at the beginning of the match.
Beroe responded strongly in the second half with a series of 12 unanswered points and reduced its deficit to 21:26. After a three-pointer by Bree Gunnells and successful shooting by Angelina Turmel, the hosts tied the score at 28:28. Starozagorski even took the lead, but a three-pointer by Karolina Shotolova at the buzzer sent Baxi Ferrol to the break with a 37:35 lead.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Deana Stoyanovska scored from the three-point zone, but the Spanish team gradually regained control of the game. Five minutes before the end of the half, Baxi Ferrol led 49:43, and before the last 10 minutes, its lead was 59:46.
The aggressive defense of the guests did not allow Beroe to return to the game. In the middle of the last quarter, the difference was 67:52, and until the end, the Spanish team maintained its double-digit lead.
Deana Stoyanovska finished with 16 points for Beroe. Bree Gunnells added 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Aleksandra Katanic and Angelina Turmel each scored 10 points. For Baxi Ferrol, Margaret Dugan had 20 points and 5 rebounds, while Sydney Shaw chipped in with 16 points.
The second leg is on October 1 in Spain. Baxi Ferrol, which reached the EuroCup final in 2025, will host Beroe in the second game of the qualifiers.
Sources: Sportal