Galatasaray fans are getting ready for the EuroCup Women basketball semifinals second leg match against Spain's Perfumerias Avenida in Salamanca, Spain.
The match at the Pabellon Sports Facility will kick off at 9:30 p.m. in Turkey. Galatasaray had won the first leg 69-62 and if the Turkish team wins or loses by similar point difference, it will go through to final.
Perfumerias Avenida must overturn a seven-point deficit in their EuroCup Women semifinals second leg against Galatasaray.
However, the game may be difficult for Galatasaray considering there are few places in European basketball that can match the decibel levels of the Avenida supporters, according to International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Avenida fans' cheers are often characterized by the moniker "the Blue Tide." Avenida has a superb 7-1 record across EuroLeague and EuroCup Women games this season when stepping out in Pabellon Wurzburg.
The Spanish team needs to deal with that intensity and pressure better in this game and avoid the 22 turnovers which marred their stats in the first meeting. They must also show their own defensive intensity which is always most prevalent and famous on their home floor. Only one team has passed 70 points when playing Avenida in Spain and that same level of defense could be the key.
It was noticeable in the first game how Galatasaray went a near stone-cold two-of-14 from long-range and it should be concerning for Avenida that it lost by seven points despite the struggles of the Turkish side behind the 3-point line. They might, however, feel that things could have been much worse and might be relieved. The likelihood is that Galatasaray may shoot better in this contest and Allie Quigley can be to better than three-of-11.
It became clear that Avenida struggled to impose their preferred tempo on Galatasaray in the first meeting and that the guard combo of Olivia Epoupa and Işıl Alben, who both played 35 minutes, caused problems.
The Spanish side looks to do a better job of dictating its own tempo and that will help the team find the rhythm, which is so often in evidence when they play at home. It promises to be an exciting and intriguing tactical battle, according to FIBA's preview.