"Psycho" Betty and big Andrea earn their team a win away in Bulgaria

The fans from Cyprus enjoyed a win in Bulgaria

26-10-2007 10:01

K.V. Imperial AEL made it to the group stage of FIBA Eurocup Women, after a great 70-62 victory over hosts Dunav Econt in the return game. In the first encounter a week ago in Limassol the Cypriot team had won by just 1 point (63-62) and needed at least a draw last night in the Bulgarian city of Ruse to qualify for the groups.

And what they got was the win by an 8 point margin, thanks mainly to their American star player Betty Lennox, of WNBA's Seattle Storm fame. The Oklahoma native, known by some across the Atlantic as "Psycho" and by others as "Betty Basketball" and "B-Money", went truly psycho last night on the court in Ruse. That's, of course, in the sense of shooting and, most often, scoring from all kinds of positions. Also - repeatedly cutting right through Dunav Econt's defense with her great speed and manoeuverability.

Lennox and her teammates led during most of the game, but their advantage was never enough for comfort. On a couple of occasions the hosts were even able to peep in front by a point or two. Right after the last such occurrence, at 60-59 with less than 5 minutes to go, the lightning fast American was fouled on the break by the Ruse team captain Diana Naydenova and the unfortunate Bulgarian's fault was deemed unsportmanslike by the officials. So K.V. Imperial AEL took the lead again (60-61) and then only conceded two more points until the final buzzer, while scoring 9 at the other end.

Lennox had a total of 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists for her team's success. Compatriot Andrea Gardner added 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her double-double.

The team of K.V. Imperial AEL were supported by a sizable group of travelling fans, who along with the home supporters in Ruse helped create a great atmosphere for a great night of basketball in Dunav Hall.

And here's what the Cypriot team coach Marios Thrasyvoulides had to say about their win:
"It was a very difficult game. Bost teams played very good in both games. You see it from the score - it was between 60 and 70 both times around. We came here having no choice but to win. We only beat them by one point in Cyprus, so only a draw or a win was our target. We succeeded to get in front from the beginning and that released the stress for our players. At the end we had the luck to win."