Photolure
Hatis lost to Elitzur Ramla 82-69.
Armenia’s revived women’s team, Hatis, has brought more international basketball to Yerevan, but fewer reasons for the local fans to cheer after a second straight defeat in a European tournament on Thursday.
The final score of 82-69 to the Israeli team, Elitzur Ramla, in FIBA’s 2010/2011 Euro Cup reflected the overall advantage held by the visitors during most of the game at Yerevan’s Mika gym.
The Israeli team pressed its defense, were more efficient in three-point shots and more accurate in two-point shots. They also outdid the Yerevan side on rebounds.
Playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd of several hundred supporters, Hatis dropped the first two periods (21-19 and 19-11), but managed to win the third one (20-15).
At the beginning of the fourth quarter Gia Ghazanchyan’s side at one point leveled 55-55, but the Israelis quickly got in front again and kept their advantage till the final whistle.
Amanda Jackson was top scorer for Hatis with 27.
The latest defeat comes after Hatis’ unsuccessful start in the tournament a week ago when in an away game in Novosibirsk, Russia, they lost to Group F’s other rival Dynamo GUVD - 79-50.
Hatis will host the Novosibirsk club in Yerevan on November 18, before traveling to Israel for the last game in the group stage on November 25.
The winner of the group directly qualifies for playoffs. The runner-up may also expect to progress to the next stage.
Hatis, which played at a high level in USSR competitions, returned from nearly two decades of sporting obscurity last year. The Yerevan side provided a sensation by passing a successful qualification in its first-ever major European tournament -- in 2009/2010 European Cup qualifying -- and was stopped only at the playoff stage.
While preserving a number of players from last year’s squad, Hatis this year has several newcomers, including U.S.-Armenian Christine Kepenekian (who acquired Armenian citizenship and has played for the country’s national team), naturalized American Quianna Chaney, Canadian Kaela Chapdelaine, Croatian Martina Zubak and others.
More details about the club are available on its official website www.hatis.am and about the tournament on FIBA’s official website www.fiba.com.
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