While Sparta&K Moscow was getting upset, Jana Vesela and Ros Casares Valencia opened up Euroleague Group D play in Russia against Nadezhda. Ros Casares earned a 76-68 victory, withstanding a fourth-quarter rally by the home team. Nadezhda has loaded up for Euroleague play, signing Becky Hammon (15 points, six assists, three steals) and Tina Charles (24 points, 13 rebounds).

Ros Casares countered with hot shooting – both teams hit 60 percent of their two-point attempts and Ros Casares was 8-of-18 from beyond the arc. Three players scored at least 15 points: Katie Douglas (17), Edwige Lawson-Wade (16) and Rebekkah Brunson (15). Vesela chipped in two points, two rebounds and two assists.

Call the BDS Logan Thunder giant-killers. A week after knocking the Canberra Transact Capitals from the ranks of the unbeatens, the Thunder did the same Friday to the Dandenong Jayco Rangers, winning 80-68 at home. The teams were tied at 21 after one quarter and 39 at the half before host Logan pulled away in the second half behind balanced scoring. Five Thunder players reached double-figures, led by 19 from Sarah Graham. Abby Bishop had 16 points and seven rebounds for Dandenong, while Ashley Robinson scored eight points and grabbed nine boards.

Dandenong’s loss opened the door for Canberra to take over the WNBL’s best record to date with a 93-76 victory over the Adelaide Lightning.  Alison Lacey provided six points, five rebounds and two assists in the win. Jessica Bibby paced the high-scoring Caps with 20 points, while Marianna Tolo scored 19 and Michelle Cosier had a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. Angela Marino had 19 points for Adelaide.

Because Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson have yet to join the team, we haven’t been following Sparta&K Moscow Region’s results thus far in Russian SuperLeague play. Today’s Euroleague opener, however, demands consideration. Sparta&K was upset 81-79 by Lithuanian club VICI Aistes, snapping a winning streak that dated back to February 2009.

Sparta&K, fell behind by 15 points at halftime. Irina Osipova and Epiphanny Prince (22 points, five assists) helped lead a second-half comeback that actually gave Sparta&K a lead in the final minute. However, Ausra Bimbaite came up with a three-pointer to tie the game and a two-pointer to win it at the buzzer. Bimbaite, who averaged 5.0 points per game during her last Euroleague season (2008-09) scored 26 points, one shy of her Euroleague career high, on 9-of-16 shooting.

While it may not ultimately make much of a difference, the loss was not an ideal way for Sparta&K to begin its pursuit of a fifth consecutive Euroleague title. In years past, Sparta&K has been able to survive late arrivals by star players because of the team’s depth. That may be a little more challenging this time around, though Jackson should join the team soon.

The Greater Dandenong Weekly writes about Ashley Robinson’s adjustment to Australia – on the court in the WNBL and off of it.

The other type is driving a car on Australian roads and the 193-centimetre Texan claims to have that down pat, even though she has been in Australia for less than a month.

“I’m an excellent driver,” she said. “It was a little scary at first but I’m fine now, you won’t have any problems with me on the road.”

Robinson and her team had Saturday and Sunday off, but Alison Lacey’s Canberra Transact Capitals squad was in action on Saturday, rallying from an early deficit to defeat Townsville 81-67. Marianna Tolo powered the victory with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while former UW guard Nicole Romeo scored 12 points in the win. At 5-1, Canberra trails only undefeated Dandenong in the standings.

In Spain, Ros Casares Valencia swamped Ibiza-PDV 80-33 on Saturday. Ros Casares led by 21 points after one quarter and an even 30 at the half. Ibiza, which boasts three former WNBA players (Kristen Rasmussen and Canadians Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn) did not score more than 10 points in any quarter and was shut out at the free throw line. Jana Veselá scored six points as Ros Casares balanced its scoring – every player on the roster had at least five points.

The Storm combination of Abby Bishop and Ashley Robinson has been a successful one for the Dandenong Jayco Rangers thus far. After Friday’s lopsided 87-52 win over the Australian Institute of Sport, Dandenong is alone in first place in the WNBL at 4-0. Bishop was very effective in 21 minutes of action before giving way to reserves, scoring a team-high 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Robinson rejected seven shots and handed out three assists in addition to scoring two points.

The Canberra Transact Capitals were also undefeated at 4-0 before suffering their first loss on Friday on the road against the Logan Thunder. Canberra struggled in the first and third quarters, facing large deficits before rallying in the second and fourth periods. Alas, a 21-9 advantage in the final quarter was not quite enough to come all the way back as Logan held on for the 64-63 victory. Alison Lacey grabbed four rebounds as a starter. One-time Storm signee Jessica Bibby led Canberra with 19 points. For the Thunder, Emma Randall (10 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double.

Canberra completes the back-to-back at Townsville, while Dandenong is done for Round 3.

Play is under way in Israel. In Monday’s opening round, Tanisha Wright and Ramla earned an 85-41 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv, which played with just four players. Wright had 13 points in 22 minutes against the overmatched opponent. Camille Little scored 20 points to lead Electra Ramat Hasharon over Elizur Rishon Lezion, 72-48. Little added eight rebounds and shot 9-of-14 from the field.

On Wednesday, Ros Casares Valencia got an easy 91-61 victory over Gran Canaria to stay undefeated at 4-0. Jana Vesela had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three boards in 24 minutes. Katie Douglas scored 18 for Ros Casares, which has won all four games by at least 16 points.

Less than a week after the conclusion of the FIBA World Championships, the international domestic leagues are already under way, starting today with the Australian WNBL, where two Storm players were in action.

Ashley Robinson made her debut Down Under alongside Storm teammate Abby Bishop for the Dandenong Jayco Rangers. The duo helped lead Dandenong to a 94-80 road win over the Adelaide Link Lightning. Robinson had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, seven of them offensive. Bishop, who has had a busy week – she finished up in the Czech Republic on Sunday – grabbed eight rebounds but could not find her shot, finishing 2-of-12 from the field. Tracy Gahan added 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Nicole Seekamp had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Adelaide.

Dandenong completes a back-to-back Saturday against the West Coast Waves, while Alison Lacey will debut over the weekend with a back-to-back for the Canberra Transact Capitals.

The other game on Friday was the annual Spanish Supercopa, which matched up last year’s two LFB finalists, Halcon Avenida and Ros Casares Valencia. Ros Casares won last year’s championship, but Avenida extracted some measure of revenge with a 76-72 win to claim the Supercopa for the first time and end Ros Casares’ four-year stranglehold on the trophy. Sancho Lyttle was named MVP after posting 17 points and nine rebounds. Teammate Erika De Souza added 14 points and six boards. Rebekkah Brunson (12 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double for Ros Casares. Storm and Ros Casares forward Jana Vesela, herself less than a week removed from winning silver in the World Championship, played 13 minutes and scored two points.