Kate Vilka scores 18 points as Magnolia win in FIBA Europe Cup

Latvian basketball player Kate Vilka scored 18 points on Wednesday in the opening group-stage game of the FIBA Europe Cup, the women's European club competition ranked second behind the EuroLeague. Her club, Italy's Magnolia from Campobasso, beat Slovenia's Cinkarna Celje 75:53 (17:16, 23:11, 17:15, 18:11) at home in a Group G game.

Vilka and Meldere's performance

Vilka spent almost 29 minutes on court. She made two of four two-point attempts, two of six three-pointers and eight of ten free throws. She also had five rebounds, one assist, two steals and one turnover. Her efficiency rating was 17 and her plus/minus was +29, the second-best figure on the team in both categories.

Laura Meldere, another Latvian player, scored four points in 18 minutes and 24 seconds. She made two of three two-point shots and missed both of her three-point attempts. She grabbed three rebounds and dished out one assist. Only Sarah Mader outscored Vilka for Magnolia, with 19 points.

In the other Group G game, Brno beat Nyon 72:60.

Other Latvians

Nikola Priede's team, Spain's Baxi from Ferrol, lost 96:68 away to Olympiacos from Piraeus in a Group D game. Priede scored two points in just under 18 minutes, with three rebounds and two assists. Digna Strautmane's team, Sleza Wroclaw, plays away at Mersin on Thursday.

Competition format

The Europe Cup features 48 teams split into 12 groups of four. After a double round-robin, the top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage, where they will be joined by four clubs eliminated from the EuroLeague's main round. The knockout games begin in January, and the winners will be decided in early April. Last year's champions were Turkey's Mersin.