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EuroLeague Féminine

Bourges starts season in Vilnius with EuroLeague spot at stake

EuroLeague - Bourges Basket arrived in Lithuania this Wednesday to play their first EuroLeague preliminary round match against Kibirkstis Vilnius. Without three young players who stayed in Bourges, the Tango team will try to secure their spot for the group phase with the first leg this Thursday (6pm).
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Bourges starts season in Vilnius with EuroLeague spot at stake
Photo Credit : Tango Bourges Basket

The Tango Bourges Basket team arrived in Vilnius Wednesday afternoon after a stopover in Riga. Under cloudy skies and after a long wait to get their rooms, Olivier Lafargue’s players headed to the Arena (2,500 seats), where they begin their official season this Thursday. First challenge: a knockout match in the EuroLeague qualifying round, Europe’s premier basketball competition.

Three absentees, but a united group

The trip was made without Inès Pitarch-Granel (1.82m, 19 years old), still recovering from an ankle sprain sustained during preparation, nor Mathilde Selle (1.90m, 19 years old) and Alicia Tournebize (1.94m, 18 years old), who stayed in France for their high school graduation makeup exams. However, young players Rokia Bamba and Maewenn Poilvé, who participated in the preparation, are part of the group. Despite this setback, the Tango team shows smile and determination.

Reunion with Kamile Nacickaite

The duel will be special for a former Bourges player, Kamile Nacickaite-Van der Horst, now leader of Kibirkstis. The Lithuanian club, coached by national team selector Vilius Stanisauskas, underwent significant renewal during the offseason. For Tima Pouye, who faced and beat Lithuania in the Euro quarter-finals this summer with the French team, vigilance will be required: « Lithuanians are usually good shooters, we’ll need to limit that as much as possible. It’s up to us to do the job on both ends of the court, » she indicates in Le Berry Républicain.

A decisive first game

The qualifying format – home and away – puts this meeting at the heart of the season right from the start. « We’re still building, but we just need to focus on playing good basketball, » said new Tango center Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi. A victory would give Bourges the opportunity to join the group phase and ensure another campaign at the highest continental level.

Tip-off this Thursday at 6pm for Tango’s first official match in 2025-26, to be followed on the EuroLeague YouTube channel. The return leg of this preliminary round will take place on Wednesday, September 24.

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Image Gabriel Pantel-Jouve
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve is the founder and editor-in-chief of BeBasket, which he has been running since 2010 (formerly known as Catch & Shoot). Having studied at the École Publique de Journalisme de Tours and two universities in North America, he has developed his expertise in French basketball, from the National League to amateur divisions, over the past 20 years. Alongside this, he is also involved in the development of clubs in the Montpellier area.
Bourges starts season in Vilnius with EuroLeague spot at stake