1/29 Overseas Update

Iziane Castro Marques' team, Ourinhos of the Brazilian League, swept Fluminense in the best-of-five quarterfinal round with three impresive wins. Castro Marques had 32 points in game one, as Ourinhos tore apart Fluminense 97-29. In game two, Castro Marques continued her strong play with 34 points in a 102-32 win. Game three was no different and she had her best game of the series with 39 points in a incredible 121-40 win. Next round's opponent for Ourinhos has not been decided yet.

Lauren Jackson's and Sue Bird's Russian SuperLeague team, Spartak (Moscow Region), improved their record to 12-1 with a win against Dynamo on Jan. 27. Spartak crushed Dynamo 90-55. Jackson tied for the team lead with 14 points. She also had five rebounds and three blocked shots in 15 minutes. Bird led Spartak in assists with eight in 18 minutes. Spartak remains one game behind 13-0 CSKA (Moscow) in the standings. Up next for Spartak (Moscow Region) is a game against 2-11 Spartak (St. Petersburg) on Feb. 1.

On Jan. 28, Tanisha Wright's Israeli DI National League team Raanana Hertzliya beat Elizur Holon 67-60. Wright led her team with 16 points on a great shooting night, as she went 6-of-7 from the floor. She also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 39 minutes. Raanana Hertzliya is currently third in the standings with a record of 11-2. They are one game behind 12-1 Electra Ramat Hasharon. Next up is a matchup against Bnei Yehuda on Feb. 4, who has a record of 5-8.