ATHENS, Greece (Interstat) — A pivotal Turkey B women’s professional basketball matchup features the surging Athinaikos hosting the struggling Mersin on Thursday.

Athinaikos (11-3 across all competitions) enters with one of the league’s best records and will enjoy home-court advantage at Athens Arena. Their last outing was a 78-70 road loss to Villeneuve on March 4, where Alexis Prince led all scorers with 24 points and nine rebounds. The team has shown resilience, notably with a road win over Avenida (79-68) in February.

Mersin (23-13), despite a stronger overall win total, arrives reeling from consecutive lopsided losses to Fenerbahce, including a 95-65 home defeat on March 25. The visiting side will lean on forward Laura Juskaite, who has been a consistent performer. In the recent loss to Fenerbahce, Juskaite posted 17 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, continuing a string of solid outings.

The game is the first of a home-and-home series, with the rematch scheduled in Mersin on April 9. This adds strategic importance, as aggregate scoring or head-to-head results could factor into postseason positioning.

For Athinaikos, containing Juskaite will be key, while relying on the offensive production of Prince and center Ana Tadic, who had 11 points and eight rebounds in the last contest. Mersin must improve its defensive intensity after allowing an average of 84 points in its two recent losses to Fenerbahce.

The contrast in recent form sets the stage: Athinaikos looks to protect its home floor and build momentum, while Mersin aims to halt its skid and steal a critical road victory in the first leg of this series.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) in Athens.