Preview: Fenerbahce Looks to Continue Dominance Against Mersin in Women’s Basketball

MERSIN, Turkey (Interstat) — The dominant force in Turkish women’s basketball, Fenerbahce, travels to face Mersin on Wednesday in a Turkey A matchup, just days after defeating the same opponent.

Fenerbahce (35-1 across all competitions) enters on a historic pace, having won 16 consecutive games. Its only loss this season came on Jan. 25. The Istanbul powerhouse defeated Mersin 73-62 at home this past Monday, led by a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double from star center Emma Meesseman.

Meesseman remains the key player to watch. In the last head-to-head, she logged 37 minutes and added four assists and a block. Over her last four games, she is averaging 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists.

Mersin (23-12) will seek to defend its home court and rebound from that loss. The team had won four straight prior to Monday’s defeat. Guard Kennedy Burke, who scored 12 points with six rebounds and five assists against Fenerbahce, is Mersin’s primary threat. She is averaging 16.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists over her last five contests.

The recent series has been entirely one-sided. Fenerbahce has won all three meetings this season by an average margin of 18.3 points, including a 94-70 victory in Mersin on Feb. 21.

For Mersin to challenge, it will need a larger contribution from forward Laura Juskaite, who had 16 points and eight rebounds on Monday, and must find a way to disrupt Fenerbahce’s efficient offense, which is fueled by Meesseman and playmaker Julie Allemand, who had 17 points and 10 assists in the last matchup.

Tip-off is set for Wednesday night at Mersin Arena.