The Luxembourg Women's National Basketball Team;
Credit: antpics@pt.lu via FLBB
On Thursday 6 February 2025, the Luxembourg Women's National Basketball Team, currently leading Group H in the EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers, will play their penultimate qualification match away against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After four matches on group stage, Mariusz Dziurdzia’s team has secured three wins and one loss, which came on 10 November in a home game against Switzerland (44:59). Montenegro holds the same record (3:1), but Luxembourg sits ahead in the standings due to their head-to-head victory. The two teams will face each other again on Sunday 9 February 2025 in Bar, Montenegro.
For the two matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, the coaching staff has called up a squad of thirteen players, four of whom compete in foreign leagues. The team’s roster: Bidinger Charlie (AB Contern), Cahill Amanda (Gréngewald Hueschtert), Coulon Kyra (Basket Esch), Etute Isi (T71 Dudelange), Hämäläinen Isa (Amicale Steinsel), Hetting Lisy (Gréngewald Hueschtert), Irthum Laurie (Heidelberg, Germany), Mersch Lena (Sparta Bertrange), Meynadier Magaly (Saarlouis, Germany), Nurenberg Svenia (T71 Dudelange), Simon Anne (San Martino, Italy), Skrijelj Esmeralda (AB Contern), Irthum Liz (BK Duchess, Austria).
The team will be without 19-year-old Faith Ehi Etute, who started in the last two qualification matches and recorded double-doubles in both games - scoring 10 points with 12 rebounds against Montenegro and 14 points with 14 rebounds against Switzerland. “It is the job of the entire team to compensate her absence. Ehis can not be replaced by one single player but we have a good roster and other players are ready to step up”, head coach, Mariusz Dziudrzia, according to the FLBB website.
If the Luxembourg Women's National Basketball Team manages to retain the top spot and finish the qualifiers as group leaders, they will secure direct qualification for EuroBasket 2025. Another route to the European Championship is through placement among the four best-ranked runners-up.
Mariusz Dziurdzia highlighted this historic opportunity: “These two games are the most important games in the careers of the players. We have a historic chance for basketball in Luxembourg, I hope that the players can enjoy the moment while being extremely competitive at the same time.”
"It will be interesting to see if we can beat both opponents one more time, it will be a great challenge. The game in Montenegro will be extremely difficult, we are aware of that. I expect our team to beat Bosnia and then we will see what will be possible in Montenegro. We know that we are shorthanded under the baskets with the absence of Ehis, we need to adapt our playing style for both games”, added the captain, Magaly Meynadier.
The European Championship 2025 will be played in four countries: Italy, Germany, Greece, Czechia. The games will be played from 18 - 29 June 2025.
IK
