Espoo Basket Team II completed a dominant run through the 2025-26 Naisten I Divisioona playoffs with a comprehensive 75-57 victory over Pyrinto Akatemia in Game 2 of the finals at Pyynikin palloiluhalli on Thursday night, sweeping the best-of-three series 2-0 to claim the second-division championship.
Emili Melnikova (170-PG-2008) was the driving force once again, pouring in 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting — including three triples — to go with seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 26 minutes. The versatile guard had already starred with 22 points in EBT II's opening playoff victory and was the team's most impactful player throughout the postseason. Alli Niinisto (185-G-2006) added 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (five offensive), while Milja Kuusela (176-F-2006) contributed 10 points with six rebounds and two steals. Suvi Ahtola (174-G-2006) provided a spark with 13 points off the bench on three three-pointers.
The result was rarely in doubt. EBT II entered the regular season as overwhelming favorites and lived up to that billing throughout, going unbeaten for most of the campaign and posting lopsided margins en route to the top seed. Their physicality and depth proved too much for Pyrinto Akatemia in the final, as the Espoo side dominated the glass 51-47 — hauling in a remarkable 25 offensive rebounds — and forced 29 turnovers against the Tampere outfit's pressure.
For Pyrinto Akatemia, coached by Antti Nikkila, Ella Mahonen (178-F-2007) was the standout with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but shot-making dried up around her. The team shot just 13.6 percent from three-point range (3-of-22) and committed nearly twice as many turnovers (29) as their opponents (17). Alina Nikkila (183-F-2008) battled hard with eight points and 10 rebounds, while Sara Himanen (173-G-2004) added eight points — connecting on two of her eight three-point attempts.
EBT II topped the regular season as the clear No. 1 seed and stormed through the playoffs without dropping a game. However, as the reserve team of Espoo Basket Team — who already compete in Naisten Korisliiga — they are ineligible for promotion under Finnish Basketball Federation rules that prohibit the same club from having two teams in the top tier.