2018–19 Úrvalsdeild kvenna (basketball)

The 2018–19 Úrvalsdeild kvenna was the 62nd season of the Úrvalsdeild kvenna, the top tier women's basketball league on Iceland. The season started on 3 October 2018 and concluded on 27 April 2019 with Valur winning their first title after beating Keflavík 3–0 in the Úrvalsdeild finals.[1]

Domino's deild kvenna^1
Teams	8
Games played	60
Dates	3 October 2018 – 27 April 2019
TV	Stöð 2 Sport
Final positions
Champions	Valur
Runners-up	Keflavík
Semifinalists	Stjarnan, KR
Relegated	Breiðablik
Awards
Finals MVP	Helena Sverrisdóttir
Domestic MVP	Helena Sverrisdóttir
Foreign MVP	Brittanny Dinkins
Statistical leaders
Points Brittanny Dinkins 29.8 Rebounds Shequila Joseph 14.5 Assists Dani Rodriguez 8.6
Records
Biggest home win	Valur 111–64 Breiðablik (30 January 2019)
Biggest away win	Valur 98–67 KR (9 March 2019)
Highest scoring	Valur 101–94 Keflavík (14 December 2018)
Winning streak	18 games Valur
Losing streak	13 games Breiðablik
← 2017–18 2019–20 → All statistics correct as of 27 April 2019. ^1 Sponsored league name, referring to Úrvalsdeild kvenna.

Competition format

The participating teams first play a conventional round-robin schedule with every team playing each opponent twice "home" and twice "away" for a total of 28 games. The top four teams qualify for the championship playoffs whilst the bottom team will be relegated to 1. deild kvenna.

Teams

Team	City, Region	Arena	Head coach
Breiðablik	Kópavogur	Smárinn	Antonio D’Albero
Haukar	Hafnarfjörður	Schenkerhöllin	Ólöf Helga Pálsdóttir
Keflavík	Keflavík	TM Höllin	Jón Guðmundsson
KR	Reykjavík	DHL-Höllin	Benedikt Guðmundsson
Skallagrímur	Borgarnes	Fjósið	Biljana Stanković
Snæfell	Stykkishólmur	Fjárhúsið	Baldur Þorleifsson
Stjarnan	Garðabær	Ásgarður	Pétur Már Sigurðsson
Valur	Reykjavík	Origo-völlurinn	Darri Freyr Atlason

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Replaced with	Date of appointment
Keflavík	Sverrir Þór Sverrisson[2]	End of contract	5 April 2018	Off-season	Jón Guðmundsson[3]	18 April 2018
Breiðablik	Hildur Sigurðardóttir[4]	Resigned	4 April 2018		Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir[5]	18 April 2018
Haukar	Ingvar Þór Guðjónsson[6]	Resigned	26 May 2018		Ólöf Helga Pálsdóttir[7]	28 May 2018
Snæfell	Ingi Þór Steinþórsson[8]	End of contract	12 June 2018		Baldur Þorleifsson[9]	27 June 2018
Breiðablik	Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir[10]	Health reasons	14 November 2018	8th	Antonio D’Albero	15 November 2018[11]
Skallagrímur	Ari Gunnarsson[12]	Fired[13]	26 November 2018	6th	Biljana Stanković[14]	4 December 2018

Regular season

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Valur	28	22	6	2330	1910	+420	44	Qualification to playoffs
2	Keflavík	28	21	7	2234	2124	+110	42
3	Stjarnan	28	18	10	2065	2010	+55	36	Qualification to playoffs, asked for relegation after the season
4	KR	28	16	12	2125	2080	+45	32	Qualification to playoffs
5	Snæfell	28	16	12	2124	2033	+91	32
6	Haukar	28	9	19	1980	2077	−97	18
7	Skallagrímur	28	6	22	1879	2180	−301	12
8	Breiðablik	28	4	24	2043	2366	−323	8	Spared from relegation due to vacance berths

Updated to match(es) played on 27 March 2019. Source: kki.is

Playoffs

The playoffs are played between the four first qualified teams with a 1-1-1-1-1 format, playing seeded teams games 1, 3 and 5 at home.

Bracket

	Semifinals					Finals
	1	Valur	3
	4	Skallagrímur	1
						1	Valur	3
						2	Keflavík	0
	2	Keflavík	3
	3	Stjarnan	2

Updated to match(es) played on 27 April 2019. Source: KKÍ

Semifinals

Team 1	Series	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg	3rd leg	4th leg	5th leg
Valur	3–1	KR	70–61	84–77	85–87	84–81	0
Keflavík	3–2	Stjarnan	70–78	62–64	91–67	83–73	85–69

Final

Team 1	Series	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg	3rd leg	4th leg	5th leg
Valur	3–0	Keflavík	75–63	100–96	87–64	0	0

Notable occurrences

• On June 16, reigning Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year Helena Sverrisdóttir left Haukar and signed with Ceglédi EKK of the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A.[15]
• On June 25, reigning Úrvalsdeild Foreign Player of the Year Danielle Rodriguez resigned with Stjarnan.[16]
• On June 30, Haukar signed former Úrvalsdeild Foreign Player of the Year Lele Hardy.[17]
• On August 14, Breiðablik signed former WNBA player Kelly Faris.[18]
• On September 5, Stjarnan signed Argentinian national team player Florencia Palacios who spent the previous season in the Swedish Basketligan dam.[19]
• On September 14, it was reported that KR had signed former Torpan Pojat player Kiana Johnson.[20]
• On October 31, Brittanny Dinkins scored a career-high 51 points for Keflavík against Breiðablik,[21] including Keflavík's last 14 points in the 85–78 victory.[22]
• On October 31, Danielle Rodriguez was one steal away from a quadruple-double in a victory against Valur. She finished the game with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists and 9 steals.[23]
• On November 1, it was reported that Valur had released American Brooke Johnson who had averaged 16.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.[24] In her place, the club signed Heather Butler who last played for Uppsala Basket in the Basketligan dam.[25]
• On November 2, Breiðablik announced that star center Isabella Ósk Sigurðardóttir would miss the rest of the season after tearing her Anterior cruciate ligament on practice. She had been averaging 9.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and league leading 2.2 blocks for the season.[26] In her place, Breiðablik signed Sanja Orozović.[27]
• On November 14, Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir resigned from her post as head coach of Breiðablik for health reasons.[10]
• On November 15, 2018, reigning Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year, Helena Sverrisdóttir, signed with Valur.[28]
• On November 24, Breiðablik defeated Haukar for its first win of the season, breaking its 8-game losing streak.[29][30]
• On December 20, it was reported that Stjarnan had released Florencia Palacios who had averaged 11.8 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 34.8% from the three-point range in 12 games for the club.[31][32]
• On December 21, Haukar signed Dutch national team player Janine Guijt for the rest of the season.[33]
• On January 3, Breiðablik announced that it had signed Florencia Palacios who had been released by Stjarnan in December.[34]
• On January 9, Stjarnan and Icelandic national team player Ragna Margrét Brynjarsdóttir played her first game since suffering a concussion during a game on 3 February 2018, scoring 7 points in 12 minutes in a loss against Keflavík.[35]
• On February 6, Kiana Johnson scored 50 points for KR in a 102–81 victory against Breiðablik. She also had 16 rebounds and 10 assists.[36]
• On February 6, Unnur Tara Jónsdóttir of KR and the Icelandic national team suffered a knee injury in a victory against Breiðablik and was initially ruled out for the rest of the season.[37]
• On 11 April, KR's Ástrós Lena Ægisdóttir tied the Úrvalsdeild playoffs record for most three pointers in a game when she made 7 three point shots in a victory against Valur.[38]

References

1. Valur Páll Eiríksson (27 April 2019). "Valskonur Íslandsmeistarar í fyrsta sinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 April 2019.
2. "Sverrir Þór og Jón taka við Keflavík". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
3. Ástrós Ýr Eggertsdóttir (18 April 2018). "Jón tekur við kvennaliði Keflavíkur" (in Icelandic). Vísir.is. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
4. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (4 April 2018). "Eini kvenþjálfarinn í kvennadeildinni hættir óvænt". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
5. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (18 April 2018). "Blikar áfram með konu við stjórnvölinn: Margrét tekur við af Hildi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 April 2018.
6. Anton Ingi Leifsson (26 May 2018). "Ingvar hættur með Íslandsmeistarana". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 May 2018.
7. "Ólöf tekur við Íslandsmeisturunum". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
8. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (12 June 2018). "Ingi Þór orðinn þjálfari KR-inga á ný: Fjögurra ára samningur". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 12 June 2018.
9. "Baldur stjórnar liði Snæfells". karfan.is (in Icelandic). 27 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
10. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (14 November 2018). "Margrét hættir sem þjálfari kvennaliðs Breiðabliks". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 November 2018.
11. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (26 November 2018). "Antonio tekinn við Breiðablik". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 25 November 2018.
12. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (26 November 2018). "Ari hættur með Skallagrím". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 November 2018.
13. Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (28 November 2018). "Segist hafa fengið skipanir úr stúkunni frá fyrrum formanni". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 November 2018.
14. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (4 December 2018). "Sigursælasta körfuboltakona Serbíu þjálfar lið Skallagríms". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 December 2018.
15. Einar Örn Jónsson (16 May 2018). "Helena til Ungverjalands". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 16 May 2018.
16. Arnar Geir Halldórsson (25 June 2018). "Danielle áfram í Garðabænum og sex aðrar semja". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 July 2018.
17. Ástrós Ýr Eggertsdóttir (30 June 2018). "Lele Hardy aftur á Ásvelli". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 July 2018.
18. Ástrós Ýr Eggertsdóttir (15 August 2018). "Fyrrum WNBA leikmaður í Breiðablik". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 16 August 2018.
19. "Stjarnan fær argentínska landsliðskonu". karfan.is (in Icelandic). 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
20. Kristinn Páll Teitsson (14 September 2018). "Kvennalið KR bætir við öflugum bakverði". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 17 September 2018.
21. Þór Símon Hafþórsson (31 October 2018). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Breiðablik - Keflavík 78-85 - Brittanny skaut Breiðablik í kaf". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 November 2018.
22. "Dinkins með 51 stig í sigri á Breiðabliki". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
23. Anton Ingi Leifsson (31 October 2018). "Nýliðarnir á toppnum, Danielle hetjan gegn Val og framlengt í Hafnarfirði". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 November 2018.
24. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (1 November 2018). "Valur lætur Brooke fara". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 November 2018.
25. Davíð Eldur (7 November 2018). "Heather Butler til Vals". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 November 2018.
26. Davíð Eldur (2 November 2018). "Isabella Ósk með slitið krossband". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2 November 2018.
27. Davíð Eldur (2 November 2018). "Sanja Orozović til Breiðabliks". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2 November 2018.
28. Davíð Eldur (15 November 2018). "Helena Sverrisdóttir í Val". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 November 2018.
29. "Fyrsti sigur Breiðabliks í höfn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 24 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
30. Víkingur Goði Sigurðsson (24 November 2018). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Breiðablik - Skallagrímur 85-79 - Breiðablik komið á blað". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 November 2018.
31. Davíð Eldur (20 December 2018). "Florencia Palacios yfirgefur Stjörnuna". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 20 December 2018.
32. "Úrvalsdeild kvenna Domino's deild kvenna (2018-2019 Tímabil) - Maria Florencia Palacios". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
33. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (21 December 2018). "Byrjar á því að upplifa gamlárskvöld í fyrsta sinn á Íslandi og spilar svo með Haukum fram á vor". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 21 December 2018.
34. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (3 January 2019). "Florencia Palacios til liðs við Breiðablik". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
35. "Ragna sneri aftur eftir höfuðhögg". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
36. "Allt í hnút í Dominosdeild kvenna". RÚV (in Icelandic). 6 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
37. Davíð Eldur (18 February 2019). "Unnur Tara ekki meira með á þessu tímabili". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 18 February 2019.
38. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (12 April 2019). "Ástrós Lena jafnaði þrista metið í úrslitakeppni kvenna í gær". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 12 April 2019.

External links

• Official Icelandic Basketball Federation website