Spartak Moscow wins 3rh straight Euroleague
Championship - Apr 5, 2009 (by Eurobasket
) Spartak MR - Halcon Avenida
85:70
Spartak Moscow Region wrote in their name in the Euroleague history
after they clinched the third straight title. The Russian powerhouse
defeated Halcon Avenida in Salamanca to celebrate another European
triumph.
Diana Taurasi
(182-G-82, college:
Connecticut) was
unstoppable as she knocked down 31 points, grabbed 5 boards and dished
out 4 assists to lead Spartak.
The teams exchanged baskets throughout the first frame with neither side
able to dominate.
Diana Taurasi and
Sue Bird
(175-G-80, college:
Connecticut) gave
Spartak a 19:16 lead late in the period but
Le'Coe Willingham
(183-C-81, college:
Auburn) and
Isabel Sanchez
(178-G-76) trimmed it at 21:22 after ten minutes.
Sue Bird,
Kelly Miller
(178-G-78, college:
Georgia) and
Tatiana Shchegoleva
(195-F/C-82) opened the second frame with 5 straight points as Spartak
opened a 5-point advantage.
Sue Bird hit from
downtown and Karpunina converted a three-point play to enlarge the lead
to as many as 9 points midway through the second frame. The Russian team
controlled the tempo at the moments and rolled to a 46:34 advantage at
halftime.
Sylvia Fowles
(198-C-85, college:
LSU),
Sue Bird and
Diana Taurasi
maintained the pressure at the start of the second half. The gap reached
15 points at one point but the fans cheered up Avenida as they clipped
the margin to 10 points.
Isabel Sanchez
scored 8 points in the final two minutes of the third frame but Spartak
remained leading as they entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point
cushion.
Diana Taurasi
tipped off the fourth term with a three-pointer, while
Sylvia Fowles
followed with 6 points in a row to silence the crowd.
Le'Coe Willingham
and
Isabel Sanchez
managed to cut the deficit to 14 points but Avenida could not get any
closer. Spartak rallied to the historic victory at the end.
Sue Bird tallied
13 points, 10 assists and 6 boards, while
Lauren Jackson
(196-F/C-81) added 13 points for the winners.
Le'Coe Willingham
responded with 25 points and 7 rebounds for Avenida.
Isabel Sanchez
had 16 points in defeat.
Europe - Rest of the World
101:78 The European all-star team fired down the Rest of the World side in todays
showdown in Paris.
Rebecca Khammon (168-G-77, college:
Colorado St.) scored 24 points and was trumped the Most Valuable Player.
Khammon was also triumphant at the three-point shootout. She outscored Sheana
Mosch in the final of the contest. The game was also highlighted by the Olympic
Games gold medalist and Spartak MR standout
Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85, college:
LSU). American centre came up with an impressive slam dunk in the third
frame to put the fans on their feet.
Sylvia Fowles and
Dominique Canty (175-G/F-77, agency:
Merit Sports, college:
Alabama) put the Rest of the World ahead early in the game but Europe
answered right back.
Anna
Vajda (191-F/C-84) nailed 5 points in a 9:2 rally that put Europe in front.
The teams traded baskets then before
Lindsay Whalen (173-G-82, college:
Minnesota) capped the opening frame to give the Rest of the World team a
27:24 advantage. The teams kept it close in the second frame but Europe capped
the period with an 8:0 run to enjoy a 47:38 advantage at halftime.
Geraldine Robert (184-F-80) and
Nevriye Yilmaz (195-C-80) opened the second half with 4 straight points to
stretch the margin to 13 points.
Alana Beard (180-G/F-82, college:
Duke) netted 10 points in the third quarter as Rest of the World cut the
deficit to 3 points heading into the final stanza.
Anna
Vajda stepped up for Europe once again as her 5 straight points made it
71:63 early in the final term. Back-to-back three-pointers from
Celine Dumerc (168-G-82) and
Rebecca Khammon as well as six points from
Jelena Milovanovic (191-F/C-89) put Europe up for good.
Anna
Vajda nailed 16 points for Europe.
Jelena Milovanovic added 13 points for the winners.
Alana Beard answered with 17 points and 6 boards for the Rest of the World
team.
Candice Dupree (188-F/C-84, college:
Temple) had 12 points in the losing effort.
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