Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 10/27/2007

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Men News

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ABA

Benitez to do Regional and International Scouting -by Chris Terrell
Miami, FL - The recently appointed coach with the Miami Tropics, Ricky Benitez , has been hired by Marty Blake and Associates to provide detailed scouting both as a regional and International scout. Marty Blake is the Director of Scouting for the NBA Draft. In addition to the Southeast region of the United States, Benitez will also extend his scouting to the Central and South America. Benitez, himself of Puerto-Rican lineage, has either competed in and/or won the championship in numerous leagues and tournaments foreign and domestic including: the CBA, ABA, WBA, Mexico, Venezuela, and Hungary. Coach Benitez can be contacted by email at rickyb1324@yahoo.com

Millrats announce training camp roster/Border skirmish exhibition coming up -by Carl Berman
The Manchester Millrats are set to open their two week training camp at the Sportszone in Derry, NH on Monday afternoon. Standing in their path this weekend is a preseason matchup with the defending ABA champion Vermont Frost Heaves. The hoops border skirmish is set practically on the banks of the Connecticut River, and tips off Saturday at 4:00 pm at Hartford High School in Hartford, VT.

The Millrats have narrowed down their roster to 14 players from an open tryout of over 70 and a selection of other free agents. The 14 players in training camp are:

Ismael Caro 6'0 PG New Haven Hartford, CT
Anthony Anderson 5'11 PG UMass-Amherst Lynn, MA
Jon Huggins 6'2 G American International Lynn, MA
Charles Easterling 6'2 G Kilgore JC Hartford, CT
Chris Coates 6'3 G Keene State Portsmouth, NH
Rashid Al-Kaleem 6'4 G Florida Dorchester, MA
Stacey Moragne 6'4 F UMass-Lowell Evanston, IL
James Life 6'5 G-F UMass-Amherst Fort Myers, FL
Mike Konovelchick 6'5 F Manhattan Litchfield, NH
P.J. Young 6'6 F So NH Univ Boston, MA
David Cooper 6'7 F So NH Univ/James Madison Goffstown, NH
Will Hennegan 6'9 F-C Eckerd College Nashua, NH
Ife Anosike 6'11 C Salem State Staten Island, NY
Souleymane Wane 6'11 C Connecticut Dakar, Senegal

“We're using this game as a learning experience, and as an opportunity to see how the guys do under fire, against a top notch ABA team,” explained Millrats Head Coach Larry Lessett. “Live action can be a good opportunity to help our guys understand what it will take to win at this level.”

The Millrats are a new entry in the American Basketball Association (ABA), and will play their home games in the ‘Fieldhouse' on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH. The season and home opener is set for Sunday November 11, 2007 at 4:35 p.m. versus the Boston Blizzard. Single game, season and half season ticket plans are on sale now on www.manchestermillrats.com or by calling 1-866-9-GET TIX (1-866-943-8849).

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Olimpija inks Rizvic -by Zeljko Zule

Union Olimpija signed their former member BOS-SLO Hasan Rizvic (212-C-84) ex Slask till end of the season.

Geoplin Slovan is testing Gentry Lewis (206-F/C-81, agency: China-Hoop, college: Philander Smith) ex Niksic.

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ARGENTINA

Quilmes Hires New Foreigner -by Leonardo Contieri
Quilmes hired guard Antwon Hall, 1975, 193 cm, who comes from Colombia. Hall replaces forward Mark Karcher who left the city last week and will arrive in Mar del Plata on Saturday.

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AUSTRALIA

Bakari Hendrix joins South Dragons -by Eurobasket News
Melbourne South Dragons decided to sign American centre Bakari Hendrix (204-C-77, college: Gonzaga). Former Wellington Saints import will substitute Nick Horvath (209-F-81, college: Duke) on the roster. Horvath now awaits to get New Zealand citizenship and is expected to stay with the South Dragons further on. Last season both Bakari Hendrix and Nick Horvath spent in New Zealand playing for the Wellington Saints. Bakari Hendrix led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game. A 30-year-old centre also averaged 9.0 rebounds per game shooting 47% from the field.
Bakari Hendrix started his career in Gonzaga where he averaged 19.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his senior year. He then roamed across European and North American leagues before making his way to Oceania. Bakari Hendrix is hoped to be all clear for Round 6 clash against New Zealand Breakers.

Showtime in Townsville -by Eurobasket News
Townsville Crocs performed a huge second half comeback effort against the visiting Razorbacks to post their 3rd win in the season. The hosts entered the final term trailing by as many as 7 points but delivered at the dying stages. John Rillie (195-G-71, college: Gonzaga) scored 10 points in the fourth period and ignited the Crocs to a spectacular victory. The Razorbacks dominated the game from tip off and led by 10 points at halftime 75:65. The home team however recovered after the intermission and finally tied the scoreline at the final stanza. It was a close call in the last seconds as Corey Williams (191-G-77, college: Alabama St.) missed some important free throws and later the Crocs were called for a back-court violation. But the visitors could not capitalize and Townsville celebrated a thrilling win.
Corey Williams finished with 31 points and 5 assists for the Crocs. Kelvin Robertson (180-G-83) added 22 points, while Daniel Egan (197-F-79) and John Rillie scored 17 points apiece for the winners. Troy DeVries (193-G-82, college: N.Mexico) answered with 30 points for the Razorbacks.
Meanwhile struggling Wollongong Hawks drove to their secons win in the season as they edged Perth Wildcats 114:97 at home. The game was pretty close in the first half but the hosts tightened up defense in the third stanza and allowed their opponents to just 13 points. They piled up a 13-point advantage heading into the final term and maintained it throughout the period. Kavossy Franklin (188-G-75, college: Augusta St.) delivered 24 points and 6 assists for the winners. Paul Rogers (213-C-73, college: Gonzaga) had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a loss. The Wildcats outrebounded the hosts 47:40 but lacked accuracy converting just 23.8% from beyond the arc.
The Hawks now travel to take on West Sydney Razorbacks the day after tomorrow. Perth will play againts the Slingers on the road next Sunday.

Townsville - West Sydney 129:126
Townsville: Corey Williams 31, Kelvin Robertson 22, Daniel Egan 17, John Rillie 17
West Sydney: Troy DeVries 30, Darnell Hinson (186-G-80, college: Northeastern St.) 24

Wollongong - Perth 114:97
Wollongong: Kavossy Franklin 24, Cameron Tragardh (209-C/F-83, college: ORU) 23+11 boards, Larry Davidson (207-C-83, college: Boise St.) 19+14 boards
Perth: Paul Rogers 22+11 boards, Sean Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports, college: Arizona St.) 20

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BAHAMAS

COB Intercollegiate Play In Basketball Scheduled -by Eurobasket News
College Of The Bahamas Athletic Director Greg Harshaw has informed that the new basketball season is schedule to begin this coming Friday at the Kendal Isaacs Gym.
The College's sports programme under Harshaw has been revitalized and this season begins participation in the men's division of the Florida Sun Athletic Conference. The COB women team will see action in New Orleans and Puerto apart from the local schedule.
"We're on the right road. Uplifting the level of competition is what we are all about," Harshaw said recently during an interview when discussing the involvement in the Sun Athletic Conference.
In a short period, Harshaw and his assistants have developed the COB athletic programme into bona fide status, comparable to colleges and universities in the United States.
The local season opener for the men will have them facing Johnson and Wales University, a Miami-based institution. The game will be one of history, COB's first intercollegiate game in The Bahamas. In the second game on opening night, the COB ladies will meet the LadyTruckers.
"COB is building intercollegiate athletics as part of its university programme. We feel this programme will provide additional opportunities to improve the performances of our national teams.
"With the recent NAIA agreement, the COB men and women basketball teams will play an extensive NAIA schedule this season. The men will focus on competition in the Florida Sun Athletic conference while the women will travel to New Orleans and to Puerto Rico for play in the NCAA Diivision II.
"The men's programme is headed by Mr. Sean Bastian while Dr. Linda Davis heads the women's programme," informed Harshaw.
Harshaw sees his efforts and those of others at COB as the "building of the foundation of intercollegiate athletics in The Bahamas."
The COB programmes include a number of disciplines, inclusive of track and field, golf, soccer etc. Recently the soccer season concluded with the COB men finishing 2-4-1 while the ladies compiled a record of 1-6-1. The budding programmes showed great promise however, according to observers.
Courtesy of: www.jonesbahamas.com

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BALTIC LEAGUE

BC Kalev/Cramo hired new players -by Janar Filippov
BC Kalev/Cramo did not sign Igor Jokic (204-F-80) and Nate Johnson for any longer. Instead, Kalev is going to sign Mateo Kedzo (207-F/C-84) and Howard Frier (193-G-76, agency: EM-PA, college: Colorado). Kedzo has played his whole career in BC Split. Howard Frier was a key player in Kalev/Cramo Estonian championship team in 2006.

BC Rakvere Tarvas has parted ways with Dwayne Smith (191-G-80, college: Eckerd). Malcolm Battles (205-F/C-79, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: N.Mexico) has left BC Kraft Moobel.

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BOSNIA

Zenica-Celik beats Leotar on the road -by Sead Buljina
In the first game of the third round Bosnian Division1 league, Zenica-Celik made a small surprise by beating SL IAT Leotar, a team that`s reinforced big time for this season. Zenica-Celik led most of the time and at the end won by 4 points (67:63). The best player for guests was Armin Avdibegovic with 23 points. The game was played tonight since Arena in Trebinje is not available on Saturday. After tonight`s game both teams have the same record 1-2. A big win on the road for Zenica-Celik against favored hosts.

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CHILE

Leon Smith leaves Ancud -by Cristian Quiroga
The american forward/center Leon Smith (209-F-80) leave Deportes Ancud due to personal reasons. He played eight games with "La celeste" averaging 24.5 points, 20.5 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals in 35.8 minutes per game.

Dee Shaw is having a terrific season in Venezuela -by Cristian Quiroga
Demetric Shaw (191-G-78, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Kent St.) played in Chile on 2005/2006 season and he was the key that give the tittle to Universidad Catolica. Two years later, skilled guard is having a tremendous season in venezuelan LNB playing in Lideres de Yaracuy. Is the top scorer of league (25,5 ppg) and he's ready to face playoffs with his team with the hope to add another championship to his successful career. Latinbasket shares with you an interview realized in venezuela Latinbasket site to this great player.

Guard Demetric Shaw (191-G-78), the current top scorer of Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, has caused sensation during his time as an imported player of Lideres de Yaracuy, and his actions might take him into seeing LPB action next season with the older brothers of Lideres, team Guaros de Lara, also owned by the Total Sport organization.

The 29 year-old, 1.91m tall shooter, has increased his production in the past couple of weeks while helping Lideres stay in the upper side of the standings. Physically similar to former player of Guaros de Lara and Duros de Lara, Antwon Hall (193-G-74), he's called the attention of the crowd with his particular and fearless way to play the game and the fact the he actually communicates on court by speaking the spanish he's learned from his years of experience in countries like Chile or Argentina.

"I've won championships in Chile and Argentina and I hope I can do the same here in Venezuela. If I don't make in LNB, I'd very much like to do so in LPB, hopefully for Guaros de Lara or any other team if they need me", said Shaw in a postgame interview after his team lost to Duros de Lara at Napoleon Rodriguez Gymnasium of Barquisimeto.

"I've been told a lot of things and I've seen videos of how exciting it is to play in the LPB. Everyone that plays basketball in Latin America has heard of it and talks good things about it because there are so much good players here and so many good players have been here before", added Shaw.

"I've talked to the general management of the team about it and the people that works in the Federation and also some fans have told me I have the style and I'm the kind of players that would be good for that league. I hope I get the chance to play", he remarked with a smile and moving his shoulders up.

A few days before, Guaros's president, Carlos Garcia , announced that he had arranged the come back of MVP Tang Hamilton (201-F-78), that Carl Herrera (206-C-66) would no longer play in the team and that he was looking for a replacement in the head coach position since Nestor Garcia will not be part of the team. Meanwhile, he also confirmed what player Luis Julio (199-F-80) had announced from Colombia. Julio will now play for Guaros in exchange for center Pablo Machado (207-C-77), in a one-year mutual loan.

Shaw, a spiritual and hard working player, says that, though he's happy to be the top scorer, he wishes to win the championship even more than just that. "The fact that I'm the leader is because of my teammates and their effort to give me the ball. That excites me, but not as much as the fact that we could win a couple of matches in a row, something that's become very difficult for us this season".

"We need to get back our concentration in this latter part of the season. Sometimes we let ourselves go with the emotions and things don't go the way they're supposed to despites all the talent that we've got in the team, but I'm confident of my teammates, my coach and the staff that we'll make it to the playoffs", he declared.

"I came here for only one reason and that is to win a championship in Venezuela. This is a very tough league and the people is very passionate about basketball, baseball and even soccer. They yell at you to support you with all their hearts and they also yell at you with everything they've got when they're against you and I like that a lot. The best thing is to get a standing ovation after you scored a shot, because it means that you're doing a good job and the people recognizes that", he concluded.

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CUBA

Today TNA, Metropolitanos-Matanzas is "the game" -by Alessandro Fontana
Tonight TNA-time. The most important game is Metropolitanos-Matanzas. The winner of this duel has more possibilities to be qualified in LSB 2007 with Capitalinos. It is important to remember that TNA is divided in three regional groups: Occidental with Capitalinos, Metropolitanos, Matanzas, La Habana and Pinar del Rio; Central with Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Camaguey, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos; Oriental with Santiago, Holguin, Las Tunas, Guantanamo and Granma. In each group only two teams obtain the right to qualify for LSB 2007 and try to win the Cuban League.
Metropolitanos has a 8-7 standing, Matanzas a 7-5 but Matanzas could not play 4 games due to the rain and the infiltration in his Aurelio Janet Coliseum. Matanzas is the favourite of the game with his star MJ Allens Jemmott (193-G-80)
The other games are.
Pinar del Rio(4-11)-Capitalinos(13-2); Sancti Spiritus(3-10)-Ciego de Avila(15-1); Camaguey(12-4)-Cienfuegos(2-14); Santiago de Cuba(10-4)-Holguin(7-8); Las Tunas(7-7)-Guantanamo(11-5).
A. Fontana

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CZECH REP.

Pumprla goes to Opava -by Ondra Simecek
Pavel Pumprla (194-G-86) is leaving Prostejov after three seasons and is moving from NBL to one division lower team BK Opava, where he signed a two year contract. Pumprla was not getting as many minutes as he was expecting and therefore decided to help Opava on their way back to NBL.

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DENMARK

Horsholm 79ers remains on top -by Eurobasket News
Horsholm 79ers reached the third straight win and leads the Danish League with 3-0. On the 25th of October the team had a road win over Horsens IC 74:76. The favorite secured a win due to the last quarter that they won 22:17. Soren Flaeng (207-C-85) led the winners with 18 ponts. James Duane netted 14, while Mads Bo Smith scored 10. Stefan Gill top-scored for the hosts with 15 points.

Bakken Bears improved to 3-1, defeating Randers Cimbria 86:75. Martin Thuesen (181-G-79) posted 18 points for the winners. Nicolai Iversen and Soren Ege followed him with 16 points. Chris Nielsen (192-G-84) and Bonell Colas produced 20 points each in defeat.

BK Amager beat Team FOG Naestved 94:85. Peter Johansen (204-F/C-80, agency: Arik Krayn Services) and Matt Cooper led the game with 19 points for the winners. The opponent Thomas Soltau (210-C/F-82, college: Northwestern) scored a bit more, 26 points, but it was not enough for his team's win.

Aabyhoj sent Sisu to 2-3 after a 96:90 win. A 20:33 in the last quarter did not help the visitors to come back to the game. Thomas Skotting (193-F-82) and Peder Linnet top-scored for the winners with 18 points each. Julian McFarlane chipped in 22 points in the losing effort.

25/10
Bakken Bears - Randers Cimbria 86 - 75
Bakken Bears: Martin Thuesen 18, Nicolai Iversen 16, Soren Ege 16
Randers: Chris Nielsen 20, Bonell Colas 20.

BK Amager - Team FOG Naestved 94 - 85
BK Amager: Peter Johansen 19 points, Matt Cooper 19 points.
Team FOG Naestved: Thomas Soltau 26 points

24/10
Horsens IC - Horsholm 79ers 74 - 76 (16-15, 27-19, 14-20, 17-22)
Horsens IC: Stefan Gill 15, Ivan Miskovic (203-F/C-84, college: Alaska-Fairbanks) 14, Peter Vester 14.
Horsholm 79ers: Soren Flaeng 18, James Duane 14, Mads Bo Smith 10.

Aabyhoj - Sisu 96 - 90 (24-18, 21-21, 31-18, 20-33)
Aabyhoj: Thomas Skotting 18, Peder Linnet 18, Joe Benjamin 15
Sisu: Julian McFarlane 22, Joe Hamilton (198-F-79, college: Virginia Tech) 20, Andreas Bloch 16

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EGYPT

THE ARABIC CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS TODAY WITH 11 PATRICIPATING COUNTRIES -by Kirolos Beshay
Today in the basketball court of Alexandria stadium, the 17th Arabic championship for men will start with 11 Arabic countries participating in the largest Arabic tournament of the year. The championship is divided into two groups, the first group: Libya, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Sudan, and Tunisia, the second group: Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Kuwait.
The championship starts today with four matches:
Libya Vs Jordan (1:00 P.M).)
Iraq Vs Qatar (3:00 P.M).)
Egypt Vs Yemen (5:30 P.M).)
Sudan Vs Tunisia (7:30 P.M)
All times are local times(+2 GMT)
The Egyptian national team prepared for this championship by making a closed camp in Alexandria for 10 days. This championship is a good preparation for the team to the Pan Arab games Egypt 2007.The national team will play this championship with a squad of 12 players that is similar to the squad played in the African championship Angola 2007 except of Isamail Ahmed who entered the squad after he had an injury before the African championship, and Ahmed Sakr who was selected instead of Mouhmed Saied (the young talent).
The list of the 12 players:
Ismail Ahmed
Ashraf Rabie
Ahmed Sakr
Karim Fathy(Shamsia)
Tarek Elganam
Wael Badr
Ramy Guniedy
Mouhmed Elgarhy(MODY)
Ibrahim Elgmal
Amir Elfanan
Moumen Abou Elenien
Ahmed Khaled Elsaied
Head Coach:Bredradge Badenyarvitch(Serbia), Assistant Coach: Samy Elsharouny, Fitness coach: Daniel Motovich(Serbia), Dr.sameh Zalam, technical manger: Hesham Hasan, and General Manger: Hany abdel moneim

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ESTONIA

BC Kalev/Cramo hired new players -by Janar Filippov
BC Kalev/Cramo did not sign Igor Jokic (204-F-80) and Nate Johnson for any longer. Instead, Kalev is going to sign Mateo Kedzo (207-F/C-84) and Howard Frier (193-G-76, agency: EM-PA, college: Colorado). Kedzo has played his whole career in BC Split. Howard Frier was a key player in Kalev/Cramo Estonian championship team in 2006.

BC Rakvere Tarvas has parted ways with Dwayne Smith (191-G-80, college: Eckerd). Malcolm Battles (205-F/C-79, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: N.Mexico) has left BC Kraft Moobel.

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EUROLEAGUE

Olimpija inks Rizvic -by Zeljko Zule
Union Olimpija signed their former member BOS-SLO Hasan Rizvic (212-C-84) ex Slask till end of the season. .

Rytas is back to Euroleague with a win -by Eurobasket News

Armani Jeans-Lietuvos Rytas 76:83 (16-26, 13-18, 22-17, 25-22)

Lietuvos Rytas came back to Euroleague and started the campaign with a win immediately. The first half proved that Lithuanian train is on the way to a high achievement downing Armani Jeans in Italy. Lietuvos Rytas led 15 points at the half and finished the game with 83:76. Marijonas Petravicius (207-F/C-79, college: S.Carolina) was unstoppable with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Hollis Price (186-G-79, college: Oklahoma) nailed 15, while Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) had 13. Reece Gaines (198-G-81, college: Louisville) reached 22 points for the Italian side.

Arturas Jomantas sent Rytas ahead 7:13 in the opening tip. The visitors were just as intense on the defensive end and finished the quarter with 14:26.
Lithuanian team continued to roll in the second quarter. In the end of it the team grabbed plus 18 and enjoyed the half time at 29:44.
Armani Jeans returned to the game in the third quarter cutting the margin to 34:44. The hosts still trailed 10 points after the thirty minutes, 51:61. Watson reduced the score to 73:77 with less than a minute to go. Rytas however held the advantage and finished the game with 76:83.
The next game for the Lithuania team will be at home against Maccabi Elite next week.

Armani Jeans: Reece Gaines 22, Massimo Bulleri (188-G-77) 13
Lietuvos Rytas: Marijonas Petravicius 28+8 rebs, Hollis Price 15, Mindaugas Lukauskis 13

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Pyrinto upset YMCA LPR -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 5-7: Pyrinto (Tampere) holding visitor YMCA Lappeenranta in 60 pts upset the name strong YMCA LPR tonight 77-60 (41-34). Pyrinto
won all four quarters: 20-16, 21-18, 19-11, 17-15. Pyrinto was better in most categories. Shorter home Team won even rbs 48-37. Eric Washington (192-F/G-74, agency: Interperformances, college: Alabama) led Pyrinto with 20 pts. Adrian Henning (203-F-82, college: Austin Peay St.) led YMCA LPR with 15 pts.
In Kotka Karhu (Kauhajoki) made history. Top league newcomer won the first game ever on top level by defeating KTP (Kotka) 77-93 (38-49). Quarters: 25-23,

13-26, 23-24, 16-20. Kauhajoki won also the rbs 35-53! Chad McClendon (199-F-73, college: Appalachian St.) was the leading scorer and rebounder of KTP: 21/10. Steve Smith (200-F-81, agency: CAA Sports, college: Iona) DNP. Smith will be on injured list for several weeks maybe months. Smith's injured hand needs an operation. Mario Porter (198-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Rider) (21/12) and Cedric McGowan (198-F-85, college: Cincinnati) (21/11) were the key factors

in Kauhajoki victory.

Pyrinto - YMCA LPR 77-60 (41-34) (Eric Washington 20, Damon Williams 19/14, Damion Dantzler 13 - Adrian Henning 15, Ivan Harris 12, Petri Virtanen 11).

KTP - Kauhajoki 77-93 (38-49) (Chad McClendon 21/10, Toni Ilmonen 18, Pasi Heinonen 14 - Mario Porter 21/12, Cedric McGowan 21/11, Darryl Hudson 18).

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FYR MACEDONIA

Results from Second league - Day 4 -by Todor Chalovski
Results from Second league - Day 4:

TORUS - ABA 112:73,
POP SPORT VSA - VARDAR CENTAR 89:75,
KOZUV - PLEJMEJKER KUBUS 83:81,
TETEKS - HERAKLEA 74:59,
OVCE POLE - NEGOTINO 74:92
Game LEOV ANGELI - GODE DELCHEV is postponed.

Naumoski amongst Euroleague legends -by Todor Chalovski
Legendary Macedonian basketball player Petar Naumoski is amongst 100 best Euroleague players of all time. The surfey is forced due to the 50th aniversary od Euroleague. Fans throughout Europe can vote for their five favourite players and coach. If you want to vote, you can check the site.

Naumoski played for Jugoplastika, Efes Pilsen, Benetton, Montepaschi and Ulker in Euroleague from 1989 until 2004.

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GERMANY

Crone leaves Giessen after four days -by Moritz Korff
After four days of practice the officials of the Giessen 46ers (1. Bundesliga) decided not to keep Brandon Crone (200-F-84, agency: Warren Sports, college: Butler). The Forward is going to leave the town and won't get the chance to prove his skills in league-competition. While Crone is mostly considered as a Small Forward, the 46ers are looking for somebody who is able to play the 4-spot as well.

Alhaji Mohammed in Paderborn -by Moritz Korff
Alhaji Mohammed (192-G-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) has joined the Paderborn Baskets (1. Bundesliga). By bringing the brother of NBA-player Nazr Mohammed (208-C-77, college: Kentucky) the Paderborn-officials reacted on the injuries of Steve Esterkamp (198-F-81, college: Ohio) and Malik Moore (192-G-77, agency: CAA Sports, college: American Intern.). Mohammed was named the Eurobasket.com All-Eredivisie Guard of the Year and made the Eredivisie-First Team after the 2006-2007 season in Holland and led Matrixx Magix Nijmegen to the League-Finals and to the National Cup-Title. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.7 spg in 34 games through this past campaign.

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HOLLAND

Jordan's Last -Second Dagger Sends Eiffel Towers To 1st Loss -by Sanders Jackson

There is more than one Jordan around that can sink buzzer-beating shots.

On a Thursday night that was one of the best in Dutch FEB history in terms of exciting finishes, the Matrixx Magixx-Eiffel Towers televised matchup was icing on the cake. It was ironic that the game-winning shot was done by someone with the name Jordan, with Matrixx's Antoine Jordan (195-G-83, college: Siena) buzzer beating three-point dagger helping Matrixx defeat rival and defending Dutch champions Eiffel Towers by the score of 93-92. Jordan saved his best shot for last, who had missed on his previous nine three-point attempts. Matrixx came out the starting blocks more ready than Eiffel, leading 50-39 at the half before Eiffel made one of their patented runs. From there was it a neck-and-neck derby, but Matrixx had the last word in the end. Victor Thomas (201-F-79, college: La Salle) led all scorers with 26 pts, Jordan scored 19 with 5 steals, and McHugh Mattis (198-F-84, college: S.Florida) had a double-double with 14 pts. and 12 rebounds. Travis Young (184-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Marshall) led Eiffel with 24 pts, Brandon Kurtz (208-C-78, agency: SportsTalent, college: Tulsa) added 21. Eiffel hurt themselves with shooting only 14 of 24 from the free throw line, offsetting 63.2% FG and 10 of 19 from the three-point line. The win improves Matrixx's record to 4-2, while Eiffel falls to 5-1.

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HUNGARY

First win for NYKK -by Balazs Radics
MARSO-VAGEP NYÍREGYHAZI KK - MAFC 79-71 (20-19, 21-11, 14-21, 24-20)
Nyiregyhaza, att: 800. Ref: Benczur, Franyo, Szakall
NYKK: Branko Savic (181-G-79) 22/6, Laszlo 14, Mouton 15/3, SITKU 12, Helbich 9. Cs: Trepak 4/3, Krasznai 3/3, Farkas A. Head Coach: Deri Csaba
MAFC: THOMAS 13/3, Young 17/3, Draughan 16, Fulop 4, Gobi 14. Cs: Kecskes, Vavra A. 7/3, Kolarics. Head Coach: Dinnyes Attila
Score flow: 4. min.: 12-4. 8. m.: 18-15. 13. m.: 30-22. 19. m.: 39-26. 25. m.: 45-44. 28. m.: 53-49. 34. m.: 61-58. 37. m.: 69-61. 40. m.: 73-67
Fouled out: Fulop (38.), Helbich (39.), Sitku (40.), Trepak (40.)

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IRELAND

Week 4 Superleague : -by Patrick Maher
Week 4 brings the first significant Conference game in terms of teams with impressive Superleague starts this season with the North Conference clash at DCU Saturday night at 20.00 between DCU Saints (3-0) and Star (2-1).Key issue here will be the line-outs in terms of who turns up to play wearing regular Irish shirts as it,s likely the Imports players will cancel each other out,a pattern that, been pretty evident through the opening series of games.Gamble,Browder and Madsen are three players who play generally to a high level of consistacy and so are likely to continue along this vein and capitalize on their home advantage at DCU.Star for their part are playing at a little higher level of intensity than recent years a strategy opponents are still coming to terms with and in beating Killester last weekend proved that they do have a legitimate claim to their present stance in the North conference just one game behind DCU.The drubbing by 30 against Demons during week 2 was a defeat that with better preparation can be overcome.Nick Michael has made a determined start here and plays post without letting teams intensity drop when the ball,s with him in the post ,he,s also proving to be one of the top imports rebounders to date.Bobby Kelly too is performing well and DCU,S style of game can allow Kelly get the maximum return from his overall game skills on Saturday.

Killester play Hoops at the Arena Saturday and though slipping up last week to Star its important to note import Michael Bonaparte did not play because of injury an event likely to make a big difference to Killester as they strive to maintain and increase their standing a position they are likely to do given the league table rating Hoops hold with 1 win from 2 games.

At the opposite end of the North Conference with o wins from 3 games lie Marian and UUJ.Given the nature of how teams play Superleague Basketball the outcome here is essentially down to which team wants the win most on the day,UUJ will have an advantage being at home. Scott Summersgill being still out through injury is likely to hurt UUJ given the positive contribution he so often makes when playing and in particular how he “creates” for import players to score more.

Moving to the Southern Conference and The Ballina (h) Killarney game I see Ballina coming out on top in this one principally because of the approach Killarney continues to take towards how it,s team is run and operated.The issue as regards who runs the point between Covington and O Brien needs to be resolved quickly to get this team into a winning pattern which it can do with the Import players "in" this season.A team can have solid operators at the 2,3,4 and 5 position though without a point man with the licence to run a game it can be disheartening to teamates.Ballina at home this weekend can expect a full house and local fans will expect a top performance to legetimise the efforts made to keep their beloved team in the Superleague despite the enforced change in moving the team to The Southern Conference against their best wishes.Ronan Mc Garrity will miss this game because of injury though going on last weeks win away over Nepyune this team is capable of winning with a limited panel.

Tralee at home to limerick Lions :
The performances of Tralee thus far have been a fair reflection of what this team has to offer and though Limerick do have a talented team again this season they have not played the floor as a unit and as a result the talent they do have tends to operate well only in spurts which leaves the team vulnerable. Tralee have a balanced unit who if they bring the same intensity level to bear against Limerick as they did at Killarney last Saturday will surely come out on top in this one.Tralee,s vulnerability can be exploited by Limerick if they have the mind to do so it is the fact their imports as a unit do tend to leave their regular irish players trailing mentally/physically as a rule and the outcome of this can be Tralee,s irish players not playing as valued a role as in recent seasons where the team has been very successful.

The Cork derby game tonight at The Mardyke is one which going on recent results/performances favors Demons.Ger Noonan for Neptune is apparently no longer with the team.Though Demons imports are possibly not as strong as recent seasons the approach coach has to strategy means it,s of no great relevance and for Neptune to give themselves a chance here they need to be well prepared to connter Demons pressing defence.An upside I see for Neptune though is the imports “unit” this season have the tools to compete well against Demons and the pressing defence is unlikely to pose any real problems for them as a group.Communication and Composure are the big factors for Neptune tonight and if they get these compoents right can reverse the big early season defeats of recent years.One thing,s for sure,given the ever increasing costs of playing Superleague Basketball particularly the costs of import,s and coach,s wages,whichever team loses tonight will need to have a review and make new decisions.Demons in the light of recent years success level and Neptune because of the clubs record through the years and need to be competitive at a minimum to maintain it.

On bank holiday Monday DCU Saints play Hoops at DCU and with current form and rosters staying the same it,s likely too to go in DCU,s favor.

www.freewebs.com/maherprobasket

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Friday Oct 36th :
UCC Demons v Neptune , Mardyke Arena, 20:15

Saturday 27/10/2007

NIVEA for MEN'S SUPERLEAGUE

DCU Saints v Belfast Star, DCU, 18:00; Abrakebabra Tigers v Limerick Lions, Tralee Sports Complex, 20:00; University Ulster v UCD/Marian, UU Sports Centre, 19:00; Merry Monk Ballina v Mustang St. Pauls, Ballina Sports & Leisure Centre, 20:00; Hoops v DART Killester, NBA, 20:30;

Basketball Ireland Men's Division One South
Titans v Moycullen, Renmore CC, 16:00; AOL Broadband Waterford v Team Garveys, Waterford IT, 19:30

Basketball Ireland Men's Division One North
Queens v Tolka Rovers, UU Sports Centre, 16:00; Sligo All-Stars v Subway Portlaoise, Mercy College, 19:30

Monday 29/10/2007
NIVEA FOR MEN'S SUPERLEAGUE
DCU Saints v Hoops, DCU, 15:30

Saturday 3/11/2007
NIVEA FOR MEN'S SUPERLEAGUE
Belfast Star v Limerick Lions, Jordanstown Sports Ctr, 19:15; Mustang St. Paul's v University Ulster, Presentation Gym, 19:30; DART Killester v UCC Demons, Oblate Hall, 20:00; DCU Saints v Abrekebabra Tigers, DCU, 20:00; Merry Monk Ballina v Hoops, Ballina Sports & Leisure Centre, 20:00

Basketball Ireland Men's Division One North
Merry Monk Ballina v Portlaoise, Ballina Sports & Leisure Centre, 17:30; Sligo All-Stars v Queens, Mercy College, 19:30; Longford Falcons v Tolka Rovers, The Mall Complex, 20:00
Basketball Ireland Men's Division One South
AOL Broadband Waterford v Team Meadowland's St. Brendans, Waterford IT, 19:30; Team Garveys v Moycullen, Castleisland Community Centre, 20:15

Sunday 4/11/
NIVEA FOR MEN'S SUPERLEAGUE
Neptune v UCD Marian, Neptune Stadium, 15:15

Basketball Ireland Men's Division One North
Merry Monk Ballina v Sligo All-Stars, Ballina Sports & Leisure Centre, 14:30

WEEKEND PREVIEW

DART AIMING FOR WINNING RETURN

Reigning Nivea For Men's SuperLeague champions DART Killester will be looking to return to winning ways away to Hoops, while DCU Saints can continue their perfect start to the season at home to Belfast Star.

UU (University of Ulster) and UCD/Marian clash as both teams search for their first win of the season with UCC Demons set for a mouth-watering Cork derby clash with Neptune .

Abrakebabra Tigers have a winning record to protect at home to Limerick Lions with Mustang St Paul's facing a difficult trek to the west to face Merry Monk Ballina.

UCC Demons are worried over the fitness of Tim O'Halloran (back injury) as they look forward to hosting Cork rivals Neptune in Friday night's derby clash.

Neptune boast no injury problems but will be without the services of Ger Noonan, who has been linked with a move elsewhere.

DCU Saints are at full strength as they look to protect their 100% start to the season when they take on Belfast Star.

Belfast Star produced the result of last weekend with their three point win over DART Killester and they face a similar Goliath in the shape of DCU Saints on Saturday.

However, the Ulster side will be without Michael McKillop, who injured his shoulder in the win over Star, while Chris Smye (ankle injury) and Paddy Mullan (broken nose) are also ruled out.

DART Killester will be keen to atone for their surprise defeat to Belfast Star in their last outing when they travel to the National Basketball Arena to face Hoops
Hoops will be without Ciaran White with tendonitis, while Barry Cullen looks set to return after suffering with a groin injury.

Dart's cause has been helped by the return of Michael Bonaparte, who missed last weekend's loss with an ankle injury.

Abrakebabra Tigers have reported a clean bill of health ahead of Saturday's meeting at home to Limerick Lions.

Meanwhile, Limerick Lions coach Matt Hall is hopeful of a return to winning ways after suffering a frustrating two-point defeat to UCC Demons in their last outing.

"We probably should have won last week but we didn't," said Hall. "What I want is for players to learn from these games and build up their game experience particularly in those last few minutes of the 4th quarter when so many games are decided. Tralee will be very tough but we are training hard all week and are keen to get on court."

Merry Monk Ballina are set to be without Ronan McGarrity for Saturday's clash at home to Mustang St Paul's. McGarrity suffered an injury while on duty for Connaught in last weekend's GAA Inter-provincial championships and looks likely to miss out.

However, Sane O'Meara is expected to return to the squad after missing last weekend's 13-point win away to Neptune.

Mustang St Paul's have a full quota to choose from and will be hoping to collect maximum points after last weekend's derby loss to Abrakebabra Tigers.

UCD/Marian were boosted by the return of long-term absentee Barry Glover for last week's defeat away to DCU Saints and is expected to continue his revival for the trip to Ulster.

UU's bid for their first win of the campaign will not be helped by the absence of Scott Summersgill, who is ruled out with a calf injury.

Courtesy :
Shane Whelan
PRO, 087 9892733 www.basketballireland.ie
Nickolas Michael (208-C-85, college: Elmhurst)

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ITALY

Interperformances - Coaches -by Interperformances
The Interperformances Agency has placed many of its coaches at the highest European level for another season .However we still have many interesting coaches that could help your team. You can find a list of the available coaches inside our web site at www.interperformances.com. Some the coaches are :
PERASOVIC,Velimir 2006-2007 Head Coach Tau Victoria
SAKOTA Dragan 2005-2007 Head Coach of Red Star
BAVCEVIC,Niksa Coach of the year in Belgium in 2005-2006
DJUROVIC, Vlado Head coach last season of Cska Sofia top Bulgarian team.
COMAS Manel Head coach Sevilla 2006-2007
GRESTA,Luigi Coach of the Year in Legadue in 2004. Assistant coach Avellino
BIANCHINI Valerio One of the most important Italian Coaches-
BELTRAMO Daniel Oscar: Assistant coach Roosters Varese in 2006-2007.
FRATTIN,Lino Assistant Coach last season of Lottomatica Roma
JEZDIK Michal Head coach of Check National team.
KRUSCIC,Pedrag 2005-2006 Head Coach Albacomp
PAVLICEVIC, Zeljko Former Head coach of Split. Head coach of Japan 2006.
SCOTT FIELDS: Utah CBA. American Coach. Won also Lebanese League.

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JORDAN

Jordan NT in Pan Arab Games and & Arab Championship -by Mohammed Malas
6th King Abdullah cup titleholders Jordan NT will be part of the 17th Arab Championship (Cairo, Egypt 27 Oct - 7 Nov) and Pan Arab Games which will be also hosted by Egypt from 11 to 25th of November, Jordan prepared well through a camp in turkey last month adding to King Abdullah Tournament which was held in Amman and ended before few days, Potuguese Mario Leonel Plama made some changes to the roster by adding some players and he is aiming to reach the final four at least in the both tournaments.

# Jordan NT roster:

Wright

Soobzokov

Daghlas

Al Khas

		Abbas

4 Fadel Najjar (194-G-85) of Orthodox
5 Rasheim Wright (193-G-81) of Zain
6 Zeid Abbas (203-C-83) of Arena Amman
7 Ali Dajani (183-G-81) of Orthodox
8 Eyad Abdeen (202-F-79) of Orthodox
9 Enver Soobzokov (193-G/F-78) of Fastlink
10 Sam Daghlas (197-G-79) of Zain
11 Wesam Sous (181-G-83) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman
12 Moussa Basheer (208-C-78) of Zain
13 Zaid Al Khas (205-C-76) of Zain
14 Islam Abbas (201-C-80) of ASU Sports Club
15 Dshamal Maitah Schoetz (213-C-81) of Zain
Head Coach: Mario Leonel Palma (POR)
Assistant: Mario Gomes (POR)
Physio: Johnny Ibrahim
Team Manager: Yanal Al Khas
Director: Naser Al Nobani

# 17th Arab Championship groups draw:
- Group A:
Jordan
Qatar
Tunisia
Sudan
Iraq
Libya
- Group B:
Egypt "Titleholders"
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Palestine
Yemen

Jordan ... GOOD LUCK

# Wright to Zain officially

Jordan's naturalized player Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Columbia) has confirmed to Asia-Basket that he signed his contract officially with Zain last wednesday and he's considered now part of their roster for 2007-2008's Excellent league as a local player with a condition that all other teams will face Zain with two imports in the court and that helped to solve the argument which was between Jordan Basketball Federation (JBF) and Zain.

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KUWAIT

Rob Shapiro Looking To Lead Al Jahraa To The Top -by Sadik Abdullah
Rob Shapiro , a texan great, is now the coach of Al Jahraa and is looking to lead them to the top of Kuwait basketball. With the recent addition of imports in Kuwait, that will not be an easy task, but with Robs history and accomplishments, do not put it past him to do just that. The team currently has Cedric Taylor (202-F/C-79, college: Pikeville) as their only import player and Jahraa management would have to rely heavily on both Cedric and Rob if they want to win anything in this league. Here is a list of accomplishments Rob has gathered over the course of his career:

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Saint Mary's Hall
• Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year, 2007
• San Antonio Sports Coach of the Year, 2006
• SPC State Championship
• All time winningest Coach (106 wins in 4 years)
• Highest winning percentage in school history
• Fourteen school records;
• Two South Zone Titles (First #1 seed in school history)
• Four players named All State;
• Two players named Academic All State;
• Two players named Express News Private School Most Valuable Player
• Five players named All City
• Four players named Player of the Week
• Led state three consecutive years in free throw percentage
• Let state in three point field goal percentage

Alamo Heights High School
• Two time Regional Semi-finalist
• Four years - playoffs
• Coached two All-State players and eleven All-District Athletes

St. Mary's University - Recruited University's first All-Conference basketball player since joining the NCAA.
Recruited seven All-Americans

For information on Kuwait Basketball or any imports in Kuwait, you can email Sadiq at sadiq_abdullah@rogers.com

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LATVIA

Alytus downs Bumerangs/ASK -by Eurobasket News
Alytus-Bumerangs/ASK 102 : 73 ( 21-25, 22-24, 38-12, 21-12 )

Lithuanian Alytus downed Bumerangs/ASK in the Challenge Cup of Baltic League. A 38:12 in the third quarter answered for all the questions in the game. Alytus overcame Latvians 102:73 and reached 3-2 record. Marius Janisius (203-F-77) led the winners with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Andrius Aleksandrovas (198-F-86) posted 18, while Saulius Kazevicius (189-G-76) added 17. Toms Celmins (195-F-88) scored 21 points in the losing effort. Bumerangs/ASK is winless so far with 0-5.

Toms Celmins opened the game for Latvians with a three as Bumerangs/ASK took 2:3 lead. The team stayed in front even with 7:14 after Poznaks nailed a two. Andrius Aleksandrovas's three left Alytus in the game after the first, 21:25. Straupis grabbed a lead at 32:31 when Straupis made an alley-oop. Poznaks gave Latvians 43:49 at the half.
The third quarter was a disaster for the visitors. Lithuanian Alytus blasted with 38:12 to take 81:61 after 30 minutes of the game. In the last quarter the teams had mostly players from the bench and Alytus enjoyed a 21:12 in it.

Alytus: Marius Janisius 21+10 rebs, Andrius Aleksandrovas 18, Saulius Kazevicius 17
Bumerangs/ASK: Toms Celmins 21, Gundars Rauza (192-F-79) 20

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LESOTHO

National Basketball League (NBL) -by Jay
The National Basketball League (NBL) was successfully launched last month on the 22nd September 2007, at The National University of Lesotho (NUL) courts. These are the results of the games that were played that day.

Men
Rovers (NUL) 43 bt Leseli 39
Bashana Baeso (BB) 57 bt S.M Technikon 21
Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) 53 bt Leseli 37
Bashana Baeso 65 bt Rovers (NUL) 42

Women
Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) 39 bt Rovers (NUL) 14
Rangers 22 bt Rovers (NUL) 10

The league resumed on the 6th October 2007 at the Lesotho Correctional Services courts in Maseru. Some games had to be cancelled due to bad weather; they will be played on the weekend of 20th October. Here are the results of the games that were played before the rain interrupted:

Men
Bashana Baeso 49 bt Leseli 37
Leseli 46 bt Rangers 31

Women
Lerotholi Polytechnic 36 bt Rangers 11

The league will continue this coming weekend in Butha-Buthe district.

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LITHUANIA

Alytus downs Bumerangs/ASK -by Eurobasket News
Alytus-Bumerangs/ASK 102 : 73 ( 21-25, 22-24, 38-12, 21-12 )

Lithuanian Alytus downed Bumerangs/ASK in the Challenge Cup of Baltic League. A 38:12 in the third quarter answered for all the questions in the game. Alytus overcame Latvians 102:73 and reached 3-2 record. Marius Janisius (203-F-77) led the winners with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Andrius Aleksandrovas (198-F-86) posted 18, while Saulius Kazevicius (189-G-76) added 17. Toms Celmins (195-F-88) scored 21 points in the losing effort. Bumerangs/ASK is winless so far with 0-5.

Toms Celmins opened the game for Latvians with a three as Bumerangs/ASK took 2:3 lead. The team stayed in front even with 7:14 after Poznaks nailed a two. Andrius Aleksandrovas's three left Alytus in the game after the first, 21:25. Straupis grabbed a lead at 32:31 when Straupis made an alley-oop. Poznaks gave Latvians 43:49 at the half.
The third quarter was a disaster for the visitors. Lithuanian Alytus blasted with 38:12 to take 81:61 after 30 minutes of the game. In the last quarter the teams had mostly players from the bench and Alytus enjoyed a 21:12 in it.

Alytus: Marius Janisius 21+10 rebs, Andrius Aleksandrovas 18, Saulius Kazevicius 17
Bumerangs/ASK: Toms Celmins 21, Gundars Rauza (192-F-79) 20

Rytas is back to Euroleague with a win -by Eurobasket News

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LUXEMBOURG

Early Drama for Yo MaMa -by Alexis Kreps
Black Star Mersch may have found a new coach. All the rumors about Douglas Marty seem to be dreams of a better day because Former national team coach Matthias Fischer is currently negotiating with club officials. The 36 years-old German could be the successor of Terence Stansbury . Some players have come public stating that they can not understand the decision to stop the cooperation with the former NBA-player Stansbury. Unless Black Star Mersch makes a 180 degree turn around These sudden moves may prove to be all for nothing.
Elsewhere in the Coupe de Luxembourg. Racing Luxembourg and BBC US Hiefenech Heffingen two second division teams upset first division teams Residence Walferdange and AS Soleuvre . This dosent qualify as drama for the the two first division because now they can concentrate on the important things like keeping their teams in the league but at the same time losses to a lower division teams cant help morale.
Lastly T71 Dudelange is hoping for a win this weekend with their new foreign player Jontae Vinson (196-F/G-82, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Cerritos JC). They are currently situated at the bottom of the league that is a long drop from runner up to the champions last season. It is truly now or never tune at the beginning of next week to see how all the big match ups turned out in The Wrap as well as a Second Division update.

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MEXICO

Benitez to do Regional and International Scouting -by Chris Terrell
Miami, FL - The recently appointed coach with the Miami Tropics, Ricky Benitez , has been hired by Marty Blake and Associates to provide detailed scouting both as a regional and International scout. Marty Blake is the Director of Scouting for the NBA Draft. In addition to the Southeast region of the United States, Benitez will also extend his scouting to the Central and South America. Benitez, himself of Puerto-Rican lineage, has either competed in and/or won the championship in numerous leagues and tournaments foreign and domestic including: the CBA, ABA, WBA, Mexico, Venezuela, and Hungary. Coach Benitez can be contacted by email at rickyb1324@yahoo.com

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MOROCCO

Day 2 Program -by Nour Amri
Day 2 program :
WAC # CMC - MAS # ASS - FUS # KAC - TSC # RCA - MET # IRT
All eyes will be on the game of the week MAS # ASS, where ASS have the chance to take the revenge of last year league's final.
2 derbys in the second day's program, both of them to be played in Casablanca. RCA and WAC should confirm their good season start despite the fact that the games will not be easy as both CMC and TSC showed an excellent fighting spirit in Day 1 games.

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NBA

Three players get injured as Chicago beats Milwaukee -by Eurobasket News
Chicago Bulls clinched their 4th success in the preseason as they edged the Bucks 97:81 at home. The win though was dimmed by injuries plague as Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah all had to leave the court being hurt. Ben Wallace nailed 8 points before being sidelined with a sprained left ankle in the second period. The third quarter became sad for the Bulls' forward Tyrus Thomas as he suffered right foot injury. Finally rookie forward Joakim Noah left the court in the fourth stanza due to some problems with his right ankle. Kirk Hinrich (6'3''-G-81, agency: Octagon, college: Kansas) paced the winners with 20 points and 7 assists. Charlie Villanueva (6'10''-F-84, college: Connecticut) answered with 19 points and 8 rebounds for the Bucks. The visitors were without Mo Williams, Michael Redd who were given a day off.
Chris Bosh returned to action after sitting out with an injured knee and inspired his Raptors to a stunning win over Cleveland Cavaliers 111:78 at home. Carlos Delfino (6'7''-G-82) topscored for Toronto with 18 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Cleveland were back from China where they played a couple of exhibition games and probably were in the process of adjusting themselves. Lebron James had 17 points, 9 assists and 6 boards for Cleveland.
Phoenix and Denver performed a high-scoring attitude as the Suns secured a narrow 116:113 home victory. The Nuggets led by 12 points at halftime but the hosts replied with a massive comeback rally in the third 39:15 to surge ahead. The Suns led by 4 points with 90 seconds left in regulation when Von Wafer hit it from way beyond the arc to cut the deficit. Later J.R. Smith nailed one free throw to tie the scoreline. But D.J. Strawberry managed to deliver the win for Phoenix as he drained a long jumper with 3 seconds remaining. Grant Hill (6'8''-F-72, college: Duke) led the home team with 17 points. Shawn Marion, D.J. Strawberry and Steve Nash (6'3''-G-74, college: Santa Clara) netted 14 points apiece for the winners. Allen Iverson (6'1''-G-75, college: Georgetown) chipped in 24 points for the Nuggets.

Phoenix - Denver 116:113
Phoenix: Grant Hill 17, D.J. Strawberry 14, Steve Nash 14+10 assists
Denver: Allen Iverson 24, Carmelo Anthony 22

Chicago - Milwaukee 97:81
Chicago: Kirk Hinrich 20, Luol Deng 12, Joe Smith 12
Milwaukee: Charlie Villanueva 19, Desmond Mason 11

New Jersey - Philadelphia 83:91
New Jersey: Bostjan Nachbar (6'10''-G/F-80, agency: Interperformances) 17, Richard Jefferson 15
Philadelphia: Andre Miller (6'3''-G-76, college: Utah) 18, Willie Green 15, Andre Iguodala 15

Toronto - Cleveland 111:78
Toronto: Carlos Delfino 18+9 boards, Jason Kapono 12, Chris Bosh 12
Cleveland: Lebron James 17, Damon Jones 16

Orlando - San Antonio 99:90
Orlando: Carlos Arroyo (6'2''-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Florida Intern.) 16, Rashard Lewis 16, Hedayet Turkoglu 13
San Antonio: Manuel Ginobili 21, Tony Parker 18

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NEW ZEALAND

Bakari Hendrix joins South Dragons -by Eurobasket News
Melbourne South Dragons decided to sign American centre Bakari Hendrix (204-C-77, college: Gonzaga). Former Wellington Saints import will substitute Nick Horvath (209-F-81, college: Duke) on the roster. Horvath now awaits to get New Zealand citizenship and is expected to stay with the South Dragons further on. Last season both Bakari Hendrix and Nick Horvath spent in New Zealand playing for the Wellington Saints. Bakari Hendrix led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game. A 30-year-old centre also averaged 9.0 rebounds per game shooting 47% from the field.
Bakari Hendrix started his career in Gonzaga where he averaged 19.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his senior year. He then roamed across European and North American leagues before making his way to Oceania. Bakari Hendrix is hoped to be all clear for Round 6 clash against New Zealand Breakers.

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PHILIPPINES

FANS CORNER -by Benny Lirio

PINOYS LOVE BASKETBALL

Basketball - the beginning:
The Americans introduced basketball in the late 20th century and conspicuously, we have started to play the game through a coco-nut.
We in the Philippines called the game that they played in Tagalog word “larong buko” (laro for play or playing, and buko for coconut).

The overwhelming availability of this coconut could be the main reason why this sport gives attraction and pleasure to the Filipinos.
They may even have played the game even before James Naismith invented it.

White men can't jump:
This figure of speech reflects the superior ability of black athletes in the discipline which is close to a Filipinos heart.
Incidentally, the Filipinos are neither black nor white and supposedly can't jump and can't make threes. Given the same sentiments
of that figure of speech, basketball does not belong to Filipinos, not to mention the size of an ordinary citizen of this country.

For the record:
The Philippine team is the only Asian team to plays in major competition semi-finals, winning a bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World
Championship for men and a fifth-place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics, the two best finishes of any Asian team in the history of
the tournaments.

The great Caloy Loyzaga was, at 6ft 2ins big enough to play at center, together with Larry Mumar and Ed Ocampo.

Beating some of the best big teams from Americas.

It could be the start of basketball awareness in the country, and is probably the only sport we have been recognized internationally.
Boxing is just starting to give us some recognition through Francisco Guilledo, also known as Pancho Villa.
But boxing is not all that popular even though Emmanuel “ Pacman” Pacquaio is recognised at present as the best pound for pound fighter behind
Floyd Mayweather. The big diffrence between a promising boxer and a promising basketball player here is so huge and it is quite fascinating that every kids

here want to be another Kobe Brant or Lebron James.

Olympic Qualfying Round:
In the last Asia Cup qualifying round.in Japan, we were placed ninth. Beating the Chinese twice just gave us a little to savor and a little
something to fight for. We were beaten in the elimination round by Iran in just the final minutes of the game when a technical foul on
Coach Sot changed the outcome of the game. Iran eventually won the tournament.

The reality:
Today, we still believe that we can go as far as the Olympics and play against the best in this discipline.
Although we have missed out on Beijing 2008, we feel we should be there. The fire inside has never been diminished. But London 2012 and the
World Championship is the ultimate goal.

Philippine Basketball Association, a professional baketball league, is still the number one on Sports TV rating.
Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James wannabes are still playing on the streets. Kids out here are playing like their idols and act like idols.
The jerseys they use is the best evidence of that.

SPORTINGO/BLIRIO

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PORTUGAL

Lusitania signs Andrew Smith -by Bruno Baltazar
Lusitania signed Andrew Smith (203-F-83, college: Alaska-Fairbanks) ,considered a leader in the field ,did good season in NCAA2,with this Lusitania is trying to make a great season like they did the past season and surprise everyone with a competing team.Height: 203cm / 6'8''
Position: Forward
Born: 1983
He do a great job in the defense blocking shots aswell.

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PUERTO RICO

Narvaez signs for Santurce, Diaz will not play for LA. -by Alessandro Fontana

Manuel Narvaez (211-C-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: S.Nazarene) signs for Cangrejeros de Santurce for two seasons. Last year Narvaez played for Maratonistas de Coamo with 14,0pts (49% 2pts, 54% FT) and 13,9 rebounds in 29 games. He is a great rebounder, a "great trade" for Santurce.
Miguel Ali Berdiel (198-G-83, college: Valparaiso) is still free agent, Los Vaqueros de Bayamon and Cangrejeros de Santurce are very interested in him. Miguel Ali Berdiel played last year in Humacao with 14,7pts per game.
Guillermo Diaz (188-G-85, college: Miami, FL) will not play next season in NBA with Los Angeles Clippers. "Our Boricua" was not confirmed by the team, Diaz is now free agent, He can be a perfect player for an ambitious European Team in the Italian, Spanish or Greek League.

The Pre-Olympics Tournament, where Puerto Rico can qualify for Beijing 2008, will be played from 14 july to 20 july 2008, the place is still to define.

A. Fontana

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SERBIA

Reactions after great win of Partizan Igokea in Euroleague -by Dragan Jankovski
Basketball public in Serbia is delighted with victory of Partizan Igokea against Barcelona in the first round of Euroleague. It was real spectacle in hall Pionir in Belgrade. Hero of the game Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) “Pacman”, who finished the game reaching index value 40 and in the same time was MVP of the first round, after the game said just couple of words: “I don't care for about my digits, this is the big win of the whole team!”

USA point guard Milton Palacio's (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.) words were: “I really can't describe atmosphere in Pionir that night. It was fantastic and I am sure my friends won't understand this when I try to explain them. Man has to feel this!”

Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) said that he couldn't sleep whole night after the game but on the other hand he also said he and his teammates don't have a time for a big joy because of Saturday's game against Hemofarm in Vrsac.

In the second round of Euroleague Partizan Igokea will play against Chorale Roanne in France on the next Wednesday.

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SLOVENIA

Slovan brings on try-out Lewis, Olimpija signs Rizvic -by Matej Bergant

Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana called on try-out US player Gentry Lewis (206-F/C-81, agency: China-Hoop, college: Philander Smith). He will stay with the team for one week. Lewis spent last season playing in four different teams such as 3B Baerums Verk Jets and Kristiansand Pirates in Norway, Spes Rieti in Italy and KK Niksic in Montenegro.

Union Olimpija again decided to sign Hasan Rizvic (212-C-84) untill the end of this season. He played in Union Olimpija already in the past seasons before he decided to join Bosna ASA Sarajevo in the second part of the season. During this summer he signed with Polish ASCO Slask Wroclaw but he decided to leave due the bad circumstances in the team.

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SPAIN

Videonov out -by Robert Mayor
Cajasol Sevilla finally decided to cut Filip Videnov (196-F/G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: W.Kentucky) that is looking for a new team. Bulgarian forward arrived to Sevilla from Madrid, where didn't have the chance to show his quality. Last year in Sevilla showed some of his potential, but was unable to reach his scorer level.

Interperformances - Coaches -by Interperformances
The Interperformances Agency has placed many of its coaches at the highest European level for another season .However we still have many interesting coaches that could help your team. You can find a list of the available coaches inside our web site at www.interperformances.com. Some the coaches are :
PERASOVIC,Velimir 2006-2007 Head Coach Tau Victoria
SAKOTA Dragan 2005-2007 Head Coach of Red Star
BAVCEVIC,Niksa Coach of the year in Belgium in 2005-2006
DJUROVIC, Vlado Head coach last season of Cska Sofia top Bulgarian team.
COMAS Manel Head coach Sevilla 2006-2007
GRESTA,Luigi Coach of the Year in Legadue in 2004. Assistant coach Avellino
BIANCHINI Valerio One of the most important Italian Coaches-
BELTRAMO Daniel Oscar: Assistant coach Roosters Varese in 2006-2007.
FRATTIN,Lino Assistant Coach last season of Lottomatica Roma
JEZDIK Michal Head coach of Check National team.
KRUSCIC,Pedrag 2005-2006 Head Coach Albacomp
PAVLICEVIC, Zeljko Former Head coach of Split. Head coach of Japan 2006.
SCOTT FIELDS: Utah CBA. American Coach. Won also Lebanese League.

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TANZANIA

Dar basketball team in final -by Carlos Pereira
By ABDALLAH MSUYA

DAR ES SALAAM men's basketball team take on Mwanza in the Barrick Gold Basketball Cup final at the National Indoor Stadium today hoping to win and retain their Taifa Cup title.
The Dar es Salaam team, popularly as 'Dream Team', sealed their place in the final after thrashing Mbeya 94-55 in a first semifinal match played yesterday.
The Dar team dominated all the quarters with 31-14, 51-25, 68-37 and 94-55 points to comfortably reach the finals.
Charles Makene and Mohammed Ali 'Dibo' were executioners-in-chief with each netting 28 and 21 points respectively.
Mwanza region negotiated their way past Unguja region to reach the finals following a 102-83 final quarter score
The first two quarters had witnessed a tight game from the two sides as Unguja lost the steam to allow the gap of points to widen in the last two quarters.
Mwanza now face an uphill task of dethroning the invisible Dar es Salaam, and the question is whether the rock city boys will break the Dar's unbeatable record in Taifa Cup.
Meanwhile, Shinyanga reached the women's final after defeating Mwanza region by 47-36 points.

The Taifa Cup Basketball tournament climaxes today with two finals.

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TURKEY

Fenerbahce Ulker and Efes Pilsen lost the openers in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Fenerbahce Ulker and Efes Pilsen lost the openers in Euroleague. One of them were defeated at home, another started the campaing with a loss on a road.

Fenerbahce Ulker lost in Istanbul to Real Madrid 72:80. Charles Smith (193-G-75, college: N.Mexico) fired in a seven-meter bomb as part of a 0-17 run, which Alex Mumbru capped with a free throw that gave Madrid a 10:30 lead after 10 minutes. That was the main factor of the first loss for the team. Axel Hervelle (205-F-83) led the winners with 23 points. Charles Smith nailed 17, while Alex Mumbru (201-F-79) added 10. Mirsad Turkcan (206-F-76) shined for the Turkish squad with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Efes Pilsen lost the opener in Croatia to Cibona 85:93. The hosts trailed in the first half but then woke up with 28:16 in the third. Luksa Andric (209-C/F-85) led the winners with 19 points. Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: USC) nailed 17, while Tre Kelley and Chris Warren netted 14 points each. Andre Hutson (202-F-79, college: Michigan St.) top-scored for the visitors with 18 points.

Ermal Kuqo came off the bench and immediately buried a three-pointer, igniting a 0-8 run for the guests. Efes grabbed the 21:28 after the first 10 minutes. With 32:44 Chris Warren and Kelley stepped up with consecutive baskets in a 10-0 run. Efes still kept an advantage after the first half, 47:54. In the third quarter after 55:65 Cibona woke up. The hosts produced a 9-0 run to win the quarter 28:16. Kelly's triple made it 83:77 midway through the last period. The hosts tried hard and kept the advantage for good. The final buzzer showed 93:85 for the Croatian team that took the first win in Group B.

Cibona- Efes Pilsen 93:85 (21-28, 26-26, 28-16, 18-15)
Cibona: Luksa Andric 19, Larry Ayuso 17, Tre Kelley 14, Chris Warren 14
Efes Pilsen: Andre Hutson 18, Serkan Erdogan (190-G-78, agency: Interperformances) 14

Fenerbahce Ulker-Real Madrid 72:80
Fenerbahce Ulker: Mirsad Turkcan 18+10 rebs, Demir Kaan (-70) 17
Real Madrid: Axel Hervelle 23, Charles Smith 17, Alex Mumbru 10

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UAE

Zoran Zubcevic to Kuwait -by Ali Ahmed
Zoran Zubcevic , the Bosnian basketball coach, desie to coach Al kuwait from kuwait for this season. Zoran Zubcevic was the coach of the national team in UAE for more than 5. he did a great job in UAE.

years.Awards/Achievements:
Yugoslavian Junior Championship -90
National Cup of Yugoslavia -92
Korac Cup Quarterfinals -92
Head Coach: Bosnia Cadet National Team -92-94
Bosnian National Cup Winners -98
Bosnian National Champions -98
Coach Assistant: Bosnian National Team Women -98
Head Coach: South African U22 National Team -98-99
African Championship (Cairo, Egypt) -99
Head Coach: Tunisian National Team -99-00
Maghreb Cup "Winners-Casablanca-Morocco -99
African Championship (5th place), Luanda, Angola -99
PanArab Games (5th place), Amman, Jordan -99
LG Tournament”Winners, Tripoli, Libya -99
Head Coach: South African National Team -01-02
African Championships in Morocco -01
Head Coach: UAE National Team -02-03
2nd West Asian Games at Kuwait (4th place) -02
Champion of "Gulf Cup" Dubai,September 2002
Champion of "Gulf Cup" 2006

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Women News

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ALBANIA - Women

ZKK Buducnost is too good for Flamurtari Vlora -by Eurobasket News

ZKK Buducnost -Flamurtari Vlora 92:49 (28-7, 19-9, 29-13, 16-20)

ZKK Buducnost advances to Eurocup and will represent Montenegro there. In the second leg of the Elimination Round the team smashes Albanian Flamurtari Vlora 92:49. Maja Milutinovic (176-G-87) and Jelena Culafic (174-G-89) paced the winners with 16 points each. Ana Baletic (185-G/F-85) followed them with 13 points for the hosts. Migena Plasa (-76) showed a good game for the visitors nailing 17 points and making 15 rebounds.

Montenegrin team proved that the levels of the teams are different having two easy wins. Just a reminder that in the first game in Albania ZKK Buducnost grabbed a road 64:102 win.
An 8-0 run at the start of the first quarter sent the hosts on their way as they raced to a 28:7 lead after the first. In order not to stop the team produced 19:9 in the second to have 47:16 cushion at the half.
With another 29:13 in the third Buducnost could afford to relax. Flamurtari Vlora won the last quarter 20:16 but saw a 194-113 aggregate loss in the two-game series.

Preliminary Round will start on November 7th. On this stage the teams are divided into groups with 4 teams in each. On this day Buducnost will meet Chevakata from Russia.

ZKK Buducnost: Maja Milutinovic 16, Jelena Culafic 16, Ana Baletic 13
Flamurtari Vlora: Migena Plasa 17+15 rebs, Valbona Sako (-72) 14+9 rebs

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Canberra Capitals reaches the first win beating Habana -by Eurobasket News

BC Habana (Cuba) - Canberra Capitals(Australia) 68:74 (19:21, 19:21, 15:18, 15:14)

Canberra Capitals won for the first time in World league. In the Classification Round for the 5/8 places the team outscored Habana from Cuba 74:68. Natalie Hurst (163-G-83) led the winners with 19 points. Tolo nailed 12, while Tully Bevilaqua (164-G-72) and Jessica Bibby (169-G-79) added 11 points each. Yakelin Plutin (186-F-79) top-scored for the Latin Americans with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Canberra Capitals grabbed the lead from the first minutes and enjoyed 21:19 after the first quarter. They produced the same second quarter winning it with the same result. It gave the Australians 4 points deficit at the half.
Early in the 3rd quarter the Australians managed to increase the gap to 8 points. Cuban team never managed to fight back and lost with the final score 68:74.
Habana will face TEO in the game for the 7th place. Canberra got a chance to reach the 5th place as tomorrow the team will meet Hungarian Pecs.

In the Final game of the tournamernt Russian CSKA will defend the title for the 4th time in a row. The team will meet the Select team from USA that upset the hosts, UMMC in the semis.

BC Habana: Yakelin Plutin 21+11 rebs, Yulizeny Soria (182-C-79) 13, Boulet 11
Canberra Capitals: Natalie Hurst 19, Tolo 12, Tully Bevilaqua 11, Jessica Bibby 11

Christchurch Sirens fall to Bulleen -by Eurobasket News
Bulleen - Christchurch 85:72

The Christchurch Sirens were not able to taste the first WNBL victory today. They visited the Bulleen Boomers and suffered their sixth straight loss 72:85. Five Boomers players scored in double figures to pace Bulleen to the second win in the season. The Sirens kept it close in the starting frame and trailed by just 5 points after it 16:21. But the hosts spurred ahead in the second term taking the visitors by surprise and outscoring them 25:6. The damage was done and the Sirens could hardly hope for a positive result falling behind by 24 points at halftime. They though fought bravely in the second half and managed to cut the deficit by 11 points. However it was not enough for the first success in the season. Emma Randall (188-C-85) led well-balanced Boomers offense with 16 points and 8 boards. Desiree Glaubitz (177-G-79) and Elyse Penaluna (193-C-88) contributed 12 points apiece for the winners. Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) replied with 24 points and 2 blocks for the Sirens. Donna Wilkins had 17 points, 12 boards and 4 steals in a losing clause.
The Sirens dominated under the rims as they outrebounded the hosts 42:27. But Bulleen sank 54% from the field, while Christchurch converted 44% of their filed goals. The visitors also suffered 23 turnovers.
Bulleen improved to 2-2 record in the WNBL ladder and will next face AIS tomorrow. Christchurch will look for their first win in the season on the road against Bendigo.

Bulleen: Emma Randall 16+8 boards, Desiree Glaubitz 12, Elyse Penaluna 12
Christchurch: Lamisha Augustine 24, Donna Wilkins 17+12 boards

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AUSTRIA - Women

Universite BC Neuchatel beat Flying Foxes 76:62 -by Eurobasket News

Universite BC Neuchatel-Flying Foxes 76:62 (25-14, 20-16, 15-17, 16-15)

After Sdent Sierre Basket advanced to Eurocup destroying Uniao da Madeira Universite BC Neuchatel will be the second team that will represent Swidzerland in Eurocup this season. The team beat Flying Foxes 76:62 to reach the Preliminary Round of the tournament. Tara Boothe (186-F-84, college: Xavier) led the winners with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Sophie Charlier (180-G-82, agency: LBM Management) collected 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Cameo Hicks (178-G-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Washington) added 13. Yaneth Arias (188-F-82) and Kinga Hadarics (175-G-80) ended up with 14 points in the losing effort.

After prevailing in the first leg 72:67, the Swiss team revenged at home. Universite BC Neuchatel produced 25:14 in the opening quarter that was enough for the total win at that time. By half-time, the lead had ballooned to 45:30.
Flying Foxes could balanced the game only in the third quarter winning it 17:15. That was probably all the team could do. In the last quarter Universite BC Neuchatel bounced back with 16:15 just to be sure the team had a comfortable win. The Swiss team had a 148:126 aggregate win.

Flying Foxes had 39.3 percentage from the field. Universite BC Neuchatel looked better showing 43.4 form the court. Austrian team shot 7 three pointers but did not score any. Swiss team had a 50% from the arc making 7-14.

Universite BC Neuchatel: Tara Boothe 26+11 rebs, Sophie Charlier 14+7 rebs, Cameo Hicks 13
Flying Foxes: Yaneth Arias 14, Kinga Hadarics 14

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BULGARIA - Women

There will be no Bulgarian teams in Eurocup this year -by Eurobasket News
Dunav Ekont Rousse -K.V. Imperial AEL 62:70 (24-22, 7-14, 19-18, 12-16)

After a 1 point loss in Cyprus it seemed that Bulgarian squad would have better chances to advance to Eurocup. K.V. Imperial AEL prepared however an unxpected surprise beating Dunav Ekont Rousse 62:70 on a road. Betty Lennox (172-G-76, college: Louisiana Tech) led the winners with 24 points. Andrea Gardner-Combs (192-C-79, college: Howard) produced 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Ancuta Stoenescu (171-G-80) netted 11. Roksana Yordanova (184-G-84) collected 16 points in the losing clause. K.V. Imperial AEL wins the total 133:124 campaign.

Bulgaria will not be represented in the Preliminary Round of the EuroCup Women this year. Dunav Ekont Rousse lost the Elimination game to the representative from Cyprus and let them to take their spot.

Dunav Ekont Rousse was more stronger in the first quarter and finished it with 24:22. K.V. Imperial AEL produced 7:14 in the second to have 31:36 at the half. Bulgarian team struggled hard and stayed closer after 30 minutes of the game. A Roksana Yordanova three-point play gave hosts Rousse a 60:59 lead with 5:13 remaining. That was almost enough for the total win, however the visitors scored 11 points in the end. K.V. Imperial AEL won 70:62 and will start the Preliminary Round of Eurocup.

Dunav Ekont Rousse: Roksana Yordanova 16, Viktoria Mircheva (190-C-87) 11, Naydenova-Goryanova 10
K.V. Imperial AEL: Betty Lennox 24 points, Andrea Gardner-Combs 23 points +12 rebounds,Ancuta Stoenescu 11

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CANADA - Women

Trinity Western challenge McMaster in a loss -by Eurobasket News
Trinity Western Spartans looked pretty impressive in the preseason game against one of the main favorites for the upcoming CIS championship McMaster Marauders. The Spartans led through three quarters of the encounter before falling short 62:68. Trinity Western grabbed an early 17:7 lead and drove to a 41:35 advantage at halftime. The situation did not change after the break as the hosts controlled the pace and entered the final stanza in front 52:48. But the Marauders' leader Lindsay Degroot (178-G-84) sparked a comeback effort in the fourth quarter as the visitors finally rescued their way back three minutes into it. The home team stayed at a striking distance but McMaster used all the experience and drove to a win. Taylor Smith (170-G-87) spurred the Marauders with 17 points. Lindsay Degroot added 10 points in the winning clause. Lauren Doubroff scored game-high 19 points for the Spartans. Laura Craig (178-G/F) delivered 15 points in defeat.
Meanwhile Laurentian Lady Vees secured another preseason victory as they rolled past Fanshawe College 62:55. That saw them improve to 6-0 record in the preseason action. This time it was not an easy journey for the Lady Vees as Fanshawe kept it close throughout the whole game but could not stood up to the challenge late in the game. Cassandra Carpenter (-F) notched 12 points for the Lady Vees. Amanda McConnell netted 11 points for the winners. Laurentian will wrap up their exhibition games in Montreal where they are scheduled to take part in the Rouge et Orr Invitational this weekend.

Trinity Western - McMaster 62:68
Trinity Western: Lauren Doubroff 19, Laura Craig 15
McMaster: Taylor Smith 17, Lindsay Degroot 10

Fanshawe College - Laurentian 55:62
Laurentian: Cassandra Carpenter 12, Amanda McConnell 11

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CHINA - Women

CSKA reached the 4th consecutive Final of World League -by Eurobasket News
CSKA Moscow - CBA Beijing 103:56 (33:16, 17:17, 25:8, 28:15)

CSKA advanced to the fourth consecutive Final of World League. In the first semifinal game the team smashed CBA Beijing 103:56. Even though it was a semifinal game, the favorites made the game easy as a practice. Another reason for it was that in the previous game CSKA lost to USA as both teams reached the semifinals. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) led CSKA over CBA with 17 points. Becky Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) nailed 15, while Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) chipped in 12. Miao Li Jie (180-G-81) produced 16, while Chen netted 14.

The first quarter was another benefit of the Russian team. In some games it seems that the team has a goal to win and to reach 100 margin. Edwige Lawson's 3-pointer at the last second of the first period made everything absolutely clear 33:16.
The second quarter mostly however belonged to the Chinese team. They could not win, but stayed tough at 17:17. In the third quarter the Chinese Wall fell apart as CSKA made a 25:8 spurt.
Chinese League Stars will try to win bronze in the match against UMMC. The USA National Team will meet CSKA in the decisive match for the first place.

CSKA Moscow: Ann Wauters 17, Becky Hammon 15, Edwige Lawson 12
CBA Beijing: Miao Li Jie 16, Nan Chen (197-C-83) 14

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CUBA - Women

Canberra Capitals reaches the first win beating Habana -by Eurobasket News

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EUROCUP (W) - Women

ZKK Buducnost is too good for Flamurtari Vlora -by Eurobasket News

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HUNGARY - Women

Pecs wins for the first time in World League -by Eurobasket News

Hungarian Pecs will play only for the 5th place in the World League. The team reached the first win in the Classification Round for the 5/8 places.

UMMC that is from Yekaterinburg hosts the 4th World League this year. In the opener for both teams, the Russian squad took 71:67 win over Pecs from Hungary. A 23:15 in the last quarter brought the spectators the firth triumph. Agnieszka Bibrzycka (184-F/G-82, college: Abilene Christian) led the winners with 19 points. Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) nailed 15, while Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) added 9. Zsofia Fegyverneky (178-G-84) top-scored for Hungarians with 14 points.

UMMC started the match on a 10:2 run during the first minutes. The hosts controlled the first quarter, but were satisfied with 25:20 after it. Deanna Nolan was injured in the beginning of the second quarter and didn't return on the ground. This was a time when the visitors reduced to 37:36.

An 11:16 in the third put Pecs in front with 4 points deficit. UMMC however could not spoil the first game. The team made a 23:15 to take a 71:67 win in the first game.

In Day 2 of the tournament China beat European representative, Pecs 69:56. Hungarian team did not look as good as in the opener and lost the battle. Bian Lan (182-G-86) paced the winners with 17 points. Miao Li Jie (180-G-81) nailed 14, while Zhang Xiaoni (195-C-83) added 13. Tijana Krivacevic (190-F-90) posted 12 points in the losing effort.
CBA Beijing will for sure to play in the semifinal of the World league. In a 'must win game" the team started offensively from the beginning. A 18:12 in the first quarter gave the Asians the control of the game. In order not to lose it the team produced 17:15 in the second to have 8 points advantage at the half.
In the third quarter the Asian team increased their lead. Perhaps it would have been different if Pecs had been more precise while playing on defense. Hungarian team had 25 fouls, while Chinese only 10.

BC Habana won the first game in Day 3 beating another winless team Hungarian Pecs. An outstanding performance in the third quarter led to 72:71 win. Yayma Boulet (193-C-83) (193-C-83) led the winners with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Fernandez Martinez produced 14, while Yulizeny Soria (182-C-79) Baro added 12. Dalma Ivanyi (178-G-76, college: Florida Intern.) responded with 18 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

Latin American team did not shine in the opening quarter as they trailed by 20:27 after it. In the beginning of the second the Hungarians were ahead of Habana and managed to stretch their lead to 30:20. Miso increased to 11 points at the half and looked a bit better in the court.

A 19:6 came Habana team back to the game in the third quarter. Later in the game both teams stayed close to each other. Tijana Krivacevic (190-F-90) made two free throws to put the Hungarians in the lead with just eight seconds left to play, it seemed Habana would stay that way. Yayma Boulet however scored simultaneously with the final buzzer to bring her team a wonderful win.

Lithuanian TEO lost the fortune two days ago, not today. The team lost to Hungarian Pecs 69:79 in the Classification Round for the 5/8 places. TEO that could advance to the semis, will battle only for the 7th place. In the game over Pecs Nykesha Sales (183-F/G-76, college: Connecticut) scored 18 points for Lithuanian team, while Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) netted 16 points and made 9 rebounds. Kornelia Meszaros (186-F-74) and Dalma Ivanyi (178-G-76, college: Florida Intern.) top-scored for the winners with 12 points.
The teams were alternating the lead from the start of the game and only in the end of the first quarter the Hungarians gained an advantage. The team increased to 23:18 that gave Pecs 6 points deficit at the half.
In the second half Pecs never let TEO get closer than 6 points. And even 5 fouls of Kornelia Meszaros and Tijana Krivacevic didn't change the situation on the court. Hungarian team won 79:69 and will play for the 5th place.

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ISRAEL - Women

Raanana Hertzelia and Electra are on top -by Eurobasket News
Two teams in Israeli league stay without losses after three Rounds. Raanana Hertzelia leads the group with 3-0, while Electra Ramat Hasharon has 2-0.

Raanana Hertzeliya luckily survived against Ashdod 74:73. The hosts Ashdod led for most of the game, lost the lead each time and got into a close game. Ashdod led 22:11 after the first and still had 36:29 at the half. Raanana Hertzeliya with four free throws and a fastbreak layup for Mistie Williams (191-F-83, college: Duke) turned things around again, 72:69. Williams scored under the basket with 40 seconds left which turned out to be the game winner.Tanisha Wright (180-G-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Penn St.) led the winners with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Abiola Wabara nailed 18 and made 7 rebounds, as Mistie Williams collected 13 points and 11 rebounds. Brandi McCain (160-G-79, agency: Ronsport, college: Florida) was the best for the hosts with 25 points.

Ramat Hen made a 27-0 run to come back from double figures and win the game over Hapoel Tel Aviv 85:64. It was a difficult game for the hosts however they deserved a win. Edwina Brown (175-G-78, agency: Ronsport, college: Texas) top-scored for the winners with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. Kasha Terry scored 22 and made 9 rebounds as Shiri Sharon added 11. Vicki Hall (187-F/C-69, college: Texas) produced 21 points and 9 rebounds in the losing effort.

Electra Ramat Hasharon improved to 2-0 beating Bnei Yehuda 86:48. Deanna Jackson (188-F-79, college: UAB) was in front all the winners with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Dada Vilipic collected 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Rada Vidovic added 11. La'Tangela Atkinson (188-G/F-84, college: N.Carolina) debuted with 24 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.

The defending champion Elizur Ramla overcame Maccabi Tel Kabir 95:74. The team lost the previous game and now tries to catch up the leaders. Shay Doron (175-G-85, college: Maryland) paced the winners with 19 points and 8 assists. Tangela Smith scored 17 and Natasha Andjelic had 14. Shaun Gortman (179-G-79) powered with 20 points and 17 rebounds in defeat.

Maccabi Ashdod - Raanana Hertzelia 73:74
Raanana Hertzelia: Tanisha Wright 21+8 rebs, Abiola Wabara 18 +7 rebs, Mistie Williams 13+11 rebs,Katia Levitsky 9
Ashdod: Brandi McCain 25, Ayana Walker 23+13 rebs, Michal Epshtein 10

Maccabi Ramat Hen - Hapoel Tel Aviv 85:64
Ramat Hen: Edwina Brown 23+12 rebs+6 stl+5 ast, Kasha Terry 22+9 rebs, Shiri Sharon 11, Mustafina 9, Tatyana Troina 9
Hapoel: Vicki Hall 21+9 rebs, Ednisha Curry 11, Bozena Erceg 10
Lena Fedulova 6

Ramat Hasharon - Bnei Yehuda 86:48
Ramat Hasharon: Deanna Jackson 26+15 rebs, Dada Vilipic 18+15 rebs, Rada Vidovic 11
Bnei Yehuda: La'Tangela Atkinson 24+12 rebs, Ayelet Cohen 10

Elizur Ramla - Maccabi Tel Kabir 95:74
Ramla: Shay Doron 19 +8 ast, Tangela Smith 17 +9 rebs, Natasha Andjelic 14, Chasity Melvin 13+8 rebs, Abramzon 12+5 rebs
Tel Kabir: Shaun Gortman 20+17 rebs, Renee Taylor 17, Michelle Woods 14 +7 rebs

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ITALY - Women

Taranto signed Linda Froehlich -by Carlo Grilli
Taranto made big effort to become a big competitor for Italian title signing the German star Linda Froehlich (188-F/C-79, college: UNLV), one of the best power forwards playing in Europe. Frolich will debut on sunday against La Spezia.

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LESOTHO - Women

National Basketball League (NBL) -by Jay
The National Basketball League (NBL) was successfully launched last month on the 22nd September 2007, at The National University of Lesotho (NUL) courts. These are the results of the games that were played that day.

Men
Rovers (NUL) 43 bt Leseli 39
Bashana Baeso (BB) 57 bt S.M Technikon 21
Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) 53 bt Leseli 37
Bashana Baeso 65 bt Rovers (NUL) 42

Women
Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) 39 bt Rovers (NUL) 14
Rangers 22 bt Rovers (NUL) 10

The league resumed on the 6th October 2007 at the Lesotho Correctional Services courts in Maseru. Some games had to be cancelled due to bad weather; they will be played on the weekend of 20th October. Here are the results of the games that were played before the rain interrupted:

Men
Bashana Baeso 49 bt Leseli 37
Leseli 46 bt Rangers 31

Women
Lerotholi Polytechnic 36 bt Rangers 11

The league will continue this coming weekend in Butha-Buthe district.

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LITHUANIA - Women

TEO lost the fortune -by Eurobasket News

TEO Vilnius (Lithuania) - MIZO PECS 2010 (Hungary) - 69:79 (18:19, 18:23, 13:19, 20:18)

Lithuanian TEO lost the fortune two days ago, not today. The team lost to Hungarian Pecs 69:79 in the Classification Round for the 5/8 places. TEO that could advance to the semis, will battle only for the 7th place. In the game over Pecs Nykesha Sales (183-F/G-76, college: Connecticut) scored 18 points for Lithuanian team, while Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) netted 16 points and made 9 rebounds. Kornelia Meszaros (186-F-74) and Dalma Ivanyi (178-G-76, college: Florida Intern.) top-scored for the winners with 12 points.
The teams were alternating the lead from the start of the game and only in the end of the first quarter the Hungarians gained an advantage. The team increased to 23:18 that gave Pecs 6 points deficit at the half.
In the second half Pecs never let TEO get closer than 6 points. And even 5 fouls of Kornelia Meszaros and Tijana Krivacevic didn't change the situation on the court. Hungarian team won 79:69 and will play for the 5th place.

Of course it is not what both teams expected from the tournament. TEO hoped at least for the semifinal, while Pecs had an esy group and could show better result.
Tomorrow the Hungarians will face Canberra, while TEO and Habana will play for the 7th place. European teams will try to win the games in order to finish the tournament on a happy note.

TEO Vilnius: Nykesha Sales 18, Sandra Valuzyte 16+9 rebs, Leuchanka 15+8 rebs
MIZO PECS 2010: Kornelia Meszaros 12, Dalma Ivanyi 12, Graziane Coelho (192-C-83) 11

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NCAA - Women

Taurasi led USA to the Final of World League -by Eurobasket News
UMMC - USA Select Team 79:97(18:33, 20:27, 23:16, 18:21)

USA won the semifinal game over the hosts of the World League. The Select team overcame UMMC 97:79 due to the first quarter. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) led the winners with 25 points. Tay McWilliams (6'3''-F/C-70, college: St.Edward's) nailed 15 points and made 10 rebounds, while Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) added 13. Sandrine Gruda (6'4''-F/C-87) top-scored for the Russian team with 20 points. Polish Agnieszka Bibrzycka (6'1''-F/G-82, college: Abilene Christian) added 19, while Croatian Batkovic netted 13. UMMC will try to win bronze in the match against Chinese League Stars and the USA National Team will meet CSKA in the decisive match for the first place.

UMMC was the only team without losses left in the tournament, but would have to play only for the third. A 18:33 in the opening game sent them out of the game. USA is back on track as after the loss from TEO the team beat both Russian squads.
A 27:20 in the second quarter answered all the questions about the winner of the game. UMMC struggled hard in the second half, but could only reduce the score. Thanks to the third quarter, that UMMC won 23:16, they reduced a bit. USA tried to score 100 in the end but was satisfied with 97:79 win.

UMMC: Sandrine Gruda 20, Agnieszka Bibrzycka 19, Batkovic 13
USA Select Team: Diana Taurasi 25, Tay McWilliams 15+10 rebs, Sue Bird 13

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NEW ZEALAND - Women

Christchurch Sirens fall to Bulleen -by Eurobasket News
Bulleen - Christchurch 85:72

The Christchurch Sirens were not able to taste the first WNBL victory today. They visited the Bulleen Boomers and suffered their sixth straight loss 72:85. Five Boomers players scored in double figures to pace Bulleen to the second win in the season. The Sirens kept it close in the starting frame and trailed by just 5 points after it 16:21. But the hosts spurred ahead in the second term taking the visitors by surprise and outscoring them 25:6. The damage was done and the Sirens could hardly hope for a positive result falling behind by 24 points at halftime. They though fought bravely in the second half and managed to cut the deficit by 11 points. However it was not enough for the first success in the season. Emma Randall (188-C-85) led well-balanced Boomers offense with 16 points and 8 boards. Desiree Glaubitz (177-G-79) and Elyse Penaluna (193-C-88) contributed 12 points apiece for the winners. Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) replied with 24 points and 2 blocks for the Sirens. Donna Wilkins had 17 points, 12 boards and 4 steals in a losing clause.
The Sirens dominated under the rims as they outrebounded the hosts 42:27. But Bulleen sank 54% from the field, while Christchurch converted 44% of their filed goals. The visitors also suffered 23 turnovers.
Bulleen improved to 2-2 record in the WNBL ladder and will next face AIS tomorrow. Christchurch will look for their first win in the season on the road against Bendigo.

Bulleen: Emma Randall 16+8 boards, Desiree Glaubitz 12, Elyse Penaluna 12
Christchurch: Lamisha Augustine 24, Donna Wilkins 17+12 boards

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PORTUGAL - Women

FIBA Europe Cup Uniao and Boa Viagem says goodbye -by Bruno Baltazar
Both portuguese teams didn´t had easy tasks in the 2nd game of the pre tournament to qualify some teams for the biggest european clubs competition.

UNIAO in the first period still dreamed about the qualification but the 3 others periods was complitly dominated by the switzerland team of SIerre(51-96),a game without history and with a superior oponent to the portuguese side.

Boa Viagem had more opurtunyts against Sierre but lost aswell 69-57 ,it´s the start of the season and both teams sure will look allot better in the home champions ,CAB is now the only portuguese team in EuroCup .

CAB against ESSA for the Supercup -by Bruno Baltazar
If anyone is wondering if the only teams in Portugal are ESSA and CAB ,no it´s not true but they sure did a great job past season winning all in Portugal.

It will be another opurtunity for both teams play against each other in the pre season but now for a trophy that nobody is willing to lose.
The game is this Sunday at 5pm ,portuguese time in Pavilhao Municipal do Samouco,this will be the 2nd time both teams compete for this trophy against each others.
Here´s the complete lsit of winner of portuguese SuperCup:

1985/86 - CIF
1986/87 - Alges
1987/88 - CIF
1988/89 - CIF
1989/90 - E. Avenida
1990/91 - E. Avenida
1991/92 - E. Avenida
1992/93 - E. Avenida
1993/94 - U. Santarem
1994/95 - E. Avenida
1995/96 - CAB
1996/97 - CAB
1997/98 - U.Santarem
1998/99 - Olivais
1999/2000 - CAB
2000/2001 - D. Povoa
2001/2002 - Santarem Basket
2002/2003 - Santarem Basket
2003/2004 - CAB
2004/2005 - GDESSA
2005/2006 - GDESSA
2006/2007 - CAB

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PUERTO RICO - Women

Carolina goes to Semifinals....Valentin in Spain. -by Alessandro Fontana
Carolina goes to the Semifinals of BSF 2007. Carolina defeated yesterday Guynabo 84-70. Our MVP was Ahsley Anderson with 21 points (7/8 2pts, 7/12 FT) and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes. Carolina will play the Semifinals against Morovis. the first game will be on Sunday 28th October. Tomorrow "the partidazo", the big-match, Juncos against Ponce.
CAROLINA-GUAYNABO= 84-70
C= Anderson 21, Clinesmith 15, Emanuelli 15, De la Cruz 9, Escalera 7, Lanza 6, Ortiz 5, Rodriguez 4, Cruz 2
G= Williams 19+9 rebs, Villegas 17, Rivera 11, L. Rivera 9, Rios 5, Melendez 5, Torres 4

"La Diosa" Cynthia Valentin (173-G-84, college: Indiana) is in Spain, She plays for Islas de Tenerife in the Spanish Liga 2. Tenerife played 2 games and They have a 0-2 standing, but Valentin began personally good her adventure in Spain. In the first game She scored 23 points (4/7 2pts, 3/4 3pts, 6/6 Ft)+4rebs+1assts in 33 minutes. Tenerife was defeated by Vinaroz 67-75. In the second game "La Diosa" scored 18 points (7/8 2pts, 0/1 3pts, 4/4 FT)+3rebs+2assts in 33 minutes, Tenerife was defeated by Unicaja Canarias 75-68.
Tenerife will play next game against Viladecans.
A. Fontana

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RUSSIA - Women

Taurasi led USA to the Final of World League -by Eurobasket News
UMMC - USA Select Team 79:97(18:33, 20:27, 23:16, 18:21)

USA won the semifinal game over the hosts of the World League. The Select team overcame UMMC 97:79 due to the first quarter. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) led the winners with 25 points. Tay McWilliams (6'3''-F/C-70, college: St.Edward's) nailed 15 points and made 10 rebounds, while Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) added 13. Sandrine Gruda (6'4''-F/C-87) top-scored for the Russian team with 20 points. Polish Agnieszka Bibrzycka (6'1''-F/G-82, college: Abilene Christian) added 19, while Croatian Batkovic netted 13. UMMC will try to win bronze in the match against Chinese League Stars and the USA National Team will meet CSKA in the decisive match for the first place.

UMMC was the only team without losses left in the tournament, but would have to play only for the third. A 18:33 in the opening game sent them out of the game. USA is back on track as after the loss from TEO the team beat both Russian squads.
A 27:20 in the second quarter answered all the questions about the winner of the game. UMMC struggled hard in the second half, but could only reduce the score. Thanks to the third quarter, that UMMC won 23:16, they reduced a bit. USA tried to score 100 in the end but was satisfied with 97:79 win.

UMMC: Sandrine Gruda 20, Agnieszka Bibrzycka 19, Batkovic 13
USA Select Team: Diana Taurasi 25, Tay McWilliams 15+10 rebs, Sue Bird 13

CSKA reached the 4th consecutive Final of World League -by Eurobasket News
CSKA Moscow - CBA Beijing 103:56 (33:16, 17:17, 25:8, 28:15)

CSKA advanced to the fourth consecutive Final of World League. In the first semifinal game the team smashed CBA Beijing 103:56. Even though it was a semifinal game, the favorites made the game easy as a practice. Another reason for it was that in the previous game CSKA lost to USA as both teams reached the semifinals. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) led CSKA over CBA with 17 points. Becky Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) nailed 15, while Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) chipped in 12. Miao Li Jie (180-G-81) produced 16, while Chen netted 14.

The first quarter was another benefit of the Russian team. In some games it seems that the team has a goal to win and to reach 100 margin. Edwige Lawson's 3-pointer at the last second of the first period made everything absolutely clear 33:16.
The second quarter mostly however belonged to the Chinese team. They could not win, but stayed tough at 17:17. In the third quarter the Chinese Wall fell apart as CSKA made a 25:8 spurt.
Chinese League Stars will try to win bronze in the match against UMMC. The USA National Team will meet CSKA in the decisive match for the first place.

CSKA Moscow: Ann Wauters 17, Becky Hammon 15, Edwige Lawson 12
CBA Beijing: Miao Li Jie 16, Nan Chen (197-C-83) 14

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SENEGAL - Women

13th Champions Cup for Women - Maputo 07: Desportivo beat KPA 45 - 54 and moves in semi finals -by Lamine Ndiaye
Playing their best game ever in the competition, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Friday put up a big fight against Desportivo basketball club of Mozambique in the first quarter-final match of the 13th FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women at the Maxaquene gymnasium, Maputo, though they lost the match but the Kenyan held their own against all expectation.
The Kenyan lost the first quarter 12-10 but came back strongly to pick the second quarter 14-07 points to take a first half lead of 21-19 points.
They however, crumbled in the third and fourth quarters (17-12 and 18-09) with Senegalese Desportivo import, Salimata Diatta playing an important role in her side wins with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals.
Diara Dessai added 14 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds to help the Maputo-based side book a semi-finals ticket.
Desportivo will meet tomorrow in semi finals, the winner of the game between Djoliba of Mali and ISPU of Mozambique schedule at 20.00 today.

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SWITZERLAND - Women

Universite BC Neuchatel beat Flying Foxes 76:62 -by Eurobasket News

Universite BC Neuchatel: Tara Boothe 26+11 rebs, Sophie Charlier 14+7 rebs, Cameo Hicks 13
Flying Foxes: Yaneth Arias 14, Kinga Hadarics 14

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL. - Women

2007-08 Collegiate round up -by David Edole
Seniors
Despite the return of All-MIAA performer Yanique Javois (176-G-86, college: St.Louis), Missouri Western's women's basketball team was picked to finish in sixth place in the Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2007-08 season. All Javois did was lead the Griffons to a 30-4 overall record last season and a first place finish in the MIAA with a 16-2 conference record.
Javois also took some time to play with the Virgin Islands senior women's team this past summer. The team finished the Caribbean Basketball Championship with a 3-2 record.

Zena Lawrence (173-F-86) and the Troy Trojans were picked to finish fourth in Sun Belt East Division. Lawrence averaged only 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds. Look for her to improve those numbers.
Western Kentucky was picked to win the East Division with nine first place points, while Middle Tennessee was picked to finish second and Florida International third.

Rounding out the V.I. seniors in college basketball is Park University's Jenicia Stephens. The 5-foot-6 guard played in ten games, scoring a total of ten points, 21 total rebounds and recorded seven steals on the year.
Park University struggled to a 3-24 record and a fourth seed in the NAIA Independent Region Basketball Tournament. The women were able to advance to the semi-final round of the after posting a 74-42 win over fifth-seeded Allen University in the tournament's quarterfinals, the women's season ended at the hands of Brescia University 45-34 in Columbia, S.C.

Juniors
Chynelle Rogers (188-F-87), a forward, is in her third season at George Mason University and will look to continue to improve her game throughout the season.
“Chynelle has had a very good preseason,” said Coach Debbie Taneyhill. “We are not deep in the post, so we're going to need her to be a big contributor for us. She has some very good skills that we need her to use in actual game situations.”
The Patriots were selected by the coaches and media to finish in last place in the Colonial Athletic Association.
"The CAA could be very different this year," said Taneyhill. "It is so competitive from top to bottom -- last year we lost four games at the buzzer -- that you never really know what is going to happen on a nightly basis. Where we are in January can be very different than February or March. A number of the good teams lost players, while the lesser teams gained new players. With all the personnel changes, I don't believe there is a status quo in the conference."
In order for the Patriots to make a return to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association, Taneyhill believes that her team must play hard every game, while remaining focused on the ultimate goal.
"I think our kids really have to buy into the new things we are stressing," she said. "We'd love to win every game, but obviously that's not going to happen. The challenge is to respond to adversity through the season with the understanding that we're ultimately shooting for March and the CAA Tournament."

Khalia Cain was trusted into Sacred Heart's starting lineup for 14 games when point guard Kerri Burke was sidelined with an injury. Cain responded with a career-high 22 points, hitting 14 of 17 at the free throw line at Yale (11/25/06) and a ten-point, career-high six assists at Wagner (2/06/07).
Sacred Heart was one win away from the NCAA tournament. They lost to Fordham 68-66 in the finals of the NEC tournament. Cain averaged 4.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season.

After sitting out the year, Sheaywond Williams is ready to burst out at DII Clark Atlanta University. The 5-foot-7 guard transferred to the historical black intuitional after completing her two years at Florida CC at Jacksonville. She averaged four points and four rebounds.
Lady Panther Basketball will have a completely different look for the 2007-08 season after loosing All-Conference player Prinsha Williams.
“The key to our success will be how this team develops as a unit,” said Coach Vanessa Moore. “Although we had the luxury of relying on Prinsha last season as the offensive nucleus of the team, this year there will be a more balanced approach offensively. Also, unlike previous years, most of the newcomers enter the program with collegiate game experience.”

Sophomore
The only sophomore on the list is Crucian LaShawnna Edwards. Edward suited up for DII Nova Southeastern University last season. The 5-9 guard/forward played in 24 games in her first season and amassed 21 rebounds, four assists and five blocks.

Freshman
The new blood representing the Virgin Islands in collegiate action will be led by Stacy Griffith (183-F-89) at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University women's basketball team was selected fourth in the CAA preseason poll, picked by the league's coaches.
Griffith is a 6-0 power forward, whom averaged 12.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals and one block per game while shooting 52 percent from the field for the Riverbend Bears in Virginia. Griffith poured in 15.7 points per game in three state tournament contests, leading Riverbend to the Group AA quarterfinals.
The McDonald's All-American nominee, also helped steer Riverbend to a 25-4 mark and the Group AA Battlefield District title.

Ivanna Eudora Kean's JerryAnn Thomas will be suiting up for Minnesota West Tech Community College. The 5-foot-10 forward was an all star last season and has high hopes for her new team.
The 2007-08 Lady Jay basketball team returns three starters from their 3rd place finish in the State Tournament a year ago. “We have a great nucleus returning, and with our new freshmen and transfers, we hope to be able to compete at a high level,” Says Fury. “We are looking forward to a great year.”
Thomas is not only a basketball players she was awarded the Mooty Scholarship. The Mooty Scholarship is $1,650 per semester for up to 4 semesters, recipients must maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and be registered as full-time status.

Central High school's defensive specialist Ashley Georges has Monroe Community College on her mind. The 5-5 guard will be entering her first season with a team that made it all the way to the National Semifinals and lost in the third place game to College of Dupage. Monroe finished last season 30-3.

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WNBA - Women

Fever Declines Option On Winters Contract -by Bruno Baltazar
The Indiana Fever has declined its option on the contract of Head Coach Brian Winters , as announced by Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf.
The decision closes a four-year era in which Winters guided the Fever to a 78-58 regular season record. Indiana advanced to the WNBA Playoffs in three consecutive seasons under the former NBA coach, including trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005 and 2007. The third coach in Fever history, Winters was 5-7 in 12 playoff games with the Fever.

“After much discussion this postseason, we came to the conclusion that a new voice is needed to take over the direction of the team,” said Krauskopf. “Brian has been a good coach for our franchise, and a quality individual. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Indiana finished its 2007 regular season with a 21-13 record for the third straight season before advancing to the WNBA Playoffs.

Sparks Win Top Pick in 2008 WNBA Draft -by Bruno Baltazar
Sparks won the seventh annual WNBA Draft Lottery and earned the top pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, the League announced today.

The winning team had 341 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall selection. The Chicago Sky will have the second pick in the draft followed by the Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta, Houston Comets and Washington Mystics.

The Atlanta franchise, announced last week as the League's 14th team, was previously awarded the fourth pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

WNBA officials and a representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young conducted the Draft Lottery in New York City, which included the five teams that did not qualify for the 2007 Playoffs and established the order of selection for the first six picks of the 2008 Draft. The order of selection for the first, second and third picks was determined by the lottery while the fourth pick was awarded to the Atlanta franchise. The fifth and sixth picks were then designated for the two remaining lottery-eligible teams who did not earn one of the top three picks, based on inverse order of their finish during the 2007 regular season. Additionally, the order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third rounds is also based on each team's finish during the 2007 regular season.

Following are results of the 2008 Draft Lottery:

2008 WNBA DRAFT LOTTERY ORDER
Team 2007 Record
1. Los Angeles 10-24
2. Chicago Sky 14-20
3. Minnesota Lynx 10-24
4. Atlanta n/a
5. Houston Comets 13-21
6. Washington Mystics 16-18

Following is the remaining order for the first round as determined by overall records from 2007:

REMAINING ORDER FOR FIRST ROUND
Team 2007 Record
7. New York 16-18
8. Seattle 17-17
9. Connecticut 18-16
10. Sacramento 19-15
11. Detroit From San Antonio (20-14), Riley/Feenstra trade on 2/22/07
12. Indiana 21-13
13. Phoenix 23-11
14. New York From Detroit (24-10) via San Antonio, Hammon/ Davenport trade on 4/4/07

The WNBA will feature 14 teams in 2008, with the Eastern and Western Conferences comprised of seven teams each. Atlanta will join the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics in the Eastern Conference, while the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and Seattle Storm will continue to comprise the Western Conference.

The WNBA enjoyed one of its most successful seasons ever in 2007 with increased regular season attendance, a new postseason attendance record and Finals viewership on ESPN2 that was up 12 percent vs. 2006. Spectacular performances from the world's best women's basketball players highlighted the WNBA's 11th season. The Storm's Lauren Jackson tied a league record for points in a game (47) and also became the youngest player ever to reach 4,000 career points en route to earning league MVP honors, while the Mercury's Diana Taurasi scored 30-or-more points per game a league-record 10 times. Led by 2007 All-Stars Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor, the Mercury capped the most exciting WNBA season ever by defeating the defending champion Detroit Shock in five games in the WNBA Finals.

Cortesy of www.wnba.com

2007 FIBA World League Tournament -by Bruno Baltazar
Behind a game-high 25 points, 15 from beyond the arc, from Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), the USA Basketball Women's Select Team (3-1) surged past host UMMC Ekaterinburg (3-1) 97-79 and into the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament championship game. Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Los Angeles Sparks) contributed a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) finished with 13 points and six assists and Janel McCarville (New York Liberty) notched 11 points and seven boards in the semifinal game played Friday night in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The day's first semifinal contest saw CSKA Moscow (3-1) thrash CBA Beijing (2-2) 103-56, setting up a USA-CSKA Moscow rematch in Saturday's title game (8:00 a.m. EDT). UMMC Ekaterinburg and CBA Beijing will play for third place (5:00 a.m. EDT).
“I am so pleased with the way we played tonight,” said USA and Seattle Storm head coach Anne Donovan. “We shot the ball so well in the first half. We get excited about our defense because as well as we shot it, we made them very uncomfortable running their sets. It's a beautiful thing when you shoot the ball well and you're playing like that on the other end of the floor. In the second half we didn't shoot as well, but we still shot very good. Even though they made the run, which we knew they would, we kicked it in defensively and got stops when we had to have them.”

Setting the tone early, the USA came out on fire and knocked down four of its first five tries, all from 3-point range and including three from Taurasi, and two minutes into the contest led 12-5. Ahead six points, 24-18, with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter the United States continued its onslaught, closing the period with a 9-0 run to go up 33-18. The USA outscored the hosts 27-20 in the second period and headed to the locker room with a 60-38 advantage.

Taurasi's 20 points led USA Basketball's 22-point first half dominance, while McWilliams-Franklin had 12 by the midway point. Overall, the squad in the first 20 minutes of play connected on a red-hot 61.1 percent (22-36 FGs) of its attempts from the field, including a sizzling 53.8 percent (7-13 3pt FGs) from beyond the arc.

“She definitely got in a groove and everybody recognized that and got the ball to her,” said Donovan on Taurasi's performance. “When Diana gets on a roll like that, there's nobody who can stop her.”

Ekaterinburg returned to the court with renewed vigor, playing tight man-to-man defense and chipped away at the gap, outscoring the U.S. 23-16 in the third quarter.

Heading into the final 10 minutes of play up 76-61, the red, white and blue saw its lead drop to 10 points, 76-66, 32 seconds into the final stanza. Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) and McWilliams-Franklin hit back-to-back buckets and after a pair of made free throws on the other end, closing to 80-68, the hosts still held out hope of a comeback.

However, Bird sandwiched a pair of threes around a U.S. defensive stop to take the wind out of Ekaterinburg's sails and up the ante to 86-68 with less than five minutes remaining. Never feeling threatened again, the American women finished out the contest on top 97-79.

“We shot really well in the first half, much better than them so I think we knew they were going to start hitting their shots more,” said McWilliams-Franklin. “But more than anything, our defense was one step slower. In the first half we were really quick to help, really quick to rotate, in the second half, especially in the third quarter, we were watching a lot. The pass was going by and we were watching it get there and then reacting. In the fourth when we buckled down a little more, fixed what was wrong with our defense, we extended the lead again from 10 to 18.”

The U.S. closed out the contest with a respectable 54.4 percent shooting percentage from the floor and 47.6 percent from 3-point, while dominating the boards by a 38-18 margin and allowing the hosts only eight rebounds in the second half. The USA's unselfish play, which produced six assists from Bird and five apiece from Katie Smith (Detroit Shock) and Taurasi, was underscored by 21 assists on 36 field goals.

Ekaterinburg was led by Sandrine Gruda's 20 points, Agnieszka Bibrzycka scored 19 and Suzy Batkovic added 13 points.

In classification games today the Canberra Capitals (1-3) secured their first win after taking Basketball Club Havana (1-3) 74-68, while MiZo Pecs 2010 (1-3) also collected its first victory by downing TEO Vilnius (2-2) 79-69.

The Connecticut Sun's Mike Thibault, also an assistant coach for the 2006-08 USA Basketball National Team, is assisting Donovan along the sidelines.

Others USA results:
10/25: USA 81, Moscow 72
10/24: Vilnius 79, USA 76 |
10/23: USA 93, Canberra 49