EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 6/11/2007

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Men News

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ARGENTINA

Coachs market -by Facundo Iatzky
Boca Juniors Capital Feder resigned Gabriel Picatto as head coach for the 2007/2008 season. Picatto won his first league as head coach in the last season.
El Nacional Monte Hermoso agreed terms with Juan Garcia who will be the coach of the first season of El nacional in the elite. Garcia was the coach of the team in the TNA during the last trhee seasons.

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AUSTRALIA

NBL: Brisbane signs Justin Brown (212-C-80) -by Gauthier Gerard
The Brisbane Bullets have announced that big-man Justin Brown (212-C-80, agency: Passing Lane, college: Connecticut) has signed with the club for the upcoming 2007-2008 NBL Season. Brown, 27, played the 2006-2007 season with the Perth Wildcats and was contracted to continue with them in 07-08. However, Brown and Wildcats management negotiated a release over the last week, with both parties of the belief they could benefit from a change of direction.
source: Brisbane Bullets

The Bullets, having retained eight players from their Championship roster but looking to add size to the group believe Brown presents a great opportunity to balance the team Bullets General Manager Jeff Van Groningen said the club is delighted to have Brown on board.
“Justin Brown is a player we believe has so much to offer. We don't feel that he's reached his potential yet, particularly in our League. This is a good opportunity for him to do so and it's a great fit for both parties”, Van Groningen said.

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BARBADOS

Bulls avenge 1st round defeat, whip Cavs by 30 -by Justin Marville
Having already surrendered a 30 point lead this season to the Cavs, Clapham would have been weary of letting their guard drop after leading their rivals by 20 at the half. Jeremy Gill, however, would ensure the Bulls didn't make the same mistake twice.

Led by a game high 30 points from last season's MVP and a stifling defence which accounted for 27 turnovers and 11 blocked shots, the defending league champs used a 32 point first quarter effort to rout Station Hill 86-56 in Saturday night's featured game at the Barbados Community College.

The Bulls were clearly ready for the highly anticipated matchup, jumping out to an early 16-9 lead in the opening four minutes of the first quarter behind an energetic defensive effort and aggressive play from Gill and Halley Franklyn on the offensive end.

Franklyn got to the line early and often, converting all five of his attempts at the charity stripe in the period, while the Bulls tried their best to frustrate forward Andrew Alleyne at the other end of the floor.

Trailing by seven with 5:48 to go in the first quarter, the game's turning point would come when Cavaliers captain Jason Smith picked up his second foul and was ejected after picking up two successive technical fouls for arguing the call. The wheels then came off for Station Hill and the Cavs never recovered, with Gill successfully converting all four free throws which led to the Bulls closing out the period on a 16-7 run to give them a 32-16 lead.

With Alleyne's shot finally falling and Gill struggling with turnovers to start the second quarter, the Cavaliers opened the period by scoring eight unanswered points to reduce the deficit to single digits, but the brief Station Hill rally only served to give the side false hope as the Bulls' defence rose to the occasion.

Clapham forced nine Cavs turnovers in the quarter which allowed Gill to get out in the open court to score easy baskets in transition, and Mark Foster added three second quarter blocked shots to keep the Cavaliers to just 12 points in the period, allowing the Bulls to stretch their advantage to 20, 48-28, at the half.

With his side facing a mammoth deficit Alleyne was more aggressive on the offensive end to start the ensuing quarter, receiving the ball in the low blocks and getting to the line, but with Station Hill still struggling with their turnover woes it would be all in vein.

Clapham forced yet another seven turnovers in the third, while Halley Franklyn joined Mark Foster in the block party, as the Bulls defence helped to maintain the huge lead.

Trailing 61-44 going into the game's final ten minutes, the Cavs tried to chip away at the deficit behind Alleyne but Gill and Kodia Leacock would have none of it. The duo got out in transition to lead the Clapham charge, at one point feeding Gary Miller for two uncontested dunks in the open court, as the Bulls' stifling defence blew the game wide open.

Station Hill would only muster a further five field goals in the period as Clapham outscored them 25-12 in the fourth to secure the huge victory.

Alleyne finished with a team high 21 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort while Junior Moore added 12 points for the Cavaliers. Gill received contributions of 11 points from Miller and 10 points each from Franklyn and Alvin Padmore.

Sonics 82, Deacons 69
Tied at 68 with 4:58 left on the clock, St. John's Sonics held Deacons to just one point over the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to secure an 82-69 victory over the Fastbreaks, moving a ½ game ahead of the Deacons side for the forth and final playoff spot.

Sonics shooting guard Jefferson Trotman led all scorers with 22 points and added five assists, while Nicholas Bradshaw had a season high 16 points and Bernard Howell chipped in with 12 points off the bench. Kelvin Russell and Terrence Roach added 11 and 10 points respectively in the win.

For the Fastbreaks, forward Tyrone Alexander had a double-double of 12 points and 14 boards, with Henry Richards also scoring 12 and adding 11 rebounds while Nicholas Chandler added 11 points and Rudolph Agard pulled down 16 rebounds to add to his nine points

Cavaliers suffer a loss -by Eurobasket News
The top flying Station Hill Cavaliers were run over the Lumber Company Lakers 68:73 in another day of action in Barbados Premier League. The Lakers edged ahead in the opening quarter 19:17. The league leading Cavaliers however ruturned to contest in the second frame as they spurred ahead 40:34 behind Corey Williams' impressive long range shooting. Despite a strong under the rims performance from the Lakers' Pearson Griffith (208-C-81, college: Murray St.) the league leaders continued to dominate the game in the third frame and finished it 58:51. They managed to extend the lead up to 61:51 at the start of the final 10 minutes, but that was as far it got. The Lakers increased the pace and sparked with 15 points to tie the score at 66:66 with less than a minute to go. Zahir Motara (180-G-81) burst out with a three pointer to lift the Lakers up in front. Corey Williams tried to reply with a three pointer of his own but was forced to a difficult attempt and missed it.
Zahir Motara nailed 19 points for the winners, while Pearson Griffith added 16 points and 10 rebounds to ensure win. Junior Moore answered with 20 points and Corey Williams had 16 points in a loss.
Meanwhile Solar Dynamics Clapham Bulls edged Sagicor General Combined Schools Trident 98:76. The Bulls led 44:41 at halftime. Garry Miller provided Bulls with 12 points in the third quarter to leave the Trident behind 70:60. Ramon Simmons found the touch from behind the arc in the final term to drive the third-placed Bulls to an easy win. Garry Miller chipped in 34 points and grabbed 11 boards for the Bulls. Akeem Marsh notched 15 points and collected 10 rebounds for the Trident.

Lakers - Cavaliers 73:68
Lakers: Zahir Motara 19 points, Pearson Griffith 16+10 boards
Cavaliers: Junior Moore 20, Corey Williams 16

Clapham Bulls - Trident 98:76
Bulls: Garry Miller 34+11 boards, Jeremy Gill (183-G-81) 11
Trident: Akeem March 15, Andre Holder 14+13 boards.

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BELARUS

Andrei Olbrecht - New Head Coach of OZAA Osipovichy -by Viktar Tkachou
Andrei Olbrecht will be new head coach of OZAA Osipovichy. This decision was made after unsatisfied play-off result obtained with previous head coach Nikolay Buzlyakov. Andrei Olbrecht has played for OZAA since 2004, and it will be first try for him in coach position. However, he has rich experience playing for prestigious teams in Russia and Kazakhstan, and there is no doubt he will blow force to OZAA game picture.
Andrei Olbrecht (202-G/F-71)

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CROATIA

Zadar is on the way to triumph. Game 3: Cibona-Zadar 87:95 -by Eurobasket News
Cibona - Zadar 87:95 (20:20, 31:27, 17:17, 19:31)

Zadar creates a sensation beating Cibona in a road in Game 3 last night. Zadar downed defending champion Cibona 87:95 in Zagreb. The winner got 2-1 lead and now one victory to celebrate. Carl English (192-G-81, college: Hawaii) led the winners with 27 points. Frano Colak added 15, while Jure Lalic posted 14. Barisa Krasic (203-F-78) top-scored for Cibona with 24 points.

Cibona opened the game very engaged with a 10-0 run.The hosts were very aggressive from the first inutes and desired to revenge for the last loss in game 2. Zadar, meanwhile caught them up already in the end of the quarter having 20:20. Cibona anyway was provided with a 51:47 lead in the half-time break.
Cibona took a control of the game again in the end of the third quarter. Zadar was in a big trouble trailing 66:55. It was English who reduced to 66:63 before the fourth.
Colak tied the game at 80:80. That was a fantastic came back of the visitors to the game. Pankracije Barac (196-G-81) and then Rok Stipcevic (189-G-86) made the score 84:90, after which Cibona could not wake up. Zadar is ready to finish the series on June 12th at home arena.


Cibona: Barisa Krasic 24 points, Davor Kus (190-G-78) 15, Chris Warren (196-F-81, college: S.Carolina) 12, Marton Bader 10
Zadar: Carl English 27 points, Frano Colak 15, Jure Lalic 14, Pankracije Barac 10

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CYPRUS

GSSE Monaco 2007: Cyprus NOC decided to withdraw the team from the competition -by Erodotos Miltiadous
No medal for Cyprus! The Cyprus National Olympic Committee decided to withdraw the basketball team from the Games of Small States of Europe after the incidents in the game against Iceland for day 5 and denounce the bronze medal the team should have taken after the match.

Although Cyprus won 36 Gold medals and a total of 94 medals in front of second place Iceland who won 31 Gold and 74 total medals, what happened in the game against Iceland gave a bad sense to the first place Cyprus got in the Games of Small States of Europe.

After this development, the standings table looks as following:
1. Iceland 5-0 Gold medal
2. Luxemburg 4-1 Silver medal
3. San Marino 2-3 Bronze medal
4. Andorra 1-4
5. Andorra 0-5
6. Cyprus 2-3.

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D-LEAGUE

Former Anaheim Arsenal Guard Majic Dorsey now WBA Champion -by Surujh Roopnarine
Daryl "Majic"Dorsey (6'1''-G-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: S.Indiana) led Mayas-USA to the 2007 WBA Championship on Thursday night. A veteran of the ABA, WBA and D-League, Dorsey was also named WBA Most Valuable Player for the second time (First in 2005) as he averaged 35.3 points and 9.1 assists per game to lead the league. Mayas-USA finished the regular season at 16-1 and then defeated Ravia 114-104 to take the Championship. Dorsey scored 18 points while dishing out 10 assists in the finale. This past season for the Arsenal, Dorsey was a stabilizing force on a team that underwent many roster changes throughout the year in addition to a head coaching switch in season. Majic appeared in 50 games for Anaheim (35 starts) and averaged 11.7 points, 4.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and shot 87% from the free-throw line.

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FRANCE

Pro B : Châlons signs young players to rebuild the team -by Aurelien Hipp
*After having signed his new coach, Francis Charneux , Châlons has started signing new players for next seasons. Aboubacar Doumbia (185-G-88), from Reims U21 team and Jean-Yves Zahoui (175-G-88), will be part of Châlons team in 2007-2008.

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GERMANY

Bundesliga Playoffs SemiFinals Game 3 Sunday June 10! -by Michael Taylor
Both Bundesliga Semifinal playoff Series provided fans with exciting action as Rheinenergie Koln edged out a pivotal Game 3 road win in Artland before EnBW Ludwigsburg powered their way to their first win of the second round beating Bamberg at Rundsporthalle. The outstanding Bundesliga playoff season continues Tuesday with both Series standing 2-1.

#5 Rheinenergie Koln 85 #8 Artland Dragons 82 (Koln Leads Series 2-1)

Last seasons Bundesliga Playoffs MVP made his mark again as Immanuel McElroy scored 29pt with 8reb to lead Rheinenergie Koln to a tight 85-82 road win over Artland Dragons at Artland Arena in a pivotal Game 3 of their Bundesliga SemiFinal Series shown live on Premiere TV. In a classic game three, Artland opened the action with an early lead behind a sharp Filberto Rivera and edged ahead 23-18. Koln rallied and the high scoring 1Q ended 29-27 for the homestanding Dragons. A strong 2Q surge from Koln helped them to a 53-46 halftime advantage. Immanuel McElroy and F Devin Green were integral parts of the Koln 2Q run. Artland returned fire in the 3Q outscoring Koln 21-13. Again, Rivera made it happen with inside help from Darius Hall. A 6-0 Artland start pulled the Dragons to 53-52 and the game was intensified. When the 3Q buzzer sounded, Artland held a slim 67-66 lead. Finally, after several big baskets from both teams including a key three from Adam Hess and a big reply from Ronald Burrell, it was Immanuel McElroy's play on both ends of the floor which made the difference to seal the exciting win. Emphasizing the even competition, both teams shot 8-17 from three and grabbed 30reb. Koln shot 59% from the floor compared to Artland's 49% and Artland had 16turnovers to Koln's 21. A key for Koln was their inside efficiency as Head Coach Sasa Obradovic saw his team sink 20 of 22 (90%) shots in the paint. Aside from McElroy's brilliance, Devin Green chipped in 17pt 5reb and Ronald Burrell 15pt 6reb for Koln. For Arland, Filberto Rivera topscored with 24pt 5ast while C Darius Hall added 12pt 7reb and Lamont McIntosh 12pt (2 for 3 threes). Game Four is scheduled for Tuesday night June 12 at 6:40pm from Rheinenergie Dome in Koln.

#2 EnBW Ludwigsburg 74 # 3 brose Baskets Bamberg 65 (Bamberg leads Series 2-1)

EnBW Ludwigsburg came up with a big win when they needed it most and C Michel Nascimento came up with a big game for his team when they needed it as Ludwigsburg earned their first win of the SemiFinal Series with a 74-65 home victory over Bamberg Sunday night at Rundsporthalle. Needing to find an answer for Bamberg's attack, Nascimento scored 33pt with 12reb including 15 for 18 free throw shooting to star in the win. After an even 1Q (17-17), Head Coach Silvano Poropat and his men dug deep to gain a 4 point halftime lead (31-27). The second half action continued with the series trend of intense defense making it difficult to score. Both the 3Q and 4Q were extremely competitive as Ludwigsburg edged out the key home win. Jerry Green scored 14pt and Je'Kel Foster added 10, but the main production came from feeding Nascimento in the paint. Nascimento finished the game 9 for 11 from the field while the remainder of the Ludwigsburg team hit 10 of 41 shots. Both teams shot poorly from the field and Ludwigsburg's key advantages came in rebounding (41-29) and at the foul line (Ludwigsburg hit 33 of 43 for 77% while Bamberg made 17 of 26 for 65%). For Bamberg, Casey Jacobsen topscored with 14pt while both Sean Dockery and K'zell Wesson (13reb) added 13pt. PG Steffen Hamann scored 12. Game 4 is set to tip off Tuesday June 12 at 8:35pm from JAKO Arena in Bamberg.

Jason Edwin to Paderborn -by Moritz Korff
The Paderborn Baskets 91 (1. Bundesliga) added Jason Edwin (196-G/F-81, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Kent St.) to the roster for the upcoming season. The international of the US Virgin Islands averaged 19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.1 apg for FC Schalke 04 in 2006-2007. Edwin also earned some post-season-awards, being named to the 2006-2007 Eurobasket.com All-2. Bundesliga First Team.

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GREECE

Play offs: (3rd-4th position) Panionios beat Aris and equal the series 1-1 -by Chris Mammides
Panionios (without Ender Arslan) beat Aris 74-62 and gave a new suspence in the series for the 3rd position and the Euroleague wrights.. The game was a real derby among two equal teams. Panionios cover up the absence of their Turkish super star Ender Arslan with the good game of Panagiotis Kafkis (195-G-80) who scored 8 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists! and Perperoglou who scored 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 asssits.On the other hand, Scales continued his very bad appearences with 1 out of 8 three pointers!! MVP of the game was Kennedy Winston (198-F-84, college: Alabama) who scored 21 points
The quarters were: 20-18, 40-31, 54-43 and 74-62
Scorers of the two teams:
Panionios (Pavicevic): Panagiotis Kafkis 8, Mjlkovic 4, Vasilopoulos 2, Perperoglou 11, Dojcin 6, Hatzis 6, Agelopoulos 2, Kennedy Winston 21(2), Dragojliovic 8, Hatson 6 and 9 rebounds.
Aris (Mazzon): Castle 8, Sigalas 2, Scales 11, Kalaitzis 4, Eliadis 13, Wilkinsson 13, Massey 5, Panteliadis 5 (1).

Play offs: Olympiakos beat Panathinaikos and equalise the series 1-1 -by Chris Mammides

With a silly mistake from Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) 30 seconds before the end and a fast basket from Panagiotis Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84), Olympiakos beat Panathinaikos and equalise the series. 17.3 seconds before the end of the game Panagotis Vasilopoulos got the rebound, scored the two free throws made the score 76-72 and actually finished the game over there as Panathinaikos didn't had the spirit nor the gats to do anything as Becirovic missed the three pointer (airball) . The fatal players for Panathinaikos were his two top scorers, both Ramunas Siskauskas and Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) were amazingly bad in their shooting both from three's and two's, as they made many inapropriate and some times stupid mistakes, not only in the last minutes of the game but nearly all the ten minutes of the fourth quarter.... Olympiakos's defense was very tough and gave the victory as the Green players were really "suffering" from the good defense of Panagotis Vasilopoulos, Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.), Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83) and Alex Acker (196-G-83, college: Pepperdine)

Top scorer of the game was Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) in his most productive game since he arrived in Greece, he scored 21 points 14 of which were from the free throw line!! Second scorer and really big help for Olympiakos was Acker, not only because of his 19 points but he scored the biggest basket against Ramunas Siskauskas upon the score being 71-70 for Panathinaikos, he took the ball and one on one scored very easily and put the stepping stone for the Red victory. Panagotis Vasilopoulos scored 16 points but his defense over the Greens was really heroic, definetely the most steady red player in the game. From the Greens, Vujanic, Batiste and Siskauskas scored 16, 10 and 11 respectively but they were not enough to help their team to succed another road win over their red rivals. It is worth mentioned the 9 points and 9 assists of the best defender in Europe, Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80)



Play offs - First quarter: Olympiakos - Panathinaikos 20-20 -by Chris Mammides
The super derby begun with an impressive Panathinaikos making an early 8-0 with two three pointers from Becirovic and Tsartsaris. after nearly six minutes Gershon added in the red team Vassilopoulos who changed the balance together with Bourousis (5 rebounds two block shots and 2 points) equalise the game. Top scorer is Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84) with 7 points!!!

Play offs - Game 2: Olympiakos - Panathinaikos -by Chris Mammides
Eurobasket.com will give you quarter by quarter (live) the scores, top scorers and some details of the game. The game starts at 18.45 and the Peace and Friendship courd is crouded from more than 13,000 Red funs. Both teams are ready and it is expected that all the players will play as both Gershon and Obradovic do not have any serious injuries so they will organise their rosters as complete as possible, both Macijauskas and Schortsianitis together with Andrija Zizic (207-F/C-80, agency: FCM) will be present and ready to play, while on behalf of Greens, Becirovic is ok and will be present too. It is worth mentioned that the basketball experts claiming that Olympiakos will win the game without any big problems...

In half an hour the first quarter will be presented in details....

Play offs - First half: Olympiakos - Panathinaikos 37-42 -by Chris Mammides

With another exciting three minutes at the beggining of the second quarter Panathinaikos made an 11-0 with Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) being perfect with 1/1 two points, 1/1 three points and 1/1 free throws making the score 29-20, Olympiakos didn't react as expected (three false balls) and Dikoudis with another three pointer made the score 31-20 before Vasilopoulos (the best player of Olympiakos) scores the only three pointer of Olympiakos in the first twenty minutes...

The game took the biggest difference 5.37' before the end when Dikoudis scored both his free throws and made the score 25-37. That was the time upon Gerhon's "rules" took place as the periferal line of Olympiakos started to give the ball to Big Sofo, the talented oversize center scored 4 unanswered points while Macijauskas scored two free throws and brought the score into its minimum (four points). The second quarter finished with another free throw from Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) making the score 37-42. Top scorer of the game is Vasilopoulos with 12 points while the top player for this second half is Milos Vujanic with his 10 points and 2 rebounds.

It is worth mentioned the absolute zero from the top scorer int he previous games, Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.)!!

More to come in a while!!!



Play offs - Third quarter: Olympiakos - Panathinaikos 55-59 -by Chris Mammides

With Penn's steal and drive all the way to the Green basket the score became 55-59 as Tomasevic lost the amazing asssit of Dimitris Diamantidis and lost a 100% two pointer for Panathinaikos.
The two teams begun quite awfull the third quarter as it took them nearly two minutes to score. Top scorer for this quarter was Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) with 6 points.

More in a while....



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ITALY

Benetton's Market News -by Stefano Pini
Benetton Treviso announced that David Blatt won't continue as a coach for the next season. Marcus Goree (203-F-77, agency: Passing Lane, college: W.Virginia) will play next season at Cska Moscow. The player signed a 3 years contract.

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JAPAN

Tochigi to begin play in Japan League (JBL II) for 2007-08 season. -by Jerone Dodd
Tochigi has joined the Japan League and will begin play in the 2007-08 season. Takashi Yamaya is heading as the Managing Director of Dream Team Entertainment Tochigi Co., Ltd.

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LUXEMBOURG

2006-07 Eurobasket DBBL Awards Larrie Smith MVP!! Rick Brooks Coach of the Year!! -by Neil Lifeson
Eurobasket Luxembourg
DBBL Awards 2006-07

2007 DBBL Champion: Sparta Bertrange
2007 Cup of Luxembourg Champion: Etzella Ettelbruck

Player of the Year: Larrie Smith of Sparta
Guard of the Year: Tom Schumacher of T71
Forward of the Year: Larrie Smith of Sparta
Center of the Year: Ryan Rourke of Amicale
Import Player of the Year: Larrie Smith of Sparta
Domestic Player of the Year: Tom Schumacher of T71
Defensive Player of the Year: Larrie Smith of Sparta
Newcomer of the Year: Christopher Jones of Amicale
Most Improved player of the Year: Frank Muller of T71
Offensive Player of the Year: Jason Osborne of Heffingen
Coach of the Year: Rick Brooks of Amicale


1st Team

Tom Schumacher of T71
Nelson DelGado of Etzella
Chris Martin of T71
Larrie Smith of Sparta
Ryan Rourke of Amicale

2nd Team
Justice Sueing of Etzella
Zakee Wadood of Black Star
Brandon Jennings of Contern
Ken Diederich of Contern
Christian Schartz of Amicale

Honorable Mention

1st Team
Jabari Saunders of BC Mess
Sohrab Ziai of Sparta
Matejic Nemanja of Soleuvre
James Peters of Musel Pikes
Patrick Arbaut of Black Star

2nd Team
Daniel Norell of Black Star
Yves Braum of Contern
Bob Kieffer of T71
Christian Weisen of BC Mess
Frank Muller of T71

3rd Team
Eric Jeitz of AB Contern
Julien Hublart of Black Star
Tim Giver of Heffingen
Samy Picard of Musel Pikes
Guy Schmit of Musel Pikes

All-Domestic Players Team

Nelson DelGado of Etzella
Christian Wulff of Sparta
Christian Schartz of Amicale
Tom Schumacher of T71
Ken Diederich of Contern

All-Imports Team

Larrie Smith of Sparta
Ryan Rourke of Amicale
Chris Martin of T71
Justice Sueing of Etzella
Jason Osborne of Heffingen
Brandon Jennings of AB Contern


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NBA

Spurs take 2-0 lead before going to Cleveland -by Eurobasket

Two down, two to go. The San Antonio Spurs are halfway to a fourth title and a chance to state their case as an NBA dynasty.
And LeBron James (6'8''-F-84), you're a witness.
Tony Parker scored 30 points, Manu Ginobili had 25 and Tim Duncan added 23 as the Spurs schooled Cleveland in championship basketball for three quarters, overpowering the overmatched Cavaliers 103-92 in Game 2 on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals.
San Antonio was vastly superior in every way imaginable -- until the last five minutes.
The Spurs, clicking on offense and digging their sneakers in on defense, built a 28-point lead in the first half and were embarrassing the Cavaliers, who are in their first finals but didn't show up until it was too late, getting within eight points in the final minutes.
The Spurs' Big 3 of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for 43 points -- 10 more than the Cavs -- in the first half and as both teams walked off the floor of AT&T Center, the arena's p.a. announcer, Stan Kelly, summed up the first 24 minutes with a comment that would have been funny if it wasn't so painfully true for Cleveland.
"Spurs by a bunch," he said.
And at the same time, a fan held up a sign saying, "Bring Out LeBroom."
James, limited to 14 points in his finals debut, scored 25 to lead the Cavaliers. The Cavs' superstar got into early foul trouble and played less than three minutes in the first quarter, sitting when the Spurs ran away to their huge lead.
Courtesy of Yahoo.com

San Antonio Spurs - Cleveland Cavaliers 103-92 (28-17, 30-16, 31-29, 14-30)
Spurs: Parker 30, Ginobili 25+6reb, Duncan 23+9reb+8ast, Elson 6, Horry 5+9reb+5blocks, Oberto 4, Bowen 3, Barry 3, Vaughn 2, Udrih DNP
Cavaliers: James 25+7reb+6ast, Gibson 15, Gooden 13+6reb, Pavlovic 10, Ilgauskas 9, Varejao 8+10reb, Jones 6, Marshall 6, Snow 1, Hughes 0



Spurs Take Game Two -by Michael Moten

The San Antonio Spurs have taken a commanding 2-0 NBA Finals lead after a 103 - 92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night. This one was a blowout for three quarters with the Spurs leading by as many as 29 points when the Cavs mounted a comeback behind three point shooting.

Cleveland would start slow after LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) picked up two early fouls before four minutes had gone by in the contest. The Cavs would then go on to miss lay-ups, turn the ball over and play horrific transition defense allowing the Spurs to fast break and set tempo. Cleveland was out-rebounded by 11 boards at the half and down 25 points.

Spurs would continue to push the early offense at the start of the third behind the inspired play of veteran Robert Horry (9 rebounds, five blocked shots). Cleveland would not give up and cut the lead to 8 points late in the fourth, but the poor start killed them.

Once again Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) was excellent, finishing with 30 points, and has been the best player thus far in the series. Manu Ginobli finished with 25 points while Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was solid with 23 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds. For Cleveland, Daniel Gibson (6'3''-G-86, college: Texas) played well finishing with 15 points and LeBron James had 25 points and 7 rebounds. Cavs need much better play from its role players to compete.

J.R. Smith injured in a car accident -by Paolo Comitti
Denver Nuggets third-year shooting guard J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85) was seriously injured Saturday when the SUV Smith was driving collided with another vehicle.

Smith, and an unidentified passenger in his vehicle were both ejected in the crash which happened at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Stagecoach Road in Millstone Township, according to state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones.

Smith's passenger had serious head wounds and was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Hospital in Neptune.

Smith was taken to the same hospital by ambulance.

Smith's vehicle reportedly ran a stop sign and collided with another car, injuring the driver of that vehicle. Two other passengers in Smith's SUV were also injured. All three were taken to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold.

Smith, 21, had the best season of his young NBA career, averaging 13.0 points in 63 games this season.

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NEW ZEALAND

Oasis in a desert -by Eurobasket News
Appliance Shed Harbour Heat co-captain Hayden Allen (187-G-79) has been through high and lows in the National Basketball League … mostly lows.
Over a decade, he has endured six frustrating seasons with his home team, the Otago Nuggets, and more recently, a couple of tumultuous seasons with the Heat under firebrand coach Steve Done . Even when he won a title with Waikato in 2002, Allen started the season late with injury and never really found a niche in the rotation.
In nine previous years, that championship was the only winning campaign Allen had experienced. His career record was 60-100 (37.5%).
So captured the 2007 Dominion Finance NBL regular season title has definitely been a career highlight.
“It has been awesome … and not just the basketball,” he says. “I've never really had a team like this to play with.
“I struggled through the Otago years, went to Waikato for that title, went home and struggled again, then came up here and struggled. Winning has made a real change.”
That this success has come with Harbour, a franchise that has largely underachieved through its 22 years in the league, is even more surprising. Part of the problem has undoubtedly been an inability to find a coach capable of forging a tight unit from the talent available.
They almost had it in Done, who seemed on the right track through the first half of 2005 before his authoritarian style wore his players down. In laidback Aussie giant John Dorge, the Heat have found that fit.
“They're like chalk and cheese,” grins Allen, when comparing his last two coaches. “They have completely different styles.
“Dorge, being an ex-player, looks at things from a different perspective that the boys can appreciate. He and [assistant coach] Tony Webster are a perfect combination for us.
“Dorge is firm, but fair. He lets us play ball, but will step in if he thinks things are going haywire.”
But while he finished with a 15-21 (41.7%) record and probably isn't regarded as a raging success north of the Harbour Bridge, Done did leave an important legacy with the Heat that has served them well in this breakout season. Their stingy defence has restricted opponents to just 76.4 points and 39.5% FG, both league lows.
“I think Steve Done helped put in really good defensive intensity,” acknowledges Allen. “He got us all on the same page and Dorge has really carried that on.
“It has definitely been an influence on myself, Jarrod [Kenny] and ‘Charlie' [co-captain Brent Charleton (194-G-82)], who were here last year.”
Allen's comfort in the new culture is clearly reflected in his own performance this season. Leading his team with 17.1 points, he has certainly had higher-scoring years (21.4 in an injury-abridged 2005, 20.0 for the 3-13 2001 Nuggets), but probably not within as balanced an offensive scheme.
His best stats for the '07 Heat - his career-high 48.4% FG and 2.93 steals - have him a somewhat surprising second (behind Nelson import Josh Pace (198-G/F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: Syracuse)) in an NBL website poll on this year's Most Valuable Player race.
“I've played better than last season [14.3 points, 38.9% FG, 1.78 steals],” he observes. “But the way our team play, if you get some points each night, it's a bonus.
”I've happened to have a couple of nights where the boys have passed it to me and I got a few lay-ups.”
Defensively, Allen ranks among the league leaders in steals and has been positively Boucheresque in his harassment of opponents.
“With guys like Tim Behrendorff (211-C-81, college: Gardner-Webb), Oscar Forman (205-G-82) and Daryl Cartwright (201-F-77) back there … they're pretty nice people to have your back. That allows the rest of us an opportunity to gamble.”
But as great as this season has been for the 14-3 Heat, perhaps the real secret to Dorge's influence was evident at their official watering hole in Takapuna, scene of the post-game gathering after clinching season honours against Century City Wellington Saints last Wednesday.
There was no champagne and no high fives … just a bunch of guys quietly enjoying the moment and then moving on. Never too high, never too low.
“Even after our big games, there is no hooping and a-hollering,” assures Allen. “It's another day tomorrow.
“This isn't really finished until the end of the season.”
Courtesy of: www.basketball.co.nz

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PANAMA

Toros and Navieros won last night in CBS 2007.- -by Edgardo Munoz
Last night in the 1st game Toros del Chorrillo won over Jets de Costa del Este 106-94 obtaining their 5th win in CBS the best scorers were Danilo Pinnock 36 pts. and Nino Ethien 22 pts. and by Jets Fabio Gomez 27 pts and Oscar Boza 21 pts In the 2nd game Navieros de Colon defeated Canguros de Parque Lefevre 78-71 Reyjavick Degracia 17 pts. and Jamal Johnson 16 pts were the best by Navieros and Jorge Taton 17 pts. Randy Lay 16 pts. and Daniel Munoz (178-G-84) 13 pts. by Canguros.

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PHILIPPINES

48 cagers named to RP pool for SEA Games -by Hector Santos
The BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas yesterday announced the formation of an all-amateur national pool tasked to keep the country's domination of the Southeast Asian Games basketball competition.

Forty-eight players, mostly from the Philippine Basketball League, were named to the pool, according to SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio.

Jason Castro, JC Intal and Chico Lanete of Harbour Centre, Fil-Am Ryan Reyes and Samigue Eman of Henkel-Sista, Larry Roriguez of Dazz, JR Quinahan and Ronjay Buenafe of Burger King, Joe Devance, Marvin Cruz and Patrick Cabahug of Toyota Balintawak, Jeff Chan of Magnolia and Kenneth Bono (198-C), Doug Kramer and Macky Escalona of CL Pera Padala are among PBL players in the list of candidates for the RP team going to battle in the SEA Games slated Dec. 6-16 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The collegiate players in the pool are Jervy Cruz, Jojo Dunil and Dylan Ababou of Santo Tomas, Marcy Arellano, Kelvin Gregorio and Mark Borboran of University of the East, Rico Maeirhofer and JV Casio of La Salle, Yousif Aljamal of San Beda, Rino Berame of University of Visayas and 6-foot-11 Fil-Am Gregory Slaughter of Cebu.

Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero was named project director with Junel Baculi the head coach, Louie Alas assistant coach and Jorge Gallent consultant.

“It's just the start, the best has yet to come,” said Gregorio in a press briefing attended by Romero, Baculi and PBL chairman Gil Angeles of Toyota.

Romero, who also bankrolled RP's successful campaign in the Southeast Asian Champions Cup in Indonesia last April, pledged P10 million to fund the Nationals' campaign in the biennial, 11-nation meet.

“It's my personal goal to win the SEA Games gold so I'm putting P10 million to this project,” Romero said.

The PBL is also devoting one conference for the team. This means the league will not be having a regular season-closing tournament and instead will hold an invitational meet that would allow the RP squad to field in a squad.

“The league is sacrificing one conference to help our national team prepare for the SEA Games,” Angeles said.

Baculi said it's important to form the team and start the preparation now instead of coming up with a squad late and cramming in the tournament proper.

Baculi, however, stressed that those who are not in the list can still make it since some “shoo-ins” might not make the team because they might apply for the PBA draft on June 30, the same date they will trim the list to 30.

From 30, Baculi will come up with the final 12-man roster in August.

“It's better to prepare early than cram,” said Baculi.



Credits to Philippine Star by Joey Villar

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RUSSIA

Zakhar Pashutin to stay with CSKA for two more seasons -by Eurobasket News
PBC CSKA re-sign the contract with the guard Zakhar Pashutin (195-G-74) for two more seasons. The player performs for the club from the 2001/02 season.

‘We know that Zakhar had offers from several other Russian clubs, - says CSKA Senior Vice President Andrei Vatutin. - Some of them were ready to guarantee him time on the court. We were happy to learn that the player prefer to win than to guarantee himself minutes on the court. I am sure the choice to stay in CSKA is the best evidence of the wish of the player to prove to everyone that he and his team are the best. And this is exactly the motivation that makes a player the true Army club player. We are grateful to the captain for his decision'.

‘I am happy to stay with the team for two more seasons, - says Zakhar Pashutin. - My personal and the team goals are equal for last 5 seasons, this means another contract is the best choice for me'.
Courtesy of:http://www.cskabasket.com

CSKA signed Marcus Goree -by Eurobasket News
CSKA started the 2007/08 transfer campaign by signing three years contract with American forward Marcus Goree (203-F-77, agency: Passing Lane, college: W.Virginia) (29 y.o., 203 sm), who spent last three seasons with Benetton Treviso. During his European career West Virginia University graduate also played in France (Le Havre), Germany (Skyliners), Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Spain (Gran Canaria).

‘We are happy to start our transfer campaign with signing the contract with Marcus Goree, - says CSKA Senior Vice President Andrei Vatutin. - The forward is well-known all over the Europe for his leadership, passion, heart he gives to the game. And of course, his passing and scoring and rebounding ability'.

‘I am in a good situation, - said Marcus Goree, who is currently in the US. - CSKA is a good organization. I know the head coach of the team Ettore Messina from the time we spent in Treviso. He talked to me and told me several things about Moscow and the club. I guess it would be easy to become a part of the team'.


The average numbers of the player in Italian Lega A this season: 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocked shots in 32 games. The stats in the 2006/07 Euroleague are: 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0,8 blocked shots in 18 games.
Courtesy of:http://www.cskabasket.com/

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SERBIA

Play-off semifinals: Crvena Zvezda wins in extra thriller vs Hemofarm 1-0 -by Dragan Jankovski
Like Partizan on Friday Crvena Zvezda also succeeded to celebrate in the first game of play-off semifinals against Hemofarm 72:74 in super thriller. In 27th minute it seemed that Hemofarm is closer to the win because they have 54:47 but in the last period Crvena Zvezda equalized. The most interesting part of the game was the last 14 seconds when Hemofarm had offense on score 72:72 but they made mistake (back court). Crvena Zvezda had less than 4 seconds to score, Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86) tried for 3-pts and missed but in the bunch of hands in the paint center Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) with lot of luck scored 2 points for the win from classic volley ball and brought extremely important win to Crvena Zvezda. Forward Milan Gurovic (207-F-76, agency: Beo Basket) once again was leader of his team netting 28 points while Slovenian guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) was better than the others in Hemofarm adding 16 points including 7 assists.
Zvezda's point guard Igor Milosevic (192-G-86) got injured during the game (broken ankle) and season is over for him. He will have to rest for at least 6 weeks.
Head coach of Hemofarm Miroslav Nikolic after the game said that his team played too nervously and not so good. He expected much more from the most experienced players.

Hemofarm - Crvena Zvezda 72:74
(21:20,14:13,19:17,18:24)

Hall: “Millennium” in Vrsac
Refs: Milija Vojinovic, Milan Mazic and Ilija Belosevic.

Hemofarm: Bakic 2, Joksimovic 16 (7 as), Suput 5, Markovic 6 (7 rebs), Nesovic 2, Rakic 3, Radinovic 6, Topic 1 (6 rebs), Borisov 10, Plisnic 13, Vukosavljevic 8 (6 rebs)
DNP: Simonovic.
Partizan: Stewart 2 (6 rebs), Milosevic 14 (5 as), Markovic, Popovic 2, Misanovic 6 (7 rebs), Gurovic 28 (4 rebs), Radivojevic 11, Dragicevic 5 (4 rebs), Antic 2, Cvetkovic 2, Aleksandrov 2
DNP: Kovac.

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SLOVENIA

Helios claims first championship title ! -by Zeljko Zule

Helios never trailed in Game 5 as defetaed Union Olimpija 82-65 and won their first championship. Helios second half opened with 11 straight points and led as many as 22 points in last quarter. Smiljan Pavic posted 17 points, Dario Krejic added 15, Alexei Lashkevich 14 and Ziga Zagorc 10. Heliso dished out 22 assists and commited just 7 turnovers. Slavko Duscak led the guests with 22 points hefore he fouled out, Marko Rakocevic posted 14 and Sandi Cebular 10 on shooting just 3-of.12.
More & Full Stats: http://www.geocities.com/slo_basket/1a2007.html



Coaches market news -by Zeljko Zule
Zlatorog appointed Damjan Novakovic ex Alpos Sentjur as their new coach.
Helios agreed terms with coach Zoran Martic ex Zlatorog for next season.
Union Olimpija is looking for a new coach and Mehmet Becirovic is the favorite to take the job.

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SPAIN

LEB signings -by Francisco Martinez
Summer starts soon for LEB teams, and after the victory of Ricoh Manresa in the Final played last Sunday against Leon everybody is moving.
- Leche Rio Breogan has signed Roger Fornas (202-F-82), Zach Morley (203-F-83, college: Wisconsin) and Daniel Lopez (188-G-82).
- Melilla inked Rafael Huertas (189-G-84) and Juan Manuel Ruiz (199-F-78).
- Isaac Lopez (196-F/G-78) changes Cantabria for Bruesa and he will play with his former Coach, Pablo Laso , who signed for Bruesa too.
- Lleida extended Dave Fergerson (184-G-78, college: St.Louis) contract and signed Brock Gillespie (188-G-82, college: Rice).
- Gandia extended the contrat of Jorge Jimenez (182-G-81).
- Flinder Boyd (180-G-80, college: Dartmouth), Brad Oleson (191-G-83, college: Alaska-Fairbanks) and Rogelio Legasa (207-C-74) will play with Rosalia in LEB league.
- Curro Segura will stay in Zaragoza as Coach. Besides, they extended Ondrej Starosta (216-C-79) and signed Cuthbert Victor (196-G-83, college: Murray St.).
- Alicante agreed terms with Quim Costa as Head Coach.
- Jesus Chagoyen (200-C-78) and Pedro Rivero (186-G-79) will stay in Los Barrios.
- Tenerife extended Antwain Barbour (196-G/F-82, college: Kentucky).
- Marteo Rubio will be the Coach of L'Hospitalet one more year.

Three pointers were not enough for Barcelona -by Francisco Martinez
TAU Baskonia 2 - Witerthur Barcelona 2: (81-73, 76-83, 80-78, 77-71)
Strange game in Barcelona today in the morning. TAU started the game with a good development of the game, while Barcelona had problems to score inside. However, the men of Ivanovic started to shot form beyond the arc (9/33 triples) and by this way they decreased the gap and had options. The game was in nobodys's land, with Luis Scola (206-F/C-80) making fast fouls and Lakovic shooting one and another time. In the end, TAU got 4 points lead and Roe grabbed a board that decided the game. The second semifinal will be decided in the fifth game too.

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SYRIA

Syria National Team 2007 -by Mohammed Malas
- Players:
Michel Maadanli of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Hikmat Haddad of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Wissam Yakoub of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Sharif El Sharif of Al Jalaa Aleppo
Salah Shawa of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Firas Al Masri of Al Ittihad Aleppo
Mhd Nour Al Saman of Army Club
Ramy El Khatib of Army club
Hakam Abdalla of Army Club
Radwan Hasaballah of Army Club
Omar Karkutly of Al Wehda Damascus
Shadi Lebs of Al Wehda Damascus
Sameer Al Daqs of Al Hurriya

- Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: John Sneed (USA)
Assistant: Mohammad Abo Sada

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Edwin to Paderbon (Germany) -by David Edole
For the past two seasons, Jason Edwin (196-G/F-81, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Kent St.) has been trying to find an avenue to get a German Division I contract. His agent sent videos, he worked out for various teams but nothing seemed to work. But in the BBL Cup round of sixteen which was held in February, Edwin convinced his now current employer Paderbon Baskets in an actual game. Edwin who played with FC Schalke 04 of the second division scored 39 points in a losing effort versus Paderbon. Edwin was unstoppable as almost every shot attempted seemed to find the bottom of the hoop. Paderbon won 96-88. He followed up that effort with 27 points in 27 minutes against the New York Phantoms.
“Although Edwin had offers from other BBL-clubs, we are delighted that he decided on signing with us (Paderbon),” said Dr. Nima Mehrdadi. “He is very talented and has proved that he can get it done against BBL-teams.”
Paderbon did not make the playoffs last season and hope that the 6-foot-6 shooting guard will be the key ingredient in a championship run.
Edwin averaged 19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.1 apg for FC Schalke 04 in 2006-2007 and has earned post-season-awards by being named to the 2006-2007 Eurobasket.com All-2 Bundesliga First Team.

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URUGUAY

Gibson leads Tabare to beat Cordon for the Metro League -by Hector Lopez
Wendell Gibson (201-F/C-83, college: Hofstra) scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Tabare for a win over Cordon 86-74 for the first best-of-three playoff semifinal game of the Metropolitan League. Trelonnie Owens (202-F-71, college: Wake Forest) was inked at the last minute for Cordon (10 points and 5 rebounds). Goes 1 Lrre Borges 0 will play on Monday 11 the second playoff game.

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VENEZUELA

LPB 2007 - Semifinals (Gameday 4): Cocodrilos and Guaiqueries get even, 2-2 -by Francisco Vega

Cocodrilos de Caracas answered back in Valencia and complicated things up for the current LPB champions, Trotamundos de Carabobo, while Guaiqueries de Margarita reacted after a home defeat with a tight victory over Gaiteros del Zulia, so now both Semifinals series are tied, 2-2.

June 6th, 2007 (Wednesday)

Cocodrilos de Caracas 83 - Trotamundos de Carabobo 81

Forum of Valencia- Valencia, Carabobo

(Semifinal D tied, 2-2)

Quarter by quarter
TRO: 21-10-29-21= 81
COC: 23-24-17-19= 83

Scorers

TRO: Richard Lugo (209-C-73) 24 points and 7 rebounds, Roman Gonzalez (206-C-78) 20 points, Jose Vargas (192-G/F-82) 16 points

COC: Victor David Diaz (195-F-68) 21 points, Kevin Freeman (201-F-78) 17 points, Tim Jones (193-G/F-73) 15 points

Guaiqueries de Margarita 89 - Gaiteros del Zulia 83

Ciudad de La Asuncion Gymnasium - La Asuncion, Margarita Island

(Semifinal E tied, 2-2)

Quarter by quarter
GUAI: 21-24-21-23= 89

GAI: 23-18-17-25= 83

Scorers

GAI: Chris Jeffries (199-F-80) 24 points, Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72) 17 points, Eduardo Villares (186-G-79) 14 points

GUAI: Herberth Bayona (211-C-78) 22 points, Rogers Washington (202-F-77) 19 points, Chris Jackson (208-C-81) 17 points and 10 rebounds, Alex Quiroz (185-G-75) 13 points



LPB 2007 - Semifinals (Gameday 5): Guaiqueries and Trotamundos up, series move -by Francisco Vega

Guaiqueries de Margarita put out a solid performance at their home closing match in the Semifinal E series and defeated Gaiteros del Zulia to take a 3-2 lead, while Trotamundos de Carabobo bounced from a home defeat with a triumph over Cocodrilos de Caracas.

June 7th, 2007 (Thursday)

Trotamundos de Carabobo 104 - Cocodrilos de Caracas 95

Forum of Valencia - Valencia, Carabobo

(Trotamundos leads Semifinal D, 3-2)

Quarter by quarter
TRO: 28-20-24-32= 104
COC: 20-23-18-34= 89

Scorers

TRO: Eddy Barlow (185-G-81) 22 points, Alejandro Barrios (205-F-79) 21 points, Richard Lugo (209-C-73) 17 points and 10 rebounds, Roman Gonzalez (206-C-78) 12 points

COC: Victor David Diaz (195-F-68) 39 points, Luis Bethelmi (200-C-86) 14 points, Tim Jones (193-G/F-73) 13 points

Guaiqueries de Margarita 94 - Gaiteros del Zulia 89

Ciudad de La Asuncion Gymnasium - La Asuncion, Margarita Island

(Guaiqueries leads Semifinal E, 3-2)

Quarter by quarter
GUAI: 29-19-31-15= 94

GAI: 16-30-25-18= 89

Scorers

GUAI: Rogers Washington (202-F-77) 29 points, Chris Jackson (208-C-81) 28 points and 21 rebounds, Carlos Cedeno (194-G/F-85) 16 points, Herberth Bayona (211-C-78) 10 points

GAI: Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72) 23 points, Chris Jeffries (199-F-80) 16 points, Eduardo Villares (186-G-79) 11 points, Jean Carlos Espinoza (190-G/F-75) 10 points



LPB 2007 Semifinals (Gameday 7): Cocodrilos and Guaiqueries to the Finals -by Francisco Vega

Cocodrilos de Caracas advanced to the LPB 2007 Finals with an exciting triumph at home over Trotamundos de Carabobo in Game 7 of Semifinal D, while Liga Profesional de Baloncesto's Comissioners decided to give Guaiqueries de Margarita a table victory against Gaiteros del Zulia on the postponed Game 6 match of Semifinal E, after prooving that the referees of the match received a death threath with a deadly weapon prior to the match and inside the Gymnasium of Maracaibo, Zulia.

June 10th, 2007 (Saturday)

Cocodrilos de Caracas 96 - Trotamundos de Carabobo 83

Naciones Unidas Park - Caracas, D.C.

(Cocodrilos won Semifinal D, 4-3)

Quarter by quarter
COC: 24-25-22-25= 96
TRO: 15-18-20-30= 83

Scorers

COC: Kevin Freeman (201-F-78) 27 points, Edgar Moreno (191-G-81) 14 points, Luis Bethelmi (200-C-86) 14 points and 10 rebounds, Henry Paez (184-G-70) 12 points

TRO: Curtis Haywood (198-G-75) 18 points, Richard Lugo (209-C-73) 11 points

Gaiteros del Zulia - Guaiqueries de Margarita (DID NOT PLAY)

Belisario Aponte Gymnasium - Maracaibo, Zulia

(Guaiqueries won Semifinal E, 4-2)

GUAIQUERIES DE MARGARITA were awarded with the victory on the postponed Game 6 by the LPB's Comissioners due to disciplinary measures over Gaiteros del Zulia and its lack of security at the site of the match. Here's the official LPB report on the subject:

Rolando Urdaneta, president of LPB in a press conference in Caracas:

"The referees claimed they were threatened in their work rooms at the Gymnasium by two men armed with 9mm guns, and that they were told to favor Gaiteros del Zulia during the match so that they could win a sports bet they had engaged in. This is an unacceptable fact that the LPB can't tolerate. In that sense, we consulted the opinnion of the team owners in the league and it was decided to sanction Gaiteros with the loss of the match. This makes Guaiqueries the other LPB 2007 finalist"

LPB Official Report on the 2007 Semifinal E sanction and termination:

Referees David Papo, Daniel Delgado and Julio Aular, assigned to Game 6 of the LPB 2007 Semifinal E series between Gaiteros del Zulia and Guaiqueries de Margarita, scheduled for June 9th, 2007 at Belisario Aponte Gymnasium of Maracaibo, Zulia, denied their will to work in front of LPB Comissioners Raymond Lugo and Javier Guerrero, claiming there were not enough security conditions for them to work at the court and saying their lives had just been threatened with deadly weapons inside the installation.

LPB, with base on articles 19, 100, 179, 180 and 185 and taking into account that it was a fact without precedents in the history of basketball in Venezuela, the following decision was taken after consultations with all owners of LPB organizations: "The LPB sanctions Gaiteros del Zulia with the defeat in Game 6 and determines Guaiqueries de Margarita as winners. The Comission takes a hard decision because it is not going to allow, under any circumstance, that the security and physical integrity of fans, players, coaches, referees, assistants, crew members or any other participant in the matches gets threatened or affected by violence"

"To the sports fans of the country, which has supported professional basketball for the past 34 years, the LPB offers its sincere apologies for what happened, and guarantees that situations like this negative one won't ever take place again in our scenarios, due to the larger compromise of the authorities with the highest values of sporstmanship and the nation"



LPB 2007 - Semifinals (Gameday 6): Cocodrilos force Game 7, Gaiteros-Guaiqueries suspended -by Francisco Vega

Cocodrilos de Caracas forced Game 7 at home with a spectacular offensive display against Trotamundos de Carabobo, while in the other scenario, Maracaibo, Gaiteros del Zulia and Guaiqueries de Margarita couldn't play due to lack of security on court.

June 9th, 2007 (Saturday)

Cocodrilos de Caracas 106 - Trotamundos de Carabobo 94

Naciones Unidas Park - Caracas, D.C.

(Semifinal D tied, 3-3)

Quarter by quarter
COC: 23-30-23-30= 106
TRO: 20-22-21-31= 94

Scorers

COC: Luis Bethelmi (200-C-86) 21 points and 13 rebounds, Edgar Moreno (191-G-81) 16 points and 7 assists, Victor David Diaz (195-F-68) 15 points and 7 rebounds, Kevin Freeman (201-F-78) 12 points

TRO: Jose Vargas (192-G/F-82) 20 points and 5 assists, Manuel Berroteran (185-G-80) 11 points, Curtis Haywood (198-G-75) 10 points, Tomas Aguilera (198-F-77) 10 points

Gaiteros del Zulia - Guaiqueries de Margarita (POSTPONED)

Belisario Aponte Gymnasium - Maracaibo, Zulia

(Guaiqueries leads Semifinal E, 3-2)

Game was called off after official referees David Papo, Roberto Oliveros and Daniel Delgado opted to abandon the Gymnasium due to lack of minimum security conditions for the spectacle to take place. The group added they were actively and directly threatened by a group of violent fans that were present at the court prior to the match, an action which made them fear for their life.

LPB's Technical Comission, including Ildemaro Rosales and Leonardo Rodriguez, sustained and inmediate reunion last night in Caracas alongside the league's president, Rolando Urdaneta, in order to determine which disciplinary actions to take against the local team, Gaiteros del Zulia.







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Women News

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ASIAN CHAMPS(W) - Women

The new Champion is Korea! -by Eurobasket News
Korea triumphs at home over China in the Final game of Asia Championship for Women. In the Final game the hosts of the tournament overcame China 79:73. Jung Sun Min (186-C-74) led the winners with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Beon Yeon Ha (182-F-80) ended up with 15, while Ha finished with 14. Ma Zheng Yu (183-F-83) top-scored for China with 19 points. Korea revenged for the last Championship when China celebrated 73:67 win at home.
Japan got the bronze medals of FIBA Asia Championship for Women. In the game for the third place th team overcame ChineseTaipei 73:70. With a 22:13 in the first quarter Japan took a control and never looked back. ChineseTaipei had a great came back in the end of the game, but could not tie the game. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) led the winners with 17 points and 8 assists. Ryoko Utsumi (175-G-85) 12 points, while Mitani and Kumiko Yamada produced 10 points each. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) top-scored ChineseTaipei with 21 points. In 2005 Taiwan grabbed the third place beating Japan 73:62.
So this year there are some changes in the standings if we compare with the last Championship. Korea and Japan improved, while China and Chinese Taipei stepped behind. Moreover Korea earned the only Olympic qualifying berth available from this Championship.


FINAL
Korea-China 79:73
Korea: Jung Sun Min 18+8 rebs, Beon Yeon Ha 15, Ha 14
China: Ma Zheng Yu 19, H Zhang 17, F Zhang 15

Game for the third place
Japan-ChineseTaipei 73:70
Japan: Yuko Oga 17+8 ast, Ryoko Utsumi 12, Mitani 10, Kumiko Yamada 10
ChineseTaipei: Chiang Feng Chun 21, Wen 12, Cheng Jen Wei 12

*****************************************************
BULGARIA - Women

Bulgaria U18 women start preparation for Eurobasket 2007 -by Eurobasket News
The National Team of Bulgaria Women U18 will start from today its preparation for Eurobasket 2007 to be held in Novi Sad, Serbia. From 9th to 18th of June the players of Ventsislav Gechev and Miroslav Ralchev will have preparation in Botevgrad. Then from 19th to 21st will take part in a strong internation tournament in Timisoara, Romania with the teams of Italy, Hungary and Romania. Then there will be 6 days continuation of the preparation in the Romanian city before the departure for Novi Sad.
As known Bulgaria is in very difficult group with the teams of Russia, France and Lithuania. The first game for Bulgarian girls is against Russia on 29th of June. Here is the list of the players called-up by the two coaches:

Point guards
Stanislava Stankova (170-G-90)
Doly Tsankova (175-G-89) (Levski Spartak)
Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) (CSKA)

Shooting guards
Daniela Peteva (177-F-89) (Dunav Econt)
Sara Marinova (176-G-90) (CSKA)
Veronika Ilieva (CSKA)

Small Forwards
Tonka Tencheva (182-F-89) (CSKA)
Hristina Ivanova (182-F-89) (Levski Spartak)
Antonia Zagorova
Aleksandra Kancheva (187-F-90) (Dunav Econt)

Power forwards
Ines Subashka (185-F-89) (Cherno More Odessos)
Vesela Marinova (170-G-89) (Cherno More Odessos)

Centers
Stefka Miteva (190-C-89) (Rilski Sportist)
Dilyana Shumarova (190-C-90) (NSA)
Emilia Yancheva (NSA)

Head Coach
Ventsislav Gechev (Cherno More Odessos)

Coach
Miroslav Ralchev
Courtesy of:http://bulgarianbasket.com/

Roster of Bulgaria (U 20) Women NT for Eurobasket 2007 -by Eurobasket News
Roster of Bulgaria (U 20) Women NT for Eurobasket 2007, Division A in Sofia from July 13 to 22, 2007:

Point guards
Ekaterina Dimitrova (182-G-87) (Merced Alghero, Italy)
Aneta Miteva (181-G-88) (Dunav Econt)
Teodora Anguelova (CSKA)
Iva Terzieva (167-G-87) (Rilski Sportist)

Shooting guards
Maria Tsankova (NSA)
Zheni Dimitrova (184-F-87) (Dunav Econt)

Forwards
Zhaklyn Zlatanova (Tarbes, France)
Hristina Ivanova (182-F-89) (Levski Spartak)

Power centers
Margarita Ilieva (186-F-88) (Lukoil Neftochimic)
Gergana Georgieva (180-G-87) (Montana 2003)

Centers
Veselka Todorova (192-C-88) (CSKA)
Dimana Georgieva (189-C-88) (Lukoil Neftochimic)
Lilyana Ilieva (191-C-88) (CSKA)

Head coach
Tina Dimitrova (Levski Spartak)

Assistant coach
Albena Branzova

Therapist
Nikolay Buzukov
Courtesy of:http://bulgarianbasket.com

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CHINA - Women

Korea triumphs in the Final over China 79:73 -by Eurobasket News
Korea-China 79:73 (20:18, 22:15, 20:17, 17:23)

Korea won FIBA Asia Championship for Women!!! In the Final game the hosts of the tournament overcame China 79:73. With a step by step win throughout the game Korea got the gold medals. Jung Sun Min (186-C-74) led the winners with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Beon Yeon Ha (182-F-80) ended up with 15, while Ha finished with 14. Ma Zheng Yu top-scored for China with 19 points.

Incheon and Korea celebrates the win of Korean women team in Asia Championship. The team won all seven games in the tournament including the Final one over China. The latter did not have a confident start, however many specialists saw the progress of the team later in the Championship.

Korea and China met each other in the last game of te Preliminary round and Korea escaped 83:80 win in the last minutes of the game. The winner proved the stability of the game and deserved the win more than any other team in the tournament.
Korea started with 20:18 victory in the opening quarter and increased the tepmo later in the game. The second quarter hepled the hosts to have 9 points deficit and feel more energetic. China, meanwhile could change the game in the end. With 23:17 win they however only reduced the gap to 6 points. Korea won 79:73 and can celebrate the so waited win now.

In 2005 both squads made up the Final also. That time China hosted the tournament and overcame Korea 73:67 in the Final game.

Korea: Jung Sun Min (186-C-74) 18+8 rebs, Beon Yeon Ha 15, Ha 14
China: Ma Zheng Yu (183-F-83) 19, H Zhang 17, F Zhang 15

Japan clinched third beating ChineseTaipei 73:70 -by Eurobasket News
Japan-ChineseTaipei 73:70 (22:13, 18:17, 16:17, 17:23)

Japan got the bronze medals of FIBA Asia Championship for Women. In the game for the third place th team overcame ChineseTaipei 73:70. With a 22:13 in the first quarter Japan took a control and never looked back. ChineseTaipei had a great came back in the end of the game, but could not tie the game. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) led the winners with 17 points and 8 assists. Ryoko Utsumi (175-G-85) 12 points, while Mitani and Kumiko Yamada (192-F-79) produced 10 points each. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) top-scored ChineseTaipei with 21 points.
Japan had a great Championship, however desired a higher place. Even before the tournament Japan had some friendly games with New Zealand to come in a better shape. Japan opened the game with two three pointers from Ai Mitan. The team stayed calm and had 22:13 after the first. Japan increased to 10 points deficit at the half.

Meanwhile ChineseTaipei stayed cool and prepared for the end of the game. The team won 17:16 the thrd quarter to reduce the gap before the last quartre. Even though ChineseTaipei won the last 23:17 they could not tie the game. Japan finishes the tournament third, while ChineseTaipei satisfies with 4th.

Japan: Yuko Oga 17+8 ast, Ryoko Utsumi 12, Mitani 10, Kumiko Yamada 10
ChineseTaipei: Chiang Feng Chun 21, Wen 12, Cheng Jen Wei 12

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JAPAN - Women

Japan clinched third beating ChineseTaipei 73:70 -by Eurobasket News
Japan-ChineseTaipei 73:70 (22:13, 18:17, 16:17, 17:23)

Japan got the bronze medals of FIBA Asia Championship for Women. In the game for the third place th team overcame ChineseTaipei 73:70. With a 22:13 in the first quarter Japan took a control and never looked back. ChineseTaipei had a great came back in the end of the game, but could not tie the game. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) led the winners with 17 points and 8 assists. Ryoko Utsumi (175-G-85) 12 points, while Mitani and Kumiko Yamada (192-F-79) produced 10 points each. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) top-scored ChineseTaipei with 21 points.
Japan had a great Championship, however desired a higher place. Even before the tournament Japan had some friendly games with New Zealand to come in a better shape. Japan opened the game with two three pointers from Ai Mitan. The team stayed calm and had 22:13 after the first. Japan increased to 10 points deficit at the half.

Meanwhile ChineseTaipei stayed cool and prepared for the end of the game. The team won 17:16 the thrd quarter to reduce the gap before the last quartre. Even though ChineseTaipei won the last 23:17 they could not tie the game. Japan finishes the tournament third, while ChineseTaipei satisfies with 4th.

Japan: Yuko Oga 17+8 ast, Ryoko Utsumi 12, Mitani 10, Kumiko Yamada 10
ChineseTaipei: Chiang Feng Chun 21, Wen 12, Cheng Jen Wei 12

*****************************************************
KOREA - Women

Korea triumphs in the Final over China 79:73 -by Eurobasket News
Korea-China 79:73 (20:18, 22:15, 20:17, 17:23)

Korea won FIBA Asia Championship for Women!!! In the Final game the hosts of the tournament overcame China 79:73. With a step by step win throughout the game Korea got the gold medals. Jung Sun Min (186-C-74) led the winners with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Beon Yeon Ha (182-F-80) ended up with 15, while Ha finished with 14. Ma Zheng Yu top-scored for China with 19 points.

Incheon and Korea celebrates the win of Korean women team in Asia Championship. The team won all seven games in the tournament including the Final one over China. The latter did not have a confident start, however many specialists saw the progress of the team later in the Championship.

Korea and China met each other in the last game of te Preliminary round and Korea escaped 83:80 win in the last minutes of the game. The winner proved the stability of the game and deserved the win more than any other team in the tournament.
Korea started with 20:18 victory in the opening quarter and increased the tepmo later in the game. The second quarter hepled the hosts to have 9 points deficit and feel more energetic. China, meanwhile could change the game in the end. With 23:17 win they however only reduced the gap to 6 points. Korea won 79:73 and can celebrate the so waited win now.

In 2005 both squads made up the Final also. That time China hosted the tournament and overcame Korea 73:67 in the Final game.

Korea: Jung Sun Min (186-C-74) 18+8 rebs, Beon Yeon Ha 15, Ha 14
China: Ma Zheng Yu (183-F-83) 19, H Zhang 17, F Zhang 15

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RUSSIA - Women

Abrosimova top-scores for Minnesota -by Eurobasket News
Russian representative in WNBA Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) top-scored for Minnesota last night. That was the best game for our player in the League so far. Minnesota however lost again with 76:90. It was already ninth loss of the team which is 1-9 in the standings. Lauren Jackson had 30 points and nine rebounds to help the Seattle Storm to beat Lynx. In the second quarter Seattle made a 14-0 run to feel more confident in the game.
Jackson and Svetlana Abrosimova each bashed heads in the first quarter as Svetlana Abrosimova attempted a reverse layup. Jackson received a cut on her chin, but returned to play shortly after the collision with a band-aid and a couple of stiches on her chin. Svetlana Abrosimova was cut on the right side of her head. She returned later in the first half and had the cut reopen after she made a 3-pointer, but came back again in the second half.
Two days ago Minnesota lost to Los Angeles 87:90. That time Svetlana Abrosimova scored 8 points, made 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Minnesota took an 87:86 lead on a wide-open layup by Nicole Ohlde with 46 seconds left. But our Svetlana Abrosimova fouled Mabika, who made both for an 88:87 lead. Mabika scored two other free throws to finish at 90:87.

Seattle - Minnesota 90:76
Seattle: Lauren Jackson 30, Janell Burse 13, Betty Lennox 11
Minnesota: Svetlana Abrosimova 15, Simona Augustus 13, Tiffany Stansbury 12.

Los Angeles - Minnesota 90:87
Los Angeles: Taj McWilliams-Franklin 20, Marta Fernandez 19, Chamique Holdsclaw 12
Minnesota: Simona Augustus 28, Nicole Ohlde 15, Kristen Mann 15, Svetlana Abrosimova 8+6 ast+6 rebs

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SPAIN - Women

Katia Da Silva and Leslie Ardon will play in Vilagarcia -by Ivan Villar
The galician team which confirmed this week her presence in FIBA Eurocup signed the center Katia Da Silva,who played in Ibiza last seasons with the parent of her new coach,Jordi Fernandez.Also Extrugasa resigned the forward Leslie Ardon who made her best season from she's in Spain with Extrugasa.Arranz Burgos still didn't anounce his new coach,but probably maybe Joaquin Prado,who was coaching a men team of LEB-1,Gijon.At the moment,signed Kristen O'Neill,the american forward arrives from Estudiantes like her teammate Anna Carbo.Burgos and Barcelona denied her place on FIBA Europcup and Gran Canaria and Acis Leon replace them to play in Europe.The team coached by Miguel Estrada signed recently the best guard from Israel,Liron Cohen,a player that can score and drive the team with guarantees.Katia Da Silva (187-C-77)

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TAIWAN - Women

Disappointing fourth place for Taiwan in Asian Championship -by Chris Wang
Taiwan women's NT lost to Japan 73-70 in the bronze medal game Sunday and finished for a disappointing fourth place in the Asian Championship for Women.

Trailed by nine in the end of the third quarter, Taiwan cut the deficit to one but could never made the final push. Liu Chun-yi's desperation three-pointer rimmed out as time expired, eliminating Taiwan's hope to extend the game to overtime.

Chiang Feng-chun led Taiwan with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Wen Chi and Cheng Huei-yun added 12 each. Japan was led by Yuko Oga's 17 points.

In the championship game, led by veteran forward/center Jung Sung-min, host South Korea edged China 79-73 to win its first Asian crown since 1999. Jung had 18 points and 8 boards for the host nation in the title game. Beon Yeon-ha scored 15 points.

China, which has a guaranteed spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, sent its second national team for the tournament.

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WNBA - Women

Standings
WNBA Standings
Eastern
1. Indiana F. 6-1
2. Detroit S. 5-0
3. New York L. 5-1
4. Connect. S. 4-2
5. Chicago Sky 4-4
6. Charlotte S. 0-0
7. Washingt. M. 0-7
Western
1. Phoenix M. 6-4
2. Sacram. M. 5-3
3. S.Antonio SS 4-4
4. L.Angeles S. 3-2
5. Seattle S. 3-3
6. Minnesota L. 1-9
7. Houston C. 0-6


The battle of West goes in favor of Phoenix -by Eurobasket News
The Phoenix Mercury get closer to the Western conference leaders Sacramento Monarchs after they beat them 74:70 away from home. Due to impressive offensive effort from Diana Taurasi (5'11''-G-82, college: Connecticut) the Mercury kept it going in the first half 40:33. Phoenix's leading scorer poured in 14 points in the first half to spur her side. She added 8 points in the third frame to push Phoenix up to 57:49 advantage. Finally the Monarchs started rolling in the fourth quarter sparking to 10:2 run and cutting the deficit to 61:59 with 5 minutes remaining. But once again it was Diana Taurasi's three pointer that put the Mercury ahead 72:64 with 2 minutes on the game clock. Sacramento climbed back within 72:70, but Chelsea Newton missed a jumper and then committed a turnover to bury the Monarchs' chances for a win.
Sacramento had 24 turnovers and shot just 34.8% from the field.
Diana Taurasi led all scorers with 26 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) contributed 16 points for the winners. Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81, college: Georgetown) finished with 17 points and career-high 17 rebounds for the Monarchs.
Chicago celebrated a 70:60 away from home win over the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Silver Stars trailed throughout the game but were behind by as many as 3 points in the final frame. But the Sky immediately reacted with 18:4 stroke and left the home side behind. Candice Dupree (6'2''-F/C-84, college: Temple) produced 22 points in a win, while Chasity Melvin (6'3''-C/F-76, college: N.Carolina St.) secured 17 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago. Becky Hammon (5'6''-G-77, college: Colorado St.) paced the Silver Stars with 20 points and 7 assists. Sophia Young (6'1''-F-83, college: Baylor) posted 15 points in the 4th loss for the Silver Stars.

Sacramento - Phoenix 70:74
Sacramento: Rebekkah Brunson 17 points + 17 boards, Nicole Powell (6'2''-G/F-82, college: Stanford) 10
Phoenix: Diana Taurasi 26, Cappie Pondexter 16, Penny Taylor (6'1''-F-81) 15

San Antonio - Chicago 60:70
San Antonio: Becky Hammon 20, Sophia Young 15, Erin Buescher (6'2''-G-79, college: Master's) 11
Chicago: Candice Dupree 22, Chasity Melvin 22+12 boards, Stacey Dales (6'0''-F-79, college: Oklahoma) 10

Seattle - Minnesota 90:76
Seattle: Lauren Jackson (6'5''-F/C-81) 30, Janell Burse (6'5''-C-79, college: Tulane) 13, Betty Lennox (5'8''-G-76, college: Louisiana Tech) 11
Minnesota: Svetlana Abrosimova (6'2''-F-80, college: Connecticut) 15, Simona Augustus (6'1''-G-84, college: LSU) 13, Tiffany Stansbury (6'3''-F/C-83, college: N.Carolina St.) 12.