EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/31/2008
Copyright © 1997-2007 EurobasketMen News
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D2 team is negotiating with Kosovo guard Fahri Breca (190-G-85)to replace the departed Olivier Foucart.
They hope to reach an agreement soon for the rest of the season.
Breca played the last 3 seasons for Pristina in the Kosovar Superleague.
He is also a member of the Kosovo National team.
Third member of Final Tournament of Cup BiH is Siroki. They beat Zrinjski Mik Company with 84:76.
Siroki's coach Sunara rest their best players (Spralja, Dijan and Fajardo) for saturdays game against Cibona. Best scorers in winners team was Zupic and Lever with 14 points, same like Mrsic and Sarenac from Zrinjski.
Last game of Quarter final, Grude - Igokea Partizan will playing at Sunday in Grude.
Ulbra proved that its deeper bench was the key to this series and clinched the semi series against Assis in 3 to 1 in another victory tonight in Sao Bernardo, in the Sao Paulo metro area. Veteran combo guard Vanderlei Mazzuchini (198-F-72) finished the game with 27 points and was one of the key factors for Coach Jose Neto.
Assis started better and led by 7 with a few minutes into the game (6-13). The lead stayed at 7 after a couple of free throws by Jorge Seraphim (197-G/F-80, college: Furman) (10-17), but after that Vanderlei charged into the game and helped Ulbra go on a 10-0 run. He fueled the rise of his team with an and 1 play followed by an easy lay up on a fast break.
Diego tied the game at 17 after a crossover that took Nezinho dos Santos (186-G-81) off the play and got a bucket on a fade away jumper after the defender tried to regain position. A three pointer put Ulbra ahead by 3, but Jorge and Nezinho dos Santos hit it back to put the visitors ahead before the end of the first (20-22).
The second quarter was the most competitive in the game, but also filled with turnovers. Calderon was called with a technical and Nezinho dos Santos widened the gap on the scoreboard to 3 (22-25). Mineiro came into the game for Ulbra to replace the Argentine, but couldn't make an impact as Ricardo Probst (200-F/C-76) guarded him up close and forced more turnovers.
Both teams hit baskets back and forth and the largest lead in the period was 4 points (28-32) on a play by Ricardo Probst. Mineiro tied the game at 35 with a play underneath the basket and forced a timeout by Coach Aga who yelled at his players in disbelief during the break. A few bad words came out clear on ESPN Brasil's mics, and so did the coach's message: don't let Ulbra get easy plays down low.
Nezinho dos Santos fired a trey to put Assis ahead (38-35), but on defense, trying to avoid another easy basket in the paint, Assis' players forgot to guard Ulbra and the ball ended up on power forward Betao's hand who, at the top of the key, hit from beyond the arc and tied the game at 38.
Although there were no mics installed in Assis' locker during half time, from what happened in the beginning of the third, it was easy to conclude that either the message passed wasn't clear or the game strategy was not the correct one to choose. Assis was totally off on defense and Ulbra players hit inumerous shots wide open without any challenge on defense. Calderon hit a three pointer to put Ulbra up by 5 (49-44).
The home team went on a 12-2 run with the Argentine and Vanderlei leading the charge. The third quarter ended with a sellfish, but beautiful play by youngster point guard Marcel who, after being rejected, drove back into the lane against three of Ulbra's players, and forced an impossible play. Showing talent, and flexibility the diminutive guard hit a bank shot high on the backboard and got a trip to the charity line. Ulbra 61, Assis 48.
The last period started with the fourth foul called on Pedro Calderon (210-C-80). However, Ulbra, at this point, was not dependent on any specific player, and Neto, kept his main big men on the floor. David reduced the lead to 11 on a tip in after a trey by Jorginho. Marcel had a steal on Calderon to narrow to single digit (63-54), but Biro made sure Ulbra stayed under double digit comfort (65-54) with 7 minutes to go.
Danilo hit from beyond the arc at ease (68-54), and Nezinho dos Santos, in a childish play, fouled Vanderlei, got his fourth, with less than 6 to go. On the next play Marcel fouled Biro, also his fourth. The game was on Ulbra's hand and Calderon, once again from three sealed the game putting the home team ahead by 19 (73-54). Ulbra won the game by 15 points (82-67), and put the city of Sao Bernardo for the first time on a Paulista League final.
Franca and Ulbra will face each other after Carnival Holidays, which end on February 6th.
Top scorers:
ULBRA: Vanderlei Mazzuchini 27 pts, Pedro Calderon 14 pts, and 'Biro' Maistro (190-F-87) 13 pts
ASSIS: Nezinho dos Santos 22 pts, Jorge Seraphim 17 pts, and Ricardo Probst 12 pts
Eight teams left in Fiba EuroCup for the title of the tournament. Yesterday the group game in the Qualifying Round were the last for eight other teams.
Estonian TU/Rock successfully finished the qualifying round of EuroCup tournament and had their mission completed. They advanced to the quarterfinal stage from the top spot in Group A. TU/Rock wrapped up their group stage action in style edging Lappeenranta at home in the last round. The win saw them improve to 5-1 record and they surpassed Samara by the points difference in back-to-back games. Lappeenranta remained with a single win down the stretch. But with nothing to lose Finnish team fought bravely and were close to upsetting TU/Rock in Tartu. Virtanen and Pasi Riihela (199-F-75) fired from downtown to open the scoring tally for the Finnish side early in the game. The visitors kept in front throughout the opening stanza. Adrian Henning (203-F-82, college: Austin Peay St.) and Petri Virtanen (183-G-80) teamed up for 5 straight points late in the frame to give Lappeenranta a 22:13 advantage after 10 minutes. Adrian Henning added 4 more points at the start of the second quarter to enlarge the margin to 15 points. Finally Gert Kullamae (198-G/F-71) sank a three-pointer to shake up the hosts. Talts, Gert Kullamae and Marek Doronin (200-F/G-83) trimmed the difference to 9 points but Lappeenranta responded with a trey from Adrian Henning. Nevertheless TU/Rock had the last say in the first half with Marek Doronin netting 6 consecutive points and cutting the gap to 6 points 35:41 at halftime.
Vallo Allingu (206-C-78) and George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) came up with 5 straight points to open up the third frame. Ivan Harris (201-F-84, college: Ohio St.) and Petri Virtanen kept the visitors up for some time but Marek Doronin's jumper tied it all up at 46 midway through the third quarter. Seconds later Tein connected from beyond the arc to put TU/Rock in front. Brian Cusworth (213-C-84, college: Harvard) and Gert Kullamae combined for 5 points in a row and the home team cleared off to a 6-point distance 57:51. Gert Kullamae capped the stanza with yet another jumper as Tartu outfit held on to a 62:55 lead. Ivan Harris and Pasi Riihela allowed Lappeenranta to climb within 2 points from the home team and later Petri Virtanen knocked down a triple to make it 67:68 with just under 2 minutes remaining. Brian Cusworth hit one free throw, while Sten dropped a jump shot to square things up at 69 with just over a minute left. Gert Kullamae and Ivan Harris traded trebles before Marek Doronin set it at 74:72 with 28 seconds to go. Pasi Riihela missed his shot and George Tsintsadze and Marek Doronin sealed the winning outcome for the visitors from charity stripe.
Marek Doronin nailed 21 points to lead the action. Gert Kullamae added 17 points, while George Tsintsadze secured 15 in a win. Adrian Henning paced Lappeenranta with 20 points and 5 boards. Pasi Riihela posted 13 points and 10 boards in a losing case. TU/Rock will now take on Ural Great in the quarterfinal best-of-three series. Game 1 is scheduled for February 19 in Estonia.
Samara occupied the second spot in Group A claiming five wins in six games. In the final round Samara thumped visiting PAOK 80:61. Samara had an 11-point lead at the interval and gradually mounting the pressure secured the winning outcome at the end. Alex Scales (192-G-78, college: Oregon) dropped 17 points for Samara. Sergei Demeshkin (200-F-76) and Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: St.Louis) provided 16 and 15 points respectively for the winners. Giorgos Tsiakos (204-F-82, agency: FCM) dropped 16 points and collected 10 boards as PAOK ended with 1-5 record at the bottom of the ladder. Samara now awaits to open their quarterfinal series against Hainaut on February 19.
Ural Great also went through to the next round despite a thrashing loss to Dexia Hainaut in Belgium yesterday. Belgium side stunned Ural Great 81:60 in Mons and clinched the top spot in Group B. It never looked good for the visitors as they trailed by 16 points at the break. Perm outfit did not recover after the break and suffered their second loss at the competition. Mike Lenzly (189-G-81, college: Wofford) drained 15 points for Dexia. Jim Potter (203-F-73, college: Idaho St.) provided 12 points, while Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) added 11 as Hainaut improved to 4-2 record and occupied the top place. Brent Wright (203-F/C-78, college: Florida) was the only player to score in double figures for the visitors as he nailed 14 points.
Cherkaski Mavpy had a bittersweet taste of victory on Tuesday when they won for the third time in six EuroCup Qualifying Round games by beating Banvit 87:81 but failed to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Croatian Zagreb nipped Olympia Larissa at home in the decisive game in Group C of EuroCup. Both teams entered the game with a 3-2 record and had to win to qualify to the quarterfinal. Tsiaras opened the game with a three-pointer to put Olympia ahead. The visitors maintained the lead for some time early in the game before Krunoslav Simon (198-G/F-85) netted 5 points and Mario Dundovic (200-F/C-77, agency: Court Side) nailed a triple to put Zagreb up. The teams then traded baskets and the first quarter ended with Zagreb leading by one 19:18. Marios Batis (188-G-80) fired from the outside to retain the lead for Olympia but not for long though. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) and Vedran Morovic (183-G-83, college: Olney CC) quickly grabbed the advantage back to the hosts. Zagreb worked hard to ensure the lead and foster a 32:29 cushion at halftime. Jurica Ruzic (199-F-77) provided 6 points for Zagreb early in the third stanza as the home team cleared off to a 44:35 distance. The nervousness was in the air with both teams piling up fouls. Zagreb still held on to the lead and headed into the fourth term with a 54:47 advantage. Stephen Arigbabu (205-C-72, agency: Court Side) dropped 4 points for Olympia at the start of the fourth quarter as Greek side trimmed the gap a bit. Stephen Arigbabu later added another 3 points and Marios Batis hit jumper as Olympia climbed within 2 points from the hosts. Nikola Pavlicevic (192-G-88) reacted immediately with a timeout and adjusted his team's defense. Petar Babic (191-G-85) connected from afar for Zagreb, while their defense limited Olympia to just 2 points in the final three minutes to seal the winning outcome for Zagreb. Ante Tomic accounted for 19 points, 9 boards and 4 assists for Zagreb. Petar Babic poured in 12 points as Zagreb advanced to the quarterfinal. Stephen Arigbabu replied with 19 points and 8 boards for Olympia. Marios Batis scored 17 points and pulled down 8 boards in a key loss for Olympia. Zagreb will now take on Barons in the quarterfinal best-of-three series.
Spartak Saint Petersburg had no views on the playoff stage before the final round of action. They travelled to Cyprus to fight for pride against Group C leaders AEL. And they were close of performing some kind of surprise leading by as many as 15 points at halftime. But Spartak managed to waste it all in the second half and lost the game by a single point 71:72. Aleksis accounted for 21 points, 5 boards and 4 assists. Ryan Randle (206-F-81, college: Maryland) delivered 13 points for the winners. Joe Smith (193-G-77, college: Al.-Huntsville) had 22 points and 6 boards for Spartak. Anton Yudin (193-G-72) contributed 13 points as Russian team fell to 1-5 record.
Latvian Barons secured their top spot in the EuroCup qualifying round in Group D. It came despite a road loss to Cholet in France in the final round of action. It never influenced the final outcome for the Latvian team as they headed into the quarterfinal stage. They will tip off the best-of-three series against Zagreb on February 19. Cholet finished the action at 2-4 record in the fourth place in Group D. Barons entered the game aggressively and built a 7:1 lead with just over 2 minutes into the game. Barons maintained the margin throughout the frame and they were up by 5 points after 10 minutes. Cholet woke up after the intermission as Nando De Colo (195-G-87) scored 10 points in a 12:0 run for the hosts as they grabbed 28:21 advantage. Soon Alan Wiggins (206-F-84, college: USF) tapped the ball in to open up a double-digit gap midway through the second frame. Armands Skele (192-G-83) scored 5 points and Dainius Adomaitis (202-F-74) added another 5 for Barons to cut the deficit to 3 points. Cholet had the last say in the first half as Tony Dobbins (195-G-81, college: Richmond) knocked down a trey and made it 41:34 at halftime. Michal Hlebowicki (204-F-76) and Armands Skele combined for 9 points in an 11:0 rally for Barons to start the second half. Tony Dobbins fired from downtown and DeColo added two points as Cholet retained the lead. Nando De Colo completed the third quarter with a 13-point tally to keep Cholet in front 61:55. Martins Kravcenko (192-G-85, agency: Interperformances) drilled two long bombs for Barons early in the fourth period as Latvian outfit pulled ahead. Martins Kravcenko would not stop as he sank another trey midway through the frame to give Barons a 68:67 advantage. The lead changed hands for 7 times throughout the starting 6 minutes in the fourth term before Armands Skele and Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama) did not help the visitors to run away to a 78:71 distance with just under 3 minutes remaining. Nando De Colo refused to surrender as he dropped a treble and added two free throws to trim the deficit to 2 points. Claude Marquis (201-F/C-80, agency: Octagon) came up with a bucket to tie things up at 78. Martins Kravcenko missed both attempts from charity stripe and Steed Tchicamboud (193-G-81) hammered down a jump shot for Cholet. Demetrius Alexander tried a last-breath three-pointer but it went off mark to seal the win for Cholet.
Nando De Colo was impressive with game-high 37 points for Cholet. Claude Marquis contributed 15 points and 15 boards for French side. Armands Skele dropped 17 points for Barons. Demetrius Alexander had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a loss.
Lokomotiv Rostov needed to win in Ukraine to hope to qualify for the quarterfinal stage. Unfortunately for Rostov fans the task appeared to be too complicated for the Russian team. Khimik sealed a 78:62 victory to secure the second spot in Group D. A 22:6 rally from the hosts in the second quarter opened up a 14-point cushion for Khimik at halftime. The home team then wisely maintained the distance giving Lokomotiv no chance to erase it and spark any kind of intrigue. Aleksandar Djuric (210-F/C-82) topscored for Khimik with 17 points. Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Salem Intern.) brought up another 13 for the winners. Thomas Gardner (195-G-85, agency: Octagon, college: Missouri) and Nestor Kommatos (203-F-77) sank 15 points apiece for Lokomotiv.
Korisliiga, Round 28-29: After nine lost games in a row it was time for Kauhajoki to get a victory and win the second time on the road. This victory was very
important for Karhu (Kauhajoki), because they defeated Team Componenta at Karkkila. Those two teams have the weakest records right now, when
there are 13-14 rounds left out of the regular season games. Kouvot (Kouvola) improved their record into 19-9 by beating Pyrinto (Tampere) at home. Tarmo
(Porvoo) and YMCA Lahti had a close contest again. This time visitor YMCA Lahti won by five pts. KTP (Kotka) won the second half 23-49 in Uusikaupunki
and Korihait lost after a good start by 19 pts. Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) crushed over Kataja (Joensuu) 101-67. ToPo had six players in double figures. Jerald Fields (201-F-82, agency: Edge Sports, college: E.Tenn.St.) led ToPo with 21 pts.
Team Componenta - Kauhajoki 90-101 (46-53) (Nick Wallery 25/11, Jussi Eskola 21 - Darryl Hudson 27, Eric Washington 26/12).
Kouvot - Pyrinto 80-63 (38-32) (Corey Smith 26, Peter Cipriano 15 - Damion Dantzler 19/19, Damon Williams 17).
Tarmo - YMCA Lahti 91-96 (41-45) (Esa Maki-Tulokas 25, Mark McCarroll 17 - Davont Jackson 20, Pierre Jallow 18).
Korihait - KTP 66-84 (43-35) (Glenn Stokes 19, Kyle Shiloh 14 - Steve Smith 28, Manny Dies 18/12).
Torpan Pojat - Kataja 101-67 (55-37) (Jerald Fields 21, Josh Gonner 20 - Terry Black 22/15, Andre Foreman 19).
(184-G-70, college: W.Washington) currently is unable to play due to a pelvis-injury. Meanwhile, Keoni Watson (178-G-84, college: Idaho) has left the team. He asked the management to cancel his contract and is going to move to Macedonia.Haris Mujezinovic (205-F-74, college: Indiana) and Panionios split ways, the veteran center/powerforward. Coach Nenad Markovic was not satisfied from the performance of the player so they split ways after only one month.
The power forward of PAOK, Dimitris Haritopoulos (207-F/C-83) has some offers from the Ukrainean leageu and he is thinking of possible transfer. The same goes for the power forward of Olympia Larissas Tsiaras with the only difference that the Spanish league (ACB) is calling him.
Lewis Sims. the ex Panellinios player agreed terms with Spartak St. Petersburg
Andronikos Gizogiannis (200-F/C-83) some hour after became a free agent (won the case over Apollon Patras) agreed terms with Olympia Larissas for the next two years
Sotiris Manolopoulos (208-F-87) agreed terms with the Spanish team Alimentos de Palencia for the next three years.
Donell Taylor (198-G-82, college: UAB) and Marousi are abou to split ways, the American player didn't satisfied Head Coach Soulis Markopoulos with his performance in the Greek league
AEK Athens dismiss Filiberto Rivera (187-G-82, college: UTEP) and Smiljan Pavic (210-F/C-80)
(185-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Arizona St.) led Hanzevast with 18 pts. ZZ are now 11-13, while Hanzevast falls to 12-10. Women News
*****************************************************SM-sarja, Round 22: PeKa (Kotka) needed an OT on Tuesday night, before the winner was clear, when meeting Espoo Team in Kotka.
PeKa won 100-96 (87) (46-33). PeKa was in foul troubles during the second half. Laura Lehtoranta (172-G-84) saved then PeKa during the OT
by scoring eight (3+3+2) pts. Ashley Haynes (176-G/F-84, college: Austin Peay St.) led PeKa with 25 pts and 15 rbs. Yolanda Jones (185-F-84, college: La-Lafayette) netted 28 pts and took 14 rbs for Espoo Team.
PeKa - Espoo Team OT 100-96 (87) (46-33) (Ashley Haynes 25/15, Shanika Freeman 25, Laura Lehtoranta 21 (treys 4/8) - Yolanda Jones 28/14, Siiri Nuutinen 17, Stephanie Higgs 16).
SM-sarja, Round 23: Espoo Team again in action. Four games in five days! This time there was no need for OT, as Espoo Team won the fourth
quarter vs YMCA Helsinki 21-7 and the contest 86-69. Stephanie Higgs (177-G/F-85, college: Georgia Tech) led agin Espoo Team in pts (24) and Yolanda Jones (185-F-84, college: La-Lafayette) added 20 pts - 19 rbs.
Espoo Team - YMCA Helsinki 86-69 (47-42) (Stephanie Higgs 24, Yolanda Jones 20/19 - Niina Laaksonen 19/16, Henna Salomaa 16).