EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/7/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Trouble in Bahama Pro Show team -by Gianni Pascucci
Local Bahamanian media "Nassau Guardian" tells that coach James Price decided to leave the Ricardo Smith's Bahama Pro Show ABA team, and like him four players too left the team. The teams was not so well organized, but the main reason of the Price's decision seems the lack of support from the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF), that never backed the team and spoke out about the league, which initially tipped off in The Bahamas. One of the main reasons, of course, was the bad relationships between the BBF and the same Ricardo Smith, who was suspended from the Federation in the past. At this point, however, the Bahama Pro Show lacks of the coach and some players, and it seems that the ABA lost another piece.....

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Dzikic replaces Becirovic -by Zeljko Zule
Union Olimpija announced Serbian Aleksandar Dzikic as new head coach till end of the season. He replaced Mehmet Becirovic who has stepped down due a conflict with sports director Janez Rajgelj. .

Becirovic stepps down as coach of Olimpija -by Zeljko Zule
Mehmet Becirovic has stepped down as head coach of Slovenian runner-up Union Olimpija due a conflict with sports director Janez Rajgelj. According some rumors the main candidate for his job is former NT head coach Andrej Urlep ex Slask.

Memi Becirovic left - Aleksandar Dzikic close to Union Olmpija -by Dragan Jankovski
Despite fantastic wins at the beginning of the Euroleague against CSKA and Olympiakos, Mehmet Becirovic decided to step down as a head coach of Union Olimpija because of clash with Olimpia's general manager Janez Rajgelj. Olimpija currently has score 3-7 in maybe the toughest group in Euroleague where they played against CSKA, TAU, Olympiakos, Zalgiris, Montepaschi Siena, Prokom and La Fortezza Bologna. In Adriatic league the team is on the fifth place with score 9-7 what is huge improvement since the previous two seasons.

One of the candidates for Olimpia's bench is ex assistant coach of Partizan Belgrade and Minessota Timberwolves Aleksandar Dzikic, who also used to work as a head coach of BC Atlas from Belgrade.

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AUSTRIA

OEBL Round 19 -by Cueneyt Tuerk

Kapfenberg Bulls picked a big home win by topping Swans Gmunden 102-86 at Sporthalle Walfersam on Saturday night. Kapfenberg improved to 16-3 and leads the standings while Gmunden dropped down to 14-5. Ramiz Suljanovic (206-F/C-79, agency: R.H.Consultancy) dominated inside with a season high 34 points and 8 rebounds to pace the Bulls, going15-of-21 from the field. Mike Hall (191-G/F-82, college: BYU) went 6-of-9 form the arc for 27 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists on 6-on-9 shooting from the arc, Shawn Ray (193-F-80, college: N.C.Central) was 7-of-10 for 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Deteri Mayes (189-G-74, agency: Court Side, college: Murray St.) led Gmunden with 23 points, Kevin Johnson added 22 points and 7 boards, Thomas Stelzer had 12 points. Kapfenberg led from start to finish, constantly controlling the game, Ramiz Suljanovic was a force in the paint and all 5 starters played full 40 minutes. A basket from Sullivan and another from Johnson allowed the visitors to think about getting back after halftime 58-46, but Kapfenberg hung in and the lead was never in doubt after that.

Kapfenberg Bulls (102): Ramiz Suljanovic 34, Mike Hall 27, Shawn Ray 19, Jason Forrestal 14, Damir Zeleznik 8

Swans Gmunden (86): Deteri Mayes 23, Kevin Johnson 22, Thomas Stelzer 12, Rashard Sullivan 6, Matthias Mayer 6, Ian Boylan 6, Andreas Helmigk 5, Peter Hutter 4, Florian Schoninger 2

(31:21, 22:18, 25:17, 24:30)
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Dragan Miletic (195-G-82, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents) scored 39 points, including the surviving three to tie the game at 75-75 and forced the extra period. Then Marqus Ledoux (203-F-80, college: Tulsa) shined in overtime to help Gussing improve to 7-12 in the standings. Miletic led the winners with 39 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Ledoux had 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Andre Calvin scored 11 points for the winners. St. Polten, who fell to 7-12 in standings and committed 17 turnovers, were led by Martin Speiser (200-F-83)'s 11-of-13 for 29 points and 12 rebounds. Martin Kohlmaier added 21 points.

Gussing Knights (86): Dragan Miletic 39, Marqus Ledoux 16, Andre Calvin 11, Daniel Mullner 8, Chrisoph Knor 4, Seyni N'diaye 4, Jason Chappel 4, Chrisoph Poller 0, Manuel Jandrasits 0

UBC St.Polten (85): Martin Speiser 29, Martin Kohlmaier 21, Thomas Schreiner 13, Christian Kollik 9, Heinz Kugerl 8, Stefan Kerschbaummayr 3, Andreas Bauch 2

(25:29, 11:16, 26:16, 10:11, 13:12)
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Arkadia Traiskirchen moved into a two-three-way tie (depends on tomorrows game) for fifth place in standings with an 83-88 win over WBC Wels at the Kraftwerk Arena in Wels, on Sunday night. Traiskirchen roared back from a double digit deficit one minute before halftime to rally past the hosting Kraftwerk. Dragan Zekovic (210-F-87, agency: Interperformances) was the big gun for the visitors with 20 points and 7 rebounds, Dmitri Paliashchuk (196-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Davor Lamesic and Benedikt Danek both 15 for the winners. For Wels, Richard Anderson (199-F-77, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Simon Fraser) led the way with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, Casey Archibald added 18 and Armin Woschank 13.

WBC Kraftwerk Wels (83): Richard Anderson 18, Casey Archibald 18, Armin Woschank 13, Markus Pargfrieder 11, Kyle Wilson 8, Elijah Palmer 7, Kendrick Davis 6, Pavel Stanek 2, Pavel Burianek 0

Arkadia Traiskirchen (88): Dragan Zekovic 20, Dmitri Paliashchuk 16, Davor Lamesic 15, Benedikt Danek 15, Spencer Rhynes 10, Nemanja Bjelica 6, Joey Vickery 3, Kristijan Bokanovic 3, David Geisler 0

(16:20, 28:21, 16:19, 23:28)
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Furstenfeld Panthers stormed over UBSC Graz 91-64 at Unionhalle, in Graz. Furstenfeld improved to 14-5 in standings. Meanwhile, UBSC Graz dropped to 2-17 and holds sole position at the buttom. Shelton Colwell (202-F-80, agency: Court Side, college: Missouri St.) led the winners with 22 points. Samo Grum added 17, Mike Fraser had 16. OEBL leading scorer Mike Dale (196-G-84, college: S.Illinois) had 33, Cornelius C.J. Pigford (201-F, agency: Heinrich Sports, college: Elizabeth City) added 18 points. Furstenfeld opened the game with a 16-27 lead after first quarter and boosted its lead up to 43-70, after third quarter. Graz improved its offense in the last quarter and won it by 1 point.

UBSC Graz (65): Mike Dale 33, C C.J. Pigford 18, Reinhard Lanegger 5, Brandon Powell 5, Galle 3, Nicholas Rhodes 2, Petricevic 0, Ervin Kanlic 0

Furstenfeld Panthers (91): Shelton Colwell 22, Samo Grum 17, Mike Fraser 16, Miljan Goljovic 15, Anthony Shavies 9, Stanley Gaines 6, David Jandl 4, Cedric Hensley 2

(16:27, 16:21; 11:22, 22:21)
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Vienna bounced back from consecutive lossin by beating Worthersee Piraten 86-76 in Vienna, on Sunday night. Vienna improved to 2-17 and ties the buttom with Graz, while Worthersee dropped to 4-15. Matthias Dockner (204-F/C-84) led the winners with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds. Philipp Seel (193-G/F-85) added 19, Damir Rajkovic also posted a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. The hot hand of rookie Rasid Mahalbasic (203-F-90) was great for a season high 27 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time for Worthersee. Joachim Buggelsheim (193-F-75) added 18 plus 5 rebounds. Stjepan Gavran posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the young team of Emir Osmanovic .

BasketClubs Vienna (86): Matthias Dockner 27, Philipp Seel 19, Damir Rajkovic 17, Lukas Pinterits 10, Kevin Christensen 8, Michael Stockhammer 4, Dominik Mullner 0

Worthersee Piraten (76): Rasid Mahalbasic 26, Joachim Buggelsheim 18, Stjepan Gavran 10, Selmir Husanovic 10, Sebastian Schaal 5, Andreas Kuttnig 4, Marco Breithuber 3, Martin Breithuber 0, Edgar Allesch 0

(18:17, 19:12, 23:24, 25:23)



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BAHAMAS

Trouble in Bahama Pro Show team -by Gianni Pascucci
Local Bahamanian media "Nassau Guardian" tells that coach James Price decided to leave the Ricardo Smith's Bahama Pro Show ABA team, and like him four players too left the team. The teams was not so well organized, but the main reason of the Price's decision seems the lack of support from the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF), that never backed the team and spoke out about the league, which initially tipped off in The Bahamas. One of the main reasons, of course, was the bad relationships between the BBF and the same Ricardo Smith, who was suspended from the Federation in the past. At this point, however, the Bahama Pro Show lacks of the coach and some players, and it seems that the ABA lost another piece.....

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BELGIUM

Division II Results - Regular Season (Round 14) -by Bertrand Larsimont

Sint-Jan Antwerp vs. BBC Falco Ghent 90-66
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 22-11, 44-28, 69-45 and 90-66.
Sint-Jan: Jochen Ceyssens 24; Mitchel Gorremans 11; Ward Lemaire 9; Thomas Van de Vondel 12; Pieter Van Rillaer 4; Witse Van Schil 10; Nick Verrept 20.
Falco: Maarten Brysse 3; Joris De Schepper 9; Stijn Dhondt 2; Olivier Foucart 8; Thomas Foucart 16; Anton Huyghe 2; Jeroen Selhorst 13; Joost Van de Vondel 13.

CEP Fleurus vs. De West Hoek Zwevezele 92-75
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 28-27, 54-41, 75-56 and 92-75.
Fleurus: A. Bastianini 1; S. Tison 9; J. Vanesse 17; A. Jadin 13; S. Moris 13; L. Pourtoit 14; B. Penninck 5; S. Buja 12; S. Semijejero 8.
Zwevezele: B. Bobb 14; J. Bourdeaux 11; K. Desloovere 5; D. Hamers 5; Y. Lombart 13; X. Mylleville 9; A. Tandt 4; B. Van Hulle 13.

Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden vs. BBC Boom 96-87 (after OT)
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 24-21, 42-44, 62-61, 80-80 and 96-87.
Sint-Truiden: H. Baert 19; K. Cuppens 10; P. Pipeleers 24; D. Souverijns 11; Z. Thoelen 8; P. Van Hoecke 17; D. Willegems 7.
Boom: P. Bayer 21; Y. Lambreghts 20; W. Leten 7; S. Salden 19; D. Van den Brande 2; T. Van den Eynde 16; K. Van Wert 2.

BC Ninane vs. Royal Alsec Nivelles 65-66

BBC Kangoeroes Willebroek vs. Jaga Radiators Hasselt 84-101
Score at the half: 30-47.
Best scorers for Kangoeroes: J. Casteels 24; R. Leclercqs 12; K. Roelandts 25.
Hasselt: B. Bijnens 10; L. Cox 10; W. Geysen 10; N. Gijbels 1; M. Hendrix 18; P. Maes 2; H. Sterk 18; R. Van Poelgeest 18; G. Vanhove 14.

Bent Schoenen Waregem vs. Power Liefmans Wevelgem: to be played on 2008-02-10



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BOSNIA

Bosnians abroad -by Nedzad Kladusak

L Hospitalet: Nihad Djedovic (198-G-90, agency: Beo Basket) and Hodzic shine in Spain
Bosnia-Hercegovina had always great basketball prospects. Unfrotunately only a few of them play later for their country. No one takes notice of these young guys. Neither the bosnian basketball association, nor the ultra-strong basketball schools of bosnian “powerhouses”. So we don t need to wonder if self-proclaimed draftexperts of minor basketball blogs talk about great croat talents like Stanko Barac, Damir Omerhodzic, slovenian superstars like Mirza Begic or declare that Emir Preldzic is not “hot” but that Bojan Tanjevic (reminds me a little bit of coach K and the famous number 6…) is good for his development.

In L Hospitalet has been played the traditional Nike IJCT, a tournament hosting some of the best junior teams in Europe. Dino Hodzic and Nihad Nihad Djedovic, some of the greatest bosnian prospects participated with their teams Cibona respectively Barcelona showing excellent performances.

D.Hodzic 16, 8rebs vs. Joventud
N.Nihad Djedovic 25 (5/11), 6 rebs vs.Estudiantes

N.Nihad Djedovic 29 (5/8) , 4 rebs, 21 min, vs. Pau
D.Hodzic 28 (FG 12/19) 5 rebs, 5 ass, vs. Unicaja

N.Nihad Djedovic 22,5rebs
D.Hodzic 3,4 rebs

Nihad Djedovic 12, 5/20,5ass,4st,7rebs vs. FMP

Greece: Kojadinovic and Jazvin defeat Vasiljevic on the road
An interesting game has been played in Athens between the rivals AEK and Maroussi. It has been the first duel of Sasa Vasiljevic on one side against Felix kojadinovic and Ermin Jazvin. Jazvin and Kojadinovic had more luck and won 80-76. Jazvin had 2 points in 11 minutes when he had to leave the court after picking up his 5th PF. His team mate Kojadinovic played only 10 minutes sinking a triple. Vasiljevic played 24 minutes and scored 2 points and dished out 4 assists.

Mujezinovic and Markovic helpless against Panathinaikos
Nenad Markovic and Haris Mujezinovic had great 3 quarters agaisnt Panathinaikos but in the last quarter Spanioulis, Becirovic and Tsartsaris lead the greens to another victory.
Former NT-Player Haris Mujezinovic had 6 points in 14 minutes.

Teri Castle aka Teri Bosanac shows excellent performance

Terry Castle had large 16 points and 4ass in an easy 72-55 win against AGOR.



Spain: Teletovic in excellent shape
One of the runner up of the 2007/2008 series in Spain is definitely Mirza Teletovic who became one of the major pillars of Neven Spahija.
I tough fight against Granada Teletovic had 14 points and 5 rebs shooting in 32 minutes.

Opacak and Murcia without a chance in Valladolid
Ivan Opacak and Polaris Murcia had no chance against Valladolid which netted 12 threes. Opacak had 4 points and 1 reb in 23 minutes.

France: Excellent Krupalija not enough to prevent humiliation of Dijon
Damir Krupalija plays a good season so far but his team Dijon, formerly known as one of the gretest names in french basketball is still on the last position of the french championship. This weekend Pau Orthez swept them away with a thunderous 99-69 victory. Krupalija had 10 points and 8 rebs and 5 TO in 29 minutes.

Germany : Cologne ends Mutapcic winnig streak
Emir Mutapcic and his Phantoms Braunschweig are the biggest surprises in the german championship. They are currently holding the 5th rank. Cologne with the bosnian center Nedzad Sinanovic stopped them on saturday in a tough match. Sinanovic had 2 points in 3 minutes action.

Belgium: Oostende surprises Charleroi
Despite a poor shooting night of Elvir Ovcina (6, pts, FG 2/8) Oostende is still on top of the belgian league with a surprising road win against Charleroi.

NLB: Gordic and Princ shine in home victories of their teams
Nemanja Gordic scored 11 points (FG 4/7) and grabbed 5 rebounds in a well deserved win against Hemofarm.
Vedran Princ had 14 points in a tough win against Red Star Belgrade. He missed only two of his shots.Elmedin Kikanovic spent most of the time on the bench playing only 8 minutes and scoring 2 points (1/1) converting a put back.



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BULGARIA

Spartak took step ahead of CSKA -by Valentin Anguelov

Spartak Pleven won a hard fought victory against CSKA 80-78 in the derby in 15-th round of Men A-1. This game was tipped to be the match of the round by the specialists and it proved to be such.

Great game had Hrisimir Dimitrov (197-G/F-74, agency: Interperformances) who finished with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. In the last quarter he managed to keep his team's lead almost by himself.

For the visitors Mike Henderson had his best game so far as he scored 30 points. Hristo Nikolov added 25 but the other American Lavell Payne was the big dissapointment as he managed just 2 points in 31 minutes.

CSKA took a 5-2 lead in the beginning but after good plays by Sasha Topchov and Iliya Stankov the hosts took a 8-7 lead and 18-16 after the first quarter. After very good team defense and nice counter attacks they held 12-point lead at the break, 45-33.

In the second half the visitors managed to cut their deficit and in the end it came down to very interesting finish to the game.

The hosts led by 4 points in the last minute but after a three pointer by Henderson the lead came down to just a single point. Dimitrov scored two free throws with 9 seconds to go, to make it 80-77. Then Henderson was fouled and after scoring the first free throw missed the second and then the rebounds was grabbed by Dimitar Marincheshki but one of his teammates pushem him off the floor and that gave the ball back to Spartak. They held the ball until the end of the game and won it.

FULL STATS FROM THE GAME SPARTAK PLEVEN - CSKA

CURRENT STANDING IN MEN FIRST A-1

INDIVIDUAL STATS OF SPARTAK PLEVEN


INDIVIDUAL STATS OF CSKA



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CAMEROON

Bafang Basketball Camp -by Gilles Bouwe

For the 27 Dec to the .29 Dec took place in Bafang the first edition of the BAFANG BASKETBALL CAMP.The Camp was an idea of BOUWE GILLES who directed it . The camp was coordonnated on the technichal plan by PEPOUNA MUNYUTU well known as PEPSO.

Due to problem caused by the local basketball league the camp have see just the participation of 30 kids of 8 to 15 years both girls and boys.



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CHINA

Shandong Defeats Jilin in Makeup Game to Finalize -by Arthur Volbert
Shandong defeated Jilin 99-90 today in the makeup of a game postponed because of severe weather. The win gave Shandong an 19-11 record and fourth place in the CBA standings. This game finalizes the playoff lineups. The final standings for the playoff clubs, with tie-breakers, according to www.sina.com , is Guangdong, Xijiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Liaoning, Dongguan, Bayi and Fujian. I will have the first round playoff schedule as soon as it is available.

Lamizana Herve (210-F/C-81, college: Rutgers) led the way for Shandong with 28 points and 8 blocks. Mack Tuck had 22 points and Hou Bing had 17. Du Jiang had 24 points for Jilin and Babacar Camara had 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Shandong 99
Wang Gang 11p+7r+5a+2s+2to, Sun Jie 8p+4r+2a, Hou Bing 17p+4r+1a+1s, Lamizana Herve 28p+6r+1a+8bl, Mack Tuck 22p+7r+6a+1s, Cao Zhenhua 5p+3r+1s, Lou Yandong 5p+2r+1a
Jilin 90
Liu Wei2 5p+5r, Wang Bo 10p+9r+4a, Du Jiang 24p+4r+1a+3s, Zhou Anan 8p+1r+1a+1s, #9 10p+2r+1a+2s+2bl, Nie Jinqiang 9p+3r+1a+1s, Babacar Camara 20p+15r+1a+1s+1bl

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DENMARK

Bakken Bears stay atop -by Eurobasket News
Danish powerhouse Bakken Bears remained at the head of the Basketligaen ladder as the action resumed after the new year pause. The Bears visited the Horsholm 79ers and pulled away with a 75:67 victory. The Bears looked slightly better early in the game as they grabbed the initiative and secured a narrow 18:15 lead. But the 79ers stroke back in the second stanza. A nearly perfect defensive effort from the hosts forced the Bears to numerous mistakes as they struggled to adjust offensively. The misses piled up and Horsholm finalized the quarter with a 38:27 halftime advantage. But Bakken reorganized after the break. Their reignited offense started to work at full speed and produced 48 points in the second half which turned out to be enough to celebrate a difficult victory. Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Albany) led the Bears with 19 points, 5 boards and 5 assists. Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79, college: Oregon) tallied 17 points and 11 boards for the winners. Duane James (198-F-83, college: Binghamton) responded with game-high 23 points for the 79ers. Christian Nielsen (201-F-86, college: Wagner) secured 11 points as the home team fell to 7-7 record.
Svendborg sustained their high ambitions for the upcoming year as they saved a close distance to Bakken by beating Horsens 92:88 at home. Horsens succeeded in the high-flying first frame as they held on to a 49:46 lead at halftime. But Svendborg players changed the course of this one in the second half and using a well-balanced offense pushed for a close victory at the end. Jarrett Howell (188-G-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Arlington) paced the hosts with 17 points and 5 steals. Troels Nielsen had 15 points, while Brayden Billbe (208-C-85, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: American) delivered 14 points and 5 boards in a win. Spencer Ross (181-G-81, college: Queens (NC)) answered with game-high 23 points for Horsens. Ivan Miskovic (203-F/C-84, college: Alaska-Fairb.) posted 21 points and 12 boards in the 8th loss for the visitors.

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D-LEAGUE

Skyforce Knock off Energy 85-80 in Sunday Action -by Surujh Roopnarine
Kasib Powell (6'7''-F-81, college: Texas Tech) scored a game high 22 points as the Sioux Falls Skyforce improved to 7-10, defeating the visiting Energy 85-80 in Sioux Falls. This was the second consecutive victory for the Skyforce over the Energy, as they won 96-94 on Friday at the Sioux Falls Arena. Powell, who has now scored 20 plus points in three straight contests, shot 7-12 from the field and 8-10 from the free-throw line, also tallied nine rebounds for the Skyforce. Jeff Horner (6'3''-G-83, agency: Octagon, college: Iowa) led the Energy with 18 points, as they have now dropped four in a row and fall to 9-10 on the season.
ENERGY: Jeff Horner (18p), Dwayne Mitchell (17p+8rb+6to), Jeff Hagen (10p+14rb), Demetris Nichols (14p+6to)
SKYFORCE: Kasib Powell (22p+9rb), Elton Nesbitt (16p+5rb+5to), Chris Alexander (13p+10rb), Carl Elliott (11p)

Recent Transactions -by Surujh Roopnarine
NBA Assigned Player Movement:
The Dallas Mavericks re-called second year guard Maurice Ager (6'4''-G-84, college: Michigan St.) from the Tulsa 66ers. Ager appeared in 8 games fro the 66ers after being assigned to the Mavs D-League affiliate on December 16th. The former Michigan State star averaged 17.4 points in 33.4 minutes per game for Tulsa.

The Golden State Warriors have re-called Kosta Perovic (7'2''-C-85) from the Bakersfield Jam. The 38th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft has never played in a game for Golden State and received his first ever D-League assignment on November 17th. In 19 games with the Jam, Perovic averaged 8.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just over 22 minutes per contest.

Player Movement:
Bakersfield: Signed veteran forward Britton Johnson (6'10''-F-79, college: Utah). The 2002 Mountain West Conference POY with Utah has previous D-League experience with the Fayetteville Patriots (2003-04) where he was an All D-League Second Team selection. Last year Johnson played with Pau-Orthez in France.
Sioux Falls: Signed Jahsha Blunt (6'6''-G-84, college: Delaware St.). The former Delaware State (MEAC) standout was with Iowa at the beginning of the season before being waived in December.
Rio Grande Valley: Announced that Kenny Taylor (6'3''-G-82, college: Texas) has left the team. Taylor appeared in 14 games (12 starts) with the Vipers, averaging 15.3 points.

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EGYPT

third round results -by Andrew Youssef
From DR/ Alaa Metwally the Egyptian commentator for basketball in the Egyptian TV send the result of the third round in the Egyptian basketball league as it :

-Gezira beat Zamalek 82-75

-Itthad beat Eastern company 102-73

-ElAhly 81 ELShams 66

-Gazco and Shourta 85-77 for Gazco

-Smouha beat Sporting 89-82

-Geish vs Damenhor 71-62

Gezira increases Zamalek problems beating them 82-75 -by Sherif Soliman
Zamalek lost their second game from Gezira last night by 7 points. Gezira played without Ramy Genedy, Ibraheem EL Adawy, Zien Ahmed while all the Zamalek stars participated in the game. Zamalek seems to be having some problems with their players, as they didn't show any fighting spirit yesterday.Gezira played without a center most of the time, speeding up the game and putting a lot of pressure on Zamalek players. Assistant coach Ahmed Adel Aamalek said, 'Our under-16 Junior Team has lost 12 games, leaving us without any hope to win this league.'

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EUROLEAGUE

Dzikic replaces Becirovic -by Zeljko Zule
Union Olimpija announced Serbian Aleksandar Dzikic as new head coach till end of the season. He replaced Mehmet Becirovic who has stepped down due a conflict with sports director Janez Rajgelj. .

Becirovic stepps down as coach of Olimpija -by Zeljko Zule
Mehmet Becirovic has stepped down as head coach of Slovenian runner-up Union Olimpija due a conflict with sports director Janez Rajgelj. According some rumors the main candidate for his job is former NT head coach Andrej Urlep ex Slask.

Memi Becirovic left - Aleksandar Dzikic close to Union Olmpija -by Dragan Jankovski
Despite fantastic wins at the beginning of the Euroleague against CSKA and Olympiakos, Mehmet Becirovic decided to step down as a head coach of Union Olimpija because of clash with Olimpia's general manager Janez Rajgelj. Olimpija currently has score 3-7 in maybe the toughest group in Euroleague where they played against CSKA, TAU, Olympiakos, Zalgiris, Montepaschi Siena, Prokom and La Fortezza Bologna. In Adriatic league the team is on the fifth place with score 9-7 what is huge improvement since the previous two seasons.

One of the candidates for Olimpia's bench is ex assistant coach of Partizan Belgrade and Minessota Timberwolves Aleksandar Dzikic, who also used to work as a head coach of BC Atlas from Belgrade.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Larry Pounds will coach KTP? -by Rauno Hurmalainen

The rumour has it, that Larry Pounds will coach KTP (Kotka) for the rest of the season. So, Pounds will replace Head Coach Ray Ailus, who started with his
new job tonight by leading Kataja (Joensuu) to 61-59 victory over Honka (Espoo). Honka lost weekend's both games and Team needs soon a wake up or
more/new players. Terry Black (198-F-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Baylor) led Kataja with 19 pts. Louis Hinnant (193-G-84, college: Boston Coll.) added 10 pts.

Kataja - Honka 61-59 (36-35) (Terry Black 19, Louis Hinnant 10 - Kimmo Muurinen 14, Petteri Koponen 11).



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FRANCE

ProA : Ron Stewart will coach Paris-Levallois... -by Aurelien Hipp
...after he coached both Paris and Levallois in the past. The american coach has left Brest in December for personal reasons and is back in the biggest french city. Ron Stewart coached the "Cardiac Kids" of Levallois in 97-98 and Paris in 2000-2001. Now that both teams are making one, Stewart will try to face the challenge to coach this team after Elias Zouros.

Pro A : Jason Straight won't play for Paris -by Aurelien Hipp
*Now that Branko Milisavljevic is gone, Paris is looking for an US PG. Jason Straight (180-G-83, college: Wyoming), also contacted by Gravelines, didn't pass the try-out in Paris and won't play for the new coach Ron Stewart this season.

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GERMANY

Bundesliga Game Day 15: Weekend Results January 5th and 6th! -by Michael Taylor

Basketball action tipped off 2008 as the Bundesliga Game Day 15 took place January 5th and 6th all over Germany. Saturday night, ALBA Berlin edged EnBW Ludwigsburg in a terrific game, Artland Dragons won in Gottingen, Bayer Leverkusen continued their excellent season beating Giessen, Koln 99ers topped NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig in a matchup of potential playoff candidates, Telekom Bonn squeezed past TBB Trier and ratiopharm Ulm beat Walter Tigers Tubingen in an intense rivalry game.

Saturday January 5, 2008

ALBA BERLIN 90 EnBW LUDWIGSBURG 87
ALBA Berlin scoring guard Julius Jenkins was in top form leading his team to a tight 90-87 victory over EnBW Ludwigsburg Saturday night at Maxschmellinghalle in Berlin. Jenkins went for 26pt with support from C Patrick Femerling (17pt 6reb), Bobby Brown (15pt 4reb 6ast) and Dragan Dojcin (14pt 6reb) in the win. Berlin drilled 11 of 23 threes (47%) made 85% from the foul line and finished a strong 50% from the floor while distributing an impressive 18ast. A tight game throughout, ALBA opened with a 3 point lead after 1Q and maintained at 44-41 at half. Ludwigsburg competed and cut the lead to 61-60 heading into the 4th. Brandon Woudstra was strong for Ludwigsburg finishing with 19pt 10reb and a perfect 10-10 FT. Coleman Collins chipped in 17pt and Ronald Ross added 16pt 7reb for the guests who outrebounded ALBA 36-25 and took great care of the basketball with 14ast to only 9 turnovers. Head Coach Luka Pavicevic and his team remain atop the Bundesliga standings with a one game lead and a 12-3 record. Ludwigsburg fell to 6-9.

ARTLAND DRAGONS 85 BG74 GOTTINGEN 69
On the strength of a 30-18 4Q, Artland Dragons earned a solid road win over hardworking BG74 Gottingen Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen. The powerful Dragons built an early lead taking a 33-28 advantage into the half. Gottingen trimmed the deficit to 55-51 after 3Q but Head Coach Chris Fleming and his Dragons found the answer and broke the game open in the 4th. A balanced team offensive attack sparked the Dragons as Adam Chubb (18pt 6reb), John Goldsberry (17pt 10-11ft), Lamont McIntosh (16pt), Dirk Madrich (12pt 5reb) and Chad Prewitt (10pt) all reached double digits. After being a key player in last seasons fantastic Artland run, Chad Prewitt returned to his Dragon team and found a smooth transition home. Artland shot 47% from the floor compared with Gottingen's 42%, outrebounded the Violets 34-24 and the Dragons made an impressive 30 of 35 FT (85%) in the win. Darren Brooks led Gottingen with 18pt followed by Keoni Watson with 14pt and Selim Mulic at 10. Artland improved to 11-4 on the season while Gottingen slipped to 4-10.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN 87 GIESSEN 46ERS 71
Bayer Leverkusen continued their fantastic season with a strong 87-71 home win over Giessen 46ers Saturday night at historic Wilhelm Dopatkahalle in Leverkusen. Veteran Tyron McCoy led the way with 20pt while Zack Whiting added 17pt 8reb 6ast and Brendan Winters 14 in the win. Forwards Beckham Wyrick chipped in 12pt while Nate Fox grabbed 12 boards for Head Coach Achim Kuczmann's men who upped their record to 11-4. Rouven Roussler led the 46er attack with 24pt while Shawan Robinson added 11pt and Gerrit Terdenge 10 in the loss. Leverkusen controlled play after building a 1Q lead which developed to a 10pt advantage at half (46-36). Giessen cut the lead by three in the 3rd but a 25-16 4Q finish sealed the 87-71 win for Leverkusen. Giessen fell to 4-11 on the year.

KOLN 99ERS 71 NEWYORKER PHANTOMS BRAUNSCHWEIG 65
Koln 99ers edged NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 71-65 in an exciting game Saturday night at Rheinenergie Dome in Koln. Even 35-35 at half, Koln edged ahead in the second half before earning the win late in the game. Immanuel McElroy topscored for Head Coach Sasa Obradovic's team with 18pt while Milko Bjelic added 17pt 8boards in the win. Both Aleksandar Nadjfeji and Misan Nikagbatse made significant contributions with 10pt apiece and Toby Bailey collected 10reb for Koln. The 99ers shot 40% from the floor and outrebounded the Phantoms 42-30 in the win. Koln made 21 of 31 FT (67%) compared with Braunschweig's 6 for 11 (54%). Koln also made 6 of 17 (35%) from three compared to 3 of 20 (15%) from the Phantoms. Domonic Jones led Braunschweig with 15pt followed by Jon Allen 12pt and Jonathan Levy 12pt 6reb. Kyle Visser added 10pt in the loss. Koln bettered their record to 9-6 while Braunschweig slipped to the same 9-6 spot.

TELEKOM BONN 66 TBB TRIER 64
In an exciting game of runs, Telekom Bonn squeezed past TBB Trier 66-64 Saturday night at Trier Arena. Bonn took a 13-8 lead as the game started slowly before Trier exploded to a 25-12 second quarter and 33-25 halftime lead. Head Coach Michael Koch and his men responded with a powerful 26-16 3Q run to take a 51-49 lead into the 4th. JJ Strasser buried 4 of 5 threes on his way to a team best 18pt followed by 16pt 9reb from Jason Conley and 16pt 8reb from John Bowler in the win. As a team Bonn buried 9 f 18 threes as a key to their road victory. Bonn outrebounded Trier 29-28 and made 17 of 22 FT (77%) compared with 13 of 24 (54%) from Trier. James Gillingham drilled 3 of 4 threes on his way to a game best 19pt while Caleb Green added a 17pt 10reb double double for Trier. PG Marcus Taylor returned to action for the first time since an early season injury sidelined him. Bonn improves to 10-5 while Trier slips to 3-12.

RATIOPHARM ULM 84 WALTER TIGERS TUBINGEN 78
In the next chapter of this terrific Schwaben-rivalry, ratiopharm Ulm overcame injuries, adversity and a determined Walter Tigers Tubingen team to earn an intense 84-78 comeback win at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Already without starting PG Kyle Bailey (hand injury), Ulm lost all star F Konrad Wysocki to a back injury early in the 1Q. The shorthanded Ulm unit battled Tubingen nose to nose and the first half ended 42-42. Tubignen made several big plays in the 3Q and built a lead as high as 7 before Ulm rallied setting the score at 61-58 into the 4th. As the teams returned to the floor for the final Q, Konrad Wysocki emerged from the Ulm lockerroom. Konrad's presence energized the fans and team sparking Ulm to a fantastic 26-17 4Q surge and the win. Wysocki's banked in top of the key three was a crucial basket followed by a deep left wing three from EJ Gallup giving Ulm control of the game. Ulm's rookie PG Dru Joyce was outstanding in his first start replacing injured Kyle Bailey. Joyce scored 17pt with 6ast while Jeff Gibbs was strong inside for 17pt 10reb. Bryan Lucas and EJ Gallup were also solid scoring 14pt apiece. Despite his injuries, Wysocki added 11pt 9reb in 21min. For Tubingen, Ray Nixon buried 4 of 8 threes on his way to 19pt 5reb while C Rasko Katic added 19pt 7reb and Bingo Merriex chipped in 17pt 9reb in the loss. Ulm shot 44% from the floor, dished out 17ast to 9turnovers and outrebounded the Tigers 35-32 in the win. Tubingen drilled 50% from three making 10 of 20 and shot 46% from the field. Ulm held an advantage at the foul line making 20 of 23 (87%) to Tubingen's 6 for 11 (54%). With the win, Ulm ups their record to 9-5 while Tubingen falls to 5-10.

Sunday January 6, 2008

BROSE BASKETS BAMBERG @ SCIENCE CITY JENA 6pm tip

DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS @ EISBAREN BREMERHAVEN 3pm tip BBL.TV

DIGIBU BASKETS PADERBORN @ EWE BASKETS OLDENBURG 5:15 tip BBL.TV



Bundesliga Game Day 15: Sunday Results January 6th! -by Michael Taylor
In the weekends biggest surpsise, Science City Jena upset brose Baskets Bamberg 71-63 in Jena while Ewe Baskets Oldenburg snatched an exciting 82-75 overtime win over digibu Baskets Paderborn and Deutsche Bank Skyliners outlasted Eisbaren Bremerhaven 85-76 Sunday afternoon. Results to complete Game Day 15 below:

Sunday January 6th

Science City Jena 71 Brose Baskets Bamberg 63
With a remarkable upset, Science City Jena used a strong second half surge to surprise reigning German champs brose Baskets Bamberg 71-63 Sunday evening in Jena. Head Coach Bjorn Harmsen and his team earned their second win of the season improving to 2-13. Trailing the Euroleague representative from Germany 44-36 at half, Jena outscored Bamberg 16-7 in the third quarter to take a 52-51 lead into the 4Q. Down the stretch the new-look Jena team with two new starters (Lavelle Felton and Jason Miller), outlasted Bamberg 19-15 for the 71-63 upset win. Mark Davis led the way with an 18pt 12reb double double supported by 14pt apiece from Ali Seggelke and Felton. Sean McCaw added 13pt to the win. Darren Fenn led Bamberg with 14pt while Demond Greene and Chris Ensminger added 10pt apiece. Predrag Suput grabbed a team best 10 boards. Jena shot 44% from the floor while limiting Bamberg to 40% and outrebounded their highpowered guests 34-31. Jena also capitalized from the fou line making 23 of 29 (79%) in the win. Bamberg made 6 of 22 from three 27% and 17 of 27 (63%) from the foul line. Bamberg slipped to 9-5.

Deutsche Bank Skyliners 85 Eisbaren Bremerhaven 76
Deutsche Bank Skyliners used strong second and third quarters to earn a quality 85-76 road win over Eisbaren Bremerhaven Sunday afternoon in Bremerhaven. Shown live on BBL.TV, Skyliners outscored Bremerhaven 22-12 in the second to earn a 43-36 lead. After the break, Frankfurt expanded their advantage with a 21-13 3Q pushing the score to 64-49 heading into the 4th. Bremerhaven's 27-21 comeback attempt fell short as they came as close as 8 in the closing minutes. For Frankfurt, Pascal Roller hit 6 of 8 threes for a season best 25pt 6ast performance while Derrick Allen added 20pt 5reb. Matt Haryasz led the Eisbaren with 27pt 12reb in the loss. The Skyliners buried 14 of 29 threes for 48% compared with Bremerhaven's 5 of 25 from beyond the arc (20%). Bremerhaven enjoyed an advantage from the foul line sinking 82%, 23 of 28 compared with Frankfurts 11 of 13, 84%. Bremerhaven also outrebounded Skyliners 37-25. Both teams are now 7-7.

Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 82 digibu Baskets Paderborn 75 (OT)
Ewe Baskets Oldenburg rallied to outscore guests digibu Baskets Paderborn 20-8 in the 4Q before sealing their hardfought home win with a 17-10 OT period in Sunday evenings 82-75 victory show live on BBL.TV. Jasmin Perkovic topscored with 20pt 4reb 4ast and Mladin Pekovic added 16pt including several big baskets for Head Coach Predrag Krunic's team. Rickey Paulding tallied 10pt 5reb and backup PG Brantislav Ratkovica chipped in 10pt of his own. A key in the game was when Paderborn's star G Tim Black picked up his 5th foul early in the 4Q. Oldenburg reponded with their game changing run. Oldenburg's Jason Gardner had a chance to win the game in regulation but his driving pullup finish rimmed out sending the action to extra time. Malik Moore topscored for Paderborn with 17pt while Black added 12. Both Nathan Peavy (10pt 7reb) and Greg Jenkins (10pt 8reb) were strong for the guests. Statistically, Oldenburg shot 46% to Paderborn's 38% but Paderborn won the battle on the boards 39-33. With the tight win, Oldenburg improved to 9-6 while Paderborn fell to 5-9.

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HOLLAND

West-Brabant Giants Clobber ZZ Leiden -by Sanders Jackson

Saturday night in Bergen-op-Zoom, West-Brabant Giants started the 2008 year off right, jumping out to a quick 26-15 lead at the end of the 1st quarter and kept up the pressure on ZZ, winning convincingly by the score of 90-64. West-Brabant had good balanced scoring, with Tim Blue (206-F-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Middle Tenn.St.) leading six Giants in double figures with 18 pts. ZZ Leiden left their shooting touch back in 2007, shooting only 35.1% FG, as well as being outrebounded by a 46-33 margin. With the updated standings, the Giants are now 11-7, while ZZ falls to 8-11.

Upstairs Weert Escape With Win In Zwolle -by Sanders Jackson


In the ZBC-hal Saturday night in Zwolle, in a tale of two struggling teams before the Christmas break, Upstairs Weert started the new year right, while Landstede's shooting struggles continue in the new year. Nevertheless, Upstairs had to work to keep the smaller Landstede team off their backs, pulling out a 72-71 win. After a close 1st quarter (22-21 for Upstairs), Upstairs started to use their inside-outside advantage to good use during the 2nd and 3rd quarters to help them stake double-digit leads, with Ashley Champion (198-F-81, college: Chattanooga) asserting himself and being a tough matchup for Landstede. For Landstede, Darnell Wilson (198-F-85, college: Canisius), despite playing with an injured wrist, through his intensity and being a singlehanded difference maker, did his best to keep Landstede in the game. But unfortunately, Wilson had to take too much responsibility on his shoulders due to the lack of inside scoring support and having to cover for other's mistakes, which placed himself at the risk of foul trouble, which is exactly what happened at 5:06 in the 3rd quarter, when Champion drew a fourth foul on Wilson to give Upstairs its biggest lead in the game at 59-44. But Landstede eventually picked up the slack in Wilson's absence, going on a 7-0 run to cut Upstairs' lead to 59-51 at the end of the 4th.


At the midway point of the 4th quarter Upstairs extended its lead back to over double digits, taking advantages of Landstede not finishing on chip shots near the basket and their own ability to finish strong near the basket, as demonstrated by Champion, whose three-point play made it 70-59 for Upstairs. But Landstede were not out of it. Upstairs would not score a field goal again within the last four minutes of the game, and Landstede made a furious comeback, with an Arno Bunnig (197-F-85) three-pointer, two scores by Wilson and a Bunnig three-pointer bringing Landstede to 72-69 with 30.8 seconds left. Landstede then forced an Upstairs miss on their last possession, and would have the ball for the last shot. With three fouls to give, Upstairs chose not to foul and defended the last shot. Landstede's Gerad Punch (193-G/F, college: Furman) desperation shot would bounce off the rim, and would be tipped in by Nikki Hulzebos (206-F-86) to make the score 72-71, but would not be enough. Champion led all scorers with 26 pts., including 3 three-pointers. Robby Bostain (191-G/F-84, agency: Sports Plus International, college: Furman) led Landstede with 18 pts., including 4 three-pointers, with Wilson adding 17 pts. and Punch 15. Upstairs snapped a four-game losing streak, while Landstede drops its sixth in a row.



Rotterdam Challengers Take Over In 4th, Win In Den Helder -by Sanders Jackson

In Den Helder on Saturday night, it was a neck-and-neck ball game for the first three quarters between Rotterdam Challengers and Den Helder Seals, but in the 4th quarter Rotterdam took the upper hand and eventually the ball game, sprinting to 86-70 win. Rotterdam overcame their recent shooting woes to shoot an impressive 63.4% FG and 19 of 26 FT, as well as dominating the glass at a 41-23 clip. Djoenie Steenvoorde (195-G/F-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy) remained hot coming into the new year, scoring 22 pts., with Chaz Twan Briggs (201-F-80, college: W.Virginia) adding 18, Sullivan Sykes (193-G/F-81, college: St.Joseph, IN) adding a double-double with 17 pts. and 11 rebounds. J.R. Duffey (201-F/G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Niagara) led Den Helder with 22 pts. Rotterdam is now 8-8 in the FEB.

Hanzevast Capitals Win Again In Thriller Over Eiffel Towers -by Sanders Jackson

Too bad for Hanzevast Capitals they can't play defending Dutch champion Eiffel Towers everytime in the Martiniplaza.

In a packed house in the Martiniplaza on Saturday night, it was a game for the ages for the legion of Hanzevast supporters, with the "Pep Claros Express" kicking in high gear, ringing in the 2008 year in good fashion, with Hanzevast winning convincingly 92-76. Hanzevast led 26-17 at the end of the 1st quarter and gave Eiffel fits from start to finish with its pressure defense, forcing the team of Randt Wiel to cough up the ball 25 times, with Hanzevast scoring 26 pts. off the mistakes. Also Hanzevast's agressiveness on the offensive glass (25 in total) paid off in a big way, allowing Hanzevast to have more possessions and shot attempts despite shooting only 33.3% FG. Nevertheless Eiffel stayed within striking distance with Hanzevast leading 43-35 at halftime.

At the start of the 3rd quarter Hanzevast let it be known who the boss was, extending its lead at 60-45 and topping off the end of the 3rd quarter with a Guido Gruenheid (206-F/C-82, agency: LimeLight) dunk to make it 70-57. Hanzevast would continue to keep Eiffel at arm's length and Eiffel could not put up a fight any longer to give Hanzevast its second win this season over Eiffel. The "Man of the Match" for Hanzevast was unheralded and improving Pavel Englicky (210-F/C-83, agency: PPGroup), who came in the game averaging only 2.6 ppg. and 2.0 rpg., but who rang Eiffel up for numbers of a season-high 21 pts. (3 three-pointers), 9 rebounds and 5 steals! Grunheid was a one-man wrecking crew on the glass, snatching down 10 of his 17 total rebounds on the offensive glass with also 13 pts. Alton Mason (185-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Arizona St.) added 15 pts., 4 assists and 6 steals, with Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side) adding 14 pts. (3 three-pointers). Jayson Wells (202-F-76, agency: SportsTalent, college: Indiana St.) led Eiffel with 19 pts. and 13 rebounds. With the win, Hanzevast move into 3rd place in the FEB standings at 11-6, while Eiffel falls to 13-4.

MyGuide Amsterdam Make Short Work Of Aris Friesland, Extend Lead -by Sanders Jackson

In Leeuwarden on Saturday night, a fast start of the 1st quarter was all that was needed for MyGuide Amsterdam, leading 24-11 at the end of the 1st and 42-26 at the half, cruising to an 80-66 win to take over the current top spot in the FEB standings. The team of Arik Shivek led at one point by as much as 23 pts., using their vaulted deense to force Aris into 25% FG the 1st half and 31% total. MyGuide were led in scoring by

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HUNGARY

Dombovar: Still on the road to glory -by Tamas Deri

With the excellent performance of their starting five, Dombovar took the win in Szekesfehervar. Marco Sanders (202-F-79, college: Point Park), Mike English (194-F-82, agency: Interperformances, college: Mo.-Kansas City), Julien Mills (193-G-84, agency: Warren Sports, college: Ball St.), Ferenc Bodi (198-F-77) and Attila Deak (193-F-77) had great periods in the game and were unstoppable today. On the other side Velibor Radovic (202-F/G-72, agency: Beo Basket) showed in the first half that he is a real experinced player, but in the second half Cory Bradford (191-G-78, agency: Edge Sports, college: Illinois) hit 5 threes in 5 minutes. However, even this excellent individual performance was not enough and even despite a lot of foul problems the guests were able to win this very important game.

Player of the game was Mike English, who had his second tripple-double this week with 22 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds.

ALBACOMP - PLANET LEASING DOMBÓVARI KC 96-101

(28-25, 19-30, 25-22, 24-24)

Szekesfehervar, Att.: 1800, Referees: Valovics, Kapitany, Győrffy

ALBACOMP: Simon B. 16, BRADFORD 25/15, Radovic 20/6, McClendon 13, Bencze 9, Soos 6/6, Hanga 6, David 1, Coach: Goran Miljkovic

DOMBÓVAR: MILLS 25/15, ENGLISH 22, Bodi 16/6, Sanders 16/3, KINSELLA 12, Simon N. 1, DEAK 9/9, Balogh, Molnar M., Coach: Dzunic Branislav



Round 13: saturday's games -by Tamas Deri
MARSO-VAGEP NYKK - KAPOSVARI KK 87-72
(26-20, 18-17, 25-20, 18-15)
Nyiregyhaza, Att.: 1400, Referees: Foldhazi, Kothay, Csősz
NYÍREGYHAZA: Branko Savic (181-G-79) 16/3, Siska, Buchanan 15/9, Erno Sitku (208-C-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 32/9, Helbich 7, Zoltan Trepak (210-C-77, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 11/3, Krasznai 2, Farkas A., Nagy K. 3/3, Bus M. 1, Coach: Deri Csaba
KAPOSVAR: Csirke 6/3, Carl Edwards (196-F-81, college: Charleston) 32/3, Szőke 2, Heindlein 15/3, Orosz 7, Kiss K. 2, Tomosvary 4, Vojvoda 4, Markus, Coach: Horvath Imre


PVSK EXPO CENTER PECS - MAFC 86-82
(17-19, 22-19, 11-24, 23-11, 13-9)
Pecs, Att.: 500, Referees: Papp P., Gorka, Makovszky
PECS: Krisztian Wittmann (184-G-85, agency: FCM) 12, Williams 15/3, Denes 4, Toth N. 10, Bojan Lapov (211-C-68) 16/3, Kutasi 2, Peter Grebenar (211-C-81) 8, ALEKSIC 19/6, Hosszu, Czigler, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
MAFC: Jitim Young (188-G-81, college: Northwestern) 19, Zoltan Wehner (191-G/F-82) 25/3, Draughan 13/6, Andras Vavra (202-F-78) 11, Kecskes 10/3, Takacs N., Fulop, Kolarics 4, Coach: Dinnyes Attila


ZALAKERAMIA-ZTE KK - UNIVER KSE 87-82
(17-18, 22-21, 22-22, 26-21)
Zalaegerszeg, Att.: 1300, Referees: Cziffra, Bognar, Szilas
ZALAKERAMIA: Miskovic 13/3, Gaspar 8/6, Mark Walters (188-G-82, agency: Warren Sports, college: N.Mexico) 22, Kaman 5, Reggie Bassette (206-C-77, college: ODU) 12, Hoffmann 9/3, Keresztes 6, Laszlo Simon (191-G-86) 9/3, Baki 3/3, Kovats, Coach: Nikola Lazic
UNIVER KSE: Sigurdarson 10/6, Larry Blair (183-G-84, college: Liberty) 15/3, Akos Horvath (194-G/F-81, agency: FCM) 15/6, Jefferson Antonio (207-F/C-83) 18/3, Fiegi 13, Szabo 8/6, Csabay 3/3, Halmai, Coach: Zsoldos Andras


ATOMERŐMŰ SE - SOPRONI SÖRDÖGÖK 90-75
(15-9, 21-31, 24-20, 30-15)
Paks, Atomerőmű Sportcsarnok, 700 nező, V: Hartyani, Kiss L., Farkas L.
ATOMERŐMŰ: Murry 12/9, Horvath 11, Zsolt Kiss (192-F-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 12/12, Meszaros 6, Robert Gulyas (213-C-74) 25/3, Panta 2, Gray 3/3, Denis Toroman (190-G-82) 15/9, Medve, Csaplar-Nagy 3, Morgen 1, Coach: Sabali Balazs
SOPRON: Viggiano 9/3, Lakatos P. 12, Lesko 14, Bradley 12/6, Frana 4, Pojbics 12/3, Kortelyesi 2, Boldizsar 8/3, Vesztergom 2, Coach: Meszlenyi Robert

ZTE KK: experienced forward on tryout -by Tamas Deri
Sherman Gay (201-F-82, college: Loyola Marymount) will arrive tonight to Zalaegerszeg, where he will spend a 14days-tryout. The forward from LMU spent the last two seasons in France, where he showed his excellent skills. This season he started to play in China but during the Christmas Break he decided to come back to Europe.

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ICELAND

Snaefell vs. Njardvik -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Big game for both teams live on TV. First quarter tight and score 25-25. Second quarter Njardvik played very bad and only scored 8 points and Snaefell 14. After that the game was in home teams hand and they secured a good win 74-67.
Snaefell rebounded much better, had less turnovers & shot much better.
Leading scorers for Snaefell. Justin Shouse 17. Magni Hafsteinsson 13 + 10 rebs. Hlynur Baeringsson (200-F-82, agency: IceBasket) 13 + 11 rebs. Slobodan Subasic 12. Sigurdur Thorvaldsson 11.
For Njardvik. Damon Bailey 23. Hordur Vilhjalmsson 18. Brenton Birmingham 15

Div 1. -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Valur finally got on a winning side by beating Reynir 105 - 75
Leading scorers for Valur. Jason Harden (196-G/F-71, agency: IceBasket, college: St.Edward's) 23. Craig Walls (201-F-82, agency: IceBasket, college: New Hampshire) 21 + 11 rebs. Magnus Gudmundsson 13. Robert Hodgson 12. Hordur Hreidarsson 11. Steingrimur Ingolfsson 10. For Reynir. Olafur Ingvason 16. Darrell Lewis 12. Hlynur Jonsson 11. Helgi Gudbjartsson 10

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ISRAEL

Bynum stays in custody -by Yarone Arbel
Will Bynum (180-G-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgia Tech) will stay in custody until Tuesday at noon. So was decided on Sunday evening in a court hearing in Tel Aviv. Bynum, who was arrested on Saturday morning already, is suspected in involvement in a hit and run incident outside a Tel Aviv club in the early hours of Saturday morning. The police asked to keep the player in custody for four more days, but eventually both sides agreed on a two days period. Bynum's side claims he was attacked by a mob that stoned his car and tried to stab him and his brother. According to Bynum's side he escaped from the attack to save his life and probably during that run hit one of the attackers, a hit he wasn't aware of. The other side claims the exact opposite. According to the wounded's friends at the scene Bynum tried to hit him with the car time after time, that the broken windows in Bynum's car are result of his wild driving and so on. So far the police believe Bynum did hit that person on purpose and in the last hearing claimed to have new evidence, but on the same note arrested four suspects in the attack on Bynum and his brother.

Bynum behinds bars -by Yarone Arbel
Maccabi Tel Aviv's point guard - Will Bynum (180-G-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgia Tech) is still wearing Maccabi's gear, but for the past 24 hours he's doing it in jail. Bynum celebrated his 25th birthday on Friday night in a hip-hop club in southern Tel Aviv. At some point Bynum, his brother and Maccabi's other guard - Vonteego Cummings clashed with a group of locals who then waited for them outside the club. Once Bynum, his brother and Cummings came out around 5AM a brawl started. At some point Bynum got into his car. According to the police he hit one of the locals but didn't stop to assist and took off to his home. The injured person was taken to hospital where he went under operation to fix his broken hip. Later the day police arrested Bynum with the charge of hit-and-run. Cummings and Bynum's brother were questioned as well by the police and first were put in a house arrest, but not for long. Cummings was present at Maccabi's practice last night and apologized for the incident.

As for Bynum, yesterday evening he was led to his court hearing. The police prosecutor said: "We suspect Will Bynum drove over the injured person three times before he drove off to his home." Blood marks were found on Bynum's car and he's also charged for driving under the influence of alcohol. Maccabi's chairman, Shimon Mizrakhi, is a lawyer in the field of traffic, and considered one of the best in Israel. He represented Bynum in the hearing and said: "A group of 20 people waited for them outside. One of them had a knife and he cut Will's brother's jacket, which is evidence in court. All the car windows of Bynum's car and the back window in Cummings' were smashed," to show his client felt he's in danger to explain his behavior.

The police asked to keep Will in custody for several days to make sure he won't escape from Israel or try to hide some evidence. The judge ordered to keep Bynum in the police until 5PM today to collect more evidence, and then discuss the case again. Bynum could face heavy charges that weight a lot of years behind bars in the Israeli jail in case he will be found guilty.

Maccabi didn't decide to release Bynum yet. According to Mizrakhi they first want to finish with the criminal aspect of the case, and then decide what to do in the club's level. Nevertheless it seems that unless all the assault charges will be dropped Bynum won't finish his contract with Maccabi. In case he will eventually stay he's expected to be severally fined, which could also be the case with Cummings, who's staying with the team for now.

Either way Bynum, a quiet guy who never had any problems on or off court in his season and a half in Maccabi, got a lot more to worry about now than basketball.

In the meantime Maccabi, obviously without Bynum, will play at Galil Elyon tonight in the 2nd leg of the cup quarter-finals. Maccabi hold a 9 point win from the first leg, but could also miss Lior Eliyahu for a small injury. One good news - Nikola Vujcic practiced last night for the first time since his injury, but he won't play tonight or in Thursday's crucial Euroleague clash against Unicaja.

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JAPAN

All-Japan tournament down to final four teams -by Kenny
In the annual All-Japan tournament that takes place at this time each year, the usual suspects have made their way into the final four. The single-elimination tournament starts out with every basketball team imaginable in Japan (with the exception of bj-league teams since the bj-league isn't sanctioned by the Japan Basketball Association) with a chance to win the tournament, but it always ends up with the same result-the JBL teams are always the last teams standing. With a few execptions like 2007 when Tokai University found itself in the final four, it inevitably ends with the same teams in the quarterfinals and semi-finals at the end of the day.

This time around, the 4 teams that are left are Toshiba, Toyota, Hitachi, and Aisin. This year, unlike previous years where no imports were allowed to play in the tournament, 1 import is allowed on the court. With naturalized Japanese citizen J.R. Sakuragi (206-C-76, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: UCLA), Aisin has made it to the final four yet again. In previous years, Aisin used naturalized big man Eric McArthur to their advantage and made it to the championship game almost every year. Toyota also had a distinct advantage with Japanese-born but U.S.-raised half-American, half-Japanese forward Michael Takahashi leading the way.

Toshiba defeated Rera Kamuy Hokkaido on Sat, Jan. 5th, by a score of 63-62 to advance to the semi-finals. Toshiba was led by Japanese big man Shunsuke Ito's 17 points while F Jawad Williams had 17 points also in the losing effort. Toshiba will face Toyota next Saturday (Jan. 12th) in the semis. Toyota crushed Panasonic 89-76 on Saturday to advance yet again. Toyota won the All-Japan Tournament last year and is looking to make it 2 in a row.

In the games played on Sun, Jan. 6th, Hitachi defeated OSG 87-77 to set up a meeting next Saturday with Aisin in the semi-finals while Aisin just got by Mitsubishi 64-62 behind J.R. Sakuragi's 23 points and 14 rebounds in 40 minutes of play.. Hitachi was led by C Joji Takeuchi's 24 points and 11 boards while PG Cliff Hawkins had 20 points and 6 assists for OSG.

Semi-finals on Jan. 12th (Sat)
Toshiba vs. Toyota
Hitachi vs. Aisin

Winners advance to championship game
Championship game on Jan. 14th (Mon)
Winner of Toshiba/Toyota vs. winner of Hitachi/Aisin


Notes: F Sean Lampley, who was released by Aisin last month, recently signed with the Melbourne Tigers of the NBL in Australia.

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KOREA

Sub-Player for KTF -by Won-Youl Bae

KTF substituted one foriegn player due to injure. Marcus Session (6'4), substitute American player, played his first five games in Korea for KTF. He scored avg. 6 pts and 3.8 rebounds. Marcus Sesson made one month contract with KTF. Marcus Session (192 cm,G/F-81, college: St.Mary's (TX))



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LATVIA

Liepajas Lauvas sign Vernon Hamilton -by Gunars Gailitis
Liepajas Lauvas (LBAL) signed 24-year old American guard Vernon Hamilton (183-G-84, college: Clemson). Hamilton played most recently at Darussafaka Istanbul (Turkey). It's his first pro season after graduating the college. He tried also in September at EnBW Ludwigsburg in Germany. Last season while playing at Clemson Univ. he averaged 12.3ppg, 3.1rpg and 3.4apg.

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LUXEMBOURG

Jeroms Gumbs impressive in T71 win -by Eurobasket News
T71 Dudelange gained their 5th win in the season as they bumped Residence 62:54 yesterday. T71 had to overcome some starting sloppiness as they struggled to find the right rhythm early on. Residence looked better at the start outscoring the hosts 19:12. But Jerome Gumbs (194-F-82, college: USF) fueled his teammates to resurgence midway through the game. A US Virgin Islands native spent all 40 minutes on the court and shone brightly for the home team. Due to a number of successful plays from Jerome Gumbs Dudelange soon found the way to surge ahead 35:30 at halftime. The defense prevailed in the third quarter as T71 limited their opponents to only 9 points and extended the advantage to 11 points heading into the fourth term. Residence had a momentum in the dying stages as they came back within 10 points from Dudelange but it was never enough to revive the intrigue. Jerome Gumbs burst out with 29 points and 11 boards for T71. Frank Muller (195-F) contributed 12 points and 11 boards in a winning effort. Will Brand (196-F-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albany) had 18 points for Residence. Thierry Abdiu (192-F-87) converted 11 points as the visitors slipped to 6-8 record.
Amicale climbed to the third spot in the standings as they edged Soleuvre 85:59 at home. Amicale put on a leading role right from the start as they marked their dominance at 26:17 after the first quarter. The gap kept on growing in the second term and reached 50:34 at halftime. The hosts maintained the lead throughout the second half and ensured the winning outcome at the end. Ben Perkins (200-F-79, college: Mc Neese St.) tallied 25 points and 13 boards for the winners. Christian Schartz (184-G-86) and Chris Scholtes (197-F/G-85) contributed 14 points apiece in a win. Pitt Koster (178-G/F-89) knocked down 19 points to pace Soulevre.

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NCAA2

GNAC Scores -by Sanjey Noriega
FROM: gnacsports.com

Guards Colton Monti (6'0''-G), Nate Jackson and Giovonne Woods (6'3''-G) combined for 64 points, including 44 in the second half, as Central Washington rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat Seattle Pacific 97-85 Thursday at Brougham Pavilion.
In other games on the opening night of the conference season, Western Washington rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to defeat Northwest Nazarene 82-63 at Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Alaska Anchorage remained perfect in Division II games with a 68-62 win at Western Oregon and Jake Linton (5'10'') scored 31 points to lead Saint Martin's to a 90-86 overtime home win over Alaska Fairbanks.

CWU's win - its third in its last four games against SPU at Brougham Pavilion - snapped the nationally 17th ranked Falcons' seven-game win streak.

Monti and Jackson each had career-highs of 22 points and Woods added 20 as the Wildcats improved to 7-3, dropping the Falcons to 8-2.

Monti scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half including eight in a critical 14-4 run as CWU broke away from a 69-69 tie midway through the second half to go ahead 85-75 with 5:43 remaining. SPU never got closer than seven the remainder of the way.

A three-pointer by Monti with 9:39 left gave the Wildcats the lead for good. Monti finished the contest making six of nine shots, including three of four three-pointers.

Jackson scored 14 of his points after the intermission and Woods had 12 of his 20 after the break.

CWU, which played the game without Brandon Foote (9.2 ppg) and only had leading scorer Jake Beitinger (15.4 ppg) available for six minutes because of injuries, trailed 42-31 with just 1:09 remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats, however, then scored the final seven points of the half, four by Woods, and the first four of the second half to pull into the third of seven ties in the contest.

In addition to the three CWU guards, the Wildcats, who made 30 of 56 shots and 30 of 38 free throws, also got 13 points and 12 rebounds from Matt Penoncello.

Rob Will led Seattle Pacific with 24 points and 14 rebounds, making 10 of 12 shots. The Falcons also got 15 points from Marques Echols (6'2''-G) and 11 from Chris Banchero.

SPU outshot CWU 54.8 percent (34-62) to 53.6 and outrebounded them 33-28. But, the Wildcats had seven fewer turnovers (14-21) and made 19 more free throws (30-11) to secure the victory.

Western Washington 82, Northwest Nazarene 63

Forward Steve Alford scored a game-high 25 points, 17 in the second half, to lead Western Washington to a 19-point road victory against Northwest Nazarene.

The Vikings (8-2) trailed 31-29 at halftime, but made 20 of 29 field goals in the second half to pull away.

Alford, who also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, was eight of 10 from the floor in the second half and finished 11 of 17.

NNU (8-2), which got off to a school-best 8-0 start before losing to NCAA Division I Idaho State 71-66 last Saturday, was led by guard Tyler Roberts with 13 points.

WWU guard Ira Graham had his GNAC and school-record streak as his team's leading scorer, snapped at 10 games.

Graham, who played only six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, finished with 14 points, 10 in the second half. Forward Calin Schell had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Zach Bruce came off the bench to add 10 points.

Schell and Bruce were each five of six from the field as WWU shot 57.9 percent (33-57) for the game.

The Vikings opened the second half with an 11-3 run over the first 3:30 to go ahead 40-34 on a three-pointer by Graham. Ahead by eight, 51-43 with 11:35 remaining, WWU outscored NNU 15-3 for a 20-point advantage (66-46) on a three-pointer by Schell with 4:34 to go.

The Vikings trailed most of the first half, being behind by as many as five points on three occasions. Graham picked up his second foul six minutes into the contest and did not play the rest of the period, while NNU made five of eight three-pointers and the Vikings were 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.

NNU shot just 36.7 percent (11-of-30) in the second half and finished at 41.8 percent (23-of-55), hitting only two of 12 three-pointers in the final period.

In addition to Roberts, Justin Parnell (11 points), Louie Beech (11) and Kendall Gielow (10) were also in double figures for the Crusaders.

Alaska Anchorage 68, Western Oregon 62

Carl Arts (6'6''-F-85) and McCade Olsen (6'8''-F) combined for 45 points and Alaska Anchorage ran its win streak to eight games with a six-point win at Monmouth.

Point Luke Cooper (6'0''-G-84, college: Alaska-Anch.) had seven points and nine assists for the Seawolves (10-3), while Arts grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. UAA is now 10-0 in Division II games.

WOU (7-3) got 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Adonal Arrington, but the Wolves were held to 41 percent shooting, including just two of 16 (12.5 percent) from three-point range.

The Seawolves were outrebounded 37-28 but offset that disadvantage by tying their season-low with just seven turnovers. Cooper didn't have a turnover in 37 minutes.

Arts, meanwhile, finished with 23 points on nine of 18 field goal shooting and also had three blocks. Olsen's 22 points came on eight of 13 shooting. He also had six rebounds.

Forward Travis Kuhns led Western Oregon with 17 points (including seven straight at one point in the second half) and six assists.

But the WOU starters struggled as a group, shooting just 10 of 34. Reserve Mike McLaughlin helped keep the home team close with 12 points (6-8 FG) and seven boards.

The Seawolves led throughout, jumping to a 17-7 lead in the first seven and a half minutes and leading 28-22 at the half. UAA stretched its lead to double digits on seven separate occasions in the second half, but WOU had an answer each time.

A layup by Kuhns at the 13:45 mark cut UAA's advantage to 39-36, however that was as close as it would get.

The Wolves had a chance to cut it to one point with 10 seconds left, but Sam Kelly missed a three-pointer and Cooper made two free throws for the final margin.

UAA's eight-game winning streak is its longest since taking nine straight in the 1996-97 season.

Saint Martin's 90, Alaska Fairbanks 86

Jake Linton scored 31 points, including a near-record 18 from the free throw line, as the Saints withstood a late rally to beat Alaska Fairbanks and record their fifth consecutive win.

Linton was perfect from the foul line, making 18 of 18 to fall one short of the GNAC single game record for most free throws made. He had 22 points after the break, including six in the overtime.

SMU, which led 56-41 with nine minutes left, appeared to have the game safely wrapped up with a six-point lead in the final minute.

But, UAF sandwiched two three-pointers by Bobby Pico (16 seconds remaining) and Kevin Atkins (5 seconds left) around two missed free throws by Justin Alexander to force overtime.

In the extra period, the Saints didn't have a field goal in the final 4:29, but none-the-less were able to pull out the win getting their final 14 points from the free throw line.

For the game, SMU made 38 of 50 free throws compared to 15 of 27 from the Nanooks. The Saints also had just 13 turnovers and blocked seven shots, three by Tyler Nixon.

In addition to Linton, SMU was led by Brendan Campbell with 16 points and Bill Richardson with 10. Richardson had a team-best eight rebounds.

Atkins led UAF with 22, 16 in the second half and overtime. Mike Titus had 18 points and Keven Campbell scored 16. The Nanooks also got 13 from Pico on four of four shooting and 11 from Mladen Begojevic.

Begojevic had a three-pointer with 1:58 left to complete an 8-0 run, which pulled the Nanooks to within one point (66-65) at that junction of the contest.

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PANAMA

Lloreda to join Cimberio Varese in Serie A of Italy -by Miguel Sanchiz
Panama International Jaime LLoreda will replace Mate Skelin (212-C-74) after his injury Cimberio Varese has reached a deal with Jaime Lloreda (201-F-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: LSU) released yesterday by Novara Ignis. Up to his release, Lloreda was leading the Lega Due of Italy in rebounds with 11.9 rebounds per game.

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PBL

Throwbacks debut with a win -by Gianni Pascucci
As we anticipated yesterday, the Chicago Throwbacks made their debut in the PBL, defeating on the road 136-134 the Rockford Fury in front of about 400 fans Saturday night at Rockford College. The game was very close, and Chicago needed of two overtimes to take the win. Chicago was fueled by the scoring of Stanley Thomas (6'5''-F-80) and Jerome Harper (6'5''-G-83, college: Robert Morris), who both finished with 30 points, while Ameer Watts (5'10''-G-82, college: Missouri So.) was the best performer in Rockford with 25 points and Frank Richards (6'2''-G-82, college: Kansas St.) added 19 pts in losing effort. In another game, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs won their home opener ending another dramatic game 83-81, over the Rochester Razorsharks. Rochester held the lead for most of the game, but a late basket by Jermaine Williams (6'7''-F-79, college: American) helped put the Sea Dawgs on top to secure the victory. In the two other yesterday league games, Arkansas defeated Chicago 114-103 in the Impact home opener, and Reading took the first win prevailing over Maryland 145-121.

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PHILIPPINES

PUREFOODS NAILS FIRST OUTRIGHT SEMIS BERTH -by Benny Lirio

With their next opponents Sta. Lucia and Alaska threatening to spoil their quest for an outright semifinal spot, the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants are not leaving anything to chance.
The Giants translated their first game of the new year into a 101-87 blowout of the Coca-Cola Tigers Sunday night, in the process securing their place Final Four of the 2007-08 Smart-PBA Philippine Cup.

Against a team that needed to win just as bad, the Giants didn't show any sign of a crack in their arsenal and dominated the game early before a big Sunday crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.
James Yap's first five points of the game - a jumper and 3-pointer - in the final minute of the opening quarter led a 9-0 spurt that turned out to be the telling run of the match.

“We had a playoff mentality going into this game. We didn't want to wait for our last game to nail the 12th win,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, visibly in high spirits after their victorious effort that assured the Giants of the No.1 seeding in the playoffs.
Gregorio said the Giants' championship character came into play Sunday night and it was the key to the clinching victory.

“From the opening tip up to the end we played consistent ball and with so much energy,” Gregorio said.And James Yap showed the way for the Giants, sparking Purefoods' offense and finishing with a game-high 29 points on an 11-of-20 shooting from the field including 5-of-11 from 3-point range.His inspiring effort was preserved by the bench power from Jun Simon (19 points) and Jondan Salvador, who turned in his first double-double effort in the pros of 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. By nailing their 12th win in 16 games, the Giants left Sta. Lucia (10-6), Alaska (10-7), Red Bull (9-7) and Magnolia (9-7) disputing the second outright semifinal berth.

Although their last two games against Alaska and Red Bull are virtual no-bearing games, having already secured their place in the best-of-seven semifinals Gregorio said their mentality remains the same and that's to “play to win”.
“It's what we have developed in this team. The character to play at a top level whether the game has a bearing or none. The real test of character will be shown when nothing is on the line,” he pointed out.

If their fortune two years ago will follow the same trend, the future looks good for the Giants.
In the 2006 Philippine Cup, the Giants also clinched an outright semifinal berth and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and went on to win the championship.

Paulasi Taulava (206-C-73, college: BYU-Hawaii) scored 20 points but only had nine rebounds, his first time not to finish with a double-double in a Coca-Cola uniform. Alex Cabagnot added 18 for the Tigers, who picked up their second straight loss and 10th in 16 outings overall which dropped them out of the race for an outright quarterfinals berth and into the knockcout wildcard first round of the playoffs.
Coke's hope to reverse the result completely vanished in the second quarter by the time Purefoods built an imposing 17-point lead that would eventually stretch to as big as 25 (72-48) on a 3-pointer by James Yap with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter.

Purefoods took control early as the Tigers desperately struggled on offense. Coke shot just 25 percent in the first quarter including 3-of-13 shooting from the perimeter.
Overall, the Tigers shot just 38 percent on a 29-of-75 shooting from the floor and were badly beaten off the boards by the Giants, 58-44.

The scores:
Purefoods 101- J. Yap 29, simon 19, Salvador 12, R. Yap 12, Raymundo 9, Pingris 8, Lanete 6, adducul 6, Sanz 0.
Coca-Cola 87 -- Taulava 20, Cabagnot 18, Buenafe 12, Catli 11, Telan 8, Duremdes 6, Isip 4, Tolomia 4, Dimaunahan 2, Misolas 2, Calimag 0, Arigo 0.
Quarterscores: 24-16; 54-35; 80-62; 101-87

SOURCE:PBA.PH



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SLOVENIA

Becirovic resigned as coach of Union Olimpija -by Zeljko Zule
Mehmet Becirovic confirmed that he resigned from the coaching job in Union Olimpija. Various sources are already saying that his successor will be Andrej Urlep who was fired by Polish ASCO Slask Wroclaw in November '07.

Panic scored 27 in second half to lift Koper -by Zeljko Zule
Koper defeated TCG Mercator 97-93 and the the game was sent into overtime when Vladimir Panic (194-F-82) sank two crucial free-throws to tie the game with 1 second remaining. He scored 27 of his 31 points in second half, Vlado Pasalic added 25 points and Miha Cmer 19 while Simon Finzgar and Primoz Skok finished with 28 points apiece for Mercator before both fouled out. Zagorje snapped their loosing streak with a 94-83 victory over Kraski zidar. Igor Spesic collected 23 points and 15 rebounds, Nejc Glavas had 23 points and 9 assists and Amir Delalic added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Miroslav Juric led the guests with 30 points on shooting 8-of-10 behind the arc but he hit just 1-of-7 for 2-points. Zlatorog defeated an injury riddled Rogla 89-76. Nejc Strnad posted 20 points and Grega Mali added 19 for Zlatorog who never trailed. Tadej Horvat of Rogla all 21 points netted in second half.

Booker's contract extend, Brolih out for six weeks -by Zeljko Zule
Union Olimpija extended the contract of Chris Booker (208-F/C-81, college: Purdue) through the end ot the season.
Primoz Brolih (185-G-81) of Rogla has cracked bone in his right hand (palm) and will be sidelined six weeks.

Antonijevic part ways with Azovmash. -by Zeljko Zule
Marko Antonijevic (190-G-81, agency: World Sport Agency) parted ways with Ukrainian team Azovmash after just one month. He averaging 7,7 minutes, 1,3 points (2P 2-2), 1,3 rebounds and 0,3 steals in only 3 games of Superleague.

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SPAIN

LEB-Gold, 15th round, road to the Cup -by Francisco Martinez

Results (stats)
LECHE RIO BREOGAN - UNION BALONCESTO LA PALMA 91-75
TENERIFE RURAL - PLUS PUJOL LLEIDA 61-56
BRUESA GBC - C.B. L'HOSPITALET 84-67
BASKET CAI ZARAGOZA - PALMA AQUA MAGICA 86-52
C.B. CIUDAD DE HUELVA - FUNDACIO BASQUETINCA.COM 63-59
FORD BURGOS - MELILLA BALONCESTO 70-78
AGUAS DE VALENCIA - CB VILLA DE LOS BARRIOS 80-75
ALERTA CANTABRIA - CIUDAD DE LA LAGUNA CANARIAS 81-76
ALICANTE COSTA BLANCA - BEIRASAR ROSALIA 81-75

Recap

Teams are keeping up for the race to the Price Cup. There are just two more rounds to know who the four qualified teams will be.

CAI Zaragoza kept their lead after trashing CB Alcudia (the sponsor Aqua Magica left the sponsorship). Darren Phillip was better than Lou Roe and that was the beginning of the end for the sky blue team.

Alicante had a hard game against Rosalia. Oleson and Cebular compose one of the best perimeter duos in the league, but Norel was superb and took advantage of the absence of Corsley Edwards. This led to a victoryfor Alicante.

Bruesa GBC defeated CB L'Hospitalet because they have the best player of the league at this moment. His name is Andy Andy Panko (203-F-77, college: Lebanon Valley) and he destroyed, putting up great stats again with 26 points, 16 boards and 5 dimes.

Leche Ri