Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 12/18/2008

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Men News

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ABA

An open apology to the Alaska Dream and their fans - by Gianni Pascucci
About the recent Dream opening game cancelled, Joe Newman sent this statement from the ABA headquarters: 'On behalf of the ABA, I would like to apologize to The Alaska Dream and their fans. Because of a terrible mix-up relating to travel, the Washington Raptors did not make it to Anchorage for the Dreams' opening home games. Whatever the reason for the mix-up, and there have been many explanations, the fact is that Trey Davis and The Alaska Dream worked long and hard for this event - and the City of Anchorage and the State of Alaska has shown tremendous support for their team. It was going to be a great night and the beginning of an awesome season. It didn't happen, and at this point, pointing fingers and placing blame is not productive. I have been very impressed with the tremendous job that Trey and his people have done there beginning with the very successful pre-season tournament that included Las Vegas, San Francisco Maywood and the Dream in Fairbanks. Not only did he put together a very strong team that defeated three excellent experienced ABA teams, but the overall presentation was outstanding. We looked forward to a great season and all ABA teams were looking forward to visiting Alaska and competing there. And then, this happened. I know also that the team itself and the coaches were looking forward to beginning regular season play and it was very disappointing for them also. We cannot undo what has been done. We can put in safeguards to be sure it does not happen again. The Alaska Dream will take a short break to re-coup and will begin a full season of play beginning January 1st. And the ABA will be doing a series of things to show how important The Alaska Dream, the state, the city, the fans, the media and everyone there are to the ABA. We hope you will accept our apologies and give The Alaska Dream and the ABA your support. Promise. We will not let you down again. Thank you.'
Joe Newman , ABA CEO

Last interleague games results - by Gianni Pascucci
The second face-off between the ABA WV Blazers and the East Kentucky Miners (CBA) brought a determined Blazers team coming off the preivous loss to the Miners. The inter-league play was the third ABA game for the Miners and the second with the Blazers. The Blazers again went into the game with two starters out and a third Blazer was injured in a car accident on the way to the game. The Blazers came on strong and trailed 34-22 at the end of the first quarter and 64-44 at halftime. After reducing the deficiit to 15 in the third, the Miners went on to win 119-87. Leading the Blazers were Maurice Davis (6'2''-G-79) with 32, Corey Love (6'5''-C-83, college: Bluefield St.) with 19 and Desi Crisp (6'4''-G/F-80, college: NC-Pembroke) with 16. The Blazers will host the Miners on Jan 11th in Bluefield at the Raleigh County Armory and hope to turn things around on their home court. The Albany Patroons defeated the NYC Internationalz 127-103 at the Washington Ave. Armory. Albany led 55-47 after a tightly contested first half. The Patroons took control of the game in the third quarter, led by Rod Nealy (6'6''-F-80, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: Houston Baptist)'s hot shooting, expanding the lead to 87-65. Nealy and Renaldo Norman (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Edward Waters) led the attack with 23 points each. Gabriel Freeman (6'6''-F-85, college: Costa Mesa JC) dominted inside with 15 rebounds and 16 points. Michael Jenkins also contributed 20 points as six Patroons finished in double figures. UAlbany grad Lucious Jordan (6'2''-G/F-83, college: Albany) contributed 14 points and four rebounds. The Internationalz were led by Drago Pavlovic (6'7''-F/C-80, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Oakland City)'s 22 points.

Detroit Hoops updating - by Gianni Pascucci

The ABA Detroit Hoops started the season with two losses against the very strong Cleveland Rockers, but got some outstanding play from some of the newcomers to the squad who joined with a former ABA All-Star. The play of Anthony 'AJ' Jones (6'4''-G-84, agency: Pro Management Agency) was outstanding as he averaged 35.5PPG, 8.5 rebounds and led the team in assists with 5.5. His outstanding play was matched by fellow newcomer to the ABA, Kenny Gupton, who averaged 22ppg and 9.0 rebounds. Veteran leadership is very important and the Hoops got it from former ABA All-Star Katu Davis (6'2''-G-74, college: Georgia), who showed great leadership and kept a strong, consistent stat line by being in the top 5 in three different categories, including scoring 9.5ppg, 6.5 rebounds and4.5 assists. According to Coach Charles Turner, 'With team play like this, it won't take long for the Hoops to get in the win column. It's a long season - and we're getting better.' For more information, visit www.thedetroithoops.com

W.Texas Whirwinds roster changes - by Gianni Pascucci
Cleveland Phelps , the West Texas Whirlwinds owner, announced that the team lost Jay Bowdy (6'5''-F-85, college: W.Georgia), who was cut, and Ira Cross (6'7''-F/C-84, college: E.New Mexico), who moved on to play In Mexico. The team is currently in look of three new players to add to the active roster and will release their names in a few days.

Standings

ABA Standings

Northeast Div.
1. Cleveland R.	2-0
2. S.Chicago BS	1-0
3. W. Virginia B.	0-0
4. New York I.	0-0
5. Westchester P.	0-0
6. Montreal M.	0-0
7. Jersey Expr.	0-0
8. New Hope T.	0-0
9. W.Virginia W.	0-0
10. Aurora Force	0-1
11. Detroit Hoops	0-2
Northwest Div.
1. Salt Lake S.	2-0
2. Maywood B.	2-0
3. Washington R.	1-0
4. LA Push	1-0
5. Sacramento	0-0
6. Alaska Dream	0-0
7. Beijing O.	0-0
8. S.Francisco R.	0-1
9. Modesto B.	0-2
Southeast Div.
1. Nashville B.	6-0
2. Knoxville T.	1-3
3. Kentucky W.	0-0
4. Kentucky B.	0-0
5. Tri-City Racers	0-0
6. Georgia G.	0-0
7. Atlanta V.	0-0
8. Bahama PS	0-0
9. Kansas City	0-0
Southwest Div.
1. South Texas	4-1
2. Texas M.	3-1
3. Arizona R.	1-0
4. Mississippi B.	0-0
5. W.Texas W.	0-0
6. Texas City R.	0-0
7. Las Vegas A.	0-0
8. Fury	0-1
9. Houston T.	0-2

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ARGENTINA

Penarol win, Regatas de Corrientes lose in Fiba Americas League - by Eurobasket News
The Fiba Americas League defending champions Penarol Mar del Plata secured the victory in the opening game in Mar del Plata yesterday. Penarol rallied past Chilean Concepcion 80:63 for the first win in Group B. Concepcion surprised the hosts leading 14:9 early on. But Penarol soon adjusted and tied the scoreline at 17 after the starting frame. Penarol stepped on the gas in the second frame. They limited their opponents to just 9 points and built a 41:26 advantage at halftime. Concepcion failed to threaten the margin and Penarol secured a comfortable victory at the end. David Jackson (196-G-82, college: Penn St.) nailed 16 points to lead the home side. Roman Gonzalez (211-C-78, agency: HM Sports Agency) contributed 14 points for the winners. Andre Hardwick (201-F/C-83, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: CSU Bakersfield) responded with 17 points and 10 boards for Concepcion. Erron Maxey (198-F-78, college: Providence) added 17 points in the loss.
In the meantime Uruguayan Bigua held off Regatas de Corrientes in another Group B fixture. Ruben Wolkowyski (207-C-73) connected from downtown in the crunch time to ensure the winning outcome for Bigua in this one. Regatas enjoyed a 3-point advantage at the first break never surrendered it in the second term. Sebastian Acosta (178-G-82) led the charge for Regatas as they stretched margin to as many as 9 points at halftime. However Leandro Garcia Morales (186-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Texas A&M) and Martin Osimani (194-G-81, college: Duquesne) orchestrated a comeback effort from Bigua. The Uruguayan team closed the gap and then Argentinean veteran Ruben Wolkowyski took the floor and won the game for Bigua. Leandro Garcia Morales scored 22 points for Bigua. Martin Osimani added 18 points in the winning case. Sebastian Acosta answered with 18 points for Regatas. Damian Tintorelli (202-C-81, agency: Players Group) provided 12 points and 6 boards for in the loss.
Penarol will face Regatas in the Argentinean derby later today.

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BELGIUM

Liege and Dexia are victorious in EuroChallenge - by Eurobasket News
Three Belgian teams continue to participate in EuroChallenge tournament and show great results in the international arena. Last night brought two victories and 1 upset for the country. Belgacom Liege Basket and Dexia Mons-Hainaut celebrated at home, while Base Oostende lost in Italy.
Belgacom Liege Basket remained perfect in EuroChallenge Group A clinched their fourth successive victory. The Belgian team beat BK Ventspils 89:84 to improve to 4-0 record. Justin Cage (198-F-85, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Xavier) top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Mareks Jurevicus (198-G/F-85) ended up with 22 points for the Latvian side.
Dexia Mons-Hainaut overcame Khimik Yuzhny to better their positions in the group. Belgian team won 82:76 to improve to 3-1 in Group F while Khimik slipped to 2-2. Elton Nesbitt (176-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia Southern) top-scored for the winners with 19 points and Caleb Green (203-F-85, college: ORU) netted 18. Bratic Sasa ended up with 19 points in the losing effort.
Virtus Bologna is perfect in EuroChallenge Group G after 87:76 at Base Oostende on Tuesday for their fourth successive triumph. Arnold Jamie paced all the winners with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Ford Sharrod had 16. Devin Green (201-G-82, college: Hampton) poured in 17 points for the guests and Haryasz Matt chipped in 15.

Latest interview - by Yann Tientcheu
The present interview was carried out with the starting Point Guard of the Cameroonian National team in August 2008 prior to the teams participation to the Olympic Qualifying in Athens. Parfait Bitee (188-G-85) is by far the best Cameroonian point guard to ever step in a NCAA Division I arena, and has an impressive collegiate career militating in his favor in this regard. After leading the University of Rhode Island (Rhodies) from the point for 4 years, Parfait Bitee, who is known to be a class act on the Rhode Island University campus, is currently pursuing a professional career with Spotter Leuvem in the Premier League in Belgium (presently averaging 24mns, 10.5pts and 1.4 Asts per game). This interview is truly indicative of the mature, unselfish, humble and poised person Parfait Bitee is.

1) How were you introduced to basketball?
I was about 15 when I was first introduced to basketball. My mother asked me one day if I ever thought about playing basketball and I didnt answer. On a different afternoon while I was playing soccer with some friends, there was a guy who was doing some basketball handling drills next to the soccer field; so after soccer I stayed and watched the guy doing his drills. Thats where I really started getting interested in basketball.

2) Who would you say was profoundly influential in shaping the player you are today? I learned from lots of people and was inspired by many players.
I dont think anybody was profoundly influential in shaping the player I am today, but my biggest support always came from my mother.

3) What difference, if any, to you establish between the way basketball is played in Cameroon and the US?
There isnt any big difference between basketball back home and the one played in the US. I think the difference can be the level of opportunity and the quality of the equipment. At home, there were some days where I didnt have sneakers to play or where there were too many players for only one basketball court.

4) What was the most difficult thing for you to adapt to here in the US (both athletics and academics)?
The most difficult thing for me to adapt to here in the US was the language: coming here and not being able to speak English at all was a big challenge. I dont think I struggled with anything related to basketball; it was just fun because everything was just so much better compared to where I came from.

5) Your best souvenir of your NCAA career?
I have so many memories from my NCAA career, but the game we won against Xavier my junior year at the A10 tournament was a great one. It was one of those feelings you dont get everyday.

6) Assess the National teams accomplishment at the latest African games in Angola?
Angola was great and exciting. The players and the coach coming from the US arrived at the competition at the 3rd quarter of the first game against South Africa without any preparation. Thats how our competition started there and everything led us to the final game against Angola where we lost our first game; but the experience was great for my teammates and myself unfortunately our country didnt care like usual. I think what made us special was the relationship the guys had with each other and with the coach.

7) In what area do you think the national team should improve in order to be competitive and stand a chance to advance to the Olympic games this summer?
I think the country should put the team in the right conditions to be prepared. If we have the right preparation, right amount of time and the right conditions, Cameroon can surprise lots of teams.

8) Who would you say is the most impressive Cameroonian player of the moment?
The most impressive Cameroonian player of the moment is Luc Mbah Moute

9) I say NBA, you say?
Only God knows

10) What would you say was your greatest strength in being a starting point guard for a NCAA team as respectable and established as the Rhode Island University?
My greatest strength was being a leader everyone can follow.

11) Do you have any aspirations as far as the NBA is concerned?
It is still a dream, but I will continue to work hard and the rest will follow.

12) Which NCAA point guard was your toughest match-up throughout your NCAA career?
Playing against the Kansas guards my junior year was my toughest competition.

13 )What advice would you give to any Cameroonian (or African ) kid who like you is not the typical basketball prospect in term of height (you are only 62), but cherish the dream to play at the highest collegiate level in the world?
I will tell him to never stop working hard, to never stop being a student of the game and I will tell him to learn the leader skills that will not only help him on the court, but will also help him at being a better person.

14) What did Coach Jim Baron (Rhode Island University) like the most about you?
I dont think I should answer this question. Coach Baron will be the better person to answer that question.

15) What would you say took you this far?
I think my work ethic drove me this far.

16) Which Cameroonian coach (es) would you honor if you had the opportunity?
Wamde Bolan(R.I.P)

17) You registered 18pts, 4rbds and 7 asts in a stunning win over Syracuse in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament team on Dec. 8th. Take us back to that night.
I think we were well prepared coming to this game and being calm while playing in the Carrier Dome with Syracuses crazy crowd was crucial to this game. I tried to control the tempo of the game as a point guard and stay as aggressive as I can be. I also tried to find the open man when I got to the paint.

18) Do you have any professional aspiration? Do you have any current offers or opportunities?
Absolutely  

19) You increased your scoring average between your junior and senior by 4.6pts, going from 7.2pts/g your junior year to 11.8pts your senior year. What stands for the improvement? How do you explain this significant growth of your offensive repertoire?
I basically spent more time in the gym by coming to practice an hour before and staying after practice trying to get better doing some shooting drills. The only explanation for it is extra hours I put when no one was watching.

20 You made the A10 All Defensive team this year. What would be the defensive highlight of your career?
Playing defense was always what I value the most coming from high school where I played half of my senior year because of an ACL injury. Every time I stepped on the court, I always guarded the best opponent playing at the one, two or sometimes the three positions. The defensive highlight of my career was guarding Pat Carroll from St Joes my freshmen year. I ran like a maniac guarding him the entire time I was on the floor.

21) Which Cameroonian basketball playerc would be a great addition to the indomitable lions National basketball team for this summer?
Ruben Boumje Boumje, Cyrille Makanda, Alfred Aboya, and Nana Harding.

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BOSNIA

Standings - BIH League

D1 Standings

1. Igokea	10-1
2. Zrinjski MC	10-1
3. Sloboda Dita	9-2
4. BoracNektar	8-3
5. Siroki Eronet	6-5
6. SL IAT Leotar	6-5
7. Slavija	5-6
8. Mladost MG	5-6
9. Grude	4-7
10. Hercegovac	3-8
11. Posusje	3-8
12. Vitez	2-9
13. Novi Grad	0-11
Will join on later stage:
1. Bosna S.	-

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BULGARIA

NBL Round: 10 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Yambol - Sliven 94-56
Yambol devastated Sliven with plus 38 improving on 3-7 record in NBL. The same numbers also has CSKA. On the other side, Sliven remains the only winless team in the league after 10 rounds. Byron Sanders stepped up for the hosts with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Giannis Otontzidis had 15 points for Sliven.

Spartak P. - ChernoMore 81-86
Cherno More surprised dangerous Spartak in Pleven mostly owing to Atila Santos, who drained 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Hrisimir Dimitrov replied with 17 points and 7 boards for the hosts. Both teams had 6-3 before this game.

CSKA - Lukoil A. 75-96
The reigning champion had an easy job against CSKA staying on top of NBL alone with almost perfect 9 wins and just 1 defeat. Lukoil had 7 players with 10 or more points, but the best one was Toni Akins, who delivered 17 pts and 7 assists. CSKA got 22 points and 5 as from Sergey Tsvetkov.

Rilski S-list - Levski 82-80
Rilski crushed Levski in Samokov handing it third defeat of the season. Travis Peterson shined with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Leven Belberov also demonstrated nice performance collecting 13 points and 5 boards. Marcus Hall led the scorers in Levski with 18 pts. Rilski 5-5, Levski 7-3.

Lukoil upset Barons/LMT in Latvia - by Eurobasket News
Barons/LMT - Lukoil 84:88

Lukoil kept their hopes of reaching Last 16 in EuroCup alive with a hard-fought road win over Barons/LMT yesterday. Chavdar Kostov (196-G-88, agency: Interperformances) and Toni Akins (180-G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Georgia Tech) nailed 14 points apiece to lead the Bulgarian side to the initial win in Group B. Lukoil now caught up with Barons/LMT at 1-3 record one win behind Dynamo Moscow.
Barons got to a quick start as they raced to a 9:4 lead early on. Armands Skele (192-G-83, agency: Agency No 10) and Alexander soon made it 23:13 for the hosts. Dimitar Angelov (202-G/F-79, agency: Interperformances) finalized a 9-point tally in the opening term as Lukoil trailed 19:26 at the first intermission. The visitors notched a 13:2 run in the second quarter to surge ahead 33:28. Stoykov came up strong in the final minutes of the first half and secured a 47:43 lead for the Bulgarian team at the interval.
Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama) and Charles Rhodes (203-F/C-85, college: Mississippi St.) regained the lead for the home team at the early stages of the second half. Stoykov and Dimitar Angelov kept it hot for the visitors as Lukoil ensured a 67:59 advantage after three quarters of action. Armands Skele ignited an 8:2 rally from Barons to open the fourth period as they narrowed the gap. Charles Rhodes and Armands Skele soon tied the scoreline at 82. However three-pointer from Toni Akins and a bucket from Chavdar Kostov gave Lukoil a decisive lead late in regulation and they ensured the winning outcome at the end.
Dimitar Angelov finished with 13 points for Lukoil. Armands Skele answered with game-high 26 points, 7 boards and 5 assists for Barons. Demetrius Alexander added 18 points and 14 boards in the loss.

Barons/LMT: Armands Skele 26, Demetrius Alexander 18+14 boards
Lukoil: Chavdar Kostov 14, Toni Akins 14, Dimitar Angelov 13

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CAMEROON

Latest interview - by Yann Tientcheu
The present interview was carried out with the starting Point Guard of the Cameroonian National team in August 2008 prior to the teams participation to the Olympic Qualifying in Athens. Parfait Bitee (188-G-85) is by far the best Cameroonian point guard to ever step in a NCAA Division I arena, and has an impressive collegiate career militating in his favor in this regard. After leading the University of Rhode Island (Rhodies) from the point for 4 years, Parfait Bitee, who is known to be a class act on the Rhode Island University campus, is currently pursuing a professional career with Spotter Leuvem in the Premier League in Belgium (presently averaging 24mns, 10.5pts and 1.4 Asts per game). This interview is truly indicative of the mature, unselfish, humble and poised person Parfait Bitee is.

1) How were you introduced to basketball?
I was about 15 when I was first introduced to basketball. My mother asked me one day if I ever thought about playing basketball and I didnt answer. On a different afternoon while I was playing soccer with some friends, there was a guy who was doing some basketball handling drills next to the soccer field; so after soccer I stayed and watched the guy doing his drills. Thats where I really started getting interested in basketball.

2) Who would you say was profoundly influential in shaping the player you are today? I learned from lots of people and was inspired by many players.
I dont think anybody was profoundly influential in shaping the player I am today, but my biggest support always came from my mother.

3) What difference, if any, to you establish between the way basketball is played in Cameroon and the US?
There isnt any big difference between basketball back home and the one played in the US. I think the difference can be the level of opportunity and the quality of the equipment. At home, there were some days where I didnt have sneakers to play or where there were too many players for only one basketball court.

4) What was the most difficult thing for you to adapt to here in the US (both athletics and academics)?
The most difficult thing for me to adapt to here in the US was the language: coming here and not being able to speak English at all was a big challenge. I dont think I struggled with anything related to basketball; it was just fun because everything was just so much better compared to where I came from.

5) Your best souvenir of your NCAA career?
I have so many memories from my NCAA career, but the game we won against Xavier my junior year at the A10 tournament was a great one. It was one of those feelings you dont get everyday.

6) Assess the National teams accomplishment at the latest African games in Angola?
Angola was great and exciting. The players and the coach coming from the US arrived at the competition at the 3rd quarter of the first game against South Africa without any preparation. Thats how our competition started there and everything led us to the final game against Angola where we lost our first game; but the experience was great for my teammates and myself unfortunately our country didnt care like usual. I think what made us special was the relationship the guys had with each other and with the coach.

7) In what area do you think the national team should improve in order to be competitive and stand a chance to advance to the Olympic games this summer?
I think the country should put the team in the right conditions to be prepared. If we have the right preparation, right amount of time and the right conditions, Cameroon can surprise lots of teams.

8) Who would you say is the most impressive Cameroonian player of the moment?
The most impressive Cameroonian player of the moment is Luc Mbah Moute

9) I say NBA, you say?
Only God knows

10) What would you say was your greatest strength in being a starting point guard for a NCAA team as respectable and established as the Rhode Island University?
My greatest strength was being a leader everyone can follow.

11) Do you have any aspirations as far as the NBA is concerned?
It is still a dream, but I will continue to work hard and the rest will follow.

12) Which NCAA point guard was your toughest match-up throughout your NCAA career?
Playing against the Kansas guards my junior year was my toughest competition.

13 )What advice would you give to any Cameroonian (or African ) kid who like you is not the typical basketball prospect in term of height (you are only 62), but cherish the dream to play at the highest collegiate level in the world?
I will tell him to never stop working hard, to never stop being a student of the game and I will tell him to learn the leader skills that will not only help him on the court, but will also help him at being a better person.

14) What did Coach Jim Baron (Rhode Island University) like the most about you?
I dont think I should answer this question. Coach Baron will be the better person to answer that question.

15) What would you say took you this far?
I think my work ethic drove me this far.

16) Which Cameroonian coach (es) would you honor if you had the opportunity?
Wamde Bolan(R.I.P)

17) You registered 18pts, 4rbds and 7 asts in a stunning win over Syracuse in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament team on Dec. 8th. Take us back to that night.
I think we were well prepared coming to this game and being calm while playing in the Carrier Dome with Syracuses crazy crowd was crucial to this game. I tried to control the tempo of the game as a point guard and stay as aggressive as I can be. I also tried to find the open man when I got to the paint.

18) Do you have any professional aspiration? Do you have any current offers or opportunities?
Absolutely  

19) You increased your scoring average between your junior and senior by 4.6pts, going from 7.2pts/g your junior year to 11.8pts your senior year. What stands for the improvement? How do you explain this significant growth of your offensive repertoire?
I basically spent more time in the gym by coming to practice an hour before and staying after practice trying to get better doing some shooting drills. The only explanation for it is extra hours I put when no one was watching.

20 You made the A10 All Defensive team this year. What would be the defensive highlight of your career?
Playing defense was always what I value the most coming from high school where I played half of my senior year because of an ACL injury. Every time I stepped on the court, I always guarded the best opponent playing at the one, two or sometimes the three positions. The defensive highlight of my career was guarding Pat Carroll from St Joes my freshmen year. I ran like a maniac guarding him the entire time I was on the floor.

21) Which Cameroonian basketball playerc would be a great addition to the indomitable lions National basketball team for this summer?
Ruben Boumje Boumje, Cyrille Makanda, Alfred Aboya, and Nana Harding.

*****************************************************

CBA

Last interleague games results - by Gianni Pascucci
The second face-off between the ABA WV Blazers and the East Kentucky Miners (CBA) brought a determined Blazers team coming off the preivous loss to the Miners. The inter-league play was the third ABA game for the Miners and the second with the Blazers. The Blazers again went into the game with two starters out and a third Blazer was injured in a car accident on the way to the game. The Blazers came on strong and trailed 34-22 at the end of the first quarter and 64-44 at halftime. After reducing the deficiit to 15 in the third, the Miners went on to win 119-87. Leading the Blazers were Maurice Davis (6'2''-G-79) with 32, Corey Love (6'5''-C-83, college: Bluefield St.) with 19 and Desi Crisp (6'4''-G/F-80, college: NC-Pembroke) with 16. The Blazers will host the Miners on Jan 11th in Bluefield at the Raleigh County Armory and hope to turn things around on their home court. The Albany Patroons defeated the NYC Internationalz 127-103 at the Washington Ave. Armory. Albany led 55-47 after a tightly contested first half. The Patroons took control of the game in the third quarter, led by Rod Nealy (6'6''-F-80, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: Houston Baptist)'s hot shooting, expanding the lead to 87-65. Nealy and Renaldo Norman (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Edward Waters) led the attack with 23 points each. Gabriel Freeman (6'6''-F-85, college: Costa Mesa JC) dominted inside with 15 rebounds and 16 points. Michael Jenkins also contributed 20 points as six Patroons finished in double figures. UAlbany grad Lucious Jordan (6'2''-G/F-83, college: Albany) contributed 14 points and four rebounds. The Internationalz were led by Drago Pavlovic (6'7''-F/C-80, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Oakland City)'s 22 points.

Standings

CBA Standings

1. E.Kentucky	3-0
2. Albany P.	2-0
3. Minot S.	0-0
4. Pittsburgh X.	0-0
5. Lawton Ft.Sill	0-0

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CHILE

Concepcion drop Liga Americas opener - by Eurobasket News
Concepcion yesterday tipped off their campaign in the most prestigious club competition on the continent - Liga Americas. Concepcion got into Group B and would fight for the only qualifying ticket into the Final Four.
The Chilean outfit took on the defending champions Penarol Mar del Plata. Concepcion surprised the hosts leading 14:9 early on. But Penarol soon adjusted and tied the scoreline at 17 after the starting frame. Penarol stepped on the gas in the second frame. They limited their opponents to just 9 points and built a 41:26 advantage at halftime. Concepcion failed to threaten the margin as Penarol entered the final stanza ahead by 14 points. Concepcion shaved the difference to eleven points but never got any closer and lost the battle at the end.
David Jackson (196-G-82, college: Penn St.) nailed 16 points to lead the home side. Roman Gonzalez (211-C-78, agency: HM Sports Agency) contributed 14 points for the winners. Andre Hardwick (201-F/C-83, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: CSU Bakersfield) responded with 17 points and 10 boards for Concepcion. Erron Maxey (198-F-78, college: Providence) added 17 points in the loss.
Concepcion will look for the initial win when they take on Uruguayan Bigua later tonight.

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CHINA

Xinjiang Defeats Shaanxi, Beijing Upsets Jiangsu, Guangdong Bests Dongguan for Second Place - by Arthur Volbert

Juan Mendez scored 25 points as Xinjiang advanced to a 13-1 record with a 109-95 win over Shaanxi. Xu Guochong scored 19 and Myron Allen had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Mengke Bateer had 10 points and 8 assists. Mai Wulan added 12 points. Brandon Robinson scored 19 for Shaanxi. He Ben scored 16. Yang Wengbo, listed as born in 1990, scored 15. Dai Yong and Li Benson each scored 10. Young 7-footer Zheng Zhun had 8 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes.

Jones Dontae (202-F-75, college: Mississippi St.) had 54 points and 15 rebounds to lead Beijing to a 107-102 upset of Jiangsu, knocking the Dragons out of second place. Zhang Yunsong had 21 points and 9 rebounds. David Harrison scored 19 and grabbed 15 rebounds. Xie Libin had 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Donnell Harvey led Jiangsu with 35 points and 15 rebounds. Jameel Watkins had 19 points and 22 rebounds. Zhang Cheng scored 21. Yi Li had 15 points and 6 assists. Hu Xuefeng had 12 points, 7 assists and 4 steals.

Guangdong edged Dongguan 105-100 as Zhu Fangyu had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Guangdong gained sole possession of second place with a 11-3 record. Jason Dixon had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Tyler Amaya had 20 points and 6 rebounds. Du Feng and Liu Xiaoyu each scored 14. Michael Harris led Dongguan with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Qiu Biao scored 25 points. Wang Jing scored 15 and Meng Duo scored 14. Zhang Kai had 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Wang Zhizhi had 28 points and 8 rebounds as Bayi defeated Zhejiang Guangsha 101-94. Wang Zhongguang scored 24 points and had 9 assists. Mo Ke had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Nigel Dixon led Guangsha with 29 points and 9 rebounds. Rodney White, a new import, scored 20 points and Jin Lipeng had 17.

After a one-game absence Zhang Dayu had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead Zhejiang to a 115-74 slaughter of Yunnan. Samuel Hoskin had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Ding Jinhui had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Luo Zhi scored 16 and Zhang Yongpeng had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes.

Gabe Muoneke did not play for Yunnan and Keith Closs had only two points in 20 minutes. Li Tao led Yunnan with 15 points and Zhao Anan had 14. Zhang Qingpeng had 27 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals as Liaoning edged Qingdao 100-91. Awvee Storey had 21 points and 6 rebounds. Yang Ming scored 14 and Li Xiaoxu had 11. Li Guang led Qingdao with 21 points, 8 assists and 4 steals, though he did have 6 turnovers. Chris Williams replaced Amal McCaskill as one of Qingdao's imports and had 7 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, shooting just 2 of 13. Yu Gaofeng scored 19 points and Lu Keming had 16. Frans Steyn had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Shandong defeated Shanxi Zhongyu 122-118 as Mack Tuck had 36 points and 9 rebounds. Sun Jie added 27 points and Wang Gang had 16. Li Jingyu added 13 points. Donta Smith had 41 points for Zhongyu. Olumide Oyedeji had 27 points and 30 rebounds. Wei Mingliang scored 11 and Ba Zhichao had 10.

Fujian swamped Shanghai 112-88 as Gong Songlin scored 33. Chris Porter had 19 points and 13 rebounds. Yang Chao scored 15 and Liu Yudong had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Matt Frieje had 12 points and 6 rebounds. DaJuan Tate had 28 points and 13 rebounds for Shanghai. Peng Fei scored scored 15, Wang Ligang scored 12 and Meng Lingyuan had 11.

Tianjin defeated Jilin 88-81 as Theron Smith had 35 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Darryl Watkins had 19 points and 9 rebounds. Xu Guijun had 12 points and Wang Hao had 11. Soumaila Samake led Jilin with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Wang Bo added 17 and Yang Yuming scored 12.

Latest Results and News! - by Ogoh
Shandong edged Shanxi Zhongyu this evening 122-118 in a thrilling encounter that had fans on their feet for almost the whole duration of the game. Shandong,led by Sun Jie (190-G-86) and Tuck Mack (198-G/F-75, college: Cent.Oklahoma) got off to an uptempo start and ended up leading by 14pts by the end of the 1st period.Most of their points in this quarter came off fastbreaks as Shanxi had a problem getting back on time. Shanxi turned on the pressure on resumption and took the quarter by 1pt thus ending the half 70-57 in favour of Shandong. By the end of the third quarter,Shanxi had cut down the lead to 4pts and took the lead for the first time in the game 3 minutes into the 4th period when they went up by 1pt with scores at 99-98. Shandong however kept their composure and took advantage the zone defence which Shanxi threw at them to pull away. They were very patient on offence going down the last stretch and were completly unruffled by the pressure shanxi put on them in the final minutes.

Smith Donta (201-G-83, college: SE Illinois JC) led all scorers with a whopping 41pts. He also handed out 6 assists in 48 minutes of play. Fellow import Oyedeji Olumide (207-C/F-81) grabbed a record 30 rebounds and scored 27pts for Shanxi. Tuck Mack scored 36pts for the winners and also had 9rebs. Sun Jie added 27pts,5rebs and 3 assists for his team. Lauderdale Priest (221-C-73, college: Central State) did not step on the court today even though he was at the arena. Rumour was that he was not feeling too good. The massive crowd that showed up to watch Bonzi Wells (196-F-76, college: Ball St.) play his first game were also dissappointed as he did not suit up. He was sitting on the bench where he cheered his teammates on. Fans hope he will be dressed up for the next game which is on Friday.

Other results are

Fujian 112-88 Shanghai

Zhejiang 94-101 Bayi

Jiangsu 102-107 Beijing

DongGuan 100-105 Guandong

Jilin 81-88 Tianjin

Qingdao 89-100 Liaoning

Xinjiang 105-95 Shaanxi

Back in White.......... - by Alex Yam
Rodney White is back in the CBA with Zhejiang Guangsha replacing Kasib Powell. White was very effective last season in the CBA posting a 30.5 ppg 8.7rpg. White is a multi-talented forward who has NBA level skills and talent, and paired with Nigel Dixon should make Zhejiang Guangsha a very formidable team in the CBA, whether or not this pair can lead them to a championship remains to be seen.

White has played in some of the top leagues in the world since being taken 9th by the Detroit Pistons in the 2001 NBA draft. He has a rare combination of size,strength and skill, not always the best defender, but a capable one. He adds another dimension of excitement to an already star studded CBA cast.

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CROATIA

CYPRUS

Shaw and Englicky led Apollon over APOEL in Larnaca - by Nemanja Bjedov
Demetric Shaw (191-G-78, college: Kent St.) scored 18 points and Pavel Englicky added 13 as Pizza Express Prime Tel Apollon overcame Seastar APOEL 74-64 in the final game of the eight round of the national basketball championship on Sunday evening at the Kition Athletic Center in Larnaca.

The Nicosia team had a 25-19 lead after the first period but Guillermo Veccchios men leveled the score at 34-34 as the teams headed to the locker rooms at half time. The official visitors then took the lead in the third and with ten minutes left to play they were 54-51 ahead. The final quarter was a mere formality as the Limassol team, after taking the lead, never looked back and recorded their fourth win of the season.

Joseph Garcia led Seastar APOEL with 23 points and Lonnie Cooper had 18.

Sam Jones had 10 points for Pizza Express Prime Tel Apollon, while Mike Robinson chipped in with eight points in his last game for the Limassol team as he is replaced by Cornelius McFandgon.

In other games of the same round Frederick Achilleas Kaimakliou beat the ruling champions Keravnos Strovolos 74-67 at the Palouriotissas Gymnasium on Saturday night. Proteas EKA AEL had no difficulties against Ydra Asphalistiki ENAD 95-68, while Intercollege/ETHA beat Nissan Omonoia 96-90 at the Eleftheria Athletic Center.

SOURCE: www.cybasketball.com

Keravnos Strovolos record their maiden FIBA EuroChallenge victory - by Nemanja Bjedov
Panayiotis Trisokkas scored 16 points, while Barisa Krasic (203-F-78) added 15 as Keravnos Strovolos beat Telekom Baskets Bonn 73-64 in the fourth game of the FIBA EuroChallenge Regular Season Group B at the Kostas Papaellinas Arena in Nicosia.

Trisokkas and Aleksandar Damjanovic combined for the first 14 points for the hosts and with 5:41 left in the opening period they were five points up at 14-9. Inspired by the American center Ken Johnson the German team responded with an 8-0 run and took the lead for the first and only time throughout the game, as Brad Buckman and Krasic helped the Strovolos team to a 20-18 first quarter lead. Buckman was also instrumental in the 9-0 streak to open the second period and the Cypriot champions were leading by 13 at 38-25 as the teams headed to the half time interval.

Michael Koch, the head coach of Telekom Baskets, was not upset with his teams defeat: 'Congratulations to Keravnos. They deserved to win this game. We had a problem finding our offensive rhythm. The fact that we only scored 25 points in the first half says it all. In the second half we tried to come back into the game but it was very difficult as Keravnos played hard and better over the 40 minutes. This loss will not cost us too much. We travel next to France with a 10 point lead and our only objective is to win that game, even by one point. I think we still have a good chance.'

The second half was a mere formality as the hosts led by as many as 22 when Damjanovic made a basket and one with 6:03 remaining to be played at 67-45 and the visitors had enough time to only reduce their deficit to a bearable nine points.

LaMarr Greer and Buckman had 13 and 11 points respectively for Keravnos Strovolos. Panayiotis Yiannas dished out a game high seven assists.

'I want to congratulate my teammates. We had lost four out our last five games and our psychology was not the best coming into this game. Tonight we played hard and very smart and showed everyone that we can beat opponents such as Telekom which is top of the German league. This win will help us a lot especially our psychology in the Cyprus league,' said Yiannas after the game.

Ken Johnson led Telekom Baskets Bonn with 21 points, while Winsome Frazier and Johannes Strasser each had 12.

SOURCE: www.cybasketball.com

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DENMARK

Last round in the first half of the 1. division - by Thomas Quaade
In the Danish 1. division the teams are now on Christmas break. In the final round of competition there where no real surprises as all the favorites won.

In Norrebro the most exciting game on paper took place when Vaerlose BBK was visiting. BK Skjold/Stevnsgade had lost 4 games straight up to this top match whereas Vaerlose BBK had won 7 straight. And in a close and well fought game it was the 'hot' team that won - final score of 61-68. Quentin Terry (198-F-82, college: Lock Haven) played his last game for BK Skjold/Stevnsgade and finished with 17 points while Anders Sommer finished as topscorer for Vaerlose BBK with 16 points, even though he hurt his knee in the 3rd quarter. Vaerlose BBK has now won 8 in a row - impressive.

In Jonstrup the top team Herlev Basket came out with an important win to keep up with Aalborg BK, who is still undefeated in first place. Herlev Basket won 60-82 in a game, where it was close in the first half 41-34. But Herlev Basket started with fire and a 10-2 run, but Jonstrup came back, and the game had to go to the 4th quarter before it was decided. Here Rasmus Eriksen (197-F-84) was big with 9 points and Herlev Basket finished with strong defense. Jens Bisgaard (196-G/F-83) finished as topscorer with 18 points.

Other scores this weekend:
ALBA - Falcon 69-86
Fjordager BK Odense - Aarhus BF 85-88
Hobas - Lemvig BK 96-85
Virum - Aalborg BK 60-76

Bakken Bears plays Team FOG Naestved in the Cup Finals - by Thomas Quaade
After 4 great semifinals games it was clear late yesterday that on the 11th of January 2009 the Danish Mens Cup finals will be played between Bakken Bears and Team FOG Naestved.

Bakken Bears took care of Randers Cimbria Basketball in 2 games with first a difficult win in Randers Cimbria Basketball and then a somewhat easy win at home in Aarhus.

Team FOG Naestved had the same scenario with a difficult win at home against Aalborg BK and then winning a high scoring game in Aalborg.

The final results:
Randers Cimbria Basketball - Bakken Bears 79-87
Bakken Bears - Randers Cimbria Basketball 92-77

Team FOG Naestved - Aalborg BK 83-78
Aalborg BK - Team FOG Naestved 92-98

Standings - 1st Division

1st Division Standings

1. Aalborg	11-0
2. Herlev	9-2
3. Vaerlose	8-3
4. Aarhus BF	8-3
5. Skjold	6-5
6. Falcon	6-5
7. Lemvig	5-6
8. Hobas	5-6
9. Jonstrup	3-8
10. Odense	2-9
11. Virum	2-9
12. ALBA	1-10

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D-LEAGUE

D-League Round: 18 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Idaho - Los Angeles 92-81
Idaho Stampede cruised past Los Angeles D-Fenders at Staples Center improving on almost perfect 7-1 record. Jermareo Davidson top-scored for the winning squad with 18 points. Coby Karl, Brent Petway and Lance Allred helped with 15 points apiece. Karl had 8 more rebounds and 8 assists beside that. The D-Fenders got 25 points, 8 boards and 6 assists from Dwayne Mitchell. LA D-Fenders 2-6.

Rio Grande - Colorado 99-118
Colorado 14ers registered comfortable home win against Rio Grande mostly owing to Dominique Coleman, who finished the game with double-double, 21 points and 11 boards. Eddie Gill was behind him with 18 pts. Trent Strickland contributed with 21 points and 6 rebounds in loss. 14ers 5-1, Vipers 4-5.

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EBA

Hampton Roads adds Big Man - by Justin Moore
The Hampton Roads Cardinals have added size to there roster with big man Troy Godwin (6'6''-C-81, college: Va Commonwealth) in the fold as Hampton Roads gets ready for there first season in the EBA and there season opener on the road against The Alexandria Avengers. The EBA has added 11 new franchises ranging from NY to DC and have alot of DC Metro area rivalries brewing with The Alexandria Avengers,Nova Hawks and Washington Madness and dont forget The Virginia Wolverines,Virginia Fastbreak, and Hampton Roads Cardinals, This should be a good year for the EBA.

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EGYPT

Super League Standings

Superleague Standings

1. Zamalek	7-0
2. Al Ittihad	6-1
3. Gezira	6-1
4. Ahly	5-2
5. Geish Army	4-3
6. Somouha	4-3
7. Sporting	4-3
8. Shorta-Police	2-5
9. Gasco	2-5
10. Al Olympi	1-6
11. Shams	1-6
12. Shark ins.	0-7

Itthad tommorrow in Dubai with three importers and a difficult dream - by Mohamed Hafez

ittihad club will travel tommorrow noon to Dubai to particpate in 20th Dubai basketball tournament which will start on next saturday Itthad first game will be on sunday , Dubai tournament is becoming more and more stronger to be the most strong friendly basketball tournament in the middle east , 10 teams will participate and had been divided into two groups the first group will contain ( Al Jalaa Aleppo , Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut , Al Ittihad Alexandria ,An Nasr and Champville ) , the second group ( Zain , UAE national team , Al Moutahed Tripoli , Al Jeish Army Damascus and Mahram Iran )

Back to the egyptian team preparation which will play its first game against An Nasr on sunday , Ittihad will play with three importers through the tournament beside Derrick Franklin who plays with ittihad in the league ittihad will borrow Chauncey Leslie (183-G-81, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Iowa) from An Nahl Sharjah and another player from Al Wasl Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college: Rutgers)

Amro Abdul Kheyr ittihad coach submitted Eurobasket.com team with a special short talk before leaving to the UAE and he said that the tournament is tough and we will try to do our best but with out pushing on the players as we will play an important game in the league againt Al jazeera after only 24 hours being back to Egypt.

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EUROCHALLENGE

EuroChallenge Round: 4 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News

Group Group A

Liege - Ventspils 89-84
Belgacom Liege Basket remained perfect in EuroChallenge Group A clinched their fourth successive victory. The Belgian team beat BK Ventspils 89:84 to improve to 4-0 record. Cage Justin top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Jurevicus Mareks ended up with 22 points for the Latvian side.

En.Czarni - Cajasol 53-83
Cajasol improved to 2-2 record after a road trip to Poland. The team had a 83:53 win over Energa Czarni in EuroChallenge. Caner-Medley Nik paced all the winners with 22 points, while Collins DeJuan netted 12. Cesnauskis Mantas produced the same number of points in defeat. The win improved the Seville outfit to 2-2 in Group A while dropping the Slupsk club to 1-3.

Group Group B

Keravnos - Telekom B. 73-64
Keravnos celebrated the initial victory in the tournament as they deserved 73:64 triumph over Telekom Baskets Bonn in Cyprus. Trisokkas Panagiotis led the winners with 16 points, while Krasic Barisa had 15. Johnson Ken scored 15 points for the guests.

Ural Great - Hyeres-Toulon 84-76
Ural Great jumped to 3-1 after the home win over SAOS Hyeres in EuroChallenge Group B. The Russian squad had 84:76 as Surovtsev Aleksei and Plisnic Vanja poured in 23 points each for the winners. Perincic Hrvoje produced 20 points and 7 rebounds in defeat. The win has given the Perm side a 3-1 record while dropping the French club to 2-2.

Group Group C

Cholet - Fribourg 79-52
Cholet Basket edged Benetton Olympic 79:52 win for the fourth consecutive victory. De Colo Nando poured in 23 points and Beaubois Rodrigue nailed 16. Harrison Dennis finished the night with 17 points. The French outfit stayed undefeated in Group C while keeping their Swiss opponents winless at 0-4.

Sumykhimpr. - Lok.Rostov 84-89
Lokomotiv Rostov is second in Group C after 89:84 over BC Sumykhimprom. House Fred top-scored for the winners with 26 points, whilst Krivosheev Maxim nailed 17. Greene Brian collected 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat,whilst Kuso Abdullahi netted 18.

Group Group D

Eiff.Towers - Gmunden 77-70
EiffelTowers Den Bosch flies to 4-0 record after defeating Allianz Swans 77:70. Beasley Jerome led the winners with 19 points and Richardson Anthony netted 15. Mayes Deteri ended up with 23 points for the visitors, while Fisher Anthony posted 19. The outcome has left the favorites team undefeated at 4-0 and dropped Swans to 0-4.

Group Group E

Olimpia L. - EWE Baskets 89-75
Olympia Athienitis defeated EWE Baskets in EuroChallenge Group E 89:75 in Greece. King Michael top-scored for the winners with 26 points and Castle Terrell notched 21. Foster Je'Kel scored 22 points in defeat and Paulding Rickey had 15. The result has left all side in the group with identical 2-2 records.

Amsterdam - Jerusalem 73-74
Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem survived a 74:73 thriller over EclipseJet MyGuide Amsterdam in Holland. Sneed Omar was unstoppable with 27 points and 7 rebounds and Bowers Timothy followed him with 23 points. Gipson Teddy produced 22 points in the losing effort. The result has left both teams with 2-2 records in EuroChallenge Group E.

Group Group F

M.Hainaut - Khimik 82-76
Dexia Mons-Hainaut overcame Khimik Yuzhny to better their positions in the group. Belgian team won 82:76 to improve to 3-1 in Group F while Khimik slipped to 2-2. Nesbitt Elton top-scored for the winners with 19 points and Green Caleb netted 18. Bratic Sasa ended up with 19 points in the losing effort.

Group Group G

Oostende - La Fortezza 76-87
Virtus Bologna is perfect in EuroChallenge Group G after 87:76 at Base Oostende on Tuesday for their fourth successive triumph. Arnold Jamie paced all the winners with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Ford Sharrod had 16. Green Devin poured in 17 points for the guests and Haryasz Matt chipped in 15.

TU/Rock - CSK VVS 58-80
Russian CSK-VVS Samara celebrated the initial victory in the EuroChallenge by rolling to a surprisingly easy 80:58 win at Tartu Rock in Estonia. Perry Marque notched 22 points to lead all the winners in the game. Tein Tanel scored 18 and Beard Tanoka collected 16 points and 12 rebounds for the hosts. The triumph at Tartu has improved Samara's record to 1-3 in Group G while dropping the Estonian team to 2-2.

Group Group H

BC Kyiv - Triumph 66-65
BC Kyiv shocked Triumph in Group H and satisfied the local fans after 66:65 in the EuroChallenge. Trailing 54:65 with 3 minutes in the game Ukrainian side scored 12 points in a row to clinch an important victory. Scales Alex paced all the winners with 22 points, while Drozdov Artur added 11. Bremer Ernest nailed 16 points in the losing effort. Kyiv improved to 3-1 in Group H while Triumph are now 2-2.

Dt.Bank SKY - Kalev/Cramo 61-57
Deutsche Bank Skyliners stun Kalev Cramo 61:57 in Group H. Gordon Lorenzo stepped up with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Lyde Kevin scored 13 in defeat, while Pace Josh and Linehan John had 10 each. Deutsche Bank improved to 2-2 with the victory while Kalev fell to 1-3.

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EUROLEAGUE

Olympiacos - Cibona 93-64 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com was at Peace and Friendship hall for the game of Olympiacos against Cibona Zagreb. Reds' main goal was certainly to take the win in order to remain at the first place of their group, but to overcome the difference of the first game at Zagreb also did not let them without interest. Their first goal has been succeeded even from the first half; about the second one, the difference in the first half (19 points) reflected the passion of Olympiacos' players to succeed in this one as well. And they did it.
Olympiacos entered the game with a lot of intense in its defense, however Cibona's good percentages out of the 3-point line (5/8), in contrary to the 2-point ones (2/10), gave the Croatian team a small lead at the end of the first period (20-22).
At the first 4:47 minutes of the second period, Cibona made five mistakes, it also didn't succeed in its plays and the Reds, with a 13-0 serie, took the lead with 11-point difference (33-22). The Croatians may have scored then another two three point shots, but the Greek team implemented its plays even better to extend the difference to 17 points (45-28). The first half ended at the biggest difference (19 points - 50-31), with Olympiacos having scored the impressive 12/13 shots at the second period (18/22 in total), for a partial score 30-9 at this period. In this first half, Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) scored 11 points with Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford), Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) following with 6. For Cibona, Earl Calloway (191-G-83, college: Indiana) and Marin Rozic (201-F-83) scored 9 each one and Davor Kus (192-G-78) 6.
With two free throws, an impressive assist and another steal from Thodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances), Olympiacos led with 59-38, 4:00 minutes inside the third period. The difference reached even the 32 points, 1:23 before the periods end (74-42) after successive baskets from the Reds and relative Cibona's mistakes. The period ended at 77-49 and even the second goal (the handicap of the first games difference) seemed easy for the Reds to be satisfied.
After all referred, the last period was typical for both teams and only the final score was remaining to be learnt. Both coaches tried to implement some new plays in their teams plays, sometimes satisfactorily some other not, for the final 93-64.

Olympiacos: Thodoros Papaloukas 9, Pelekanos 2, Josh Childress 12, Nikola Vujcic 12, Giannis Bourousis 13, Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) 13, Lynn Greer 9, Teodosic 3, Schortsanitis 2, Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) 11, Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) 7, Milosevic
Cibona: Rawle Marshall (200-G-82, college: Oakland) 5, Jared Homan (206-C-83, college: Iowa St.) 6, Earl Calloway 18, Vukusic 2, Davor Kus 8, Prkacin 2, Marin Rozic 11, Princ, Longin, Robert Troha (194-G/F-77, agency: Court Side) 7, Zubcic, Andric 5

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FRANCE

Zadar beat Roanne in Croatia - by Eurobasket News
Zadar - Roanne 82:70

Zadar got closer to qualification from EuroCup regular season Group A as they posted the third win yesterday. This time Zadar held off visiting Roanne to make it three wins out of four games at the stage. Roanne in the meantime slipped at 1-3 record at the bottom of the ladder.
The teams traded baskets early in the game before Garnett and Johnson took over for Zadar. They knocked 8 points to cap the opening frame with Zadar leading 20:13. The hosts opened the second frame with a 10:6 run to grab an 11-point lead. But Mohamed Kone (211-C-81, college: Valparaiso) and Curtis Sumpter (201-F-84, college: Villanova) quickly cut the deficit as Roanne trailed by 5 points midway through the quarter. Damir Rancic (198-G-83) crowned the first half with a three-pointer that sealed the half outcome at 38:32. Curtis Sumpter and Chris Monroe (191-G-81, college: George Washington) accounted for points early in the third frame showing Roanne was not about to surrender. But Zadar maintained the lead and headed into the final quarter ahead by 5 points 59:54. Deyan Ivanov (205-F-86) pushed the home team to a 69:60 lead but the visitors would not go away. Chris Monroe once again trimmed the distance to only 5 points. However they never got any closer. Damir Rancic put Zadar away for good late in the game and Zadar posted the third victory in the tournament.
Deyan Ivanov finished with 18 points and 14 boards for Zadar. Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) provided 15 points, while Damir Rancic had 16 points for the winners. Chris Monroe answered with 23 points for Roanne. Mohamed Kone netted 14 points and grabbed 9 boards in the loss.

Zadar: Deyan Ivanov 18+14 boards, Damir Rancic 16, Todor Gecevski 15
Roanne: Chris Monroe 23, Mohamed Kone 14+9 boards

Benetton secure the fourth straight win in EuroCup - by Eurobasket News
Le Havre - Benetton 76:82

Benetton used a big rally in the third frame to post the fourth straight victory in the EuroCup regular season. The win allowed the Italian team to stay on top of Group C. Benetton also booked the ticket to the Last 16 stage.
Le Havre opened the game confidently as they led 7:0. Le Havre led throughout the opening frame however Domen Lorbek (198-G/F-85) and Rancik cut the deficit to a single point at the first break. Bobby Dixon (178-G-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Troy) fired from downtown to square things up at 24 early in the second period. Soon Domen Lorbek added a three-pointer and the visitors raced ahead 33:30. The teams traded baskets and were knotted up at 41 at the interval.
Sandro Nicevic (210-C-76, agency: Beo Basket), Bobby Dixon and Rancik surged in front 47:41 early in the third frame. Bobby Dixon kept on scoring as Benetton enjoyed a 55:46 at one point. But winless Le Havre was not about to drop this one that easily. Bingo Merriex (204-F-80, college: TCU) drained several treys to drag Le Havre within 3 points. But Andrea Renzi (208-F/C-89) and Domen Lorbek ensured a 16-point lead for Bentton late in the third quarter fueling a 16:3 run. TJ Thompson (177-G-82, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington) and Bingo Merriex narrowed the margin early in the fourth before Bobby Dixon once again stepped up for the visitors. His three-pointer silenced Le Havre and the Italian team eased to the win at the end.
Domen Lorbek scored 21 points to lead Benetton. Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-79, agency: Beo Basket, college: St.Cloud St.) added 16 points and 7 boards for the winners. Fabien Causeur (193-G-87) and TJ Thompson answered with 17 points apiece in the losing effort.

Le Havre: Fabien Causeur 17, TJ Thompson 17
Benetton: Domen Lorbek 21, Radoslav Rancik 16, Bobby Dixon 15

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FYR MACEDONIA

First half of regular season is finished - by Zoran Bogdanovic
AMAK-SP - Ovce Pole 90:66 (19-20; 27-6; 25-16; 19-24)
AMAK needed only one quarter to destroy defence of Ovce Pole and close the first half of the season on leading position with Feni and Fersped. Damjan Stojanovski added 13 points to AMAKs second quarter total of 27 while Ovce Pole scored only six points. The biggest advantage was 30 points at the result of 63:33. AMMAKs fans could remember from this game only a few attractive Fryes dunks and another double double digits of Miroslav Cubrilo (205-C-82).
AMAK-SP : D.Stojanovski 18 pts, V. Stojanovski 16 pts, Miroslav Cubrilo 17 pts & 12 rebounds, Frye 13 pts
Ovce Pole : Karadzov 21 pts & 7 rebounds, Kurciev 13 pts, Ivkovic 11 pts

Feni Industri secures the 1/4 finals in BIBL - by Eurobasket News
Balkan League, Round 6: Feni Industri - Radnicki 034 Group 92-60

Macedonian champion Feni Industri smashed Serbian team Radnicki 034 Group in Kavadarci securing a spot for the BIBL quarterfinals. After 5 appearances Macedonians have almost perfect 4-1 record in Group A. On the other side, Radnicki 034 is on poor 1-4. As a remainder, Radnicki celebrated the first win in BIBL last week against Swisslion Takovo. American Donald Cole (204-C-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: Sam Houston St.) once again demonstrated wonderful performance for Feni. He spent 26 minutes on the court nailing 18 points and pulling down 9 rebounds. Zlatko Gocevski (206-C-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) also shined collecting 16 points and 5 boards. Gjorgi Cekovski (202-F/C-81, agency: Arik Krayn Services) and Marjan Gjurov (201-F-80) helped with 13 points each. Radovan Pesic (186-G-72, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 13 points in loss. The last one with double-digits in scoring for Radnicki was Ivan Milosevic (192-G-78), 10 points.
Feni created early 9-point lead. It was a clear sign what visitors could expect until the end. Later in the first quarter the hosts extended lead to 12, 27-15. Crucial period of the game was the second period, when Feni made impressive 20-0 run. At the end of it the score was 52-27. The rest of the game was just a formality. Feni's next rival will be CSU Brasov.

Feni Industri: Donald Cole 18+9 boards, Zlatko Gocevski 16+5 boards, Gjorgi Cekovski 13+4 boards, Marjan Gjurov 13+4 boards
Radnicki 034: Radovan Pesic 13, Ivan Milosevic 10

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GERMANY

Jena need a new head coach - by Moritz Korff
Only a couple of hours after BG Karlsruhe announced the sacking of Peter Krautwald, another coach in the 2. Bundesliga Pro A had to leave his position shortly before Christmas. Sean McCaw is no longer resonsible for the Science City Jena team as he agreed with the club management on making a switch on the bench. Jena has lost six of the past ten games and suffered three consecutive defeats most recently. McCaw will turn to other fields of work inside the organisation, while a new boss is needed. In Jena's last game of the year on Sunday against Essen, Assistant Lars Masell will do the coaching.

BG Karlsruhe fire coach Peter Krautwald - Will Dr. Vojtko return? - by Moritz Korff
BG Karlsruhe (2. Bundesliga Pro A) have ended their partnership with coach Peter Krautwald, effective immediately. The team has won six and lost six games so far this season.
Krauwald came to Karlsruhe in 2007 and served one season as an assistant coach before being promoted to the head coaching job during the summer. Dr. Ivan Vojtko will most likely return to BG Karlsruhe and sign a long-term contract with the club, as announced in a press-release, to replace Krautwald. The Slovakian coach guided the club to the championship in the 2. Bundesliga South back in 2002-03 and to promotion to the first league. He left in December 2003. In the following years he spent two seasons with USC Freiburg, then was standing at the helm of BG Dorsten in the German women's Bundesliga. From 2007 until October 2008 he coached BK Synthesia Pardubice in the Czech NBL.

Jared Reiner joins Eisbaeren Bremerhaven - by Moritz Korff
Struggling Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (1. Bundesliga) have signed another new player who will try to help the team to get away from the bottom of the 1. Bundesliga. Jared Reiner (211-C-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa) signed a contract with the club that will keep him in Bremerhaven for the remainder of this current season. Reiner's debut is scheduled for Saturday, when the Polar Bears take on his former side Bamberg. The 26-year-old center played 20 gamed for the Brose Baskets during 2007-08 and averaged 9.4 points as well as 6.8 rebounds per contest. This summer he tried to land a spot on the roster of the Philadelphia 76ers, but did not make it. Reiner has previously suited up for NBA's Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. For this past season he moved abroad and joined Polaris World Murcia in Spain (17 games: 5.5ppg, 4.4rpg), before he agreed to terms with Bamberg in February.

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GREECE

Maroussi hit back against ASK Riga - by Eurobasket News
Maroussi - ASK Riga 82:77

Maroussi avenged of the loss to ASK Riga a week ago beating the Latvian team at home yesterday. The teams are now tied at 2-2 record in Group A of EuroCup. Pat Calathes (208-G/F-85, agency: Arik Krayn Services) scored some key buckets in the opening term to give Maroussi a 21:14 lead after ten minutes of action. Three-pointers from Giorgos Diamantopoulos (195-F-80, agency: Interperformances) and William Amar Keys (188-G-77, college: N.Mexico St.) allowed the hosts to enjoy a 36:28 advantage late in the first half. Maroussi arrived at halftime with an 8-point cushion.
Jarod Stevenson (200-F-75, college: Richmond) and Loukas Mavrokefalides (207-C-84) extended the gap to 9 points in the third frame. Dairis Bertans (192-G/F-89) however was active offensively and cut the distance to 5 points with one quarter to go in this one. Bruno Sundov (218-C-80) finally found his touch narrowing the gap to 3 points in the fourth quarter. Raitis Grafs (208-C-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Valparaiso) dragged ASK Riga as close as a single point. However William Amar Keys came up perfect from the stripe in the final seconds and secured the victory for Maroussi.
Pat Calathes scored 16 points to lead the charge. Konstantinos Charalampidis (189-G-76) added 15 points, while Giorgos Diamantopoulos had 12 points for the winners. Bruno Sundov finished with 22 points and 11 boards for ASK Riga. Aigars Vitols (192-G-76, agency: Interperformances) delivered 19 points for the winning team.
Maroussi will host Zadar, while ASK Riga will take on Roanne at home in Round 5.

Maroussi: Pat Calathes 16, Konstantinos Charalampidis 15, Giorgos Diamantopoulos 12
ASK Riga: Bruno Sundov 22+11 boards, Aigars Vitols 19

Bnei Hasharon register initial win in EuroCup - by Eurobasket News
Bnei Hasharon - Panellinios 78:76

Meir Tapiro (194-G-75, agency: Avi Zilberman) nailed 5 free throws late in regulation to secure a narrow win for Bnei Hasharon against Panellinios. It was the first success for the Israeli side in the EuroCup regular season. The teams are now tied at 1-3 record in Group D.
Meir Tapiro was the main figure for the hosts in the starting frame as he led Bnei Hasharon to a 22:16 advantage at the first break. Richard Roby (198-G-85) dropped a basket to open up a double-digit lead for the hosts midway through the second frame. But Ivan Radenovic (208-F-84, college: Arizona) pushed Panellinios as close as a single point 38:39 at halftime.
The Greek team ran away to a 6-point advantage in the third frame but Bnei Hasharon soon regained the tempo. The teams entered the final quarter tied at 56. Ugonna Onyekwe (203-F-79, college: Pennsylvania) and Shawn James (208-F/C-83, college: Northeastern) produced some key points in the fourth term as Bnei Hasharon managed to build a 9-point cushion. Panellinios trimmed the deficit once again but Meir Tapiro looked solid from the stripe and Bnei Hasharon got away with the victory at the end.
Meir Tapiro topscored with 21 points for Bnei Hasharon. Segado Belcher (191-G-78, college: Nebraska) contributed 15 points for the winning team. Ivan Radenovic answered with 19 points and 7 boards for Panellinios. Stevan Nadjfeji (202-F-79) had 12 points in the losing case.

Bnei Hasharon: Meir Tapiro 21, Segado Belcher 15, Richard Roby 12
Panellinios: Ivan Radenovic 19, Stevan Nadjfeji 12

Second Division: Week 10 - Round Up - by Chris Mammides
Ikaroi Serron - Ikaros Kallitheas 85-71
Quarters: 21-11, 42-24, 60-46, 85-71
Ikaroi Serron: Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-F-79) 31, Topouzis 16, Asimakis 15
Ikaros Kallitheas: Vasilis Emmanouilidis (185-G-77) 20, Martzos 14, Tsotsos 11

Komotini - Lavrio 98-78
Quarters: 26-14, 46-35, 70-52, 98-78.
Komotini: Christos Tsakonitis (188-G/F-83) 20, Foutsitzis 17, Lehoudis 17, Ktistou 13
Lavrio: Tsolatos 15, Giannakopoulos 13, Psileas 19

OFI - AIAS 69-73
Quarters: 19-20, 34-35, 57-53, 69-73.
OFI: Panagiotis Barlas (193-G-76) 17, Tsakiridis 16, Panagakis 15
AIAS: Athanasios Souflias (209-C-80, college: S.New Hampshire) 26, Kostas Dalpas (200-F-84) 16

P. Faliro - Anagennisi Floga 55-93
Quarter: 15-28, 29-45, 43-64, 55-93
P. Faliro: Michalis Monemvasitis (195-F-88) 23
Anagennisi Floga: Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80) 19, Spiropoulos 17, Pittakas 16

Arkadikos - Amyntas 87-83
Quarters:: 18-16, 36-41, 62-58, 87-83.
Arkadikos: Giannis Manos (186-G-71) 23, Moutran 18
Amyntas: Barbas 14, Martin Lazaridis (203-F-87) 25, Vogiatzis 14

Sporting - Halkida 78-69
Quarters: 17-18, 39-34, 58-51, 78-69.
Sporting: Christoforos Houmas 23, Vrinas 16
Halkida: Jeremic 19, Psaropoulos 12

Apollon Kalamarias - Doukas 88-86
Quarters: 23-22, 42-43, 63-64, 88-86.
Apollon Kalamarias: Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) 23, Antoniadis 19
Doukas: Zakinthinos 21, Christos Gavanopoulos (198-G-85) 26, Galiotos 15

Goumenisa - Pierikos Arhelaos 103 -99 (73-73 & 83-83 in OT)
Quarters: 22-21, 43-48, 61-58, 73-73, 83-83, 103-99
Goumenisa: Gimnopoulos 24, Karipidis 15, Pantsios 14
Pierikos Arhelaos: Cuk 14, Efthimis Kothras (193-G-81) 23, Alexis Raptis (200-F-81) 19

Olympiacos - Cibona 93-64 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com was at Peace and Friendship hall for the game of Olympiacos against Cibona Zagreb. Reds' main goal was certainly to take the win in order to remain at the first place of their group, but to overcome the difference of the first game at Zagreb also did not let them without interest. Their first goal has been succeeded even from the first half; about the second one, the difference in the first half (19 points) reflected the passion of Olympiacos' players to succeed in this one as well. And they did it.
Olympiacos entered the game with a lot of intense in its defense, however Cibona's good percentages out of the 3-point line (5/8), in contrary to the 2-point ones (2/10), gave the Croatian team a small lead at the end of the first period (20-22).
At the first 4:47 minutes of the second period, Cibona made five mistakes, it also didn't succeed in its plays and the Reds, with a 13-0 serie, took the lead with 11-point difference (33-22). The Croatians may have scored then another two three point shots, but the Greek team implemented its plays even better to extend the difference to 17 points (45-28). The first half ended at the biggest difference (19 points - 50-31), with Olympiacos having scored the impressive 12/13 shots at the second period (18/22 in total), for a partial score 30-9 at this period. In this first half, Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) scored 11 points with Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford), Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) following with 6. For Cibona, Earl Calloway (191-G-83, college: Indiana) and Marin Rozic (201-F-83) scored 9 each one and Davor Kus (192-G-78) 6.
With two free throws, an impressive assist and another steal from Thodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances), Olympiacos led with 59-38, 4:00 minutes inside the third period. The difference reached even the 32 points, 1:23 before the periods end (74-42) after successive baskets from the Reds and relative Cibona's mistakes. The period ended at 77-49 and even the second goal (the handicap of the first games difference) seemed easy for the Reds to be satisfied.
After all referred, the last period was typical for both teams and only the final score was remaining to be learnt. Both coaches tried to implement some new plays in their teams plays, sometimes satisfactorily some other not, for the final 93-64.

Olympiacos: Thodoros Papaloukas 9, Pelekanos 2, Josh Childress 12, Nikola Vujcic 12, Giannis Bourousis 13, Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) 13, Lynn Greer 9, Teodosic 3, Schortsanitis 2, Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) 11, Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) 7, Milosevic
Cibona: Rawle Marshall (200-G-82, college: Oakland) 5, Jared Homan (206-C-83, college: Iowa St.) 6, Earl Calloway 18, Vukusic 2, Davor Kus 8, Prkacin 2, Marin Rozic 11, Princ, Longin, Robert Troha (194-G/F-77, agency: Court Side) 7, Zubcic, Andric 5

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HOLLAND

PromotieDivisie News: Simon Fluks leaves EJ/MyGuide2 for Upstairs Weert - by Terry Cooper
Upstairs Weert has added EJ/MyGuide2 player Simon Fluks (196-F-88) to its roster for the rest of the season. He started this season with the second team of Amsterdam and helped them maintain a first place position so far in the league. Fluks was a member of the MyGuide Amsterdam in 2007-08. He begins with Upstairs Weert right away. Hopefully this will enable other Promotie players to make a move to play at a higher level no matter where the opportunity comes.

FEB Results: Rotterdam Challengers Win Easily In Weert - by Sanders Jackson

In Weert on Tuesday night in FEB action, from the 2nd quarter on Rotterdam Challengers dominated Upstairs Weert, with tough defense en route to an 89-68 blowout win. After being down 19-13 at the end of the 1st quarter, the Rotterdammers dominated the next three quarters by a +27 point difference. The Rotterdammers, who boast one of the best defensive units in the FEB at this moment, also held the Limburgers to 42.5% FG and 5 for 20 from the three-point line. The team of Terrence Stansbury, who himself played for two seasons in the earlier part of the decade in the Boshoven, were led by Sullivan Sykes (193-G/F-81, college: St.Joseph, IN) with 18 pts. Rotterdam center Martin Iti (213-C-83, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: N.Mexico St.) also had an impressive performance with 17 pts. and 8 rebounds, and Bobby Walker (188-G-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) added 16. Rotterdam shot 61.7% FG and were it not for poor free throw shooting (just 10 for 23), it would have been an even bigger blowout. The win improves Rotterdam's record to 10-7 and a half-game out of 4th place, while Upstairs fall to 6-10.

FEB Results: Round 18 - by Sanders Jackson

Saturday night in FEB action, Hanzevast Capitals win once again in a blowout fashion, this time on the road over Landstede Basketball, while ZZ Leiden wins its second straight and Rotterdam Challengers win in Den Helder.

In the ZBC-hal, strong on-the-ball pressure, hard crashing of the offensive glass and a great inside-outside balance was the name of the game for Hanzevast Capitals, who were in charge from start to finish, winning in a 102-76 blowout over Landstede Basketball. Hanzevast's ball pressure and denials forced Landstede out of their comfort zones and to catch entry passes much further the three-point line. While it did not help Landstede's cause with the absence of Robby Bostain (191-G/F-84, agency: Sports Plus International, college: Furman) (foot injury), Hanzevast did not seem to miss the presence of Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side) (suspension). Lead guard Torey Thomas (180-G-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Holy Cross) set the tone for Hanzevast, with strong ball pressure that helped turn defense into offense, and with the ability to get in the lane at will, setting himself up for drives or penetrate-kick looks. This also opened up offensive rebounding and postup opportunities for Hanzevast, who took advanatge of Landstede's interior defense, which is their Achilles' heel at this moment. Landstede had trouble getting defensive stops on the inside, and with excellent perimeter shooting and crisp passing, double teams in the post were not an option for Landstede. Landstede managed to remain close at the end of the 1st quarter thanks to the efforts of Frank Young (196-F-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) and Gerad Punch (193-G/F-84, college: Furman), who were behind 29-23 at the end of the quarter.

In the 2nd quarter, things got worse for Landstede (and got better for Hanzevast), with Landstede turning the ball over early in the quarter. Hanzevast executed their halfcourt pick-and-roll game to a science, with crisp passing and aggressive drives to the hoop. Role players for Donar such as Aaron Roye (185-G-88, agency: R.H.Consultancy), Bas Rozendaal (212-F/C-86, agency: R.H.Consultancy) and Sander de Roos (195-F-91) also made important contributions for Hanzevast. Two consecutive dunks from Ransford Brempong (203-F-81, college: W.Carolina) off penetration dishes and a three-pointer by sniper Will Whittington (191-G/F-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: Marist) helped Hanzevast to a 57-32 halftime lead.

In the 2nd half it would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way, as Hanzevats continued to dominate on the offensive glass, and Thomas continued to attack off the dribble at will, with each time gaining more success than anticipated. In the end, while both teams had little trouble putting the ball in the basket (Hanzevast 62.8% FG, Landstede 63.3% FG), the difference was that Hanzevast forced Landstede into coughing up the ball 25 times, had also 15 offensive rebounds, including five each by Brempong and Simon Conn (206-F/C-83, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Gardner-Webb). Hanzevast also had 35 pts. from the Landstede turnovers and 20 second chance pts. Both Conn and Brempong led six Hanzevast players in double figures with 17 pts each, with both having double-doubles (Conn 11 rebounds, Brempong 10). Thomas added 15 pts. and 8 assists, while Whittington also added 15 with four three-pointers. Young led Landstede with 17. Hanzevast improves to 10-6 and tied for 2nd place in the FEB with Eiffel Towers, while Landstede falls to 8-9.

In Leiden, ZZ Leiden continue to go on the up and up in their recent play, with another strong performance by center Johan Kuijper (217-C-80) en route to winning over Aris Friesland 79-66. The Dutch big man had a double-double of 15 pts. and 16 rebounds, and added 2 blocked shots and 2 steals. Eight of his rebounds also came on the offensive glass. ZZ held Aris Friesland to pedestrian shooting numbers of 40.4% FG and just 5 of 23 from the three-point line. Aris shot also only 9 of 19 from the free throw line and were clobbered on the boards by a 55-42 margin. The win improves ZZ's record to 4-11, while Aris drops its 2nd straight and seventh loss in the past eight games.

In Den Helder, Rotterdam Challengers get back on the winning track thanks to a strong second half performance in its 89-79 road win over BlueStream Seals, spoiling the coaching debut of Remy de Wit. Rotterdam center Martin Iti (213-C-83, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: N.Mexico St.) was a big lift off the bench for the Rotterdammers, and complimented Chaz Twan Briggs (201-F-80, college: W.Virginia) well on the inside, were a potent duo in the deciding 4th quarter run. Both Iti and Briggs combined for 30 total points, 17 by Briggs. Bobby Walker (188-G-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) led all scorers with 21 pts. The Rotterdammers move to 9-7, while BlueStream Seals fall to 4-12 with its 3rd straight loss.

Sunday evening in the Maaspoort in a marquee matchup between last season's FEB finalists, with Eiffel Towers needing desperately a win, broke away from the pack and with a strong start in the 4th quarter, once again toppled the defending FEB champions Eclipse Jet/MyGuide by the score of 83-79. A 10-0 run at the beginning of the 4th quarter courtesy of three-pointers by Taron Downey (186-G-83, college: Wake Forest), Kees Akerboom (200-F-83, agency: Court Side) and Jos Frederiks (194-F/G-76, agency: Court Side) and a free throw gave Eiffel the momentum advantage which it would not relinquish. Eiffel had five players in double figures, were led in scoring by Anthony Richardson (201-F-83, agency: 540 Sports, college: Florida St.) with 14 pts. Eclipse Jet/MyGuide ace Teddy Gipson (193-G/F-80, agency: 540 Sports, college: Arkansas) led all scorers with 29 pts. Eiffel remains in 2nd place, improving to 10-5, while Eclipse Jet/MyGuide falls to 11-2.

In Bergen-op-Zoom, Upstairs Weert showed true grit in the second half in its road win over West-Brabant Giants, first with a strong 3rd quarter effort, then carrying their momentum into the 4th, winning a nailbiter by the score of 73-71. The Limburgers overcame a 35-30 halftime deficit by outscoring the Giants 26-17 in the 3rd quarter, then playing nearly evenly with West-Brabant in the 4th. David Patten (203-F-84, agency: Court Side, college: Weber St.) and Omni Smith (191-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Kent St.) and Steve Ross led the Limburgers with 14 pts each. The Limburgers also had strong play from the bench from Hugo Sterk (193-G/F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Santa Monica CC), who scored 10 pts. The West-Brabant Giants trio of Patrick Pope (183-G-81, college: St.Augustine) (28 pts.), Tim Blue (205-F-84, college: Middle Tenn.St.) (24 pts.) and Jordan Collins (208-C-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) (13 pts.) did the bulk of the scoring, but the other five players combined for only six total points. Aaron Johnson (203-F-83, college: N.Mexico) pulled down 13 rebounds. Upstairs Weert improves to 6-9, while West-Brabant Giants fall to 8-8.

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HUNGARY

Q & A with coach Peter Stahl - by Eurobasket
German coach Peter Stahl got to Hungary in September and had a great season with the surprising team of the season, Dombovar and won 6 of his 8 games until the 4th of December, when he decided to leave the team. There were different articles in papers and on websites in our country, so we decided to call him and let everybody the reason of his decision know.

Eurobasket: Hello Mr. Stahl! First of all thank you for your time! We would like to talk to you about the reasons of your leaving Hungary. As our hungarian authors informed us, the management of the team published, that you asked for breaking of your contract as you did not feell well in Hungary!
P.Stahl: Hello, thank you for your call and the chance to publish the reasons why i decided to leave Dombovar. It is not true that i asked the management to break my contract for any private reasons as i felt very well in the city. There were a lot of nice people, who helped me in my everyday life , i did not even have problems with the way of communication as the most of them spoke english.

Eurobasket: How did you like to be a coach in the country?! It was your first season outside of Germany and Austria, where you had a great carreer before coming to Hungary!
P.Stahl: I really liked to coach in Hungary and found the league very interesting. I was impressed in every game by the fans of every team as they made real good atmosphere in every game we played.

Eurobasket: What are your feelings about your ex-team?! How did you like to work with the players in Dombovar?
P.Stahl: I think, there is a great team in Dombovar this season and i really like the chemistry on the roster. However, there are a lot of things to do better and i hope they will be able to develop their game step by step. I am very happy that i had great hungarian players on the roster who were able to lead the team if necessary. I really like the limited number of foreigners on the rosters, which helps the domestic players to have important roles in their teams.

Eurobasket: Your words are really positive about your time in our country, so would you let us know what was the reason for leaving?
P.Stahl: It was a very hard decision for me to leave the team and the city, because i really liked to work with the guys and to live in the city. I spent three months with the team and the management was not able to keep all the promises they made. As an employed person it is very important for me to be insured by the employee, and that was not the case in Dombovar. I wanted to be legal in the country and as the management did not find the right way to take care of my situation, i found better to leave. It is even not true, that i got always and everything paid on time, otherwise i would be still the coach of the team!

Eurobasket: What about your future? Are you coaching already somewhere else? If not, and any team would call you from Hungary, would you be ready to come back?
P.Stahl: I am back in Austria, where i have been living for 7 years and wait for offers from teams all over Europe! I still did not agree with any team yet and am available! It would be a great pleasure for me to come back to your country and coach an other team!

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ISRAEL

National League Round: 10 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Elitzur Yavne - Natzrath Elite 93-77
Elitzur Yavne overcame Natzrath Elite 93:77 in Regular Season Round 10. Stein Alon led the winners with 23 points and Kantor Guy had 19. Brandy Stanley collected 23 points and 16 rebounds in defeat.

Elitzur Ramla - Hod Hasharon 81-82
Hod Hasharon improved to 7-3 on the second spot after 82:81 over Elitzur Ramla. Hamilton Blake collected 19 points and 16 boards, while Moscovitz Moti had 19 points. Peterson Damon shined for the hosts with 33 points.

Macc.Ashdod - Kohav Yair 94-92
Maccabi Ashdod edged Kohav Yair 94:92 as Brewington Dwight top-scored for the winners with 25 points. Morgan Stacey ended up with 31 points in the losing effort.

Benyamina - Megido/Yok. 101-89
Benyamina outscored Megido/Yok. 101:89 with 22 points and 11 rebounds from Williams. Ben-Eliyaho Hen and Snir Maor followed him with 20 points each, while Eliyahu Avi and Williams Jamal had 22 apiece in defeat.

Bar.Netanya - Lev Hashar. 76-73
Netanya remained undefeated and improved to 10-0 record after beating Lev Hasharon 76:73. Uter Adrian paced the winners with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Gueta Eliran had 19 points and 14 rebounds in defeat, whilst Huli Tomer posted 18 points and dished 10 assits.

Hap.Afula - Hap.Tivon 108-92
Hapoel Afula defeated Hapoel Tivon 108:92 behind 22 points, 7 boards and 8 assists from Peleg Barak. Haris Andre and Shtainhauer Tomer collected 20 points in the losing effort.

Hap.Beeri - Ironi N-Ziona 81-102
Hapoel Beeri lost to Ironi N-Ziona 81:102 as three players scored in the double digits for the winners. Jackson Cedric had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the winners, while Zagury Eilon scored 19 points for the hosts.

Bnei Hasharon register initial win in EuroCup - by Eurobasket News
Bnei Hasharon - Panellinios 78:76

Meir Tapiro (194-G-75, agency: Avi Zilberman) nailed 5 free throws late in regulation to secure a narrow win for Bnei Hasharon against Panellinios. It was the first success for the Israeli side in the EuroCup regular season. The teams are now tied at 1-3 record in Group D.
Meir Tapiro was the main figure for the hosts in the starting frame as he led Bnei Hasharon to a 22:16 advantage at the first break. Richard Roby (198-G-85) dropped a basket to open up a double-digit lead for the hosts midway through the second frame. But Ivan Radenovic (208-F-84, college: Arizona) pushed Panellinios as close as a single point 38:39 at halftime.
The Greek team ran away to a 6-point advantage in the third frame but Bnei Hasharon soon regained the tempo. The teams entered the final quarter tied at 56. Ugonna Onyekwe (203-F-79, college: Pennsylvania) and Shawn James (208-F/C-83, college: Northeastern) produced some key points in the fourth term as Bnei Hasharon managed to build a 9-point cushion. Panellinios trimmed the deficit once again but Meir Tapiro looked solid from the stripe and Bnei Hasharon got away with the victory at the end.
Meir Tapiro topscored with 21 points for Bnei Hasharon. Segado Belcher (191-G-78, college: Nebraska) contributed 15 points for the winning team. Ivan Radenovic answered with 19 points and 7 boards for Panellinios. Stevan Nadjfeji (202-F-79) had 12 points in the losing case.

Bnei Hasharon: Meir Tapiro 21, Segado Belcher 15, Richard Roby 12
Panellinios: Ivan Radenovic 19, Stevan Nadjfeji 12

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ITALY

Benetton secure the fourth straight win in EuroCup - by Eurobasket News
Le Havre - Benetton 76:82

Benetton used a big rally in the third frame to post the fourth straight victory in the EuroCup regular season. The win allowed the Italian team to stay on top of Group C. Benetton also booked the ticket to the Last 16 stage.
Le Havre opened the game confidently as they led 7:0. Le Havre led throughout the opening frame however Domen Lorbek (198-G/F-85) and Rancik cut the deficit to a single point at the first break. Bobby Dixon (178-G-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Troy) fired from downtown to square things up at 24 early in the second period. Soon Domen Lorbek added a three-pointer and the visitors raced ahead 33:30. The teams traded baskets and were knotted up at 41 at the interval.
Sandro Nicevic (210-C-76, agency: Beo Basket), Bobby Dixon and Rancik surged in front 47:41 early in the third frame. Bobby Dixon kept on scoring as Benetton enjoyed a 55:46 at one point. But winless Le Havre was not about to drop this one that easily. Bingo Merriex (204-F-80, college: TCU) drained several treys to drag Le Havre within 3 points. But Andrea Renzi (208-F/C-89) and Domen Lorbek ensured a 16-point lead for Bentton late in the third quarter fueling a 16:3 run. TJ Thompson (177-G-82, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington) and Bingo Merriex narrowed the margin early in the fourth before Bobby Dixon once again stepped up for the visitors. His three-pointer silenced Le Havre and the Italian team eased to the win at the end.
Domen Lorbek scored 21 points to lead Benetton. Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-79, agency: Beo Basket, college: St.Cloud St.) added 16 points and 7 boards for the winners. Fabien Causeur (193-G-87) and TJ Thompson answered with 17 points apiece in the losing effort.

Le Havre: Fabien Causeur 17, TJ Thompson 17
Benetton: Domen Lorbek 21, Radoslav Rancik 16, Bobby Dixon 15

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JAMAICA

Rose drops 20 points as Cedarville stops Trevecca Nazarene - by Leonard Whyte
Nashville, TN (12-17-2008): Senior center, Daniel Rose (208-C-83), delivered 20 points off the bench to help NAIA Division II No. 9 Cedarville University to an impressive 75-63 non-conference win at Trevecca Nazarene University last night in Nashville. The 6 10 Rose also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots as the Yellow Jackets, playing for the first time in 10 days, won their third straight game to up their record to 11-1 overall. Another Jamaican, center Ricardo Alliman, pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds while adding seven points. The third Jamaican, forward Christopher Walker, contributed five points and eight rebounds.

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KOSOVO

The federation punishes Bashkimi coach - by Eurobasket
Head coach of KB Bashkimi Arben Elshani is punished by Federation of Kosovo Basketball with 150 conform article 53 D/9 of PG. For his declaration that he gave to the daily newspaper 'Koha Ditore' of date 09.12.2008 also other mediums ( because he critised the judge of the game between Trepca-Bashkimi of 15th week). Within opening discipline procedure from him is asked to give declaration of the reasons of his declarations days before to the mediums,and the decision is taken conform rules of prepositions of the edition 2008/09.

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LATVIA

LBAL Standings

Austrumi
1. Salacgriva	11-1
2. Lielvarde	9-0
3. Pargauja	8-3
4. Jekabpils	5-6
5. Madona	4-6
6. DU/Swedbank	4-7
7. Sigulda	2-9
8. Gulbene	0-11
Centrs A
1. Livu akvaparks	8-1
2. Ogre/Sonora	6-2
3. Saulkrasti	6-3
4. LU	5-3
5. VIA Riga	3-6
6. Ridzene M.	2-6
7. Ridzene 90	0-9
Centrs B
1. Turiba	10-2
2. Kursa/MRU	9-3
3. BJSS Keizar.	8-3
4. VEF Riga	7-4
5. Juramalas SS	5-5
6. Ogre/LDz	5-6
7. Ridzene 91	3-7
8. 3.BJSS	1-9
9. DSN	1-10
Rietumi
1. Variants	10-1
2. Perkons	10-1
3. Bauska	8-4
4. Dartija	7-4
5. Talsi	5-6
6. Olaine	5-7
7. Saldus-2	3-8
8. Kuldiga	2-9
9. Tukums	1-11

LBL Round: 18 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
VEF Riga - Liepaja 77-75
VEF Riga outscored Liepaja at home court to secure the fifth win in the season. VEF Riga led by 8 points at halftime before nearly wasting all of their advantage in the second half. However they managed to eke out a narrow victory at the end. Edgars Jeromanovs secured 26 points for VEF Riga. Evgeniy Kolesnikov contributed 16 points, 8 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Ugis Vilums responded with 15 points for Liepajas.

Lukoil upset Barons/LMT in Latvia - by Eurobasket News
Barons/LMT - Lukoil 84:88

Lukoil kept their hopes of reaching Last 16 in EuroCup alive with a hard-fought road win over Barons/LMT yesterday. Chavdar Kostov (196-G-88, agency: Interperformances) and Toni Akins (180-G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Georgia Tech) nailed 14 points apiece to lead the Bulgarian side to the initial win in Group B. Lukoil now caught up with Barons/LMT at 1-3 record one win behind Dynamo Moscow.
Barons got to a quick start as they raced to a 9:4 lead early on. Armands Skele (192-G-83, agency: Agency No 10) and Alexander soon made it 23:13 for the hosts. Dimitar Angelov (202-G/F-79, agency: Interperformances) finalized a 9-point tally in the opening term as Lukoil trailed 19:26 at the first intermission. The visitors notched a 13:2 run in the second quarter to surge ahead 33:28. Stoykov came up strong in the final minutes of the first half and secured a 47:43 lead for the Bulgarian team at the interval.
Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama) and Charles Rhodes (203-F/C-85, college: Mississippi St.) regained the lead for the home team at the early stages of the second half. Stoykov and Dimitar Angelov kept it hot for the visitors as Lukoil ensured a 67:59 advantage after three quarters of action. Armands Skele ignited an 8:2 rally from Barons to open the fourth period as they narrowed the gap. Charles Rhodes and Armands Skele soon tied the scoreline at 82. However three-pointer from Toni Akins and a bucket from Chavdar Kostov gave Lukoil a decisive lead late in regulation and they ensured the winning outcome at the end.
Dimitar Angelov finished with 13 points for Lukoil. Armands Skele answered with game-high 26 points, 7 boards and 5 assists for Barons. Demetrius Alexander added 18 points and 14 boards in the loss.

Barons/LMT: Armands Skele 26, Demetrius Alexander 18+14 boards
Lukoil: Chavdar Kostov 14, Toni Akins 14, Dimitar Angelov 13

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LEBANON

Third Week Results - by Asia-Basket Lebanon
Three teams remained unbeaten in this round , Riyadi, Sagesse, Moutahed, on the other side Feytroun scored its first win of the season against Anibal and the biggest surprise was Kahraba beating Tebnine. This round saw one of the best matches since years Blue Stars to Sagesse .

1 - Feytroun ( 0-2) - Anibal(1-1): 93-90

Feytroun under the guidance of Elie Nasr had a very good performance in last season, this year the team had a weak start by a loss against Champville and Sagesse.On the other side Anibal had a very prestigious win against Antranik in the second round and had the intention to continue the winning streak .Anibal had a big dominance in the first quarter and they led at the end of the quarter 27-20.In the seond quarter Feyroun made a big comeback though a very organized press which caused big problems to coach Zaloum guys , this quarter saw Feytroun taking the lead at the half on the score of 55-47.In the second half the tempo was an equal one and the lead was exchanged between the two teams. Feytroun had a big problem with two minutes left in the game when its two foreign players fouled out with five fouls, but its gave more motive to the local players who regrouped and prevailed in the end to score their first win on the score of 93-90.

Best Scorers :

Feytroun: Norman Plummer (28pts)

Anibal: Jihad El Murr (21pts)

2 - Kahraba(0-2)- Tebnine(0-2) : 69-61

This game was the surprise of the season , Tebnine the team that had a great preseason continued its bad start of the season, Kahraba the team that came from second division had a good game against Riyadi in the previous round , when they lost their game in the fourth quarter against the Champion of the past years. This game was a continuity of Kahrabas good performance , they created a big surprise by beating Tebnine on the score of 69-61.

Best Scorers :

Kahraba: William Byrd (24pts)

Tebnine: Chudney Gray (23pts)

3 - Antranik(0-2) - Riyadi (2-0) : 76-98

Riyadi continued its dominance for the start of the season by winning its 4th consecutive win, this time was against Antranik , Antranik had a small resistance only in the first quarter which finished 16-14.The rest of the game saw the big dominance of Riyadi especially through Fadi El Khatib who finished the game with 34 points .The game finished at the score of 76-98.

Best Scorers :

Antranik: Lucious Wagner (27pts)

Riyadi: Fadi El Khatib (34pts)

4 - Moutahed(2-0) - Champville(2-0) : 100-66

This game was supposed to be a real exciting one , but the start of the game proved the opposite , Moutahed applied a big organized defense on Champville players which crippled their offense and gave a big lead to Moutahed from the first minutes .The game finished on a very big margin at the score of 100-66.

Best Scorers :

Moutahed: Anthony Williams (24pts)

Champville: Carl Sarkis (18pts)

5 - Blue Stars(1-1) - Sagesse (2-0): 79-80

This game will be considered one of the best games played in the Lebanese League for the past years. The game was very enjoyable in all its aspects. The Gym was fully crowded; the two teams played a great basketball.

The intensity and the excitement were present till the last second of the game, Sagesse started the game with a dominance from Samaki Walker who was very active in this game, Blue Stars was answering back to a very organized basketball , the two teams players were very focused on wining the game , and minute after minute a great basketball was produced on the court by the two teams.

The last minutes of the game saw some very exciting moments , when Nicholas Zachery gave the lead with two points to Blue Stars with seconds remaining in the game but Sabah Khouri had different thoughts when he hit a very important 3pointer and secured a very essential and important win for Sagesse on the score of 80-79.

Best Scorers :

Blue Stars : Jean Abed El Nour (18pts)

Sagesse: Samaki Walker (26pts)

Stats Leaders - Men

Div.A Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

ElKhatib, Al Riyadi 36.3
Plummer, Feytroun 25.5
Fraser , Antranik 23.0
Joseph, Feytroun 21.8
Williams, Mouttahed 21.5

Rebounds Per Game

Fraser, Antranik 23.0
Alexander, Anibal 16.8
Plummer, Feytroun 15.5
Walker, Sagesse 14.7
Cox, Kahraba 13.5

Assists Per Game

Ahmad, Al Riyadi 8.3
Gray, Tebnin 6.3
Kelly, Mouttahed 5.8
Akiki, Champville 5.3
Joseph, Feytroun 5.0

Steals Per Game

1 D.Kelly, Moutah 3.3
2 E.Estephan,Champ 3
3 Gh.Reda, Champ 2.7

Blocks Per Game

1 A.Haynes, Feyt. 2.2
2 J. Vogel, Riyadi 1.7
3 L.Malloy,Antranik 1.4

2FGP

1 Mneimneh,Riyadi. 67.4
2 K.Jhonson, Sag 66.2
3 J. Ghattas , Sag 61.5

3FGP

1 Eskidjian ,Antran 50
2 N.Nolan,Moutah 44
3 J. Murr , B. Stars 42.9

Free Throws

1 A.Haynes, Feyt. 82.8
2 J. Vogel, Riyadi 81.8
3 K.Jhonson, Sag 78.4

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LIBERIA

Liberian player gets one year ban - by Numennie Williams
The Liberia Basketball Federation has ban LPRC forward Jethro Bing for the period of one year. The Secretary General of the basketball federation Fred Pratt said the player was ban for attacking a colleague Dewee of Mighty Barrolle basketball team during a basketball team. According to Article 111, section 9 of the LBF constitution which states a player leaving the court of play for a fight, surround disrespect to officials of the LBF, spectators or walk-out, shall subject to suspension from LBF activities for one season.
Jethro Bing who also plays for the national basketball team of Liberia is appealing to basketball authorities to pardon him.

Jethro Bing (199-C-84)

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LIGA AMERICAS

Standings

Liga Americas Standings

Group A
1. Arecibo		2-1
2. Merengueros		2-1
3. Minas		2-1
4. Pioneros		0-3
Group B
1. Bigua		1-0
2. Penarol		1-0
3. U.Concepc.		0-1
4. Regatas C.		0-1
Group C
1. Dep.Castro		0-0
2. Flamengo		0-0
3. Libertad		0-0
4. Universo/BRB		0-0
Group D
1. Liceo		0-0
2. Quimsa		0-0
3. Halc. Xalpa		0-0
4. Soles		0-0

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MEXICO

Hickerson Steals the Show - by Carlos Chapa
The LNBP celebrated another edition of the All-Star game, this time it took place in Mexico City's Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera.
Three players from Halcones UV Xalapa were selected to the game, one of them, LeRoy Hickerson (196-G-82, college: Cumberlands), defended his crown and again won the dunk competition, another player from Xalapa, Ray Castillo (196-G/F-82, college: UTPA), took the three-point contest.

The game started with a 13-2 streak by the Northern Zone, led by Blake Walker (196-G/F-82, college: Portland St.), who made 15 points in the 1st frame,
the actions got tied at halftime, with lead changes by both teams. Most part of the 4th quarter was tied, in the last minute of the game, Kenya Capers (194-F-73, college: Houston) made 4 key FTs,
in the end Noe Alonzo (200-F-83, college: Grand Canyon) nailed a shot from downtown, but it was too late, the game ended with the Southern Zone winning 123-122 against the Northern Zone.

LeRoy Hickerson made 23 points for the South, and was named the MVP of the game.
Blake Walker finished with 33 points.

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NBA

NBA Round: 50 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Bulls - Bobcats 101-110
D.J. Austin poured in 29 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Raymond Felton helped the Bobcats with 21 points, 6 boards and 7 assists. Emeka Okafor finished the game with double-double, 20 points and 13 boards. Ben Gordon responded with 25 points and 5 as for the Bulls, while Tyrus Thomas, who came off the bench, collected 22 points and 9 boards. Bobcats 8-18, Bulls 11-13.

Hornets - Grizzlies 91-84
New Orleans Hornets were better than Memphis Grizzlies on the road jumping on pretty good 14-7 record. David West and Chris Paul nailed 18 points each for the winners. Paul also had 9 assists beside that. Rudy Gay netted 28, while O.J. Mayo scored 20 points in loss. Grizzlies 9-16.

Clippers - Thunder 98-88
Zach Randolph stepped up for the LA Clippers with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Eric Gordon also shined with 22 pts. Their team improved on 7-17. On the other side, it was 24th defeat for the OC Thunder. Kevin Durant delivered 25 points for the hosts.

Nuggets - Rockets 96-108
Chinese superstar Ming Yao nailed 32 points and pulled down 7 rebounds pacing his Houston Rockets to 16th victory of the season. Tracy McGrady finished the game with double-double 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for 37 minutes. Carmelo Anthony contributed with 22 points in loss. Nuggets 17-8.

Kings - Trail Blazers 77-109
Portland Trail Blazers registered comfortable 22-point win against Sacramento Kings mostly owing to Brandon Roy, who came up with 29 pts and 5 assists for 30 minutes. The Kings got 21 points and 5 boards from John Salmons. Trail Blazers 16-10, Kings 7-19.

Knicks - Lakers 114-116
LA Lakers escaped with a tiny home victory against NY Knicks. Trevor Ariza made the go-ahead basket with one minute to go leading the Lakers to 21-3 (14th win in 16 games). Kobe Bryant led the scorers in LA Lakers with 28 points (also had 7 rebs and 6 as). Pau Gasol was too ill to play. Nate Robinson drained 33 points for the Knicks (11-14).

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ROMANIA

CSU Brasov drops on 1-4 in BIBL - by Eurobasket News
Balkan League, Round 6: Swisslions Takovo - CSU Brasov 76-55

CSU Brasov couldn't handle Swisslion Takovo on the road suffering the fourth defeat in Balkan league, Group A. On the other hand, the Serbian representative already booked a spot for the quarterfinals. Brasov and Radnicki 034 are at the bottom of Group A with 1-4. Radovan Markovic (194-G-82) shined for the winners delivering 18 points. Vladimir Popovic (190-G-82) helped him with 14, while Nemanja Kovacevic (193-G-85) had 12 pts. The hosts got 14 points and 8 boards from Sasa Mijajlovic (211-C-80, college: Hutchinson JC). Andrei Mandache (190-G-87), who scored 13 pts, was the last one with more than 10. Alex Hartman (201-G/F-85, agency: Tank Sports, college: Concordia (OR)) stopped on 8 pts.
Swisslion opened the game strongly, but CSU Brasov managed to stay on minus 1 until the end of it. Unfortunately to Romanians, the following 10 minutes totally belonged to Swisslions. Sasa Mijajlovic and his teammates had many troubles at the offensive end. Swisslion intensified defense forcing Brasov to make few mistakes as well as to pull up many tough shots. Everything resulted with only 6 points for the visitors in the second quarter. On the other side, the hosts drained 18 for 39-26 at the half time. Until the end of the game CSU Brasov was not able to come any closer.

Swisslions Takovo: Radovan Markovic 18, Vladimir Popovic 14, Nemanja Kovacevic 12
CSU Brasov: Sasa Mijajlovic 14+8 boards, Andrei Mandache 13, Alex Hartman 8

Cluj bring back Krstanovic - by Vasile Racovitan
Zoran Krstanovic (205-C-82) will return to Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca, after playing in the Dutch league.
Krstanovic left Cluj this summer, after playing in the Romanian Championship Finals, and joined Hanzevast Capitals Groningen.
He parted ways mutually with the team from Holland and will be eligible to play for Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca only in 2009, when the second part of the cahamspionship will start.
Krstanovic will replace Mike Kinsella at Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca.
The management of the team noted that the signing of Krstanovic is not the last one, but did not give any more details. Since Mihai Popa (186-G-79) is injured and will miss the rest of the season, it is expected that the team will bring a Guard in the following weeks.

Champions add Krauser to their roster - by Vasile Racovitan
Carl Krauser (188-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) is the newest addition to the roster of champions CSU Asesoft Ploiesti. He comes from Pittsburgh Xplosion, in the CBA.
Krauser is at his second European team, after playing in the German first league, for EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
'I came to Ploiesti to win games. This is a new step in mz career and a new chance to get back into form. Next summer, I will be training with the Los Angeles Lakers, but until then, I want to win the Romanian Championship', Krauser said for the official website of CSU Asesoft Ploiesti.
Krauser will replace Tyson Wheeler, who parted ways with CSU Asesoft Ploiesti last week.

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RUSSIA

Khimky thump Besiktas at home court - by Eurobasket News
Khimky - Besiktas 91:65

Russian Khimky claimed the third win in the EuroCup season as they thrashed visiting Besiktas at home court. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85) stepped up for Khimky with 14 points. Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) added 11 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Cevher Ozer (206-F/C-83, agency: 1x1 Sports) replied with 16 points for Besiktas in defeat. The win put Khimky on the verge of qualification into the Last 16. Besiktas meanwhile fell at 1-3 record at the third spot in Group C.
Khimky used a 10:0 run to lead by 6 points early in the game. Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) and Nikita Shabalkin (204-F-86) ensured a 23:12 lead for the hosts after the starting frame. Vitaly Fridzon and Pankrashov stretched the margin to as many as 16 points early in the second half. Another rally from the home team highlighted by a treble from Jorge Garbajosa gave Khimky a massive 41:20 advantage. Besiktas cut the distance just to watch Jorge Garbajosa draining another long bomb to make it 44:27 for Khimky at the interval.
Cevher Ozer and Mire Chatman (187-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: UTPA) trimmed the distance to 15 points at the start of the third frame but the rally was soon abrupt. Delfino and Palacio regained a 20-point advantage for Khimky. Bekitas never recovered and allowed Khimky to ease to the victory at the end.

Khimky: Vitaly Fridzon 14, Jorge Garbajosa 11, Jerome Moiso (208-C/F-78, college: UCLA) 9
Besiktas: Cevher Ozer 16, Mire Chatman 15

Unics book ticket to EuroCup Last 16 - by Eurobasket News
Dynamo Moscow - Unics 77:87

Sergei Chikalkin (196-G-75) notched 25 points off the bench to pace Unics to the fourth straight victory in the EuroCup regular season. The victory sealed the Last 16 birth for the Kazan outfit. Dynamo in the meantime fell at 2-2 record in the second spot in Group B.
The lead changed hands for numerous times in the opening term and it was al square at 22 after ten minutes of action. Jannero Pargo (187-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Arkansas) put the hosts up by 5 early in the second term before Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) and Sergei Chikalkin replied for Unics. They pulled the visitors in front 35:34 and then ensured a 47:42 lead for Unics at halftime.
Darjus Lavrinovic (212-C-79) and Hollis Price (186-G-79, college: Oklahoma) tied the scoreline at 48 midway through the third quarter. However Unics stayed consistent and entered the fourth quarter ahead by 3 points. Sergei Chikalkin drained two more trebles in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter as Unics cleared off to a 9-point distance. The visitors then proved accurate from the charity stripe and got away with a tough victory at the end.
Tariq Kirksay (199-F-79, college: Iona) contributed 20 points and 7 boards for Unics. Vladimir Veremeenko (208-F-84) had 13 points and 10 boards in the win. Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) finished with 17 points and 7 boards for Dynamo. Darjus Lavrinovic added 15 points and 9 boards in the loss.

Dynamo: Robertas Javtokas 17, Darjus Lavrinovic 15
Unics: Sergei Chikalkin 25, Tariq Kirksay 20, Vladimir Veremeenko 13+10 boar

Russian teams had a great total result in EuroChallenge - by Eurobasket News
Russian teams had a great total result in EuroChallenge last night, but could be even perfect. Triumph led 11 points in the last minutes over Kyiv, but lost 1 point to the Ukrainian representative.
Ural Great jumped to 3-1 after the home win over SAOS Hyeres in EuroChallenge Group B. The Russian squad had 84:76 as Aleksei Surovtsev (202-G-84) and Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) poured in 23 points each for the winners. Perincic Hrvoje produced 20 points and 7 rebounds in defeat. The win has given the Perm side a 3-1 record while dropping the French club to 2-2.
Lokomotiv Rostov is second in Group C after 89:84 over BC Sumykhimprom. Fred House (196-F-78, college: S.Utah) top-scored for the winners with 26 points, whilst Maxim Krivosheev (205-F/C-88) nailed 17. Greene Brian colllected 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat,whilst Kuso Abdullahi netted 18.
Russian CSK-VVS Samara celebrated the initial victory in the EuroChallenge by rolling to a surprisingly easy 80:58 win at Tartu Rock in Estonia. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: N.E.T., college: St.Louis) notched 22 points to lead all the winners in the game. Tein Tanel scored 18 and Beard Tanoka collected 16 points and 12 rebounds for the hosts. The triumph at Tartu has improved Samara's record to 1-3 in Group G while dropping the Estonian team to 2-2.
BC Kyiv shocked Triumph in Group H and satisfied the local fans after 66:65 in the EuroChallenge. Trailing 54:65 with 3 minutes in the game Ukrainian side scored 12 points in a row to clinch an important victory. Scales Alex paced all the winners with 22 points, while Drozdov Artur added 11. Ernest Bremer (196-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: St.Bonaventure) nailed 16 points in the losing effort. Kyiv improved to 3-1 in Group H while Triumph are now 2-2.

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SERBIA

Swisslions Takovo books a spot for the Balkan league quarterfinals - by Dragan Jankovski
In Round 6 of Balkan league Swisslions Takovo was too strong for Romanian CSU Brasov 76-55 already qualifying for the quarterfinals. The hosts now have 4-1 in Group B, while Romanians are on 1-4. Macedonian champion Feni Industri is the second team from the same group who already booked a spot for the next stage. Radovan Markovic (194-G-82) scored the most in Swisslions, 18 points. Vladimir Popovic (190-G-82) had 14 and Nemanja Kovacevic (193-G-85) netted 12 points. Serbian Sasa Mijajlovic (211-C-80, college: Hutchinson JC) was the best player in CSU Brasov with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Andrei Mandache (190-G-87) followed him with 13 pts. Swisslions Takovo is free in Round 7.

Radnicki 034 Group, who is also participant of Group B in Balkan league, suffered road defeat against above mentioned Feni Industri 60-92. Radnicki stays on just one win in 5 games. Donald Cole (204-C-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: Sam Houston St.) had 18 points and 9 rebounds for the hosts. Zlatko Gocevski (206-C-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) followed him with 2 pts less. Veteran Radovan Pesic (186-G-72, agency: Beo Basket) scored 13 points for Radnicki. Ivan Milosevic (192-G-78) had 10. In the next round Radnicki will play at home against Cherno More.

Third Serbian team in Balkan league, Mega Hypo Leasing, was free this week.

Keselj leads Zvezda to Last 16 in EuroCup, Hemofarm wins vs Buducnost, FMP losses in Bologna - by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda outplayed last season's Polish runner up, PGE Turow, on the road 86-76 booking a spot for the Last 16 in EuroCup. The Red-end-whites now have 3-1 in Group F, while Turow is on 1-3. Charleroi is on top with 4-0 and Brose Baskets is winless. MVP of the previous round in Adriatic league, Marko Keselj (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket), once again was in a game mood for Zvezda collecting 20 points and 5 rebounds for 31 minutes. He had 4 of 5 for FG2, 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 3 of 4 from the free throw line. Lawrence Roberts (205-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.) also shined for the Serbian team 16 points and 8 rebs. Nemanja Bjelica (209-F/C-88, agency: Interperformances) followed with 12 points. Turow got 15 points from Bryan Bailey (185-G-80, college: Bucknell). In the next round Zvezda will meet undefeated Charleroi in Belgrade, while Turow waits Brose Baskets.

Hemofarm STADA made a huge step forward to the next round in EuroCup beating Buducnost in Vrsac 89-85. Hemofarm now has 2-2 in Group H, while Buduncost is on 1-3 (same as Nymburk). Bilbao is on top with 4-0. One of the hottest Serbian prospects, Stefan Markovic (194-G-88), was totally unstoppable netting 33 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Miljan Pavkovic (178-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) was behind him with 15 pts and without any missed shot (1/1 FG2, 2/2 3-pts, 7/7 FT). Vladimir Dragicevic (206-C/F-86) was better than the others in Buducnost with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

FMP was not able to resist in Bologna against Fortitudo suffering 61-88 defeat. Despite this loss FMP still has some chances to reach the next stage. Group G: Pamesa 4-0, Fortitudo 2-2, Dragons 1-3, FMP 1-3. Predrag Samardziski (214-C-86) had 15 points and 8 rebounds for the Serbian team. Jamont Gordon (193-G/F-87, college: Mississippi St.) led the hosts with 23 points and 5 rebs.

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SEYCHELLES

Mauritius friendly tournament - Golden outing for Premium Cobras - by Carlos Pereira
IT has been a perfect outing for local basketball team Premium Cobras, who won the gold medal in a friendly tournament in Mauritius. Shooting guard Darren Lesperance was also named the Most Valuable Player.The Cobras left Seychelles on December 4 and returned last Saturday night after making a clean sweep of their Mauritian opponents.

Third in the Mens division one league, Premium Cobras won all their matches against the Mauritian under-23 national selection, Real and Attila basketball clubs. The matches were played at the Phoenix Gymnasium in Quatre Bornes and the Quorum in Rose-Hill.

They were also challenged by the Barkley basketball team and won the match-up.
Speaking to Sports Nation, Premium Cobras club president Roy Collie said it has been a fruitful outing for them as this was the fifth consecutive time they had taken part in the tournament.
We took the matches seriously even though it was a friendly tournament. The Mauritius under-23 selection, who are preparing for the 2011 Indian Ocean Islands Games, gave a good performance. We expect them to be in good shape in 2011, said Mr Collie.

He Collie added that the Premium Cobras team were invited to a cocktail reception by new Mauritian sports minister, who was present at all of their games.

They also took the opportunity to meet representatives from the Mauritian sports ministry and the Mauritius Basketball Federation.

He said Premium Cobras will be ready to compete in local competitions next year.I. H.

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SLOVAKIA

Stats Leaders - D1

Extraliga Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

1 Polakovic, Inter 23.5
2 Gumbs, Inter 21.2
3 Lukjanec, Pezinok 21.2
4 Ingles, Chemosvit 21.2
5 Majoros, Komarno 20.9
6 Williams, Pezinok 20.6
7 Hill, Nitra 19.5
8 Savovic, D.Kubin 19.4
9 Batka, Slavia 19.4
10 Johnson, MBK 18.8

Rebounds Per Game

1 Dawson, Levice 8.8
2 Micuda, Pezinok 7.6
3 Pesta, N.Ves 7.4
4 Whisby, Pezinok 7.3
5 Skara, B.Bystrica 7.3
6 Szalay, Prievidza 7.1
7 Stefanac, D.Kubin 6.6
8 Sedmak, Chem. 6.6
9 Batka, Slavia 6.5
10 Gumbs, Inter 6.5

Assists Per Game

1 Lawrence, Nitra 6.3
2 Milosevic, Levice 5.5
3 Williams, Pezinok 5.5
4 Micka, Inter 4.9
5 Immink, Prievidza 4.2
6 Johnson, Handlova 4.0
7 Ingles, Poprad 3.8
8 Avalic, N.Ves 3.3
9 Bitinas, Poprad 3.1
10 Akulich, B.Byst. 3.1

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SLOVENIA

Division II at the halfway point of the season - by Zeljko Zule
Logo Grosuplje maintaned its one-win lead over Maribor and Celjski KK at the top of Eastern Conference of Division II East at the halfway point of the season. Splosna plovba Portoroz is at the top on the West.
Division II - East: Logo Grosuplje 10-1, Maribor 9-2, Celjski KK 9-2, Jezica 8-3, Ilirija 7-4, Dravograd 7-4, Podbocje 6-5, Pakman Celje 4-7, Calcit Mavrica 2-9, Union Olimpija II 2-9, Lastovka 0-11.
Division II - West: Splosna plovba Portoroz 9-2, Tinex Medvode 8-3, Kolpa Crnomelj 8-3, Marc Ajdovscina 7-4, Jesenice 7-4, Tolmin 7-4, Radovljica 5-6, Idrija 5-6, Plama Pur 4-7, Strazisce 3-8, Pingvini Smartno 2-9, Krka II 1-10.
Top Scorers - East: 25,6-Robert Ribezl (Celjski KK, 193-G/F-80), 21,5-Grega Kajnih (Calcit Mavrica), 21,5-Marjan Bozic (Podbocje), 21,1-Adin Kavgic (Dravograd), 20,9-Rok Gobec (Terme Olimia), 18,5-Blaz Lobe (Logo Grosuplje), 18,5-Borut Rozman (Podbocje), 18,4-Jure Struc (Dravograd), 18,3-Jernej Stahl (Terme Olimia), 17,2-Gregor Bojovic (Ilirija).
Top Scorers - West: 23,0-Matija Rovscek (Tolmin), 21,0-Uros Trdan (Plama Pur), 20,3-Matej Pirija (Jesenice), 18,8-Maj Kovacevic (Krka II), 17,9-Emir Jusic (Jesenice), 17,5-Matic Goropevsek (Radovljica), 17,1-Jasmin Hercegovac (Kolpa Crnomelj), 16,7-Nejc Koracin (Krka II), 15,8-Alen Prole (SP Portoroz), 15,0-Matic Mihalic (Krka II).

Zagorje adds Juric, Subotic stepps down - by Zeljko Zule
Zagorje inked experienced Miroslav Juric (194-G-75, agency: Interperformances) ex Kraski zidar Jadran and will replace injured Ales Primc (201-F-79, agency: Global Sports Plaza). He averaged 35,5 minutes, 19,0 points, 2,3 rebounds, 2,6 assists and 0,6 steals last season in 27 games of UPC League.
Slobodan Subotic has decided to step down as coach of Croatian team Split CO, effective immediatelly. His team has lost four games in a row. Subotic joined Zeljko Pavlicevic (Zagreb), Zoran Sretenovic (Vojvodina), Aleksandar Dzikic (Union Olimpija) and Slobodan Klipa (FMP) as head coaches to lose their jobs less than three months into this season.

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SPAIN

EuroCup and EuroChallenge news - by Eurobasket News
Four Spanish squads played their latest games in EuroCup and EuroChallenge.
Gran Canaria shot down Asvel in France to get things really heavily mixed up in Group E of EuroCup. All four teams are now tied at 2-2 record with the intrigue growing high. Marcus Norris (185-G-74, agency: SportsTalent, college: Ball St.) nailed 19 points to lead the Spanish team past Asvel. Carl English added 12 points for the winners. Amara Sy answered with 21 points and 7 boards for Asvel in defeat.
Pamesa eased past Artland Dragons for the fourth win in a row in EuroCup. Ruben Douglas fired 7 times from downtown to accumulate 27 points and 7 boards for Valencia. Kosta Perovic (217-C-85) secured 16 points in the win. The Dragons got 23 points from Darren Fenn in the loss.
Bilbao stayed perfect as they thumped Nymburk in Group H tonight. Renaldas Seibutis (196-G-85) netted 21 points to lead the charge. Javier Salgado (180-G-80) delivered 19 points for the winning team. Goran Jagodnik secured 18 points and 5 boards for Nymburk as they fell at 1-3 record.
Cajasol improved to 2-2 record after a road trip to Poland. The team had a 83:53 win over Energa Czarni in EuroChallenge. Nik Caner-Medley (203-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Maryland) paced all the winners with 22 points, while Collins DeJuan netted 12. Cesnauskis Mantas produced the same number of points in defeat. The win improved the Seville outfit to 2-2 in Group A while dropping the Slupsk club to 1-3.

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SWEDEN

Solna Vikings grab 12th win in Basketligan - by Eurobasket News
Solna Vikings were victorious in Round 16 of Swedish Basketligan. It means that the Vikings remain on top of the standings with pretty good 12-3 record. In this round Solna outplayed Helsinborg 77-50. Jonte Flowers (196-G, agency: CAA Sports) and Martin Pahlmblad (193-G-86) shined netting 17 points apiece. Jonas Christensen (191-G/F-78) contributed with 12 points in loss. His Helsinborg now has 6-7.

Norrkoping faced with inconvenient home defeat against Plannja Basket 74-89 slipping on the second place with 11-3. On the other side, Plannja moved up on 8-6. Gerald Riley (198-F-81, college: Georgetown) top-scored for the winners with 16, while Jim Enbom (195-F-76) helped with one point less. Norrkoping got 16 points from Joakim Kjellbom (213-C/F-79, college: N.Arizona).

08 Stockholm escaped with 83-82 home win against Jamtland mostly owing to Jerel Blassingame and his 19 points. Tommy Johnson (196-G/F-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Texas Wesleyan) and Andrew Mitchell (180-G-79, college: Kent St.) replied with 20 points apiece for the hosts. Stockholm 8-7, Jamtland 5-10.

Sundsvall was better than Gothia Basket as a visitor 78-70. Alexander Wesby was central figure of the game as he collected 22 points and 7 boards. Emil Salon (190-G-85) netted 15 pts for the hosts. Sundsvall 4-11, Gothia 3-11.

Uppsala outsmarted Boras 84-75 for third place and 10-4 record. Boras is on 4-11. Mindaugas Budzinauskas (198-G-73) nailed 25 points for the hosts. Christopher Anrin had 18 in loss.

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TURKEY

UBL

UBL (Springfield ,Missouri Thrill) Tryout Camp Jan. 10, 2009 - by Ozzie Denson

The UBL is proud to have the Springfield Thrill tryout camp on Jan 10,2009. All players fees are $50.00 per player. The Springfield Thrills will be playing at Glendale High School Gym in Springfield Missouri.
2727 Ingram Mill Road Springfield Mo. Please Call 972-781-8120 for info or visit www.ublhoopscom The UBL is the league that moves its players to the next level. Please visit www.ublhoops.com for more info.

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UKRAINE

Trailing 11 points with 3 minutes in the game BC Kyiv shocked Triumph - by Eurobasket News

Ukrainian teams played their latest games in EuroChallenge last night. In a tough battles only the favorite could celebrate the win.

BC Kyiv shocked Triumph in Group H and satisfied the local fans after 66:65 in the EuroChallenge. Trailing 54:65 with 3 minutes in the game Ukrainian side scored 12 points in a row to clinch an important victory. Alex Scales (192-G-78, college: Oregon) paced all the winners with 22 points, while Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) added 11. Bremer Ernest nailed 16 points in the losing effort. Kyiv improved to 3-1 in Group H while Triumph are now 2-2.
Lokomotiv Rostov is second in Group C after 89:84 over BC Sumykhimprom. House Fred top-scored for the winners with 26 points, whilst Maxim Krivosheev (205-F/C-88) nailed 17. Brian Greene (196-G/F-84, college: Florida A&M) collected 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat,whilst Kuso Abdullahi netted 18.
Dexia Mons-Hainaut overcame Khimik Yuzhny to better their positions in the group. Belgian team won 82:76 to improve to 3-1 in Group F while Khimik slipped to 2-2. Elton Nesbitt (176-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia Southern) top-scored for the winners with 19 points and Caleb Green (203-F-85, college: ORU) netted 18. Bratic Sasa ended up with 19 points in the losing effort.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

An Nasr Imports for Dubai Tournament - by Mohammed Malas
An Nasr basketball team are getting ready for Dubai International Tournament (20-28 December) under the coaching of Srdjan Antic .....

The american forward Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) will remain with the team during the tournament and after while Reggie Butler (207-C-77, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Xavier) will replace the team's main center Marquis Estill (206-F-81, college: Kentucky) who's still suffering from the injury he had before 3 weeks, The 3rd import will be the argentinian center Guillermo Scholtis (217-C-78).

Butler was in turkey before joining An Nasr, He played before in China, Ecuador, Jordan, Philippines, Spain and Portugal, While Scholtis did'nt play from 3 seasons but he's fit to play for the tournament and show what he has.

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URUGUAY

Malvin reach the second position - by Hector Lopez
Malvin beat Atenas 95-91 to reach the second spot of the Uruguayan League after 6 rounds for the second stage. For Malvin Emilio Taboada (193-F-82) scored 26 points, while Jarrett Stephens (200-F/C-77, agency: Duran International, college: Penn St.) netted 18 and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Ike Nwankwo (209-C-73, college: Long Beach St.) scored 3 and took 5 rebounds. For Atenas Gustavo Barrera (194-G-85) had 28 points, Terquin Mott (203-F-74, agency: EM-PA, college: Coppin St.) added 24 and took 12 rebounds, while Marques Lewis had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Other results and numbers for import players:
Bohemios 87 - Curtis Marshall (196-G/F-83, college: Texas Tech) 21 and 9, Albert Burditt (203-F-72, college: Texas) 9 and 9
Paysandu 76 - Trelonnie Owens (202-F-71, college: Wake Forest) 25 and 6, Austin Montgomery (196-G, college: Bowling Green) 21 and 7
- - -
Hebraica 80 - Anthony Johnson (198-G/F-79, college: La-Lafayette) 18 and 6
Tabare 67 - Clarence Matthews (201-F-82, agency: 22ft, college: Tennessee St.) 23 and 10, Ryan Blankson (198-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Loyola, IL) 12 and 8
- - -
Olimpia 79 - Reque Newsome (203-C-82, college: S.Indiana) 15 and 9, Greg Dilligard (203-F-85, agency: Warren Sports International) 8 and 4
Defensor Sporting 70 - Brian Woodward (191-G-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Rhode Island) 25 and 12
- -
Standings: (All with 32 except Bigua and Malvin 33) - Bigua 35 points, Malvin 32.5, Defensor Sporting 32, Olimpia 31.5, Atenas 30, Tabare 29, Hebraica 28, Trouville 26, Bohemios 25.5, Paysandu 25.
Eigth teams will advance to de playoff.

Bigua topple Regatas de Corrientes in Fiba Americas League - by Eurobasket News
Bigua held off Regatas de Corrientes to open the second edition of Fiba Americas League victorious. Ruben Wolkowyski (207-C-73) connected from downtown in the crunch time to ensure the winning outcome for Bigua in Group B. Regatas enjoyed a 3-point advantage at the first break never surrendered it in the second term. Cedric Patton (201-F-78, agency: Court Side, college: Georgia St.) and Damian Tintorelli (202-C-81, agency: Players Group) secured 7 points each as Regatas stretched margin to as many as 9 points at halftime.
However Leandro Garcia Morales (186-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Texas A&M) and Martin Osimani (194-G-81, college: Duquesne) orchestrated a comeback effort from Bigua. The visitors trimmed the distance to just 6 points with one quarter to go. The Uruguayan team closed the gap and then Argentinean veteran Ruben Wolkowyski took the floor and won the game for Bigua. He drained consecutive trebles to turn a 3-point deficit into a 3-point lead for Bigua with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Bigua never surrendered the advantage and posted the first win in the tournament. Leandro Garcia Morales scored 22 points for Bigua. Martin Osimani added 18 points in the winning case. Sebastian Acosta (178-G-82) answered with 18 points for Regatas. Damian Tintorelli provided 12 points and 6 boards for in the loss.
Bigua will take on Chilean Concepcion today. Only Group B winner will advance to the next round of the tourney.

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Women News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE - Women

Gospic wins, Jolly JBS Sibenik keeps the top - by Eurobasket News
Gospic CO blasted Ragusa 91-59 in Round 10 of the regional championship. It supposes to be exciting Croatian derby in Adriatic league, but since the very beginning it was clear that Ragusa's players are not able to resist against powerful Gospic. Ivezic once again demonstrated nice performance delivering 28 points. Marija Vrsaljko (195-C-89) was behind her with double-double, 20 points and 10 boards. Her sister Ana Vrsaljko (188-C-84) as well as Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) netted 11 points each. On the other side, Matea Vrdoljak (186-F-85) shined in Ragusa leading all the scorers with 29 points. Anica Tesic (180-F-81) posted 15 pts. After this game Gospic jumped on third place with 5-4 score. Ragusa is fourth with 4-5.

Jolly JBS grabbed very important road win against Vojvodina on the road 80-61. The defending champion had pretty good second frame reaching the double-digit lead. Ivana Jurcevic (174-G-81) was a key player for Jolly JBS nailing 18 points. Marta Cakic (175-G-82) and Luca Ivankovic (201-C-87) followed her with 11 points each. Their team is on top of the standings alone with perfect 8-0. Vojvodina dropped on 4-5.

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BULGARIA - Women

Lukoil Neftochimik celebrates in Round 12 opener - by Eurobasket News
Minor - Lukoil Neftochimic 77-83

Lukoil Neftochimic continued the wining streak in NBL. This time the last season's runner up was too strong for Minor in Pernik. It means that Lukoil joined Dunav Econt on top of the standings for at least one day. Olena Samburska (172-G-89, agency: LBM Management) was on fire draining 29 points. She had 7/10 for FG2, 4/7 from beyond the arc and 3/4 FTs. Danyel Crutcher (188-F-86, agency: Merit Sports, college: Illinois) also shined collecting 22 points and 6 boards, while Anna Sokolan (178-G-84) helped with 11 pts. Agnesa Doychinova-Petrova (188-F-73) of Minor was MVP of the game with index rate 33. She played the entire time adding 30 points and 9 rebounds. Natali Asenova (-G-91) was behind her with 26 points and 6 boards. Lukoil now has 10-1, while Minor fell on 5-5.
Except of the second quarter (18-18), all others belonged to Lukoil. Minor demonstrated nice performance and was pretty close almost the entire time, buy Olena Samburska and her teammates knew how to handle them. Interesting is that the hosts outrebounded Lukoil in this game, 27-20. However, visitors had much better shot percentage, including 6 triples. On the other side, Minor had 0/4 from behind the arc. In the next round Lukoil will host Rilski Sportist. Minor will take on the reining champion Dunav Econ as a guest.

Minor: Agnesa Doychinova-Petrova 30+9 boards, Natali Asenova 26+6 boards
Lukoil Neftochimic: Olena Samburska 29, Danyel Crutcher 22+6 boards, Anna Sokolan 11

Dunav Econt stays undefeated in NBL - by Eurobasket News
Dunav Econt and Lukoil Neftochimik didn't have any troubles to beat their rivals in Round 11.

Dunav Econt trashed NSA 114-54 remaining on top of NBL with perfect 10-0 record. On the other side, NSA stays the only winless team in the league. Natalia Topalova-Shopova (187-F-80) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. She also had 9 rebounds beside that. Hristina Minkova (184-C/F-72) and Danielle Page (188-F-86, college: Nebraska) netted 18 points apiece. Sara Marinova (176-G-90) was totally the best in NSA with 27 points.

Lukoil Neftochimik outplayed Slavia also at home 78-43. It means that Lukoil improved on 9-1, while Slavia slipped on 4-6. Lukoil had couple of players in a game mood, but the best one was Anna Sokolan (178-G-84), who collected 16 points and 8 rebounds for 35 minutes. Tsvetelina Nikolova (191-C-88) contributed with 12 points and 5 boards in loss.

Beroe 207 celebrated against dangerous Montana 2003 in a high scoring game 103-99. Ralitsa Naneva (178-F-86) shined for the hosts with 25 points and 7 boards. Katya Kordova (176-G/F-86) had 2 points less than her. Ivelina Vrancheva (175-G-82, agency: Ronsport) stepped up for Montana with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Beroe 4-6, Montana 6-4.

In the last game of the round Rilski Sportist faced with home defeat in Samokov against Minor 60-71. Svetlana Asenova-Lozanova (190-F-74) and Agnesa Doychinova-Petrova (188-F-73) combined 44 points, 22 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Hristina Ivanova (184-F-89) replied with 29 points for the hosts. Minor 5-4, Rilski 5-5.

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CROATIA - Women

Studenec jumps on 10-0 in A1 league - by Eurobasket News
It seems that Studenec Omis is totally unstoppable this season. In Round 10 of A1 league Studenec grabbed road victory against Pozega 73-69. The hosts had 6-point lead after 30 minutes, but it was not enough against powerful Studenec. Bura led the scorers in the winning squad with 19 points. Sesnic had 16, while Maja Javorcic netted one point less than her. Kristina Soldo (177-G-88) and Tina Cizmic (188-F-87) delivered 19 points each for Plamen Pozega, who fell on 4-6.

The second ranked team, Croatia 2006, outsmarted Mursa at home 81-77. Lelas once again was on great level for the hosts nailing 32 points. Davorka Balic (188-F-88) led the scorers in Mursa with 18 pts. Croatia 2006 moved up on 9-1, while visitors dropped on 2-8.

As it was expected, Biska Pula was too strong for winless Matas Novi Zagreb 71-45. Fredotovic poured in 15, while Bilic and Djukic scored 10 points each for the hosts. Visitors didn't have any player with double-digits in scoring.

Agram suffered very inconvenient home loss vs Zadar slipping on 4-6 in the league. On the other side, Zadar jumped on third place with 6-4. Ina Marin (170-G-86) was a key player for the winners netting 31 points. Agram got 13 from Iva Borovic (170-G-88).

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EUROLEAGUE - Women

Euroleague Round: 10 (Qualifying Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group Group A

Nadezhda O. - Besiktas 72-76
Besiktas Cola Turka and Nadezhda struggled for the last win in EuroLeague to escape the last spot in Group A. Besiktas Cola Turka avoided a last-place after 76:72 in Russia. Shay Doron poured in 23 points and Laura Harper scored 19 and made 18 rebounds. Lennox Betty ended up with 23 points in defeat.

Bourges - MiZo Pecs 75-48
Bourges clinched the first place in EuroLeague Women Group A after smashing MiZo Pecs 75:48. Miyem Endene paced all the winners with 18 points and Lelas Ana netted 15. Vajda Anna produced 14 points in the losing effort. The French giants improved to 7-3 with the victory, while MiZo Pecs finished at 5-5.

Halcon A.Per. - Wisla Can-Pak 72-59
Halcon Avenida outscored Wisla Can-Pack Krakow 72:59 for the second place in Group A of the EuroLeague Women. Willingham Le'Coe was unstoppable with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Maksimovic Sladana chipped in 13 points in the losing effort. Wisla finished 6-4 and ended up in third spot with MiZo coming in fourth.

Group Group B

CSKA - Umana Reyer 80-72
CSKA beat the leader of Group B Umana Reyer 80:72. Ann Wauters scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Russian club improved to 6-4 in Group B. Khammon Rebecca produced 15 points, while Douglas Katie and Lawson-Wade Edwige had 13 each. Ballardini Simona led the way with 16 points for her team.

TTT Riga - ESB Villeneu. 77-70
TTT Riga beat ESB Lille Metropole 77:70 but both teams could not qualify for a spot in the Eighth-Finals. Troina Tatyana had a nother great night with 26 points for the winners, while Carson Essence scored 16. Sacko Fatimatou finished the night with 26 points for the visitors.

Gambrinus - MKB Eurol. 73-76
MKB Euroleasing grabbed an important win over Gambrinus Sika Brno 73:76 in Czech Republic. Milovanovic finished with 21 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Viteckova Eva produced 17 points for the home side. The outcome means MKB have leapfrogged CSKA into second place, and home court advantage in the Eighth-Finals.

Group Group C

USK Praha - Lotos PKO BP 69-64
ZVVZ USK Prague overcame Lotos PKO BP Gdynia 69:64. Kireta Sonja led the winners with 18 points and Elhotova Katerina posted 17. Beard Alana had 20 points foir the guests, while Matovic Ivana chipped in 17.

UMMC - Union Hainaut 85-56
UMMC Ekaterinburg stormed past Union Hainaut Basket 85:56 in Russia. Gruda Sandrine led her team to 9-1 record with 15 points, while Abrosimova Svetlana and Stepanova Maria nailed 11 each. Nnamaka Chioma produced the same number of points in the losing effort.

Group Group D

M.Broker - TEO Vilnius 75-66
Broker Kosice defeated TEO Vilnius 75:66 and beat them to third place in Group D. Spencer Sidney led the winners with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Cohen Liron nailed 16 and Jurcenkova Anna ended up with 13. Langhorne Crystal top-scored for the Lithuanian side with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Slovakian giants Kosice improved to 6-4 and dropped the Lithuanians TEO to 5-5.

Spartak V MR - Montpellier 103-48
Spartak Moscow Region stormed past Lattes Montpellier 103:48 to prove once again the ambitions to defend their title. Diana Taurasi scored 23 points and Sylvia Fowles had 18 overall. Bertal Elodie ended up with 10 points in the losign effort as her team fell at 1-9.

Fenerbahce - Familia Schio 64-108
Fenerbahce lost to Beretta Famila 64:108 in Group D. Raffaella Masciadri scored 25 points and Feaster-Strong Allison followed her with 15. Sutton-Brown Tammy led the way for the home side with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

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FYR MACEDONIA - Women

Round 9 - Sixth victory for Biljana 006 - by Zoran Bogdanovic
Student Biljana 006 65:73 (15-17; 14-9; 21-26; 15-21)
Biljana 006 got back from Skopje with sixth victory. Vesna Balazoska (172-G-81) with 26 points played main role as many times before.
Student : Jolovic 16 pts, Stojanovska 13 pts, Stanoevska 12 pts
Biljana 006 : Vesna Balazoska 26 pts, Kuzeska 16 pts, Rajcinoska 16 pts

Mladinec - Kumanovo 44:38 (17-8; 13-11; 4-10; 10-9)
Mladinec added fifth victory at the end of first half of the season with handball result.
Mladinec : Anzelika Mitrasinovic (170-G-93) 15 pts, Petkovic 8 pts
Kumanovo : Dogzanska 18 pts, Kostova 15 pts

Standings - Women

D1 Standings

1. Vigor Skopje	6-0
2. Biljana	6-1
3. Mladinec	5-3
4. Kumanovo	3-5
5. Student S.	2-5
6. Narkonon	0-8

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HUNGARY - Women

A Round: 12 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
BEAC - Szolnok 59-70
Szolnok cruised past BEAC on the road thanks to Rita Hegedus, who collected 18 points and 9 rebounds. Angela Djelmis and Zita Sonyak followed her with 13 points apiece. Judit Zsamar, Emese Szasz and Beata Kisvari netted 13 points each in loss. Szolnok 5-7, BEAC 2-9.

MiZo Pecs - Atomeromu 98-56
As it was expected, MiZo Pecs blasted Atomeromu remaining on top of Division A alone with almost perfect 11-1 record. Brooke Quennan was totally the best player in MiZo nailing 26 points (12/15 FG2, 2/3 FTs). Sara Krnic came up with double-double, 14 points and 12 boards. Atomeromu got 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists from Dorottya Tamis falling on 4-8.

ZTE - Savaria 121-34
ZTE devastated poor Savaria 121-34 improving on 6-5. Zsofia Varga was on fire draining 38 points for 32 minutes. She also had 9 more rebounds beside that. Kopacsi delivered 13 pts in loss. Savaria stays at the bottom of the standings winless, 0-12.

BSE - Cegledi EKK 95-41
Another easy win for the hosts in Round 12. This time it was BSE, who trashed Cegledi 95-41. Mina Maksimovic top-scored for the winning squad with 24 points and 5 boards. Boglarka Kocsis helped with 15. Cegledi got 14 points from Nicoletta Halmi staying on just one win in 12 appearances.

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ISRAEL - Women

Liron Cohen in Slovakia - by Gil Goshen

On the last round ( 10th )
Liron team Broker Kosice won home game vs,
TO Vilinus 75:66. It was very important game which determine

That Broker will be ranked 3rd in group ( with the same points as the second place ) D after Spartak Moscow ( first ) and Fenerbahce ( second ).

Liron Agency - GG basketball played 33 minutes and had 16 points, 9 ast. 4 rb.

Broker will play Eighth-Final Play-Ofs for the first time vs. Ros Casares the Spenish Champion and cup holderit will be after the Christmas vacation.
Liron Cohen (174-G-82)

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SLOVAKIA - Women

Ruza and Maxima Broker smash their rivals in Round 14 - by Eurobasket News
The same trend continued in Slovakian Extraliga. MBK Ruzomberok and Maxima Broker outplayed their rivals without any extra efforts. Both teams remain at the top of the standings with 11 wins and just 1 loss.

MBK Ruzemberok blasted Cassovia Kosice on the road 107-64. In 18th minute it already was 57-22 for the visitors. Simona Podesvova (186-F-83) netted 22, while Monika Chabadova (183-F-89) scored 4 points less. Erika Horvathova (190-C-86) and T Sujova delivered 15 points apiece for the hosts. Cassovia Kosice now has 3-10.

Maxima Broker trashed PU Presov 104-61. Third quarter was the best one for the hosts (34-14). Anna Jurcenkova (195-C-85) stepped up with 25, while Daniela Cikosova (181-F-82) helped Maxima Broker with 22 points. Presov got 25 pts from Erin Lawless (188-F-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Purdue) dropping on 5-8.

Another team registered devastating home victory and it was Slovan (Slovan - MBK Roznava 103-64). Bibiana Kalafutova (184-C-85) led the scorers in the winning squad with 28 points. Brittany Pinkney (183-G, college: Va Commonwealth) contributed with 20 points in loss. Slovan 5-8, Roznava 0-12.

UKF Nitra outsmarted Whirpool Poprad 69-63 moving up on third place with 9-3 record. Poprad fell on 6-7. As usually, Andrea Oravcova (175-G-87) led the hosts, this time with 16 points (3 triples). Katarina Tetemondova (187-F-88) answered with 17 points in defeat.

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SWEDEN - Women

Summary of Round 9 - by Eurobasket News
Currently the leading team of Swedish Damligan, undefeated Telge Energi, was free in Round 9.

However, 08 Stockholm exploited that chance to come closer by beating Lulea BBK on the road 51-46. 08 Stockholm now has 8-2, while the hosts fell on 7-2. Interesting is that the winners had only one player with double-digits in scoring and it was Danielle Hamilton Carter (188-F-90, college: Fayetteville), who netted exactly 10 points. She also had 8 more rebounds beside that. Elizabeth Sherwood shined for the hosts with 18 points and 13 boards.

Visby escaped with a tiny home victory against Sundsvall 64-62 moving up on 4-4. Brittney Vaughn (170-G-83, college: Arkansas) was a key player for the hosts collecting 23 points and 7 rebounds. Elena Radenkovikj also had double-double, 15 points and 10 rebs. Lauren Ervin (191-F-85, college: Arkansas) contributed with 19 points and 13 boards in loss. Her team slipped on 4-5.

Jamtland was better than Umea 55-50 thanks to Camilla Fagerberg (181-F-86) and her 21 points. Visitors got 18 points from Amy Mohr (186-C, college: Fort Lewis). Jamtland 4-5, Umea 1-7.

Norrkoping grabbed 2-point home win against Brahe 61-59 for 4-5 in Damligan. On the other side, Brahe faced with 7th loss in 9 appearances. Malin Belfrage (184-F-79) came up with 14 points for Norrkoping. Carla Bartee (185-F-85, college: Mississippi) of Brahe led the scorers in this game with 18 pts.