EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 12/21/2008

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Men News

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  ABA   


Gwizzlies roster changes - by Gianni Pascucci
The Georgia Gwizzlies announce that B.J. Puckett (6'9''-F-83, agency: AMI, college: Clayton St.) will join the team after he finish playing in Chile,South America in January 2009. Puckett was a 2008 ABA All-Star in the ABA. The team play the Knoxville Thunderbolts Sunday at 5:00pm in a regional rivalry game. Puckett will join the frontline of 6'11 Mike Commane (6'11''-C-82, college: Stonehill) and 6'8 Ray Raines (6'7''-C-85). Minor League veteran Chad Thomas (6'5''-G) of Nashville has been added to the team as player-coach.

Aces ink "Spyda" Chism - by Gianni Pascucci
The Las Vegas Aces announced that And One Tour star Dennis Chism (5'11''-G-81, college: Andrew JC) inked a 1 year contract with the team. 'Dennis quoted he is very excited to play in Las Vegas and play under a players coach that has coached in Europe, thats my passion to play an NBA/European style of play'. stated coach Triplett. Aces staff really looks forward Chism, a point guard that will add to the leadership and scoring power that the Aces have. The team is now 4-0, after a win over Gallup, New Mexico last night in Las Vegas. Aces were lead by Antwan Roberson (6'7''-F-80, college: Jacksonville JC) with 33pts 17rebs 5blks, and Corey Moore (6'5''-G/F-77, college: Bethune-Cookman) with 29pts, 3stls, 9apg. Final score was 139 Aces to 137 Gallup.

Williams rejoins the Whirlwinds - by Gianni Pascucci
The West Texas Whirlwinds announced the comeback to the team of PG Ray Williams (6'0''-G-85, college: Salisbury St.). About his signing, Team Owner Cleveland Phelps stated: 'This guy has what it takes. Ray was a 26 ppg and 8 apg for us last year, and also was our team MVP. I look forward to working with Ray this year and having a playing like him make us better over night.'

Bahama Pro Show wins season opener - by Gianni Pascucci
Last week, The Bahama All Pro Show defeated local team Bamboo Shack Aces 121-99 at the Loyola Hall, Gladstone Rd. in Nassau, Bahamas. The friendly game served as season opener for the ABA Bahamanian team, that was led in scoring by Kevin Spicer (6'6''-F, college: Alabama St.) with 26pts, Zack Logan (6'7''-F-84) with 25pts and Dajan Smith (6'7''-F-80, college: Lynn) with 17pts. Next sunday, the Pro Show will start the ABA season hosting the Knoxville Thunderbolts. Team Owner Ricardo Smith stated: 'We are excited and eager to face Knoxville on December 27th, 2008 to test what we have here against one of the better teams in the league. We do look forward to hosting the teams in our division right here in beautiful Nassau, Bahamas and of course in the nation's second city Freeport Grand Bahama where our hospitality is second to none. Everyone should enjoyed sunshine in the winter as we experience here in the Bahamas on all seven hundred islands and cays'.

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  BAHAMAS   


Bahama Pro Show wins season opener - by Gianni Pascucci
Last week, The Bahama All Pro Show defeated local team Bamboo Shack Aces 121-99 at the Loyola Hall, Gladstone Rd. in Nassau, Bahamas. The friendly game served as season opener for the ABA Bahamanian team, that was led in scoring by Kevin Spicer (6'6''-F, college: Alabama St.) with 26pts, Zack Logan (6'7''-F-84) with 25pts and Dajan Smith (6'7''-F-80, college: Lynn) with 17pts. Next sunday, the Pro Show will start the ABA season hosting the Knoxville Thunderbolts. Team Owner Ricardo Smith stated: 'We are excited and eager to face Knoxville on December 27th, 2008 to test what we have here against one of the better teams in the league. We do look forward to hosting the teams in our division right here in beautiful Nassau, Bahamas and of course in the nation's second city Freeport Grand Bahama where our hospitality is second to none. Everyone should enjoyed sunshine in the winter as we experience here in the Bahamas on all seven hundred islands and cays'.

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  BAHRAIN   


Bahrain in training camp - by Yousef Ahmed
Bahrain Basketball national team left to turkey yesterday to continue in preparation for the 19th GCC games that will be played next january in Oman.

The team will play 4 or 5 friendly games against turkish Clubs, this should help the team prepare well. Coach Walter Pereira and his roster of 14 players have high expectations and are training hard led by Big man Ahmed Al Mutawa (199-F/C-81, college: Broward CC) and Captain Ahmed Malallah.

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  BULGARIA   


"Blue" basketball lesson in Varna - by Valentin Anguelov
The team of Levski won of the its most important games so far this season after defeating convincingly Euroins Cherno More 78-56 in Varna. With excellent play in defense the players of Konstantin Papazov totally outplayed their opponent on his home court and took revenge for the loss in Sofia.

In a packed 'Hristo Borisov' hall the game started difficult for the visitors. Their first basket was scored after three minutes of play by Marcus Hall to make it 3-2. Bojovic scored a 3-pointer but then Levski made an 11-0 run and took the lead for the rest of the game. At the end of the first quarter the visitors led 16-13 and with less than three minutes to go in the half they took their first double-digit lead at 33-22. After the first 20 minutes Levski was ahead 38-26.

After the break Levski continued to keep this margin of 11-13 points until the 23rd minutes. Atila Santos scored to make the score 31-42 but only for two minutes of play Levski scored 10 unanswered points, 8 by Asen Velikov (188-G-86), and the difference went up to 21 and the game was practically over at that point. At the end of the third quarter The Blues led by 24, 66-42 and with six minutes to go in the game they had their biggest lead at 74-47. In the last minutes the hosts managed only to cut 5 points from their deficit and the game finish with big win for Levski.

The only player for the hosts who played reasonably well was Atila Santos. The Brasilian finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Corey McIntosh was the only other player to score in double digits with 11 points but he was away from his good form in the past month.

Asen Velikov scored 20 points including 4 three-pointers against his former team despite playing only 26 minutes. Marcus Hall and Zlatin Georgiev both added 13 points. Hall added 5 assists while Georgiev 8 rebounds for his best game of the season so far.

This win moved Levski to the second place with 8 wins and 3 losses while now Euroins Cherno More has 7 and 4.

FULL STATS OF THE CHERNO MOE - LEVSKI GAME

Rilski sportist easy over CSKA in Bulgaria - by Valentin Anguelov

Rilski Sportist defeated CSKA Interlogic away in the last game for both teams this year. In Hristo Botev hall in Sofia the visitors from Samokov won 100-83 and moved to 4th place in the standings before Spartak's game against Sliven tomorrow.

The game started with quick two points for 'The Reds' but the visitors answered with 5 straight. In the next few minutes thanks to Milos Sakota and Sergey Tsvetkov the hosts took a 5-point lead. With minute and a half to go the score was tied but then CSKA went in front 21-19 after the first ten minutes.

In the second quarter Rilski Sportist started to play better defense and that showed on the scoreboard as they took the lead. They led 35-30 in the middle of the quarter and then finished the half with 14-5 run for a 14-point lead. One interesting fact is that Travis Peterson (208-C-85, agency: Edge Sports, college: Samford) had double-double for only 20 minutes - 21 points and 10 rebounds.

After the break the team from Samokov continued to dominate and quickly increased the advantage. After 25 minutes of play the margin was 20 points and after three quarters was 21, 80-59. In the last quarter the teams played only to set the final score and the visitors won by 17 to finish the year in a nice way.

In the second half Peterson continued to dominate in the paint and added 17 points and 6 rebounds for a total of 38 and 16.

Other than Peterson, Bogdan Boev played well with 16 points as Lilov and Mirkovic both scored 11 adding also 6 and 7 assists respectively.

For the hosts again Milos Sakota was the best player with 22 points and 6 rebounds and Krum Doychinov and Nemanya Ilic scored 19 and 16 respectively.

After the last round in NBL this year CSKA is on 6th place with 3 wins and 8 losses and are ahead of Yambol only due to their win in their match. The first game for the new year will be between the two teams in Yambol while Rilski Sportist will have a tough task when hosting Euroins Cherno More in Arena Samokov on January 9th.

FULL STATS OF THE CSKA - RILSKI SPORTIST GAME



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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


NBL Round: 18 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Kolin - Pardubice 75-94
Pardubice left no chance for Kolin on the road. David Steffel orchestrated the win tallying 26 points and 13 boards for Pardubice. Levell Sanders added 19 points for the winners. Jonas Brown answered with 20 points, 7 boards and 4 assists for Kolin in defeat.

Geofin - Podebrady 90-71
Emanuel Ubilla scored 22 points and issued 7 assists to lift Geofin past Podebrady. Dusan Pandula and Robert Sarovic had 15 points each for the winning side. Denis Mujagic knocked down 17 points for Podebrady. Ricky Soliver finished with 12 points in the loss.

Liberec - Ostrava 87-70
Liberec got 28 points from Maurice Hampton to edge Ostrava at home court. Martin Marek added 16 points for the winning team. Ostrava had 14 points from Rostislav Uhlir.

Nymburk - Prostejov 73-68
Nymburk had to worry as they trailed by one point at the start of the fourth term against Prostejov. But a strong performance from Arthur Lee allowed the defending champions to extend their winning streak to 16 games. Lee finished the game with 26 points. Michal Kremen added 11 points and 8 boards for the hosts. Hurl Beechem answered with 25 points for Prostejov.

Opava - Decin 71-92
Decin held off Opava away from home to celebrate the ninth win in the NBL season. Pavel Milos knocked down 15 points to lead the charge. Pavel Houska had 14 points for the winning team. Pavel Pumprla answered with 18 points for Opava in defeat.



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  D-LEAGUE   


D-League Round: 21 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Erie - Ft.Wayne 87-96
Erie Bay Hawks celebrated at home against the Mad Ants moving up on 6-4 score. Erik Daniels nailed 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for the hosts. Maureece Rice was behind him with 17, while Oliver Lafayette and Ivan Harris netted 12 points apiece. Harris had 13 more rebs and 5 assists beside that. The Mad Ants got 23 points and 7 assists from Walker Russel, falling on 3-5.

Los Angeles - Sioux Falls 92-98
Eighth win in 10 appearances for the Skyforce. On the other side, the D-Fenders faced with seventh failure in nine games. Frank Williams came up with 22 points and 6 assists for the winners. Gary Forbes notched 20 pts and grabbed 7 rebs. LA D-Fenders got 22 pts from Joe Crawford.

Rio Grande - Iowa 107-111
Curtis Stinson paced Iowa Energy to home win against Rio Grande registering triple-double 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Patrick Sanders also shined delivering one point more. Kendal Dartez had 24 points and 8 boards, while Trent Strickland contributed with 20 pts and 8 boards in loss. Energy 5-1, Vipers 5-6.

Austin - Albuquerque 94-91
Austin Toros grabbed nice 3-point road win against the Thunderbirds, handing them the 8th defeat of the season (1-8). Marcus Williams collected 23 points and 8 rebounds, while Malik Hairston helped the winners with 19 pts. Charles Gaines stopped on double-double, 15 points and 17 boards. David Noel top-scored for the hosts with 24 points. Austin Toros improved on 7-3.

Bakersfield - Utah 91-101
4-5 for the Flash and 8-2 for the Jam after this game. JR Giddens and Andre Ingram had 48 points and 15 rebounds for the Flash. Derrick Byars and Trey Johson responded with 45 points, 10 boards and 8 assists for the loosing squad.

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  EL SALVADOR   


LSB: Semifinals suspended - by Jaime Arevalo
Some days ago, the officials of Liga Superior de Baloncesto (LSB) decided to suspend the Semifinals of the Clausura tournment. A reunion held together with the President of the Salvadorean Basketball Federation (FESABAL) Mr. Carlos Loucel, tried to solve the bad effects of the double registration of the player Oscar Rivera (186-G-80), who played in El Salvador league with ExSal and at the same time in Guatemalan Liga Metropolitana with Elite Sport. After that both Denver and Cosmos had made an appeal aganst the registration of Rivera in ExSal, this last team had been sanctioned, and relegated to the last place in the table. The new semifinal pairings should have been Denver-San Marcos and Cosmos-UTEC, but at the last time San Marcos announced they did not want to play in semifinals at the place of ExSal. A solution could have been a triangular tournment played between the three teams remained in the race (Cosmos, Denver and UTEC), but their team offiicals did not found an agreement about this, and the league is suspended till an unknown date.

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  EUROCUP   


Moiso returns to Joventut - by Andrej Ljajic
Less that a year after they won the ULEB Cup title together, Jerome Moiso (208-C/F-78, college: UCLA) is returning to DKV Joventut Badalona to shore up the team's inside game as it tries to reach the Top 16. Moiso (208, 30) started this season with BC Khimky Moscow Region, with whom he reached agreement to rescind their contract after playing three Eurcoup games in which he averaged 8.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 18 minutes per game. Moiso's defensive prowess was key to Joventut capturing last year's ULEB Cup crown as he averaged 8.8 points 6.7 rebounds and 2 blocks during the three games of the Final Eight. Moiso's only previous European club experience was the 2006-07 season, when he bounced from Virtus Roma to Fortitudo Bologna to Real Madrid, with whom he won the Spanish League title. He played just two Euroleague games with Roma. He had spent five seasons before that on six different NBA teams seeing limited action. Joventut had been looking for frontcourt help since Pops Mensah-Bonsu suffered a shoulder injury earlier this season after two Euroleague games, having been the top performer in the competition at that time. Subsequently, center Henk Norel was also injured.


Saturday, December 20, 2008


Euroleague.net

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  EUROLEAGUE   


Moiso returns to Joventut - by Andrej Ljajic
Less that a year after they won the ULEB Cup title together, Jerome Moiso (208-C/F-78, college: UCLA) is returning to DKV Joventut Badalona to shore up the team's inside game as it tries to reach the Top 16. Moiso (208, 30) started this season with BC Khimky Moscow Region, with whom he reached agreement to rescind their contract after playing three Eurcoup games in which he averaged 8.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 18 minutes per game. Moiso's defensive prowess was key to Joventut capturing last year's ULEB Cup crown as he averaged 8.8 points 6.7 rebounds and 2 blocks during the three games of the Final Eight. Moiso's only previous European club experience was the 2006-07 season, when he bounced from Virtus Roma to Fortitudo Bologna to Real Madrid, with whom he won the Spanish League title. He played just two Euroleague games with Roma. He had spent five seasons before that on six different NBA teams seeing limited action. Joventut had been looking for frontcourt help since Pops Mensah-Bonsu suffered a shoulder injury earlier this season after two Euroleague games, having been the top performer in the competition at that time. Subsequently, center Henk Norel was also injured.


Saturday, December 20, 2008


Euroleague.net

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  GERMANY   


The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Win 20th Hessen Derby In Giessen 75 To 57 And Will Titus Ivory Return For 2009? - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The only thing missing from the Deutsche Bank Skyliners was a Santa Claus uniform with a beard, because the team gave the Skyliner fans an early Christmas present with a commanding 75 to 57 victory in the 20th Hessen Derby in Giessen. The game marked the first head to head encounter between Murat Didin and his ex assistant coach Simon Cote .' Murat is a good coach. He has a very strong team. We knew it would be a difficult game, and I wish it would have been a closer game at the end', expressed a disappointed Giessen coach Simon Cote . For Frankfurt, it was business as usual as they won their 13th game out of their last 16 games and never ever showed that they were in trouble of losing the game. 'This was a great present for the fans. We also ended 2008 on a positive note. It was a total team effort', said American guard Titus Ivory (193-G-79, college: Penn St.). The Giessen 46ers fought hard, but just couldnt match the intensity and fresh legs of Frankfurt in the second half. 'In the second half, we just couldnt match their intensity anymore. Their defense was solid, but they werent really doing anything special. We just werent executing which was key for us losing', explained 2001 Sacremento Kings draft pick American Maurice Jeffers (194-G/F-79, college: St.Louis). The league has been taking notice of the Frankfurt run of late and even old Skyliner friend Simon Cote knows that this could be the year of the Deutsche Bank Skyliners. 'At this point, Frankfurt has a deeper bench than ALBA Berlin'.

The sold out crowd of 4003 people saw a rusty start by both teams, until The Deutsche Bank Skyliners quickly raced out to a 8-2 run as they showed early that Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City) would be the go to guy. Lorenzo Gordon scored the first three buckets as he was really taking advantage of the mismatch against Florian Hartenstein (206-C-77, agency: LimeLight, college: Oregon). 'The first three minutes hurt as Frankfurt got off to the better start', expressed Giessen coach Simon Cote . Giessen slowly started to match Frankfurt with the intensity and slowly found their rhythm. Even as Giessen was cutting the lead back, it was always Lorenzo Gordon, who showed how easy Basketball can be making just about everything he got turn into gold with a hoop. It was curious, that Frankfurt was only scoring in the paint and not hitting from outside, while Giessen was showing their versatility finding more ways to score. Simon Cote brought in little used American Ricky Hickman (190-G-83, college: NC-Greensboro), who caught fire down the stretch making a three pointer, then stealing the ball from Pascal Roller (180-G-76) and on the next exchange blocking Roller.

The last weeks have been tough for the ex German National player Pascal Roller as his shots arent falling, but that he would be so rudely challenged by Ricky Hickman surely would have been the last thing he would of expected. Frankfurt led only 16 to 14 after one quarter. Frankfurt was shooting 40% from the field, but a big 0% from the three point line. Frankfurt was dominating in the paint with a 11-6 rebound edge and 14-2 scoring edge in the paint. American Lorenzo Gordon had scored exactly as much as Giessen, but even after a fine performance with 19 points and eight rebounds, he was not totally happy with his stats. 'I am still trying to get my rhythm back. I see myself at 70% right now. I would of given my play a grade C. My defense can get better', explained American Lorenzo Gordon. Well as soon as Gordon reaches 100%, then it will scary to watch him play and the big men of the opponents might have to smuggle some weights into his pants to make him slower. 'Lorenzo was great! His efficiency in the paint was tremendous', commented cousin Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri).

The second quarter remained tight as The Giessen 46ers remained close on the heels of Frankfurt. German leading scorer of the PRO A Johannes Lischka (203-F/C-87, agency: Court Side) overwhelmed the home team crowd with a reverse layup in traffic knotting the game at 18. However coach Murat Didin had the luxary of a deep bench and inserted Titus Ivory and American Greg Jenkins (206-F/C-82, college: Iona), who scored quickly. Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi) then scored in the zone from a nifty Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) pass and Frankfurt had some comfortable breathing room again leading 22-17. American Michael Umeh (188-G-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: UNLV) showed his deadly outside shooting with two hoops, while Titus Ivory made a spin move in the zone. Frankfurt continued to score as Greg Jenkins scored off a brilliant Ivory pass around a Giessen players back and Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton) followed in the zone from a Evtimov pass. Frankfurt led 28-22 and never had a real lapse in the quarter as Giessen kept coming back, but Frankfurt was simply to strong for them to tie or take the lead.' We started to play well towards the end of the second quarter. We started to pick it up', stated American Jimmy McKinney. Down the stretch of the second quarter, Frankfurt kept pouring it on on offense as American Keith Simmons (196-G-85, college: Holy Cross) scored off the third offensive rebound and Ilian Evtimov scored a three pointer, where the ball wasnt sure if it wanted to go in or not as it danced on the rim, but finally fell through. Johannes Lischka scored the last hoop of the quarter as he once again showed his ability inside as he moved around three Skyliners and layed the ball in. He is a big talent that might be a National player in two or three years. Frankfurt was still taking advantage of the paint as they led the rebounding 22-15 and the points in the paint 28-10. Their three point shooting was still a disaster at 9%. Giessen was shooting under 40%.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners slowly pulled away in the third quarter. After ex German National player Robert Maras (216-C-78, agency: Court Side) scored in the lane, it was Titus Ivory who scored a three pointer and made two free throws. After a Maurice Jeffers three pointer, it was time again for Lorenzo Gordon to show his strong center qualities as he tiped a missed shot in and then using his muscle inside for two more points. Frankfurt now led 44 to 34 and Giessen continued to have no idea how to stop Gordon. Frankfurt was playing aggressive defense and Giessen had little chance to get inside and were starting to get helpless as they started to shoot more from outside, but seeing less daylight, but more often hands. Maurice Jeffers hit quite a few difficult shots, but little help came from his team mates on scoring. Frankfurt kept using their many scoring weapons as Ivory made a reverse layup and Anthony King (206-F/C, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) escaped from the bench and made a thunderous slam dunk off an offensive rebound. Keith Simmons followed with a fade away jumper and Frankfurt led 53 to 39. 'In the second half, we were playing for pride. We kept fighting back and we didnt want to lose by 30 points', commented Simon Cote .

Giessen was starting to forget what team Basketball is all about and had many more unwanted individual plays. Giessen then fired up two airballs from Florian Hartenstein and Maurice Jeffers, it was quite obvious that a glorious Giessen pre Christmas party in the Osthalle after the game would be more a distant wish than a reality. Frankfurt was leading 60-42 and Jeffers finished the third quarter with a three pointer bringing Giessen back to 60-45. Giessen continued to have no resistance against the tough Frankfurt rotation after 30 minutes.' We knew it wouldnt be easy in Giessen, but anytime you have the depth that we have, then it is a lot easier to continue runs and keep the intensity', warned Titus Ivory. Frankfurt was shooting 49% from the field, but continued to be a liability from three point land shooting only 20%. Frankfurt continued to be like a bully tormenting helpless kids as they led the rebound work 33 to 18. 'We picked it up even a bit more in the second half. We put more pressure on defense and they turned over the ball more', added American Derrick Allen.

The Giessen 46ers had little ideas left, so they began to play smaller in the fourth quarter, hoping to sink more outside shots, but it didnt help much that the Frankfurt defense was interrupting the flow of the Giessen offense, which often led to the shot clock winding down and too difficult shots. American Anthony King continued to show that he can defend stripping the ball at the three point line from German Johannes Lischka. Giessen was fighting for the open shot, but rarely got it. Maurice Jeffers hit another difficult three pointer to cut the Frankfurt lead to 61-48. The Giessen defense had little resistance against the scoring Frankfurt machine as Frankfurt roared louder than a Lion going on a 7-0 run. Ilian Evtimov drilled a three pointer, Mckinney then scored in the zone from a sweet Evtimov pass and Anthoy King got an early Christmas present from Evtimov, which he dunked. Frankfurt led 68-48 and the big question mark must have been near bursting in the head of Simon Cote , because there was simply no remedy to disfuse the Frankfurt fire. Murat Didin never looks content on the sideline, but secretly continues to have a big smile inside as he continued to exploit his strength of using his deep bench. American Greg Jenkins came from the bench and made two fade away jumpers. Frankfurt was leading 75 to 53 with a minute to play and Giessen finished the game with a 4-0 run as Michael Umeh made a runner in the lane and Ricky Hickman a coast to coast sprint for a layup. It was another game that Frankfurt deserved to win and are playing the best Basketball since many years. Even after a bitter loss, coach Simon Cote had some humor in his analysis of the Frankfurt win and their big men. 'Frankfurt got too many offensive rebounds and did a fine job getting the ball inside and scoring in the paint. It was a luxury that they had so many big guys from the bench, something like 25 big men', joked Simon Cote . 'Lorenzo, Greg and Anthony did another great job. They are all concentrating, have confidence and are playing hard', said Derrick Allen.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were led by Lorenzo Gordon with 19 points and eight rebounds. American Titus Ivory chipped in with 16 points. 'I wanted to create, but my team mates set me up well with shots. It is always great when team Basketball works and no one is selfish', added Titus Ivory. Ilian Evtimov added 11 points in 14 minutes. The Giessen 46ers were led by American Maurice Jeffers with 21 points and five rebounds. German Johannes Lischka added 11 points.

Even though The Deutsche Bank Skyliners shot only 23% from three point land, they made some ground in the paint, which in return led to an overall 47% field goal percentage. Frankfurt continues to be a teacher under the boards for their opponents dominating the rebounds 40-26. 'We knew that they have tough inside scoring. We couldnt stop them. They were more physical and simply were pushing us around', expressed Maurice Jeffers. Every win is important for the long drive towards the playoffs. The team continues to play team Basketball and winning is the norm while individual stats seem to be as distant as summer making a comeback for Christmas in Germany. When guys like Pascal Roller score 0 points and Derrick Allen only 6 points, but are happy for the other guys and the win, then something special seems to be growing with the team. 'This team has absolute no problems with the individual stats. We support each other. We win as a team. It is all about winning and we put the egos aside', commented Derrick Allen.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners now have a week Christmas Vacation and will be back on December 28th for preparation for the difficult January schedule with six away games and only two games at home. 'After an easy December with five home games, we have our first real test in Januray. We will take one game at a time', warned Derrick Allen. Even though the team has played great Basketball, there are still places to improve and one danger aspect. 'We cant lose focus. Our biggest hurdle is getting cocky. We can still improve especially with getting even more comfortable on the court in our play', described Jimmy McKinney.

The other matter of business is what will happen with the four tryout players. Coach Murat Didin has stressed that he wants to keep all players for the title run in 2009. A question that remains is what might happen to the team chemistry if it is disrupted with a player going? 'We really have a great group of guys. There are no crazy guys on the team. We all hang out together and understand each other well. If one or two guys had to go, then I fear that the chemistry could be affected', warned Derrick Allen. American Titus Ivory is a try out player that could be a very important ingredient for a title in Frankfurt, but if he is around in 2009 is still undetermined. 'I would love to stay until the end of the season and if possible for many more years. I love my team mates, the coach and the way the organization is run in a professional way. Some meetings will be held, but I do not have a return flight to Frankfurt yet', said American Titus Ivory. The team understands how important Titus Ivory is, because ever since his arrival in Nordlingen, the team have a 11-3 record. 'Titus is really a very important player. He has won titles and knows what it takes to win. It is just his appearance on the court in practice or in the locker room that gets respect. When he talks, people listen', warned Jimmy McKinney. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners return to action on January 3rd, 2009 against ALBA Berlin in the O2 arena in Berlin.

ProA Round: 13 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Cuxhaven - Kirchheim 86-92
Frank Bennett fired 34 points but it was not enough for Cuxhaven to overcome Kirchheim at home court. Adam Baumann scored 18 points and grabbed 7 boards to lead the Knights to the seventh win in the season. Phillipp Heyden dropped 17 points for the winning team. Chris Brown provided 19 points for Cuxhaven in the loss.

Heidelberg - Lich 93-98
Lich outscored Heidelberg on the road with the help of 32-point and 12-boards tally from Johannes Lischka. Jannik Freese added 28 points and 8 boards for the winners as they claimed the fourth win in the season. Ben Beran answered with 23 points and 6 boards for Heidelberg as they remained at the bottom of the ladder at 3-10.

Langen - Karlsruhe 71-73
Karlsruhe narrowly defeated Langen away from home. Rouven Roessler stepped up with 25 points for the visitors. Justin Howard dominated under the glass with 17 points and 14 boards. Kyle Jeffers tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds for Langen.

B.Muenchen - Hagen 93-87
Bayern toppled Hagen to hand their opponents just the third loss in the season. Cedric Brooks was the main figure in Bayern squad with 25 points, 6 assists and 4 boards. Tim Morris contributed 18 points for the winners. Zach Freeman worked hard for Hagen notching 27 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Bayreuth - Chemnitz 99-81
Bayreuth cruised past Chemnitz at home. Jaivon Harris and Dan Oppland fired 25 points each to give a warm welcome to the visitors. LaShon Sheffield and Jermain Raffington added 13 points apiece for the winners. Nate Gerwig scored 21 points and grabbed 17 boards for Chemnitz as they slipped at 6-7 record.

MBC - Schalke 74-63
MBC earned the eleventh win and stayed on the peak in ProA. Johnnie Gilbert came up with 19 points and 16 boards and MBC held off Schalke 04. Gregory Burks delivered 18 points in the win. Melvin Hall answered with 12 points and 7 boards for Schalke in defeat.



ProB Round: 13 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
proveo Merl. - Osnabrueck 92-82
Proveo Merlins got 24 points from Ed Williams and dealt with Osnabrueck. John Griffin knocked down 21 points as the winners improved at 9-4 record. Michajlo Pesic had 18 points in the seventh defeat for Osnabrueck.

Herten - Freiburg 77-71
Hertener Loewen stayed in the second spot in the standings as they held off Freiburg at home court. Kendall Chones knocked down 25 points and pulled down 15 boards for the winners. Gary Johnson had 20 points for the hosts. Lee Jeka answered with 19 points for Freiburg as they fell at 6-6 record.

Rhoendorf - Wolfenbuettel 84-89
The ProB leaders Rhoendorf suffered the second loss beaten by Wolfenbuettel. Frank Theis nailed 27 points to lead the charge. Michael Gayle added 15 points for the visitors. Fabian Thulig had 20 points for the Dragons in the losing case.

Franken Hexer - Stahnsdorf 81-84
Stahnsdorf eked out a difficult win over Franken Hexer away from home. The vicotry was the courtesy of Stephan Balga as he notched 23 points, 5 boards and 4 assists coming off the bench. Ronald Howard added 17 points for the winning team. Stefan Schmidt answered with 22 points and 14 boards for Hexer.

Telemotive - Mainz 102-86
Telemotive rolled past Mainz to register the eighth win. Johnnie Bryant exploded with 32 points for the home team. Claus Weiss added 18 points in the winning clause. Mike Zuiderveen responded with 28 points and 11 boards for Mainz.



1.Bundesliga Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Koeln 99ers - NY Phantoms 79-73
Koeln enjoyed a rare win this season as they fired down NY Phantoms before the home fans. Jamon Gordon dropped 16 points for the 99ers. Julian Terrell and Robert Turner came up with 15 points each in the win. The Phantoms were paced by Dustin Salisbery, who drained 20 points in defeat.

ratiopharm - TBB Trier 82-74
Ulm ensured the tenth win in the tournament as they knocked down Trier at home court. Romeo Travis fired 22 points to lead the charge. Dru Joyce had 14 points for the winning side. Kevin Houston responded with 17 points for Trier in defeat.

Bremerhaven - Brose Baskets 67-83
Bamberg improved at 8-6 record as they outscored Bremerhaven on the road. Predrag Suput stepped up with 31 points for the visitors. Filiberto Rivera added 14 points in the win. Bremerhaven were paced by 14 points and 11 boards from Jared Reiner. Craig Callahan produced 12 points and 7 boards in the loss.

Goettingen - Noerdlingen 87-80
Goettingen scored the tenth win in the season and remained on top of the Bundesliga ladder. They defeated Noerdlingen behind 22 points and 9 boards from Charles Lee. Chris Oliver added 21 points and 8 boards for the winners. Monta McGhee secured 19 points for the visitors in the loss.

EnBW L'burg - Pad.Baskets 73-77
Nathan Peavy nailed 25 points to lift Paderborn Basket to the road victory over Ludwigsburg. Steven Wright added 13 points as Paderborn improved at 6-8 record in the ladder. Marco Sanders notched 12 points for Ludwigsburg in the losing effort.

LTi 46ers - Dt.Bank SKY 57-75
Skyliners cruised past Giessen on the road. Lorenzo Gordon accounted for 19 points and 8 boards, while Titus Ivory secured 16 points and Skyliners earned the ninth win in the season. Giessen fell at 4-11 record despite 21 points from Maurice Jeffers.

Art.Dragons - EWE Baskets 72-93
Oldenburg stayed in the second spot in the table as they upset Artland Dragons away from home. Marko Scekic led well-balanced offensive effort with 23 points. Rickey Paulding contributed 22 points for the winners. Darren Fenn had 21 points and 10 boards for the Dragons.



*****************************************************
  GUYANA   


LABA SENIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESUMES - by Joe Chapman
LABA Senior Championship Resumes Today
THE Linden Amateur Basketball Associations (LABA) Senior Club basketball championship, involving the top seven first division clubs in Linden, will resume play today with a double-header card at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.
In the first game at 18:30 h Glands Trucking Service Bulls take on Victory Valley Royals while the second at 20:30 h brings together Wismar Pistons and New Ballers.
Tomorrow, another two games are scheduled with the first between Alleyenes Retrieve Raiders and the other will see Amelias Ward Jets against New Ballers.
In other match results the Wismar Pistons beat Retrieve Raiders 77-56 and Patriots defeated Glands Trucking Service Bulls 65-54.
The other first division club, the Kashif and Shanghai Kings, have withdrawn from this tournament.

*****************************************************
  HUNGARY   


The last games before Christmas - by Tamas Deri
Soproni Sordogok - Kaposvari KK 91-73
(23-20, 16-21, 29-15, 23-17)
Sopron, Att.: 500, Referees: Forrai, Sabali, Magyari
Sopron: Cruz 19/9, Brooks 32/9, Couisnard 10/6, Kortelyesi 8, Dies 16, Csorvasi 1, Vesztergom 2, Boldizsar 3/3, Horanyi, Coach: Meszlenyi Robert
Kaposvari KK: Marciulionis 21/12, Vojvoda 5/3, Welton 11/3, Hoffmann 9/3, Orosz 17, David 2, Kiss K. 8/6, Kovacs D., Coach: Dzunic Branislav


Pecsi VSK-Panthers - Polaroid-Lami Ved-Kormend 81-65
(16-17, 27-22, 10-17, 28-9)
Pecs, Att.: 2400, Referees: Benczur, Kiraly, Farkas G.
Pecsi VSK-Panthers: Wittmann 8/3, Kelley 15, Denes 2, Grebenar 10, Czigler 8, Aleksic 20/6, Toth N. 18/6, Spivey, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
Polaroid-Lami Ved-Kormend: Fodor M. 2, Trummer 6/6, Fodor G. 7, Bialek 16/12, Banks 15, Archie 3/3, Ferencz 10/6, Toth G. 2, Auriantal 4, Keresztes, Hegedus, Coach: Hencsey Tamas


Falco-SZOVA KC Szombathely - Szolnoki Olaj KK 111-76
(29-27, 22-11, 33-20, 27-18)
Arena Savaria, Att.: 2700, Referees: Palla, Kapitany, Sojtory
Falco: Kalman 15/9, Hudson 20/18, Ciric 30/15, Perincic 9/3, Horvath Z. 9, Vrsaljko 16, Lakatos 6, Vida 4, Borszeki, Csiszar, Papp, Horvath D. 2, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic
Szolnok: Coleman 20/12, Szabo P. 14/3, Wilson 9, Jurkunas 7/3, Basit 20, Varadi 2, Cseh 3/3, Gaal, Toth V. 1, Coach: Por Peter

*****************************************************
  ICELAND   


Teitur Orlygsson new head coach of Stjarnan - by Einar Johannsson
Stjarnan released Bragi Magnusso as head coach of Stjarnan last week and they have found a new coach in Teitur Orlygsson .
Orlygsson was head coach of Njardvik last season but was released and is now for the first time on a contract for another team than Njardvik, which he played for his career except one year that he spent with Larissa in Greece season 1995-1996.
Stjarnan won FSu on thursdaynight and now have 6 pts as FSu so they are 10th at the moment. Orlygsson first game will be today against IBV in cup.

Injury's - by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Few players are out for some time because of injury's.

Cedric Isom (188-G-84, college: E.Texas Baptist) Thor broke his hand in the game against KR last thursday and will be out for 3-4 weeks.
Darrell Flake (193-F-80, college: McKendree) Tindastoll had little surgery on his knee week ago and will be out for 3 more weeks.
Robert Hodgson (199-F-74, college: Rutgers) player/coach at Valur div 1 team broke his hand 2 weeks ago and will be out for 2 more weeks.

Last game in final 16th of Subway Cup was today when Stjarnan beat IBV 113-97. Justin Shouse (180-G-81, college: Mercyhurst) 29 pts for Stjarnan Baldvin Johnsen 25 for IBV.

Last games before Christmas. - by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Last three games before Christmas was last night.
Skallagrimur lost their 11th game in a row, now against Keflavik 97-52. Top scorer for Skallagrim Landon Quick (185-G-85) (Agency Icebasket)17 + 9 rebs. For Keflavik Sigurdur Thorsteinsson (203-C-88) 24.
Grindavik keep their second place in the league by winning IR 92-78 were Gudlaugur Eyjolfsson (187-G-79) was hot from outside 6/8 in three points and ended with 20 pts. Hreggvidur Magnusson (198-F-82) 28 for IR.
Breidablik picked up a must win away against Tindastoll 83-79 and moved up to 7th place while Tindastoll drop down to 4th place. Tindastoll playing without Allan Fall who left the team and went to Switzerland to play & Darrell Flake who is out for 3-4 weeks after he picked up a knee injury.
Leading scorers. Svavar Birgisson 23 for Tindastoll. Kristjan Sigurdsson (188-G-86) 32 & Nemanja Sovic 25 for Breidablik.

News from All-Star game in Iceland - by Einar Johannsson
All-Star games in Iceland were played last weekend. National teams of Iceland played against All-Star teams which were mix of foreigners and icelandic players. In both games All-Star team had the win in good games. Mens game ended 115-113 but womens ended 103-94.
Jason Dourisseau (196-G-83, college: Nebraska) MVP of the men game with 36 pts, 10 reb, 4 assists and 2 steals. Dorissau also won the dunkcontest and former national player Gudjon Skulason (181-G-67) won the 3pt contest after finals with Magnus Gunnarsson (184-G-81).
In women game La Kiste Barkus (175-G-84, college: Louisiana Tech) was MVP. She had 32 pts, 5 reb, 4 assists and 4 steals. Palina Gunnlaugsdottir (170-G-87) won the 3pt contest.

*****************************************************
  ITALY   


New sponsor for Roseto - by Gianni Pascucci
Lega 2 team Pallacanestro Roseto 1946 introduced to media the agreement with Seven 2007 company, operating in photovoltaic systems, wind power and so on. The team will be named from now 'Seven 2007 Roseto' and the trademark of the new sponsor will debut tonight, when Roseto meets Prima Veroli at home.

*****************************************************
  KOSOVO   


"BASKETUNIVERSIADA 2008" Tournament by FBK - by Qendrim Ahmetaj
'BASKETUNIVERSIADA 2008' Tournament by FBK

Federate Basketboll of Kosovo invites all University Of Prishtina, and Private Universities to applicate for this tournament.

Tournament is planificated for January month in Prishtina.

For application visit us 'Shtpia e Sporteve nr 5' , or email sekretari@basketbolli.com before 30.12.2008 .

For any information please contact 038 223 755 or 044 (049) 506 482

*****************************************************
  LATVIA   


LBL D2 Round: 19 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Cesis - Jurmala 62-76
Jurmala climbed at the secons spot in the ladder as they upset Cesis on the road. Martins Meijers tallied impressive double-double of 22 points and 18 boards. Einars Bucs added 17 points and 13 boards in the win. Martins Tiss answered with 15 points for Cesis.

Saldus - Liep.Papirs 79-62
Saldus knocked down Liepajas Papirs at home court. Toms Celmins exploded with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the league leaders. Janis Licitis had 15 points and 10 boards for Saldus. Arturs Freimanis had 26 points and 7 boards for Liepajas Papirs in the loss.



*****************************************************
  LUXEMBOURG   


Standings - DBBL
DBBL Standings
 1. Amicale 9-3 
 2. Sparta 8-4 
 3. T71 8-4 
 4. Musel Pikes 7-4 
 5. Etzella 7-5 
 6. Contern 7-5 
 7. Black Star 6-6 
 8. Residence 4-8 
 9. Racing 2-9 
 10. Heffingen 1-11 


Amicale humiliates Black Star 81-41! - by Alex Meyers
Saturday, December 13, 2008

Amicale 81 - Black Star 41

Steinsel, Luxembourg
Black Star had problems to score in the 2nd and 3rd quarters last Saturday night in Steinsel playing their worst basketball of the season. Only Billy McDaniel (201-F/C-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: Ark.-Monticello) managed to reach double figures in in scoring with only 16 points. Patrick Arbaut was held to only 3 points playing only 21 Amicale was unstoppable with 5 players reaching double figures. Travis DePree (201-F/C, college: Albion) scored 13 followed by Tom Rausch and Chris Scholtes with 12 each. Christopher Jones and Christian Schartz each scored 11. Amicale faces Etzella on the road next and Black Star will be in big trouble as they must host Jan Enjebo, Martin Rajniak, Tim Whitworth and Co. T71 has been fine tuning and want to go into the Christmas break in a good direction for making the top 6.

Amicale: 32 field goals, 9 three pointers, 8 for 15 free throws, 30 rebounds, 8 fouls and 12 turnovers
Schartz 11, DePree 13, Scholtes 12, Haan 3, Ney 6, also Rausch 12, Kartheiser 7, Gillardin, Cortese 2 and Birenbaum 4
Black Star: 18 field goals, 0 three pointers, 5 for 8 free throws, 29 rebounds, 14 fouls amd 17 turnovers
Becker 2, Tuffel 7, McDaniel 16, Hoffmann, Pat.Arbaut 3, also Weckering 4, Schroeder, Muepu, Di Bartholomeo, Yan.Arbaut 8 and Phi.Arbaut 1

Score by Quarters: 1st Q 20-15, Halftime 48-24, 3rd Q 65-29, Final 81-41
358 Spectators

T71 wins close one over visiting Contern! 5 losses in a row for struggling Racing! - by Alex Meyers

Saturday, December 13, 2008

T71 91 - Contern 86

Dudelange, Luxembourg
The game between these two teams was very close, especially in the first half. In the middle of the third quarter T71 went on a nice run, increasing its lead to as many as 13 points. Contern out-played T71 in the fourth, but it was too little too late for the visitors who suffered their 5th loss and dropped to a 6th place tie with Black Star. All 8 players scored for T71, with Tim Whitworth (198-G/F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Drexel)(11 Rebounds) leading the way with a game high 31 points. Martin Rajniak had 24 points and 9 rebounds. Gilles Ruffato and Michael Kostur added 15 and 10 respectively. Eric Jeitz was top-scorer for Contern with 23 points. Brandon Gary (202-F-83, agency: Passing Lane, college: Hutchinson JC) had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Ken Diederich scored 18 and Gilles Becker 15. This weekend Contern hosts Sparta and T71 goes to Mersch to face Black Star. Both games are on Saturday, December 20th.

T71: 34 field goals, 6 three pointers, 17 for 20 free throws, 32 rebounds, 21 fouls and 13 turnovers; Kostur 27' fouled out
Whitworth 31, Rajnial 24, Kostur 10, Ruffato 15, Kieffer 5, also Bemtgen 2, Klein 2 and Siebenbour 2
Contern: 26 field goals, 8 three pointers, 26 for 29 free throws, 29 rebounds, 16 fouls and 11 turnovers
Unsprtsmanlike Fouls: 4' Diederich and 39' Braun; Technical Foul: 12' Coach Amelow
Becker 15, Jeitz 23, Diederich 18, Gary 20, Bissener 2, also Braun 8, Fasbender and Torres

Score by quarters: 1st Q 23-23, Halftime 50-47, 3rd Q 72-62, Final 91-86
250 Spectators


Racing 70 - Residence 78

Racing: 26 field goals, 8 three pointers, 10 for 17 free throws, 36 rebounds, 28 fouls and 17 turnovers

Weynandt 11, Schroeder 8, Pires 4, Archbold 26, Haas 5, also Klose 5, Garcia 2, Ural, Schmit 3, Grand 6 and Hochmuth

Residence: 27 field goals, 7 three pointers, 17 of 32 free throws, 38 rebounds, 15 fouls and 22 turnovers

Abdiu, Leschek 6, F.Mangen 8, Koster 21, Hall 30, also Hemmen 5, Julien 3, S.Mangen 5 and Torres



Score by quarters: 1st Q 18-17, Halftime 34-35, 3rd Q 56-57, Final 70-78
100 Spectators



*****************************************************
  MEXICO   


Can the Soles de Mexicali win it all? - by Harold Valenzuela
This year the Soles de Mexicali has only one goal, win the championship, and they have worked a lot to obtain it. They conserve the same roster (almost) of 3 years ago, which assures a better team chemistry and better understanding between them. The Point guard of the team is Dejuan Wheat (183-G-73, college: Louisville), he has NBA experience with the Minessota Timberwolves in the 97-98 season, Vancouver Grizzlies in the 98-99 season and the Phoenix Suns in the 00-01season. He controls the game perfectly, he is the most experienced PG in the LNBP; Greg Lewis (198-F-78, college: Winthrop) 'la bestia' Lewis, is a dominant force in the painting, he does it great in the defensive and the offensive end, he is the team inside force, he always responses; James Penny (198-F-76, college: TCU) is the smooth assassin, he is a player who can play near the basket or in the wing, he is quicker than the traditional post players and taller than the guards; Horacio Llamas (212-C-73, agency: Interperformances), first Mexican to play in the NBA, he is not the skillful player who was before, nevertheless his personality and leadership is big, an he can change the game with his experience, he is a key player for the team; Anthony Pedroza (191-G-79, agency: Edge Sports, college: Oregon), he was in the NBA with the Soles de Phoenix and San Antonio Spurs, but he never play an official NBA game, for a lot of people he is the best Mexican player at the moment (he and Gustavo Ayon), he is the player who can make the difference to gain the championship this year. They have a solid bench, nevertheless is not compared with others teams bench, like the Halcones bench, if they win the championship the starters has to win it for them.

Standings - LNBP
LNBP Standings
Northern Division
 1. Tecos UAG 31-5 
 2. Soles 31-6 
 3. Lobos Grises 21-14 
 4. Algodoneros 19-15 
 5. Fuerza R. 17-19 
 6. Lobos UAC 17-19 
 7. Dorados 15-20 
 8. Corr.Victoria 14-21 
 9. Venados 13-22 
 10. Bravos 13-22 
 11. Galgos T. 8-27 
 12. Potros 7-29 
Southern Division
 1. Halc. Xalpa 35-2 
 2. Halc. Rojos 26-11 
 3. Panteras 23-12 
 4. Barreteros 22-13 
 5. Halc. Cordoba 20-14 
 6. Bucaneros 19-16 
 7. Santos 18-17 
 8. Lechugueros 15-19 
 9. Pioneros 14-19 
 10. Loros C. 10-24 
 11. Angeles 10-25 
 12. Estrellas 4-31 


Stats Leaders - LNBP
LNBP Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Ford, Panteras 28.03
2 Melendes, Tecos 26.59
3 Gale, Venados 23.45
Rebounds Per Game
1 Jack Michael, Halcones 13.69
2 Garcia, Tecos12.17
2 Richards, Union 10.44
Assists Per Game
1 Latham, Loros 5.55
2 Borders, SReales 5.45
3 Stoll, Algodoneros 5.38
Steals Per Game
1 Latham, Loros 3.09
2 Williams, UAC 2.93
3 Ford, Panteras 2.81


*****************************************************
  NBA   


NBA Round: 53 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Clippers - Pacers 117-109
LA Clippers outsmarted Indiana Pacers at the Conseco Fieldhouse in two overtimes. Zach Randolph shined for the winning squad collecting 34 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists. Al Thornton had 25, while Marcus Camby helped with 20 points and 20 boards. Jarrett Jack scored 27 points and dished out 7 assists for the Pacers. Clippers 8-18, Pacers 9-17.

76ers - Wizards 109-103
Louis Williams, who came off the bench nailed 26 points for the 76ers, leading them to 12th victory of the season (12-14). Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala added 18 points each (Iguodala had 9 rebs more). Antawn Jamison was better than the others in loss with 23 points, 10 boards and 5 assists. Wizards 4-20.

Warriors - Hawks 99-115
Comfortable 16-point home win for the Hawks thanks to Marvin Williams and Ronald Murray. Williams had 22 pts and 9 boards, while Murray also delivered 20. The Warriors got 27 points and 6 assists from Marco Belinelli. Hawks 16-10, Warriors 7-20.

Bulls - Celtics 108-126
Another victory for the reigning champion, 25th this season (25-2). Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins combined 52 points and 11 boards for the Celtics. Luol Deng collected 19 points and 7 rebounds for the Bulls (12-14).

Mavericks - Nets 97-121
New Jersey Nets didn't have to work very hard in order to beat Dallas Mavericks. Devin Harris led the scorers with impressive 41 points, including 13 assists. Vince Carter also demonstrated fantastic performance for the hosts adding 34 points, 10 boards and 6 assists. Dirk Nowitzki had 24, while Jason Terry scored one point less in loss. The Nets currently have 13-12, while the Mavs slipped on 14-11.

Bucks - Knicks 105-81
Milwaukee Bucks celebrated at the Madison Square Garden for 12-16 score. Michael Redd netted 21 points and racked up 6 assists for the winners. Richard Jefferson and Luc Mbah a Moute posted 16 pts apiece (Mbah 9 rebs more). Nate Robinson stepped up for the Knicks with 21 pts, 5 rebs and 4 assists. Knicks 11-15.

Jazz - Pistons 120-114
17-11 for the Jazz and 14-10 for the Pistons. Allen Iverson once again shined for the Pistons draining 38 points. He also had 5 rebs and 7 assists beside that. Richard Hamilton stopped on 30 pts. Utah Jazz had couple of players in a game mood. Deron Williams had 29, while Mehmet Okur added 26 points with 12 boards. Paul Millsap collected 24 pts and 13 rebs.

Bobcats - Grizzlies 112-83
The Bobcats trashed the Grizzles on the road thanks to Boris Diaw, Emeka Okafor and Gerald Wallace, which combined 73 points and 26 rebounds. Rudy Gay led the scorers for the hist squad with 17 points. Both teams are on 9 wins now. Bobcats 9-18, Grizzlies 9-17.

Lakers - Heat 87-89
Dwayne Wade nailed 35 points and grabbed 6 rebounds leading his Miami Heat to excellent victory against the powerful Lakers. Kobe Bryant answered for the loosing side with 18 points. Pau Gasol had double-double, 13 pts and 11 boards. It is the fourth defeat of the season for the Lakers (21-4). Heat 13-12.

Raptors - Thunder 83-91
Third victory for OC Thunder this season in 27 appearances. As usual, Kevin Durant stepped up for the Thunder nailing 24 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. Russell Westbrook followed him with 19 pts and 8 assists. Chris Bosh came up with double-double for the Raptors, 22 points and 16 boards. Raptors 10-16.

Kings - Rockets 96-107
Chinese superstar Ming Yao paced Houston Rockets to home win against the Kings nailing 30 points and grabbing 6 rebounds for 34 minutes. He missed only two shots and one FT during the entire time (11/13 FG2, 8/9 FTs). Luis Scola also shined with 23 pts and 10 rebounds. Sacramento got 26 points from John Salmons. Rockets 17-9, Kings 7-20.

Cavaliers - Nuggets 105-88
Another fantastic performance by LeBron James. This time he collected 33 points and 10 boards missing only 2 assists for triple-double. Zydrunas Ilgausas had 23, while Delonte West scored 22 points. Chauncey Billups netted 16 for the hosts. Carmelo Anthony stopped on 13. Cavs 22-4, Nuggets 17-9.

*****************************************************
  PARAGUAY   


CPB 2008 awards given - by Gianni Pascucci
The Paraguayan Basketball Confederation (CPB) held a Closing ceremony yesterday night in Asuncion, in which have been awarded all the outstanding athletes, coaches and teams in the past season. The CPB also introduced the new release of its official website (latinbasket.com hopes it will be better than the old one, totally lacking of data and news...)
The 2008 CPB awards were as follows:
Male Player of the Year : Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82), Libertad (Metropolitan league top scorer)
Female Player of the Year : Martha Peralta (S.American U15 Championship top scorer)
Coach of the Year : Juan Pablo Feliu , Sol de America (National League Champion)
Executive of the Year : Marcos Ortiz Ravetti , America de Pilar
Referee of the Year : Carmen Gamarra

*****************************************************
  POLAND   


1Liga Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Big Star - MMKS DG 79-70
Big Star remained in the second place after they blitz Dabrowa Gornicza at home court. Lukasz Pacocha had 22 points to lead the home team. Damian Kulig finished with 19 points for the winners. Piotr Zielinski registered 16 points and 11 boards in the loss.

Sokol L. - Polonia 2011 58-66
Leszek Karwowski nailed 15 points and Polonia 2011 earned the 11th win beating Sokol Lancut. Tomasz Snieg finished the game with 13 points for the winners. Bartosz Dubiel, Tomasz Pisarczyk and Adrian Mroczek-Truskowski had 13 points each in defeat.

Zastal ZG - LKS Lodz 61-64
Lodz produced a narrow victory against Zastal away from home. Adrian Czerwonka had 13 points and 8 rebounds to lead balanced effort from the visitors. Zbigniew Marculewicz added 12 points and 11 boards in the winning case. Pawel Wiekiera topscored with 21 points for Zastal Zielona Gora.

Prokom II - MOSiR Kr. 60-78
MOSIR Krosno maintained a sole lead in the league as they thumped Prokom II for the 14th success. Piotr Pluta stepped up with 21 points for the winners. Krzysztof Kalinowski, Przemyslaw Hajnsz and Bartosz Bal secured 9 points each in the win. Jakub Zalucki had 16 points for Prokom II in the loss.

Znicz Basket - Resovia 85-73
Znizc eased past Resovia to post the sixth win in the season. Jakub Dloniak had 23 points to lead the way for Znicz. Marcin Ecka had 15 points, 10 boards and 6 assists for the winners. Gregorz Malecki answered with 20 points for Resovia in defeat.



Standings - DBE
DBE Standings
 1. Kotwica 12-5 
 2. Polpharma 11-4 
 3. Turow 10-4 
 4. Polonia 10-7 
 5. Prokom 9-3 
 6. AZS Koszalin 9-6 
 7. Anwil 8-5 
 8. En.Czarni 7-7 
 9. Atlas Stal 6-7 
 10. Sportino I. 5-8 
 11. Gornik W. 4-11 
 12. Bank BPS 3-10 
 13. PBG Basket 3-11 
 14. Znicz J. 3-12 


*****************************************************
  PORTUGAL   


LPB Round: 10 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Fisica - VSC Guimar. 83-76
Fisica gained just the fifth win as they toppled Guimaraes before the home crowd. Jeffrey Ferguson stepped up with 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the hosts. Miguel Salvador contributed 21 points for the hosts. Guimaraes replied with 24 points and 8 boards from Louis Graham.

Ovarense - CAB 98-92
Ovarense narrowed the distance to the second-placed CAB Madeira beating them at home court today. Rolan Roberts was the catalyst for the win as he notched 23 points and 13 boards for the winners. John Waller added 19 points for Ovarense in the victory. Jason Smith answered with 25 points and 6 assists for CAB Madeira as they are now just one win ahead of Ovarense in the ladder.

Barreirense - Academica 62-69
Academica managed to outscore Barreirense on the road to open this round. Anthony Williams nailed 24 points and collected 11 rebounds for Academica. Manuel Johnson had 16 points and 10 boards for the winning team. Chadwick McKenzie answered with 19 points, 7 boards and 4 assists for Barreirense in the loss.

Porto Ferpinta - Benfica 82-84
The league leaders Benfica was challenged by Porto Ferpinta on the road but finally eked out a tough win. Ben Reed notched 20 points and 7 boards to pace Benfica to the 14th straight win. Sergio Ramos had 15 points for the winners. Christian Burns responded with 19 points for Porto Ferpinta in the loss.



*****************************************************
  ROMANIA   


Div.A Round: 14 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Rapid B. - Dinamo B. 45-88
Dinamo Bucuresti eased past Rapid behind 26 points from Octavian-Mihail Paul. Stojadin Markovic had 16 points for Dinamo in the win. Marius Bulancea answered with 13 points for Rapid.

Timisoara - CSU Brasov 91-85
Timisoara held off Brasov to share the lead in the championship together with Ploiesti. Rade Dzambic fired 25 points to maintain the winning streak of Timisoara. Nenad Markovic had 17 points and 7 boards in the winning effort. Ionut Dragusin responded with 24 points and 12 boards for Brasov in the loss.

CSU Atlassib - Otopeni 85-67
Atlas Sibui outscored Otopeni for the tenth victory. Cortney Scott managed 21 points and 8 rebounds for Sibiu. Bryant Matthews had 19 points as the victors stayed in the third spot in the ladder. Andrei Capusan answered with 13 points for Otopeni.

Craiova - Mures 70-71
Targu Mures stole a dramatic win from Craiova today. It was the sixth success for the Audrius Prakuraitis team in the tournament. Sean Knitter led the way with 15 points. Corey Largent added 11 points in the win. Craiova answered with 21 points from Branislav Tomic.

Rovinari - U.Mobitel.CN 69-76
UMobitelco sneaked past Rovinari for the eighth win. Branko Cuic scored 22 points to lead the charge. Matthew Gibson added 19 points and 7 boards for the winners. Louis Darby answered with 22 points for Rovanari. Porter Troupe had 21 points in the losing case.



*****************************************************
  SLOVENIA   


Scoring 17 straight points, Zagorje picks up first road win - by Zeljko Zule

It took 12 Rounds but Zagorje finally recorded its first road win of the season by downing Luka Koper 101-81. Zlatorog again hold their opponent under 60 points and Hopsi crushed TCG Mercator by 41 points.

Zlatorog-Alpos Sentjur 71-57: The home team went on 15-0 run over a eight-minute span in seconf half. Ali Berdiel collected 15 points and 7 assists, Uros Lucic posted 14 points, Salih Nuhanovic grabbed 13 rebounds including 9 offensive boards and Milos Miljkovic had 12 rebounds. Alpos was outscored 24-41 and shot just 1-of-12 from the downtown. Dejan Dunovic posted 11 of his 15 points in third quarter and Luka Lapornik added 14 points but he commited 14 turnovers.

Hopsi-TCG Mercator 114-73: Shawn King had 27 points on shooting 11-of-15 and grabbed 13 rebounds, Nemanja Jelesijevic posted 22 points on shooting 8-of-10, Terence Hundley added 18 points, Danijel Vujasinovic collected 16 points and 7 assists and Andrej Podvrsnik scored 15 points. TCG Mercator was outscored 21-44. Primoz Skok posted16 points and Mensud Julevic added 15.

Luka Koper-Zagorje 81-101: Zagorje went on a 17-0 run spaning the third and fourth quarters as get first road win of the season. Gil Goodrich (178-G-82, college: Bowie St.) scored 35 points on shooting 13-of-25, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 6 assists, Joshua Johnson added 22 points and David Parris collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Zagorje hit 100 points for the first time since beating TCG Mercator, 105-97, on January 26, 2008.Luka Koper was outrebounded 34-49 and shot just 14-percent (4-of-28) from the 3-point range. Ales Kunc had 21 points and 8 rebounds, Grega Nachbar scored 14 points and Ivan SImunic had 13 points and 7 rebounds.



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  SWITZERLAND   


Lugano Pulls the Upset of Fribourg!! - by Alexander Davis
The Lugano Tigers, trailed the Swiss Champ Benetton Fribourg Olmpic by 2 games coming into the game toinght, but after an 86-65 victory, they trail by only 1 game! The home team dominated Fribourg tonight! Lugano only led by 2 points after the 1st quarter, but that was the closest Fribourg would get. Derek Stockalper (198-G/F-84, college: Cal Poly - SLO) exploited the weak perimeter defense of Fribourg for 29 points!! They had no answer as Vlad Buscaglia, and Bruce Fields got torched play after play. This seems to be a weak area for Fribourg this season, without the services of Dave Esterkamp(injury), and Harold Mrazek(retired). The signing of these 2 players have made no impact for the champs this season, and they continually come up empty for Fribourg. For Lugano, Isaac Wells, had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while frontcourt teammate Josh Alamson had 19 points. For Fribourg 'The Warrior' Marcus Sloan (205-F-82, agency: Octagon, college: TCU, finished with a double-double game with 10 points and a game hime high 14 rebounds. Fribourg looks to regroup after the Christmas break with a game against Geneva. With all of the injuries this season, it will be interesting to see if Fribourg will repeat as Leage Cup, and Swiss champs!

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  TURKEY   


Standings - TBL
TBL Standings
 1. Efes Pilsen 10-1 
 2. Galatasaray 9-1 
 3. T.Telekom 8-3 
 4. Fener.Ulker 7-3 
 5. Banvit 7-3 
 6. Mersin 6-5 
 7. Aliaga 6-5 
 8. Antalya 6-5 
 9. Karsiyaka 5-6 
 10. Darussafaka 5-6 
 11. Besiktas 5-6 
 12. Oyak Renault 4-6 
 13. Selcuk Uni. 4-7 
 14. Erdemir 2-9 
 15. TED Koleji 1-10 
 16. Kepez Bld 1-10 


Standings - TB2L
TB2L Standings
Group A
 1. Trabzonspor 7-2 
 2. Edirne Genclik 7-2 
 3. Bornova 7-2 
 4. Genc Telekom 7-3 
 5. Pamukkale 6-4 
 6. Vestel 6-4 
 7. Akcakoca P. 4-5 
 8. FMV Isik 4-6 
 9. Eyup 3-7 
 10. Orman 3-7 
 11. Bursa B-bol 2-8 
 12. TED Istanbul 2-8 
Group B
 1. Tofas 9-0 
 2. ITU 8-2 
 3. Gelisim 7-2 
 4. Duzce Genclik 6-3 
 5. Beykoz 6-4 
 6. Genc Banvit. 5-4 
 7. Canakkale 5-5 
 8. Pertevniyal 4-6 
 9. Yesilyurt 3-7 
 10. Ankara Basket 2-7 
 11. Usak 2-7 
 12. Mulkiye 0-10 


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  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Christmas has 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 blocks as North Catholic tops Bonner - by David Edole
YEARS FROM now, 10,000 people will claim they were there.
As for the star of the show . . . good luck getting him to admit he was even on the premises.

Some athletes can talk about themselves for hours, days, weeks, forever. In response to each question tossed his way last night, Rakeem Christmas barely broke the 5-second mark.

Hey, the kid has been through a lot in just under 3 years.

Not bad things. Merely head-spinning developments.

As a seventh-grader, Christmas was living on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix and mostly staying in the house, he said, 'because it was just too hot.'

Now, if you search for his name on the good, ol' Internet, you'll find him mentioned on lists of the nation's very best sophomore basketball prospects.

'Yes, it's exciting. Kinda,' he said, smiling.

In his first Catholic League start for the defending champion, North Catholic, and with the holiday 6 days away, the 6-9, 225-pound Christmas gave the spectators in the Falcons' impressively refurbished Pit an impressive present.

Not only did he record a triple-double, he achieved that accomplishment with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Scott Slade, a sophomore forward for Monsignor Bonner, attempted a right-baseline jumper. Christmas sent it back to Thanksgiving. It was his 10th block and by that juncture, he also owned 10 rebounds and 14 points.

As the Falcons stormed to victory, 67-52, in the Red Division opener, Christmas finished with 16 points, 13 boards and the 10 rejections. He shot 8-for-10 from the floor.

Three of his baskets came on no-way-anybody-coulda-stopped-'em dunks. But he also drained a couple of 10-foot baseline jumpers and hit a semiturnaround from inside the lane, within sniffing distance of the foul line.

Philly is able to call Christmas its own mostly because of dumb luck.

Rakeem said his aunt, Amira Joseph, also a St. Croix native and now only in her mid-20s, attended Drexel and decided to live here upon graduation. That was all Rakeem needed to hear. He'd made occasional visits anyway and, zip! . . . he moved in with Amira in deep Southwest Philly, not far from the airport.

He spent the eighth grade at Pepper Middle School, literally within footsteps of new hoops power Communications Tech, but opted for North for the education and because he'd gotten to know some of the Falcons on the basketball trail.

In North's recent game against Imhotep Charter, Christmas had a bah-humbug experience: He received just five offensive touches.

Coach Mike McCarron ordered his Falcons to be more aware of Christmas' presence in future outings and to make sure to involve him. The message was taken to heart.

'When I get the ball, I try to do good things,' he said.

Like, light up video cameras.

As a freshman varsity member, Christmas played sparingly to not at all. Of course, there was some frustration. Like any hot prospect, he wanted to get started and see what he had. But he also understood.

'I tried to learn from the seniors,' he said. 'Since last season, I've been working to get better at my jump shot. And lots of other things.'

Despite all the blocks, he was hit with just three personals. So, what's the secret to successful shot-punchin'?

'I just jump and look for the ball,' he said.

Can't you hear that now in gyms across America? 'OK,' all the coaches are saying, 'to be a great shot-blocker, just jump and look for the ball.'

Christmas posted almost all of his production in a 13-9 first quarter and an 18-6 third quarter.

McCarron received good moments from everyone in his eight-man rotation. Jack O'Neill totaled 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Woody Redding dished six assists. Bob Makor and Mike Terry halved six assists. Josh Stevens mixed nine rebounds and three assists. Jaleel Mack had eight points, three boards, two dishes and two thefts. John Dever barely had a chance to step onto the court before he registered two rejections.

Very late, quarterback Dennis Logue excited his football buddies by collecting two points.

Slade (13) and Keefer Francis (12) led Bonner in points. Henry Smith had eight points and four steals.

Christmas was receiving mail from major Division I colleges as early as last school year.

That had to be exciting! Which school contacted him first?

'Um, not sure. Can't remember,' he said. 'My aunt handles all the college stuff.'

Then he paused and smiled.

'It did surprise me, though,' he said. 'Getting attention like that so early.'

It's onnnnnnnnly beginning, big guy. *

By TED SILARY
Philadelphia Daily News

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  UKRAINE   


Superleague Round: 12 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
BC Kyiv - Pulsar 97-78
BC Kyiv overcame a slow start to knock down Pulsar for the eleventh success in the season. Manuchar Markoishvili paced the winners with 22 points. Artur Drozdov added 16 points in the win. Dmitri Briantsev responded with 14 points for Pulsar as they suffered the 9th loss in the Superleague.

Khimik - Mykolaiv 81-69
Khimik finally snapped their losing streak edging Mykolaiv at home court. Jarrius Jackson had 19 points to lead the action. Sasa Bratic added 17 points for the winning team. Sergiy Gladyr answered with 22 points and 8 rebounds for Mykolaiv in defeat.

Poltava - BC Donetsk 72-65
Poltava secured just the third win in the Superleague as they surprised Donetsk at home court. Ricky Clemons nailed 17 points to lead the hosts. R.T. Guinn added 15 points and 11 boards for Poltava. Haywood Owens tallied 18 points for Donetsk.



UBL Round: 24 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
DniproAzot - BC Odessa 65-78
Odessa grabbed the 15th win in the season as they outsmarted DniproAzot on the road today. Justin Love came up with a pivotal performance as he tallied 20 points, 9 boards and 6 assists. Coco Cofield added 19 points for the winners. Chad Eichelberg answered with 16 points for DniproAzot.

Kryvbasbasket - Gryfony 64-74
Gryfony made it sound loud as they bruised Kryvbasbasket on the road. Predrag Miletic dropped 16 points to lead Gryfony to only the fourth win in the UBL. Anthony Slack and Jane Petrovski were helpful with 12 points apiece for the winning team. Aleksandr Shaposhnikov scored 17 points for Kryvbasbasket in defeat.

Hoverla - Cherkasy 92-67
Hoverla claimed the second straight home victory as they took the scalp of Cherkasy. Arseni Kuchinsky knocked down 17 points to lead the way for the hosts. Patrick Sparks notched 15 points and 10 assists for Hoverla. Miljan Pupovic answered with 21 points for Cherkasy in the loss.

Polit.Lviv - Budivelnyk 95-98
Brian Wethers scored 23 points and hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the tough road win for Budivelnyk over Politekhnika-Halychyna. Pavelis Chukinas added 18 points and 11 boards for the winners. Anton Ageev answered with 18 points for the Lviv outfit.



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  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   


Day 1 - 20th Dubai Int'l Tournament - by Mohammed Malas
* Saturday 20/12:

Three games were played in the 1st day of 20th Dubai International Tournament which will remuse untill the 28th of December....

# Group A:

Champville (LEB) 80 - An Nasr (UAE) 62

# Group B:

Al Moutahed Tripoli (LEB) 80 - Al Jeish Army Damascus (SYR) 68 (Qs: 19-17,31-29,52-47 & 80-68)
- Best Scorers:
Tony Williams (202-F-78, agency: ACMT, college: Louisville) '25 pts' from Al Moutahed Tripoli
Darren Kelly (190-G-78, college: Texas) '23 pts' from Al Moutahed Tripoli
Chad Hendrick (197-G/F-79, college: Houston) '20 pts' from Al Jeish Army Damascus
Nour Al Saman (188-G-78) '20 pts' from Al Jeish Army Damascus

Zain (JOR) 87 - UAE National Team 62 (Qs: 14-15, 40-26, 62-44 & 87-62)
- Best scorers:
Mike Christensen (203-G/F-85, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: New Hampshire) '19 pts' from Zain
Sam Daghlas (197-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) '16 pts' from Zain
Ontario Lett (198-F-79, agency: BrezoPro, college: Pittsburgh) '14 pts' from Zain
Qasem Almoosa (192-F-77) '12 pts' from UAE National Team
Jasem Mohamed (191-F-77) '11 pts' from UAE National Team

# Day 2 - 20th Dubai International Tournament games schedule (GMT):
- Sunday 21/12:
12:45 Mouttahed X Mahram
15:00 Riyadi X Jalaa
17:00 Ittihad X An Nasr

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Tigers And Eagles Secure Wins - by Andy Webb
Everton Tigers kept up their winning formula in the BBL Championship thanks to a 89-80 victory over the Sheffield Sharks at the Greenbank Sports Academy on Friday night. An 8-2 burst towards the end of the final period took the score out to 82-72 in the home side's favour, and they held on for the all-important victory.

Newcastle Eagles kept up the pressure on the Tigers after a come-from-behind 83-77 victory over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday evening. The Raiders led 73-74 going into the closing stages of the game, but a three-pointer from Eagles' Reggie Jackson (180-G-84, college: Duquesne) gave the home side a 76-74 lead that they were not to relinquish from that point onwards.

Newcastle Eagles 83 (20,40,59) (Moore 33, Smith 14, Flournoy 9)
Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 77 (26,51,63) (Lasker 20, Moore 18, Beasley 14)

Newcastle Eagles kept up the pressure on the Everton Tigers at the top of the BBL Championship table after an 83-77 come-from- behind victory over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday night. The victory moves the Eagles into joint second place in the table with the Scottish Rocks. The Eagles exploded out of the blocks, and took an early 16-7 lead, but 11 points from Andrew Lasker kickstarted the Raiders into a 19-4 burst to close out the opening period leading 20-26. In the second quarter, the Raiders maintained their advantage as both teams traded baskets throughout the majority of the period as the visitors went into the locker rooms leading 40-51 at the half. The second half saw the Raiders start out strongly and continued to hold an eleven-point advantage at 46-57 midway through the third period. The Eagles ended the quarter the stronger with a 13-6 burst to trim the deficit to four points at 59-63 going into the final stanza. In the final stanza, the Eagles got back to a point at 64-65 off the back of a 5-0 tear midway through the quarter. Both teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, and the Raiders had a slender one-point advantage at 73-74. The Eagles broke the game open thanks to a Reggie Jackson three-pointer with 2:54 remaining in the game to give the home side a 76-74 lead that they were not to relinquish from that point on. Despite a valiant effort from the visitors to overturn the deficit, the Eagles were able to secure the victory from the foul-line. Trey Moore led all scorers with 33 points for the Eagles, while Lasker led the Raiders' scoring with 20 points personal.

Everton Tigers 89 (20,49,65) (Midgley/Gross 18, Smith 17)
Sheffield Sharks 80 (25,41,58) (Sanders/Gorman 26, Rivers 10)

Everton Tigers notched up their twelve victory of the season in the BBL Championship thanks to an 89-80 defeat of the Sheffield Sharks at the Greenbank Sports Academy on Friday evening. The Sharks began strongly with a 12-2 run to lead 7-12 midway through the opening period. The visitors maintained their slender advantage throughout the remainder of the period as they lead 20-25 at the end of the first. The second period saw the Tigers begin to assert their authority on the game, and thanks to five points from Richard Midgley and four points from Marcus Bailey, the Tigers enjoyed a 12-2 run to take the score out to 40-37. The Tigers bagged the final eight points of the game to take a 49-41 lead into the locker rooms at the half. The second half saw the Sharks trim the deficit to just three points at 51-48 off the back of a 7-2 tear at the start of the quarter. The Tigers managed to hold off the resilence of the visitors to eventually take the score out to 65-54 off the back of a 12-5 burst towards the end of the third period. The home side held a seven-point advantage at 65-58 going into the final stanza. In the final stanza, the Sharks got to within four points at 74-70 with four minutes remaining in the game, but an 8-2 run for the Tigers broke the Sharks' resilence to take the score out to 82-72, and the home side sealed the victory from the foul-line. Midgley and Josh Gross led the scoring for the Tigers with 18 points a-piece, but it was a combination of Chris Sanders and Matt Gorman who led all scorers in the game with 26 points a-piece for the Sharks.



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Women News

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  BRAZIL - Women  


Ourinhos claim the fifth straight title - by Eurobasket News
Ourinhos clinched the fifth straight title in the CNBF. Yesterday the most renowned Brazilian team overcame Unimed/Americana in the fourth game of the Final series to triumph.
Unimed/Americana saved the game in Game 3 when they eked out a narrow 74:73 but they failed to repeat the success in the fourth game of the best-of-five series. Ourinhos got to the better start as they enjoyed a 17:14 lead after ten minutes of action. However Unimed/Americana were not about to give up. They bounced back in the second frame making it a tie game 36:36 at the interval. Ourinhos used a 19:12 run in the third frame to build a crucial advantage in this one. Karla da Costa (173-G-78) tried to fuel a comeback effort from the hosts as they trimmed the distance. But Ourinhos withheld all the efforts and earned the decisive victory at the end.
Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) paced the winners with 22 points. Jucimara Dantas (192-C-78) added 19 points and 10 boards for the winners. Karla da Costa notched game-high 25 points for Unimed/Americana. Carina de Souza (185-C-79) and Karina Jacob (187-F/C-85) had 10 points each in the losing effort.
Micaela Jacintho was trumped the MVP of the championship.

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  FINLAND - Women  


D1 Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Catz - FoA 83-73
Catz secured their position on top of the ladder with a home win over FoA. Piia Harkko stepped up with 17 points off the bench to lead the way for Catz. Elena Reshetko added 16 points and 8 boards for the winners. Juta Jahilo scored 21 points, grabbed 7 boards and dished out 4 assists in the loss.

Espoo Team - Huima 92-69
Espoo cruised past Huima at home court. Ashley Haynes scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the hosts. Susanna Rinta delivered 19 points for Espoo as they claimed the 11th win in the championship. Kenya Robinson had 17 points and 9 rebounds for Huima in defeat.

BC Nokia - PeKa 62-118
PeKa stormed past Nokia on the road. It was the tenth victory for PeKa in the season. Shanika Freeman was unstoppable with 27 points and 10 boards for PeKa. Dionne Pounds added 24 points for the winners. Kristin Higy dropped 17 points in the losing effort.



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  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


Standings - Women
DBBL Standings
 1. Residence 10-2 
 2. Etzella 10-2 
 3. T71 Dudelange 9-3 
 4. Basket Esch 8-4 
 5. AB Contern 8-4 
 6. Musel Pikes 6-5 
 7. Amicale 5-7 
 8. Grengewald 2-10 
 9. Racing 1-10 
 10. Schieren 0-12 


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  TURKEY - Women  


Ceyhan parted ways with Latta - by Cem Guvener
TBBL team Ceyhan Belediyesi has parted ways with 24 year old Ivory Latta. Latta averaged 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists with 34 minutes on the court. She was also averaging %45.6 2 point field goals, %36/5 3 point field goals and %70.6 from the free throw line. Ceyhan will be now looking for a replacement for Latta. Ceyhan Belediyesi has won 3 games and lost 5 games so far into the season. Player and the team agreed on mutual terms to terminate the contract.

Standings - TBBL
TBBL Standings
 1. Fenerbahce 8-0 
 2. Mersin 7-2 
 3. Besiktas 6-2 
 4. Samsun 6-2 
 5. Galatasaray 5-3 
 6. TED Kayseri 4-4 
 7. Tarsus Bld 4-5 
 8. Ceyhan 4-5 
 9. Botas 2-7 
 10. Cankaya 1-8 
 11. Burhaniye bld. 0-9