EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 12/25/2008

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Men News

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  ABA   


Nashville hang on to #1 in ABA power rankings despite loss - by Gianni Pascucci
The ABA Nashville Broncs have held the #1 position in the ABA Power Rankings despite a loss to the strong Kentucky Bisons this past week. According to Pierre Hall , Chairman of the ABA Power Rankings Committee, 'For the first time, the Broncs have been closely challenged by both the Southeast Texas Mustangs and the Texas Fuel (formerly the South Texas Showboats) for the number one position. There was only a small margin of difference based on our ratings formula - and the Maywood Buzz and Cleveland Rockers were very close behind them. We have some very strong teams and there was a lot of movement this week.'
The rankings:
1. Nashville Broncs
2. Southeast Texas Mustangs
3. Texas Fuel
4. Maywood Buzz
5. Cleveland Rockers
6. Kentucky Bisons
7. Los Angeles Push
8. Las Vegas Aces
9. Kansas City Spartans
10. Knoxville Thunderbolts
11. Jersey Express
12. Salt Lake City Saints
13. Chicago Steam
14. Mississippi Blues
15. Houston Takers
16. Beijing Aoshen Olympian
17. Washington Raptors
18. San Francisco Rumble
19. Modesto Bearcats
20. West Texas Whirlwinds
21. Aurora Force
22. Georgia Gwizzlies
23. Detroit Hoops
24. Phoenix Fury

Last games results - by Gianni Pascucci
The SouthEast Texas Mustangs won their 5th straight game on Monday night in a hard fought battle with the Mississippi Blues, claiming a 99-92 victory. It was the 3rd straight time that the Mustangs and Blues have battled in the last week, and SETX won all three games, but this game was by far the most competitive with the teams exchanging several leads in the final ten minutes of the game. SETX placed six players in double figures with DeRon Rutledge (6'6''-F-75, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) leading again the way at 21. Currye Todd (6'4''-G-85, college: Lamar) added 16 pts, Jamaal Davis (6'10''-F/C) and Donald Harris (6'5''-F-76, college: Texas Arlington) had 12 in Mustangs. The Blues were led by Jarell Jones (6'0''-G-82, college: Pikeville), who scored 17 points, while Roderick Smith (6'8''-C-83, college: Jackson St.) and Ernest Hassell (6'6''-F-83, college: Jackson St.) scored 16 and 14. The Mustangs will now take off for the Christmas break but will return to practice on Dec 26 as they prepare to take on Texas City on the road Dec 28 and Jan 3. The Las Vegas Aces had a sold out crowd of 1,700 fans in their second game vs. the Gallup Talons. The Aces triumphed again, 111-109 after a battled and very exciting game. Brian Lang (6'3''-G-81, college: S.Nevada CC), the 2007 Konstanz,Germany player of the year, scored 34 points and dished 5 assists to lead Aces, Antwan Roberson (6'7''-F-80, college: Jacksonville JC) added 22pts,14rebs, 5blks and Jarvelous Wright (6'5''-F, college: Pasco-Hernando CC) scored 17pts and grabbed 3rebs.

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


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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Adriatic-League Round: 14 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Vojvodina - KK Zagreb 84-75
After surprise vs Zadar in the last round, Vojvodina grabbed another home win, this time against Zagreb 84-75. Charron Fisher led the scorers in Vojvodina with 20 points. Marko Sutalo had 18 pts and 5 rebs, while Dejan Borovnjak also shined registering double-double, 14 points and 11 boards for 25 minutes. Luka Zoric was better than the others in defeat with 18 pts and 5 rebs. Vojvodina 4-10, Zagreb 2-12.

U.Olimpija - Buducnost 81-79
Union Olimpija escaped with a tiny home win against the Montenegrin champion for 6-8 in regional championship. On the other side, Buducnost fell on 8-6. Vlado Ilievski paced Olimpija netting 19 points and also including 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Vladimir Golubovic had 12 points and 9 boards. Vladimir Micov was totally the best in Buducnost draining 25 points and pulling down 5 rebs.

Crvena Zvez. - FMP 77-65
Crvena Zvezda also ended 2008 in style jumping on 12-2 record (second place). Americans Andre Owens and Lawrence Roberts led the hosts combining 35 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Vladimir Stimac contributed with 14 points and 7 boards. Predrag Samardziski and Dragan Labovic answered collecting 28 points and 20 rebounds together. FMP 5-9.

Krka - Partizan 65-80
Partizan managed to beat Krka on the road finishing 2008 on top of Adriatic league with almost perfect 13-1 record. Novica Velickovic was a key player for the winners with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Stephane Lasme followed him adding 12 pts and 9 boards. Richard Shields answered with 18 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. Krka ended this year with 4-10 score. The same digits also has Vojvodina.

Bosna S. - Helios 87-72
Bosnian champion finished 2008 with victory. Ivan Ivanovic, Emir Zimic and their teammates were too strong for Helios jumping on the middle of the standings with 6-8. Ivanovic led the hosts collecting 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, while big guy Zimic also shined nailing 17 pts and grabbing 5 boards. Aljaz Janza top-scored in Helios with 21 points. Helios 3-11 (13th place).

Cibona - Hemofarm 79-75
Cibona had to work very hard in order to beat Hemofarm in Zagreb, but anyway the team of head coach Velimir Perasovic made it. Nikola Prkacin scored 17 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in victory. Davor Kus and Earl Calloway helped with 16 points apiece. Stefan Markovic and Milan Macvan delivered 19 points each in loss. Cibona is on fourth place with 10-4, while Hemofarm is third 11-3.

KK Split - Zadar 83-91
Zadar celebrated in Split without the HC head coach Aleksandar Petrovic, who got fired by the team. Bulgarian Deyan Ivanov stepped up for Zadar collecting 24 points and 6 rebounds. Stipcevic, Gecevski and Peric added 16 points apiece. Sinisa Stemberger and Eddie Shannon replied with 47 points for the host squad. Zadar 9-5, Split 5-9.

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  AUSTRIA   


A Bundesliga Round: 10 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
UBSC Graz - Arkadia 69-79
Arkadia cruised past UBSC Graz on the road thanks to Deven Mitchell, who drained 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. David Geisler helped him with 16 points. Bryan Grier came up with double-double for the hosts, 20 points and 12 boards. With this victory Arkadia remains on top of A Superleague, together with Oberwart and Furstenfeld (8-2). UBSC Graz stays on just 2 wins in 10 appearances.

Oberwart - Wels 96-83
Oberwart crushed Wels in derby game of Round 10. The Gunners had couple of players in a game mood, but maybe the best one was Marcus Stout, who collected 22 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Jason Johnson also shined registering double-double, 20 points and 10 boards. Jae Youngblood added 22 points, 7 rebs and 5 as. Wels got 35 pts and 5 boards from Brandon Thomas. Both teams had 7-2 record before this game.

Furstenfeld - Gussing 84-68
Furstenfeld didn't have any troubles to beat Gussing becoming the third team in the league with 8-2 score. The hosts had 5 players with 12 or more points and the best scorer was Shawn Ray with 19. Jason Chappell replied with 16 points and 11 boards for Gussing (3-7).

St.Polten - Kapfenberg 74-61
St. Polten registered third victory in A Superleague beating Kepfenberg at home 74-61. Martin Spieser, David Jandl and Jurica Drazovic scored 14 points apiece for the winners. On the other side, Wayne Arnold drained 21 pts for the loosing side. St. Polten improved on 3-7, while Kapfenberg dropped on 6-4.

Vienna - Klosterneub. 98-103
Very important road win for Klosterneuburg, who moved up on 4-6. Christoph Nagler was totally unstoppable delivering 38 points (6 of 14 from beyond the arc). Nicholas Rhodes, Spencer Rhynes and Ravone George combined 68 points in loss. Their Vienna sank even more, 1-9.

Worthresee- Gmunden 96-88
Worthresee was too strong for Gmunden jumping on seventh place with 4-6 (same as Klosterneuburg). The loosing squad fell on 3-7 sharing the ninth position with St. Polten. The box-score for this game will be available soon.

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  BALTIC LEAGUE   


Baltic-League Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Group ChallengeCup
Liepaja - Keizarmezs 73-57
Liepajas grabbed just the third win in the Baltic League Challenge Cup as they knocked down Keizarmezs. Arturs Stalbergs dropped 14 points for Liepajas. Curtis Nash and Jevgenijs Kosuskins had 11 points each in the win. Edjis Slesers managed 15 points for Keizarmezs in the losing case.

Alytus Alita - Zemgale 91-85
Vytautas Tatarunas and Nerijus Varnelis netted 21 points apiece and combined for 21 boards to lead Alytus past Zemgale. Saulius Kazevicius nailed 19 points in his farewell game for the winners. Ilmars Bergmanis, Jekabs Rozitis and Edgars Krumins answered with 14 points each in the loss.

Neptunas - Kaunas Tr. 85-76
Neptunas earned the eighth victory in the season as they shot down Kaunas Triobet. Valdas Vasylius tallied 25 points and 12 boards for the Klaipeda in the win. Deividas Gailius added 19 points, 5 boards and 4 assists. Vytenis Lipkevicius topscored with 17 points for Kaunas Triobet.

ASK/Buki - TTU KK 82-79
ASK/Buki narrowly defeated TTU KK for the fourth victory in the tournament. Gundars Rauza poured in 21 points for the winning team. Illimar Pilk scored 18 points for TTU KK in the losing clause.

Aisciai - Suduva 58-54
Aisciai toppled Suduva behind 16 points from Tomas Rinkevicius. Donatas Motiejunas added 14 points for the winners in this low-scorng affair. Suduva were paced by 19 points and 15 boards from Mindaugas Kalvelis.

VEF Riga - Valga Welg 87-63
VEF Riga eased past Valga Welg in the capital of Latvia. Evgeniy Kolesnikov nailed 19 points to lead the hosts to the 9th win in the Challenge Cup. Jurijs Aleskejevs added 18 points for the winners. Raido Roos answered with 13 points for Valga Welg.

Group Elite Group
Nevezis - TU/Rock 78-86
TU/Rock gained their first win under the guidance of new head coach Indrek Visnapuu. They defeated Nevezis on the road to improved at 5-6 record in the ladder. Tanoka Beard tallied 25 points and 13 boards for the winners. Marek Doronin and Gert Kullamae had 13 points each in the win. Aidas Viskontas nailed 15 points for Nevezis. Benas Veikals poured in 17 points in the loss.

Lietuvos - TU/Rock 97-82
Lietuvos Rytas scored the ninth win in the Elite Division as they pip TU/Rock in Vilnius. Chuck Eidson nailed 24 points and made 5 steals to lead the hosts. Branko Milisavljevic added 18 points in the winning effort. Tanoka Beard asnwered with 18 points and 8 boards for the Estonian team. Viktor Sanikidze had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.



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  BOSNIA   


Bosna outplays Helios for 6-8 in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic League: Bosna S. - Helios 87-72

Bosnian champion celebrated in Round 14 of Adriatic league. After extremely poor start, Bosna ASA BHT improved its performance a lot jumping at the middle of the standings with decent 6-8 record. Slovenian champion, Union Olimpija, has the same digits. Helios Domzale faced with 11th failure in 14 games taking position number 13. The last ranked team in the league is Split with 2-12. Bosna had big advantage in the paint as Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Emir Zimic (217-C-86) were in a game mood. Ivanovic top-scored in his team with 18 points, also grabbing 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Zimic is the second player with very important role as he nailed 17 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) netted 14, while Dusan Dordevic (195-G-83) drained 13 points, including 5 assists.
First quarter was totally leveled, 18-18. During the following 10 minutes the hosts made plus 2. Crucial period of the game was beginning of third quarter as above mentioned Ivan Ivanovic and Emir Zimic made couple of baskets, and together with Goran Ikonic created 11-3 run for 10-point lead. It was 49-39.Thanks to Alvin Snow's (188-G-81, college: E.Washington) lay up at the last Helios' possession in the period, Slovenians closed the gap on 63-55. Visitors came on minus 5 few times in the last stanza, but Emir Zimic and his teammates immediately responded jumping on plus 12 and resolving question about the winner.

Bosna: Ivan Ivanovic 18+6 boards+5 as, Emir Zimic 17+5 boards, Goran Ikonic 14, Dusan Dordevic 13+5 as
Helios: Aljaz Janza (185-G-81) 21+4 boards, Alvin Snow 17+4 as, Nicholas Jacobson (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Utah) 14+4 boards

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  BULGARIA   


CSKA released Omorogbe, doesnt give him permission - by Valentin Anguelov

Insanity in behaviour of CSKA bosses doesn't have an end. The last affected is Nigerian guard Nosa Omorogbe who was released from the club couple days ago. And if this is normal thing for Georgios Sterianopoulos and Branislav Prelevic it's absolutely be puzzled why from the club don't want to give him Letter of Clearance to go and play in other club.

Omorogbe, who turned 19 yesterday came in CSKA in the beginning of season together with his fellow-countryman Ibrahim Adamu. He played in 9 games for the club and managed average of 4.9 points and 2.1 rebounds playing 14.2 minutes per contest.

'I received half of my money last Saturday and had a meeting with my bosses. They told me that I'm fired. I asked why and they said because we had too many point guards. I was very surprised as I never made any problems and even lately had much more playing time and contributed well for my team', said Nosa Omorogbe. 'I have a contract until the end of the season. Despite that I told them - no problems, I will leave, just give me Letter of Clearance, so I can go and play somewhere else. The answer was - No. I couldn't believe why they aree acting like that and didn't know what to do. I have a offer from Italy but CSKA doesn't give me permission to go. In the same time I'm fired. This is my first club in Europe and I thought club with such a name and big tradition like CSKA was a good choice. It's a pity, I'm very disappointed from the bosses of CSKA. They want from me to leave the hotel on December 27-th and I received my ticket to go back to Nigeria. However I would like to get my Letter of Clearance and go play somewhere else. I don't know why they treat their players like that.'

The case with Nosa Omorogbe is one of the many since Sterianopoulos and Prelevic took over the club. They released some of the late symbols in CSKA while they are untouchable. Right now CSKA look like everything else but normal basketball club from National Basketball league. This CSKA it's a shame for Bulgarian basketball, third and fourth quality level Serbian and greek players are getting calls in the club (with exception of Milos Sakota of course), that in other parts of Europe will not get into the gyms. Youngsters in the club are terrible, organization of the games are way below minimum average. Bulgarian Basketball Federation need to take action and finally that Ethic code to take affect in situation like one with Nigerian kid. In normal countries that behaviour it's not supported at all...



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  CANADA   


Barrett Sefton enjoys the top with Kotwica - by Eurobasket News
Sefton Barrett (198-G/F-83, college: Cent.Michigan) enjoys the top with Kotwica in Polish League. Kotwica fired down Gornik at home court for the 12th win in the season. Pawel Kikowski lead balanced offense with 18 points. Brandon Crone contributed 17 points for the winners. Kamil Chanas replied with 21 points for Gornik. Sefton Barrett collected 6 points and 5 rebounds.
Anwil lost to Kotwica 80:93 in Regular Season Round 16 in Poland as Sefton Barrett had 8 points and 9 rebounds. Hamilton Kevin top-scored for the winners with 25 points and Kikowski Pawel followed him with 23. Pluta Andrzej ended up with 31 points in the losing effort.
In Round 15 Kotwica Kolobrzeg thrashed ISS Sportino Inowroclaw 73:53 at home. Crone Brandon paced all the winners with 14 points and Kikowski Pawel added 13. Landry Kyle produced 14 points for the guests. Canadian player had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Kotwica won the game in Round 14 beating Znicz 94:72 away from home. Crone Brandon paced all the winners with 27 points, while Kikowski Pawel and Naymick Drew nailed 17 each. Kukielka Grzegorz top-scored for the home side with 13 points.

Montreal completes the roster - by Gianni Pascucci
After adding 'Whit Chocolate' Gill, the Montreal Sasquatch completed its roster for the upcoming 2009 PBL season signing Canadian guards Shane James (6'2''-G-84) and Tristan Martin (6'2''-G-82, college: Midland CC), inside player John Daryl Rufus (6'10''-C-82, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Fayetteville St.) and PG Lantrice Green (6'3''-G-83, college: Virginia Union).

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  CAPE VERDE   


Rodrigos Primerio de Agosto Captured its 4th Trophy - by Pedro Gomes
Primeiro beat ESS 57 54 and captured its 4th trophy

Defending champion, Desportivo 1. De Agosto Luanda retain the trophy today after beating Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia 57 54 in the grand final of the 23rd Africa Champions Cup for men played in Sousse, Tunisia.

Primeiro won the first quarter (15 11) but both teams ended the second 10 10 and Primeiro led 25 21 at the break. Primeiro won the third quarter (17 14) and despite Etoile du sahel won the last (19 15), Primiro de Agosto secured the victory and captured its fourth trophy.

Khanfir Maher of Etoile du Sahel was the best scorer of the game with 15 points while his teammate Braa Hamdi poured11 points.

Joaquim Gomez of Primeiro who recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds, was elected best player (MVP) of the tournament.

Khanfir Maher avec 15 points tandis que son coquipier Braa Hamdi a inscrit 11 points.

Joaquim Gomez du Primeiro qui a ralis 14 points et 6 rebonds, a t lu meilleur joueur (MVP) du tournoi.

FIBA Africa

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  CHILE   


The semifinal stage - by Eurobasket News
Dimayor 2008/2009 playoffs are on the semifinal stage and the teams played already the first two games. Liceo Mihto wins the series 2-0 over Deportivo Castro as the team celebrated 102:98 and 90:81 victories. In another pair Boston College ties the series over CD Udeconce 1-1. At first the latter had 95:87 win, but then Boston College replied with 103:14 road victory. Games 3 are scheduled for December 20st.
Just a reminder that CD Udeconce won the regular season with 16-6 record, while Deportivo Castro finished second with 15-7. Boston College and Liceo Mihto tied with 14-8 record, but hopes to be great representatives also for the top places.

Dimayor: Liceo reach the Finals - by Daniel Valencia

Liceo Mixto qualified to its third consecutive Dimayor's final after finishing the series against Deportes Castro 3-0. In game three, Liceo outscored Castro 36-20 in the second quarter and never looked back. The shooting guard Rodrigo Espinoza (183-G-81, agency: Players Group) was the offensive leader for the winners with 21 points. Liceo is now waiting for the winner in the series between CD Universidad de Concepcion and Boston College (series tied 1-1).

Game 3

Liceo Mixto 104 - Deportes Castro 65
Lic: Rodrigo Espinoza 21 pts. Brandon Lee 18 pts. Peter Kiganya 17 pts.
Cas: Jose Luis Campos 26 pts. Aaron Eneas 9 pts. Mauro Salinas 8 pts.


Liceo won the series 3-0



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  CROATIA   


Zadar too strong for Split, Cibona also victorious - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic League: Split - Zadar 83-91

After disappointing loss in the last round against Vojvodina, Zadar managed to beat Spit on the road. It is important to mention that Zadar played this game without Aleksandar Petrovic on the bench, as he got fired by the team. With this victory Zadar moved up on 9-5 record, what is enough for the fifth place. Split is on position number nine, together with FMP (5-9). Bulgarian Deyan Ivanov (205-F-86) stepped up for Zadar collecting 24 points and 6 rebounds. Rok Stipcevic (189-G-86), Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) and Hrvoje Peric (203-F-85) added 16 points apiece. Sinisa Stemberger (195-G-79) and Eddie Shannon (180-G-76, college: Florida) replied with 47 points for the host squad. In the next round Zadar will meet Cibona in big derby (January 3). Split will play against Zagreb on the road.

Split: Sinisa Stemberger 26, Eddie Shannon 21+6 boards+5 as
Zadar: Deyan Ivanov 24+6 boards, Rok Stipcevic 16, Todor Gecevski 16, Hrvoje Peric 16

---


Adriatic League: Cibona - Hemofarm 79-75

Cibona had to work very hard in order to beat Hemofarm in Zagreb, but anyway the team of the head coach Velimir Perasovic made it. Nikola Prkacin (208-C-75) scored 17 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in victory. Davor Kus (192-G-78) and Earl Calloway (191-G-83, college: Indiana) helped with 16 points apiece. Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) and Milan Macvan (205-F/C-89) delivered 19 points each in loss. Cibona is on the fourth place with 10-4, while Hemofarm is third 11-3.

Cibona: Nikola Prkacin 17+7 boards, Davor Kus 16, Earl Calloway 16,
Hemofarm: Stefan Markovic 19, Milan Macvan 19
---


Adriatic League: Vojvodina - Zagreb 84-75

After surprise vs Zadar in the last round, Vojvodina grabbed another home win, this time against Zagreb 84-75. Charron Fisher (193-G/F-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Niagara) led the scorers in Vojvodina with 20 points. Marko Sutalo (194-G-83) had 18 pts and 5 rebs, while Dejan Borovnjak (208-F-86) also shined registering double-double, 14 points and 11 boards. Luka Zoric (211-C/F-84) was better than the others in defeat with 18 pts and 5 rebs. Vojvodina 4-10, Zagreb 2-12.

Vojvodina: Charron Fisher 20, Dejan Borovnjak 14+11 boards, Marko Sutalo 18+5 boards
Zagreb: Luka Zoric 18+5 boards, Andrej Stimac (204-F/C-79) 13+6 boards

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  D-LEAGUE   


D-League Round: 24 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Reno - Ft.Wayne 92-101
The Mad Ants outplayed Reno Bighorns at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for 4-5 record in D-League. On the other side, the Bighorns faced with ninth defeat in ten games. Ron Howard shined for the winners collecting 25 points and 11 rebounds. Coleman Collins had one point less than him, including 8 boards and 4 assists. Toree Morris, who came off the bench, helped with 15 pts and 7 rebs. Antonio Meeking and Dave Noel answered with 39 points and 14 rebounds together for the loosing side.

Tulsa - Colorado 95-99
Colorado 14ers nailed one point less then 100 vs Tulsa 66ers, what was enough for the sixth victory this season (6-3). Sonny Weems top-scored for the hosts delivering 25 points (0/5 from beyond the arc). Josh Davis had 17, while Eddie Gill and Cheikh Samb netted 15 points apiece (Samb 9 more rebs). The 66ers got the most fro Chris Richard, 18 points and 9 boards. Jeremy Kelly also netted 18, while Yemi Ogunoye contributed with one point less. Tulsa 3-8.

Los Angeles - Dakota 100-96
Los Angeles snapped a four game losing streak as they won on a usually very difficult Dakota home floor in Bismark, 100-95. Rookie Joe Crawford scored a team-high 21 points on 7-13 shooting off the bench as the D-Fenders shot 47.9% from the field as a whole. Veteran point guard Maurice Baker was the night's high scorer with 23 points for Dakota which couldn't capitalize on 25 turnovers from Los Angeles. (by Surujh Roopnarine)

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  EGYPT   


Itthad lost 3 games in Dubai - by Sherif Soliman
Itthad had a very bad start in Dubai,They lost tree games from El-Nasr(AUE),AL- Jlaa(SYR),and last night from Ryadi(LEB).Itthad played a great game last night with Ryadi and was to close to win but Ryadi experinsed players finished the game 82-79.However,no one expected the Nasr loss 80-65 witch made Itthad in a very criticale situation,They have to win over Shanviel(LEB) with more than 15 points to reach the second round as Shanvil won over El nasr by 18 po. and Itthad lost from El nasr by 15 po.If Itthad players performs like last night they will reach the secnd round but Chanvil is not an easy game win. Dubai rules allows three imports 2 only can play in the court.<<>><<>>Ahmed El Sabagh (-85)

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  GERMANY   


Jason Miller has left Goettingen - by Moritz Korff

BG 74 Goettingen (1. Bundesliga) have parted company with Jason Miller (208-F/C-80, college: Oklahoma St.). The 28-year-old center who joined the Violets coming from Jena during the summer will return to the USA due to family reasons. In the past weeks Miller only received very little playing time and didn't see any action in the most recent games against Bremerhaven and Noerdlingen. His final appearance on the Goettingen team was on December 13, when the Violets took on Tuebingen and edged past the Tigers 65:64. Miller scored a single point in 2:29 minutes on the hardwood in this game.

Meanwhile, Charles Lee (192-G/F-84, college: Bucknell) has signed a contract-extension that will keep him in Goettingen until the end of this current season.



Current BBL Top Scorer Omari Westley(Nordlingen Giants) Interview Part 1 - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
American Omari Westley (201-F-82, college: Cleveland St.) is a 201cm forward that is playing his second season for the Nordlingen Giants. He is leading the BBL in scoring with 17.7ppg and hauling down 6.3 rpg. It was no surprise that Bonn coach Michael Koch invited him to play for the BBL South Allstar team. After staring for Cleveland State, he turned pro playing the first two years in Finnland and Holland, before coming to Germany to play for the Nordlingen Giants. Omari is an allarounder, who can score inside, hurt you with the three pointer, rebound, block shots and even showcase playmaking skills. He is a player to watch. In Part 1, he talks about his current season with the GIants.


Hi Omari, thanks for talking to www. eurobasket. com.After 1/3 of the season, you are the leading scorer of the German BBL. How does that make you feel?

I enjoy what Iam doing scoring wise but it hasnt been enough because we havent won enough games even with my scoring, but at the end of the day I wanna win.


If some one had asked you before the season, that you would be leading the BBL in scoring after three months, what would have been your reaction?

I would have said 'owe thats how you feel' lol I need to do more than score in order to help my team win so I fill I need to concentrate on other aspect's of my game in order to help my team be successful.


After a hot start, you guys went on a six game losing streak, which moved you farther down the standings. What were the biggest problems in this phase? Was is it just the injuries and loses of Varnie Dennis and Loderick Stewart? What other factors were there?


Yeah it was really just the man power bodys that count in any league. Fatigue sets in late in games, and during that stretch we didnt have the bodies to give players rest so we could have our push in the 4th

Now you guys have won two of your last three games. In the loss to Bonn, you held the top BBL team to just 61 points. What has changed with N'rdlingen Basketball in the last weeks?

Our character has changed. We have picked up the defense, the intensity and the fight is there, and we are trusting one an other to be where we are supposed to be on defense.

In the last three games, no team has scored more than 61 points. What adjustments have been made on defense in this time?

We are hungry and no one is going to take us serious until we show that we belong here. Everyone on my team fills the same way so we going to fight every night especially on defense.

Gottingen is playing some fine Basketball. They scored over 90 points against Bremerhaven. They are very difficult to beat at home(5-1). What will be the key to victory in this game?

We just got play harder than them. They run and trap and try to change the tempo of the game and force you into a lot of turnovers. We just got to take advantage of what they give us and make them pay for their mistakes

The goal for the season which is no secret is to stay in the league. At this point you have three wins more than the 17th ranked team and last deregulation team Giessen. Is the team feeling a lot of pressure or has coach Andreas Wagner kept the team relaxed?

We dont even think bout staying in the league, but were thinking bout the play-offs. Thats all we talk about and some may say its far fetched but hey impossible is nothing, and we are ready for the challenge.

You guys have had gaps under the boards since the injury to Avi Kazarnovski, but recently got American Brian Butch to help you and Monta Mcghee rebounding. How important has he been so far and what else does he bring to the court besides his 211cm?

The polar bear Brian Butch as we know him will help us lot. He is a warrior and he keeps balls alive on offense. He scores around the bucket well and you better not leave him open. He spreads the floor for all our guys to create better passing and scoring angles for them selves as well as others.


In the win against Cologne, the big four of you, Danny Gibson, Monta Mcghee and Osvaldo Jeanty scored 66 of the 73 points. Only seven points came from other players. This type of scoring worked at the start of the season, but back fires when one or two of you have off nights. Will it not be dangerous in the long run to always have to rely on scoring from only four players?


Its always dangerous, but you know this is what we do and we play the game to win so anytime we step on the court anyone can have a night. We just need to find ways to win. And just because the team only had seven points from other players dont think for one minute that the four of us is all we have. It is a team effort and guys will step up when the time comes.

Is Brian Butch, a guy, who could be the fifth scorer on the team?

Yes in deed and he will be given time, and his time is coming.


You always look so calm and collective on the court. What is going through your head when you are playing the game of Basketball.

Umm I am not always calm, but I try to be lol. I am doing a lot better might I say. Yeah basketball to me is just fun. I enjoyed the game ever since I picked the ball up to win when I was twelve years old. It was just fun all the things you can do on the court is exciting to me, and I feel like basketball is easy for me because I love having fun.

Youre a pretty good rebounder for 201cm. Is it just your strong leaping ability, or are their other qualities that make you such a potent rebounder?

Well to be honest I think I suck at rebounding right now, but its just about hustle, I havent been hustling like I have in the past. I will get back there soon though, but thanks four the compliment. Also its not about how high you jump its all about who wants it more. Jeff Gibbs isnt a big guy, and he is not the most athletic but he wants that rebound more than anybody in the league right now. So its all about who wants it more.

You are described as being a playmaking forward. You often have shown your passing IQ in games. Do you ever wonder, how it could be if you were a big point guard the way Magic Johnson was for the Los Angeles Lakers?

Wow dont get me started, I would love to play point guard hint hint coach lol. I like to create for others as well as myself, but there are things I still need to work on like ball handling and seeing the whole floor, but we have a great point guard in Danny Gibson. I dont need to handle it that much.

What was your best experience so far this season on the court in the BBL?

It had to be beating Bamburg in OT at their place. We went in there looking for a win and we got one. That place is so incredible to play in, so that is my best BBL experience so far.

What is your relationship like with coach Andreas Wagner. Have you learned anything from him?

I think our relationship is very strong. He is a player coach so I gotta love that, also he took a chance on bringing me in here last year and I am forever grateful for that. He has also taught me how to be a leader, and said there is nothing wrong with being a leader, because if you lead they will follow.

This is your second season with Nordlingen. Has any thing changed in the town of Nordlingen since the team went from the PRO A to the BBL?

I mean not really you know we had great crowds last year and I only expected it to stay the same or get better.

How do you like the town of Nordlingen? You are from a big city Cleveland. Is it hard living in a small place?

Hard is a understatement,. but its cool though it gives me time to be to myself sometime and focus on other things out side of basketball, but there aint no place like home.

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  ISRAEL   


Terrence Roberts and Ramat Gan Part ways - by Tamar Goldman

The American forward Terrence Roberts (206-F-84, agency: ZAG Advocates, college: Syracuse) was released earlier this week from Ironi Ramat Gan. Roberts started the season with another Israeli first Div. team - Elitzur Q. Ata but left shortly after the season started. After a week or two at home he was signed by Ironi Ramat Gan but failed to impress and ended his way in the club after two games. During his stay in Israel, Roberts played five games with a total of 102 minutes. In Ramat Gan he Averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds in 2 games.

National League Round: 11 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Ironi N-Ziona - Elitzur Yavne 95-87
Wolfer Ztafrir and Lahat Yaron nailed 17 points each for Ironi N-Ziona in a win over Elitzur Yavne 95:87. Williams Armond produced 29 points for the visiting team.

Hap.Tivon - Hap.Beeri 93-88
Hapoel Tivon jumped to 7-4 record beating Hapoel Beeri 93:88. Sela Or ended up with 24 points, while Jackson Cedric had 27 points, 12 boards and 3 assists in the losing effort.

Megido/Yok. - Bar.Netanya 80-87
Netanya is on top with 11-0 record after defeating Megido 87:80 in Regular Season Round 11. Asenti Eran led the winners with 20 points, while Lexer Ryan scored 17. Williams Jamal shined with 37 points in the losing effort.

Benyamina - Kohav Yair 89-101
Benyamina lost to Kohav Yair 89:101 as Eiram Inam and Morgan Stacey top-scored for the winners with 23 points each. Ben-Eliyaho Hen and Snir Maor notched 16 points apiece in defeat.

Natzrath Elite - Elitzur Ramla 79-76
Natzrath Elite beat Elitzur Ramla 79:76 for 4-7 record. Brandy Stanley was unstoppable with 28 points and 13 rebounds, whilst Peterson Damon had 15 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.



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  ITALY   


Standings - Lega 2
Lega2 Standings
 1. Cimberio VA 9-4 
 2. Fileni JE 9-4 
 3. Fastweb CM 8-5 
 4. Vanoli SO 8-5 
 5. Trenkwalder 8-5 
 6. Prima VE 7-6 
 7. Harem SC 7-6 
 8. Basket LI 7-6 
 9. Seven 2007 6-7 
 10. Banco Sard. 6-7 
 11. Aget IM 6-7 
 12. Crabs RN 5-8 
 13. Umana Reyer 5-8 
 14. Carmatic PT 5-8 
 15. Enel Brindisi 4-9 
 16. Edimes PV 4-9 


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  LUXEMBOURG   


Standings - Nationale 2
N2 Standings
 1. Soleuvre 9-0 
 2. BC Mess 6-3 
 3. BBC Nitia 6-3 
 4. Basket Esch 6-3 
 5. Pall Aren 5-4 
 6. Mondorf 3-6 
 7. Bascharage 1-8 
 8. Schieren 0-9 


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  MONTENEGRO   


Buducnost losses in Ljubljana despite plus 13 in 30th minute - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic League: Union Olimpija - Buducnost 81-79

Union Olimpija grabbed thriller win against the Montenegrin powerhouse in Round 14 of the regional championship. The hosts escaped with 91-79 for 6-8 record. The same numbers also has Bosna, who shares the seventh place with Olimpija. Buducnot had excellent start of the season, but later it slowed down a little bit. Montenegrins are currently on the sixth place with 8-6. Macedonian point guard Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) led Olimpija in scoring with 19 points. Big guy Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) netted 12, missing only one board for double-double. Miha Zupan (206-F/C-82) and Mirza Begic (218-C-85) delivered 10 points apiece. On the other side, Vladimir Micov (201-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) was totally the best player in Buducnost with 25 points and 5 rebounds. Nenad Misanovic (217-C-84) followed with 18 pts and 7 rebs, while Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) posted 13.
Olimpija entered in to the last 10 minutes with minus 11, 54-65 (52-65 few moments before). After that Vladimir Golubovic and Vlado Ilievski shined for the hosts. They made couple of important baskets, but Buduncost managed to keep its lead until the last minute. Than Miha Zupan stepped up for Olimpija draining the triple for 77-77. Both teams exchanged couple of FTs after that, but at the very end Gordic of Buducnost missed two. Experienced Hukic made the second one for 81-79. Simonovic tried at the very end, but he missed for 3.

Olimpija: Vlado Ilievski 19+4 boards+4 as, Vladimir Golubovic 12+9 boards, Miha Zupan 10+5 boards, Mirza Begic 10+4 boards
Buducnost: Vladimir Micov 25+5 boards, Nenad Misanovic 18+7 boards, Vladimir Dasic 13

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  NBA   


NBA Round: 57 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Thunder - Hawks 88-99
The Hawks made it at their Philips Arena for 18-10 record. Joe Johnson stepped up for the hosts registering triple-double. He spent 40 minutes on the court delivering 20 points, grabbing 11 boards and dishing out the same number of assists. Marvin Williams had one point more than Johnson, including 7 rebounds. Josh Smith helped with 19 pts. As usual, Kevin Durant shined in OC Thunder collecting 28 points and 6 rebounds. Jeff Green was behind him with 18 pts and 14 rebs. Thunder 3-26.

Nets - Pacers 108-107
The Nets grabbed road win against Indiana Pacers thanks to Devin Harris' buzzer-beater jump shot from the top of the key. The PG finished the game with 29 points and 11 assists helping his New Jersey to move up on 14-14. Vince Carter had even better performance nailing 38 points and grabbing 8 boards. Brandon Roy and Danny Granger combined 48 points and 9 rebounds for the hosts (10-18).

76ers - Celtics 91-110
The reigning champion registered 19th straight victory for impressive 27-2 record. KG and Rajon Rondo drained 18 points apiece for the winners, while Ray Allen was behind them with 2 points less. Allen also had 6 more rebounds and 4 assists beside that. Leon Powe added 15 pts and 6 boards. Marreese Speights had 16 points and 6 boards for the 76ers. Louis Williams, who also came off the bench, was even better 16 pts and 8 as. 76ers 12-16.

Wizards - Bobcats 72-80
Emeka Okafor nailed 29 points and pulled down 18 rebounds pacing the Bobcats to 10th victory of the season. Gerald Wallace followed him adding 16 points and 8 rebs. Caron Butler came up with 31 points and 6 boards for the Wizards. Bobcats 10-19, Wizards 4-22.

Rockets - Cavaliers 90-99
LeBron once again stepped up for the Cavs collecting 27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Maurice Williams also had important role in this victory with 23 points, 4 rebs and 4 as. Houston got 20 points from Rafer Alston and 19 from Ming Yao. Cavs 24-4, Rockets 19-10.

Warriors - Heat 88-96
Dwayne Wade stepped up for the Heat with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists pacing it to 15-12. On the other side, the Warriors fell on 8-22. Daequan also was good for the hosts with 20 pts. Golden State got 18 pts from CJ Watson, while Kelenna Azubuike contributed with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Bulls - Pistons 98-104
15-11 for the Pistons and 13-15 for the Bulls after this game. Rodney Stuckey shined in victory delivering impressive 40 points. Tayshaun Prince helped with double-double, 14 points and 7 boards. He also had 7 more assists. Larry Hughes led the scorers in the loosing squad with 19 pts.

Jazz - Bucks 86-94
Milwaukee Bucks made it at home vs Utah Jazz thanks to Michael Redd and his 27 points. Ramon Sessions had 13, while Luke Ridnour helped adding 11 points and 11 assists. Russian superstar Andrei Kirilenko was the bes in Utah with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Bucks 14-16, Jazz 17-13.

Lakers - Hornets 100-87
Powerful LA Lakers grabbed 23rd win of the season, this time in New Orleans. Kobe Bryant came up with 26 points and 6 rebounds in victory, while Pau Gasol followed him adding 20 pts and 7 boards. Chris Paul had double-double in loss, 17 points and 10 assists (also 5 rebs). Hornets 16-8.

Grizzlies - Mavericks 82-100
100 points by the Mavs were more than enough for the comfortable home victory against the Grizzles. Dirk Nowitzki nailed 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Jason Terry collected 17 points and 5 assists coming off the bench. Visitors got 17 points and 5 rebs from Hakim Warrick, and 16 pts and 9 rebs from Rudy Gay. Mavs 16-11, Grizzlies 9-19.

Timberwolves - Spurs 93-99
18th win for the Spurs in 28 appearances and at the same time 23rd defeat for the Timberwolves in 27 games. Tony Parker was a key player for the hosts netting 36 points and racking out 8 assists for 36 minutes. Interesting is that he didn't have any attempt from behind the arc in this game. Al Jefferson answered with 28, while Randy Foye had 26 points and impressive 16 rebounds in defeat.

Nuggets - Trail Blazers 92-101
Home win for the Trail Blazers, thus both teams are currently one the same 18-11 record. LaMarcus Aldridge led the hosts with 22 points and 8 boards. Brandon Roy followed with 19 points and 6 boards. Lithuanian Linas Kleiza drained 20 points for the loosing side (5 triples). Nene Hilario and Chauncey Billups had 17 pts apiece (Hilario 13 rebs).

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  NEW ZEALAND   


Henry Leon struggles for Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca - by Eurobasket News
Leon Henry (200-F-85, college: S.Idaho JC) struggles for Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca and averages 6.8 points per game with 88 points in 13 games played. Here are some latest games of the player:
Gibson Matthew paced U.Mobitelco CN over Gaz Metan in a 94:63 win with 23 points. Marjanovic Miljan top-scored for the visitors with 24 points and Dumitrescu Tudor had 20. Leon Henry had 9 points and 7 rebounds for the winners.
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.Leon Henry produced 2 points and 2 rebounds. Louis Darby answered with 22 points for Rovanari. Porter Troupe had 21 points in the losing case.
In Round 12 Timisoara remained in the leading position as they toppled UMobitelco in the key matchup of the round. Nenad Markovic scored 23 points as the hosts posted a well-deserved win. They piled up a 7-point buffer before the final stanza and then withheld all the comeback efforts from UMobitelco. Milos Pesic added 17 points and 8 boards in the win. Matthew Gibson notched 20 points for the visitors.
In Round 11 Mobitelco CN smashed Oradea 102:66 as Gibson Matthew shined with 28 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Lapuste Flavius added 27 and Silvasan Mihai scored 16. Leon Henry brought his team 9 points and 5 rebounds. Torok Rolland produced 20 points in the losing effort.

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  PBL   


Montreal completes the roster - by Gianni Pascucci
After adding 'Whit Chocolate' Gill, the Montreal Sasquatch completed its roster for the upcoming 2009 PBL season signing Canadian guards Shane James (6'2''-G-84) and Tristan Martin (6'2''-G-82, college: Midland CC), inside player John Daryl Rufus (6'10''-C-82, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Fayetteville St.) and PG Lantrice Green (6'3''-G-83, college: Virginia Union).

Stampede changes coach. Again... - by Gianni Pascucci
The Buffalo Stampede of the Premier Basketball League has hired Buffalo native John Fitzpatrick as head coach. Fitzpatrick replaces Roosevelt Bouie , who served as Interim Head Cach just after the resignation of Rich Jacob, who left his job earlier this month to devote more time to his family. Bouis will stay as the Stampede GM. Fitzpatrick is a veteran coach who spent the past 24 years in college basketball, coaching at Navy, Virginia and Wright State. While at Navy in the mid-'80s, he coached All-American David Robinson. The Stampede team is currently working on trimming the roster down, the players at present under contract are:
Marcus HEARD F, De Paul
Alex HILL F, St.Petersburg Catholic HS (FL)
Melvin MITCHELL G, Cameron
Michael NORWOOD F, Coppin State
Nick PERIOLI G, Oswego State
Markus PRICE G, Siena
Edmund RAINEY F, Johnson C.Smith
Karl RAINEY G/F, Erie CC
Tyrone RAYSON F, East Central
Kevin ROSS C, Cleveland Stqte
Robert SHARPE F, Bluefield
Ricky YAHN G, Wheeling Jesuit
Adam YEOMAN C, Genesee CC
The Buffalo Stampede begins its inaugural season in the PBL at 8 p.m. Jan. 3 at Canisius' Koessler Athletic Center against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs.

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  PORTUGAL   


LPB Round: 11 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Academica - AD Vagos 69-89
AD Vagos closed the gap on Academica cruising past their opponents on the road. Dan Coleman exploded with 30 points and 10 boards to lead Vagos. Ricardo Hill was also pivotal with 26 points and 12 boards for the winners. Anthony Williams had 21 points and 9 boards for Academica as two teams now appeared tied at 9-5 record.

Ginasio - Barreirense 85-81
Ginasio shaved the distance to Barreirense outgunning them at home court. Jose Costa notched 23 points and 8 assists for Ginasio. Joao Manuel added 15 points in the winning case. Bruce Brown knocked down 17 points and 6 boards for Barreirense in the loss.

Porto Ferpinta - CAB 92-93
CAB narrowly defeated Ferpinta to stay in the second spot. Madeira had to overcome a 5-point deficit heading into the final stanza to deliver the needed result. Bobby Madison orchestrated the victory with 29 points and 6 boards. Jason Smith added 27 points and 8 assists for the winning team. Kevin Martin finished with 18 points and 9 boards for Porto Ferpinta in the losing effort.



*****************************************************
  PUERTO RICO   


Barea now on Opposing Coachs Radars - by Luis Ramirez
In a article from a writer for the NBA, it portrays what many on the Island already knew but that due to limited playing time in these past two years in the NBA, many opposing coaches had not yet realized, the fact that Jose Juan Barea is a dynamo of energy and determination. With new Coach Rick Carlisle giving Barea more playing time, this has given Barea more confidence in his game and this has translated in a more productive player. He has earned the respect of many opposing coaches and according to the article from Art Garcia, San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich paid Jose Juan Barea the ultimate compliment by putting in Bruce Bowen to guard Barea after Barea had schooled All-Star point guard Tony Parker. The article goes on to indicate that although Coaches still plan to defend players like Dirk Nowitzki , Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and company , they are also keeping a close eye on Barea now.

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  ROMANIA   


Div.A Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
U.Mobitel.CN - Gaz Metan 94-63
Gibson Matthew paced U.Mobitelco CN over Gaz Metan in a 94:63 win with 23 points. Marjanovic Miljan top-scored for the visitors with 24 points and Dumitrescu Tudor had 20.

Mures - Oradea 113-60
Mures smashed Oradea 113:60 as McKenna Luke shined with 26 points for the winners. Largent Corey nailed 19, whilst Hora Horia posted 14 points in the losing effort.

Otopeni - Craiova 72-74
Otopeni was beaten by Craiova 72:74 in Regular Season Round 15. Tomic Branislav paced all the winners with 20 points and Lekic Aleksandar had 17. Popovic Slobodan finished the night with 24 points.

CSU Brasov - Pitesti 76-71
CSU Brasov beat Pitesti 76:71 to improve to 9-5 record. Lawrence David tried hard for the guests but his 21 points and 7 rebounds were not enough for the total success.

Dinamo B. - CSU Atlassib 86-90
CSU Atlassib survived a thriller against Dinamo and beat them 90:86 away from home. Matthews Bryant led the winners with 26 points and Scott Cortney had 24 points and 12 boards. Fometescu Claudiu nailed 24 points for the home side.

Ploiesti - Timisoara 91-68
The game between Ploiesti and Timisoara was a key one in Regular Season Round 15 as two teams belong to the top of the standings. Ploiesti overcame Timisoara 91:68 to improve to 12-2 record. Cepulis Arvydas top-scored for the winners with 23 points and Jones Mike had 22. Pesic Milos chipped in 18 points for the visitors.



Standings
Div.A Standings
 1. Ploiesti 12-2 
 2. CSU Atlassib 11-3 
 3. Timisoara 11-3 
 4. Rovinari 10-4 
 5. U.Mobitel. CN 9-5 
 6. CSU Brasov 9-5 
 7. Otopeni 8-5 
 8. Pitesti 8-6 
 9. Gaz Metan 7-7 
 10. Mures 6-8 
 11. Dinamo B. 5-9 
 12. Craiova 5-9 
 13. Targoviste 3-11 
 14. Oradea 1-13 
 15. Rapid B. 0-14 


*****************************************************
  SERBIA   


Atuashvilli left Vizura - by Nenad Ilijev
Georgian giant Sergo Atuashvili (223-C-85, agency: Interperformances) is not a member of Vizura anymore. New head coach of Serbian A1 League team Ivica Mavrenski is not satisfied with Sergo's contribution and youngster left for Georgia today already. Atuashvilli didnt played alot averaging just 1.3ppg in 3 games. Georgian U20 National Team member played for Chalon (FRA) and Pamesa (ESP) in the past but never proved his potential. He signed with Vizura in November after very good season in Estonian League last year.

Nenad Canak is free agent - by Dragan Jankovski
Bulgarian champion Lukoil Akademik and power forward Nenad Canak (204-F-76, agency: Beo Basket) parted ways. It is announced at the beginning of the week by the Bulgarian team. Lukoil has just theoretical chances to get through the EuroCup regular season, deciding to reduce its expenses by releasing Canak and Kenny Adeleke (205-C-83, college: Hartford). Serbian power forward joined Lukoil in October last year. They won Bulgarian championship undefeated and also grabbed a trophy in Bulgarian National Cup. Lukoil had pretty decent role in ULEB Cup reaching the 1/8 finals. Canak played 45 games in domestic championship in 07/08 averaging 11.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.7 apg. He also appeared 10 times in ULEB Cup with 8.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg. This season Canak had 9.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg in Bulgaria helping Lukoil to stay on top of NBLwith 10 wins and 1 defeat. In EuroCup Canak's digits were 6.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 3 games.

Before Lukoil, Canak used to play for ALBA Berlin, Makedonikos, Vojvodina and Partizan. With the Black-and-whites he won two Yugoslavian championship titles and one National Cup, while with ALBA Canak also won German National Cup in 2006. Beside that, ALBA was two times regular season champion in Bundesleague. Canak grew up as a player in Partizan's youth selections and later in Spartak Subotica.

Partizan keeps the top in Adriatic league, Zvezda second - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic League: Krka - Partizan 65-80

Partizan was too strong for Krka on the road remaining on top of Adriatic league with 13-1 record. It means that the defending champion ended year 2008 on the first place with one victory more than Crvena Zvezda, who has 12-2. On the other side, with this loss Krka fell on 4-10 sharing the 11th place with Vojvodina. Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) was a key player of this game. He spent 31 minutes on the floor nailing 27 points and also collecting 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Stephane Lasme (203-F-82, college: Massachusetts) helped Partizan with 12 points and 9 boards, while Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) stopped on 9 points. Richard Shields (193-G-82, college: Rutgers) was the leading player in Krka with 18 points and 6 boards. Smiljan Pavic (210-F/C-80, agency: VTBM/SRBM) had 10, while Rolandas Alijevas (192-G-85, agency: Octagon) contributed with 9 points. In the next round Partizan will meet Helios. Krka will take on Crvena Zvezda.

Krka: Richard Shields 18+6 boards, Smiljan Pavic 10+4 boards, Rolandas Alijevas 9
Partizan: Novica Velickovic 27+4 boards+7 as, Stephane Lasme 12+9 boards, Aleksandar Rasic 9
---


Adriatic League: Crvena Zvezda - FMP 77-65

Crvena Zvezda also ended 2008 in style jumping on 12-2 record (second place). It is great result for the head coach Svetislav Pesic and his guys, which are the only one who beat Partizan this season. Americans Andre Owens (192-G-80, college: Houston) and Lawrence Roberts (205-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.) led the hosts combining 35 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Vladimir Stimac (209-C-87, agency: Interperformances) contributed with 14 points and 7 boards. Predrag Samardziski (214-C-86) and Dragan Labovic (207-C/F-87) answered collecting 28 points and 20 rebounds together. FMP 5-9.

Crvena Zvezda: Lawrence Roberts 18+8 boards, Andre Owens 17+5 as, Vladimir Stimac 17+7 boards
FMP: Predrag Samardziski 14+11 boards, Dragan Labovic 14+9 boards
---


Adriatic League: Cibona - Hemofarm 79-75

Cibona had to work very hard in order to beat Hemofarm in Zagreb, but anyway the team of the head coach Velimir Perasovic made it. Nikola Prkacin (208-C-75) scored 17 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in victory. Davor Kus (192-G-78) and Earl Calloway (191-G-83, college: Indiana) helped with 16 points apiece. Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) and Milan Macvan (205-F/C-89) delivered 19 points each in loss. Cibona is on the fourth place with 10-4, while Hemofarm is third 11-3.

Cibona: Nikola Prkacin 17+7 boards, Davor Kus 16, Earl Calloway 16,
Hemofarm: Stefan Markovic 19, Milan Macvan 19
---


Adriatic League: Vojvodina - Zagreb 84-75

After surprise vs Zadar in the last round, Vojvodina grabbed another home win, this time against Zagreb 84-75. Charron Fisher (193-G/F-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Niagara) led the scorers in Vojvodina with 20 points. Marko Sutalo (194-G-83) had 18 pts and 5 rebs, while Dejan Borovnjak (208-F-86) also shined registering double-double, 14 points and 11 boards. Luka Zoric (211-C/F-84) was better than the others in defeat with 18 pts and 5 rebs. Vojvodina 4-10, Zagreb 2-12.

Vojvodina: Charron Fisher 20, Dejan Borovnjak 14+11 boards, Marko Sutalo 18+5 boards
Zagreb: Luka Zoric 18+5 boards, Andrej Stimac (204-F/C-79) 13+6 boards

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


Zlatorog takes Christmas top spot (Round 13) - by Zeljko Zule

Zlatorog crashed Epic Misel 102-63 and go into Christmas Break as the league-leading team of UPC League after Geoplin Slovan lost over Elektra Esotech.

Zlatorog-Epic Misel 102-63: Zlatorog led as many as 30 points at the halftime and hit 100 points for the first time this season. Nejc Strnad and Miguel Berdiel netted 17 points apiece, Milos Miljkovic had 16 points and 9 rebounds, Ante Masic added 12 points and Uros Lucic 11. Zlatorog made a 27-5 run, including 15 straight points in second quarter. Epic Misel was outrebounded 21-36. Bojan Jovanovic posted 17 points and Vjeran Soldo 10 of his 14 points scored in third quarter.

Hopsi-CPG Nova Gorica 102-84: Hopsi trailed by 56-57 but pulled away with a 18-3 run. Shawn King collected 24 points, 12 rebounds and 13 fouls drawn, Marko Samanic scored 15 points and Nemanja Jelesijevic added 12 while Vlado Pasalic led the guests with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Dalibor Petrovic added 16 points and Jan Petrovcic 14.

Elektra Esotech-Geoplin Slovan 83-80: Slovan led 71-56 early in last quarter but lost for the third time in last four games. Elektra scored 10 consecutive points for a 77-74 lead with 2:29 remaining. Nikola Ivanovic scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists and Dejan Cup had 14 points and 9 rebounds before he fouled out. Dejan Delic scored 22 points for Slovan but he missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at 80-82 with 5 seconds left.

Zagorje-TCG Mercator 77-66: Zagorje in first quarter scored 12 unanswered points and outrebounded their opponent by 46-28. Gilbert Goodrich scored 22 points and dished out 6 assists, David Paris added 16 points and Joshua Johnson (198-F, college: Bowie St.) had 14 points and 26 rebounds. TCG Mercator extended their losing streak to six games. The team has also dropped eight of their last nine games. Simon Finzgar posted 21 points and Primoz Skok 14.

Alpos Sentjur-Luka Koper 07/01, Krka-Helios 11/01.



Olimpija outsmarts Buducnost, Krka and Helios defeated - by Eurobasket News

Adriatic League: Union Olimpija - Buducnost 81-79

Union Olimpija grabbed thriller win against the Montenegrin powerhouse in Round 14 of the regional championship. The hosts escaped with 91-79 for 6-8 record. The same numbers also has Bosna, who shares the seventh place with Olimpija. Buducnot had excellent start of the season, but later it slowed down a little bit. Montenegrins are currently on the sixth place with 8-6. Macedonian point guard Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) led Olimpija in scoring with 19 points. Big guy Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) netted 12, missing only one board for double-double. Miha Zupan (206-F/C-82) and Mirza Begic (218-C-85) delivered 10 points apiece. On the other side, Vladimir Micov (201-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) was totally the best player in Buducnost with 25 points and 5 rebounds. Nenad Misanovic (217-C-84) followed with 18 pts and 7 rebs, while Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) posted 13.
Olimpija entered in to the last 10 minutes with minus 11, 54-65 (52-65 few moments before). After that Vladimir Golubovic and Vlado Ilievski shined for the hosts. They made couple of important baskets, but Buduncost managed to keep its lead until the last minute. Than Miha Zupan stepped up for Olimpija draining the triple for 77-77. Both teams exchanged couple of FTs after that, but at the very end Gordic of Buducnost missed two. Experienced Hukic made the second one for 81-79. Simonovic tried at the very end, but he missed for 3.

Olimpija: Vlado Ilievski 19+4 boards+4 as, Vladimir Golubovic 12+9 boards, Miha Zupan 10+5 boards, Mirza Begic 10+4 boards
Buducnost: Vladimir Micov 25+5 boards, Nenad Misanovic 18+7 boards, Vladimir Dasic 13
---


Adriatic League: Krka - Partizan 65-80

Partizan was too strong for Krka on the road remaining on top of Adriatic league with 13-1 record. It means that the defending champion ended year 2008 on the first place with one victory more than Crvena Zvezda, who has 12-2. On the other side, with this loss Krka fell on 4-10 sharing the 11th place with Vojvodina. Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) was a key player of this game. He spent 31 minutes on the floor nailing 27 points and also collecting 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Stephane Lasme (203-F-82, college: Massachusetts) helped Partizan with 12 points and 9 boards, while Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) stopped on 9 points. Richard Shields (193-G-82, college: Rutgers) was the leading player in Krka with 18 points and 6 boards. Smiljan Pavic (210-F/C-80, agency: VTBM/SRBM) had 10, while Rolandas Alijevas (192-G-85, agency: Octagon) contributed with 9 points. In the next round Partizan will meet Helios. Krka will take on Crvena Zvezda.

Krka: Richard Shields 18+6 boards, Smiljan Pavic 10+4 boards, Rolandas Alijevas 9
Partizan: Novica Velickovic 27+4 boards+7 as, Stephane Lasme 12+9 boards, Aleksandar Rasic 9
---


Adriatic League: Bosna S. - Helios 87-72

Bosnian champion celebrated in Round 14 of Adriatic league. After extremely poor start, Bosna ASA BHT improved its performance a lot jumping at the middle of the standings with decent 6-8 record. Slovenian champion, Union Olimpija, has the same digits. Helios Domzale faced with 11th failure in 14 games taking position number 13. The last ranked team in the league is Split with 2-12. Bosna had big advantage in the paint as Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Emir Zimic (217-C-86) were in a game mood. Ivanovic top-scored in his team with 18 points, also grabbing 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Zimic is the second player with very important role as he nailed 17 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) netted 14, while Dusan Dordevic (195-G-83) drained 13 points, including 5 assists.
First quarter was totally leveled, 18-18. During the following 10 minutes the hosts made plus 2. Crucial period of the game was beginning of third quarter as above mentioned Ivan Ivanovic and Emir Zimic made couple of baskets, and together with Goran Ikonic created 11-3 run for 10-point lead. It was 49-39.Thanks to Alvin Snow's (188-G-81, college: E.Washington) lay up at the last Helios' possession in the period, Slovenians closed the gap on 63-55. Visitors came on minus 5 few times in the last stanza, but Emir Zimic and his teammates immediately responded jumping on plus 12 and resolving question about the winner.

Bosna: Ivan Ivanovic 18+6 boards+5 as, Emir Zimic 17+5 boards, Goran Ikonic 14, Dusan Dordevic 13+5 as
Helios: Aljaz Janza (185-G-81) 21+4 boards, Alvin Snow 17+4 as, Nicholas Jacobson (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Utah) 14+4 boards



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  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   


Raptors surprise Defense Force! - by Albert-Lee Young
Marabella Raptors won their second consecutive game (2-2) in the Stag Super 10 Basketball League when they surprised national club champions Defence Force (1-2) with an 80-79 win at the Jean Pierre Complex. In a closely contested final period, the army team missed their go-to-player Steven Lighter Lewis due ankle injury, and Raptors top scorer (28pts) forward Ako Pascal stole the spotlight with 18.2 seconds left as he drove to the basket to score the winning lay-up shot.

Raptors still smarting from their trouncing of Clippers the previous night finished the first half 41-36 ahead and maintained the advantage going into the final quarter with a 60-52 lead. In the fourth quarter Defense Force reduced the deficit with an 8-2 run and took a 64-62 lead on consecutive baskets from center Wilt Vincent and point-guard Gerard Toney.

The score was again leveled at 74-74 and the teams traded baskets until the 18 seconds mark when Raptors took the lead 80-79 with Pascals lay-up. With 15 seconds remaining Defense Force guard Toney turned the ball over and Raptors in bounded the ball to maintain possession for a hard earned victory.

In the other game, National Flour Mills trounced Valencia Heat 96-53. Having loss their previous two games, NFM rebounded by applying a full-court pressure defense which created a lot of problems for the Heats offense. They led 46-25 at the half and maintained the advantage for their first win. For NFM Andy Best top scored with 25pts and Jason Delise 16pts. Heat with 1-3 record was led by Kenrick Bernard with 16pts.

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  TURKEY   


CASA TED Ankara Kolejliler has signed with Marshall Strickland - by Baha Kurtulus

Marshall Strickland (188-G-83, college: Indiana) has released from Galatasaray. He could not take longer times at Galatasaray and finally signed with CASA TED Ankara Kolejliler.
A complete skilled SG, very good outside shooter, physycally strong and with Big Ten conference playing experience. He met with the supporters of CASA Ted Ankara Kolejliler last night at the 10 th anniversary meeting of Die4you.

Last three years career :
2005-2006: Indiana (NCAA, starting five): 30 games: 12.6ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.4apg
2006-2007: Alpella Istanbul : 29 games: 16.7ppg, 3.7rpg, 4.2apg
2007-2008: Alpella Istanbul : 26 games: 16.5ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.8apg



KSK loaned Mims to Antalya - by Sinan Can
Pinar Karsiyaka's scorer guard Ralph Mims (191-G-85, college: Florida St.) loaned to Antalya Buyuksehir Belediyespor who released Bernard King a while ago. Mims averaged 18.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11 games for Karsiyaka. Ex-Florida State star who known with his great energy on both ends of the floor will play for Antalya until the season ends. Karsiyaka is in the market for another American as it's been rumoured that Izmir side will bring a 3/4 in a few days.

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  UBL   


UBL Tryout in Springfield Missouri (The Thrill) - by Ozzie Denson

The UBL Missouri Thrill Tryouts is Jan 10. 2009. All players fees $50.00. See you there. The United Basketball League season starts April 1, 2009. Teams are located in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Please visit our site at www.ublhoops.com to get info on all upcoming tryouts. The United Basketball League is the league thats moves its players to the next level.
The UBL Come Get Some !!!



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  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   


Day 5 - 20th Dubai Int'l Tournament - by Mohammed Malas

* Wednesday 24/12:

# Group A:

Al Jalaa Aleppo (SYR) 84 - An Nasr (UAE) 75 (Qs: 26-15, 43-32, 68-52 & 84-75)
- Best scorers:
Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) '22 pts' from An Nasr
Damond Williams (197-F-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Mc Neese St.) '22 pts' from Al Jalaa Aleppo
Reggie Butler (207-C-77, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Xavier) '14 pts' from An Nasr

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB) 101 - Champville (LEB) 53 (Qs: 18-15, 44-26, 65-43 & 101-52)
- Best scorers:
Andre Muse (196-G-86, college: Quincy) '17 pts' from Champville
Ali Fakhreddine (202-C-83) '16 pts' from Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut
Omar El Turk (186-G-81, college: Dawson Coll.) '15 pts' from Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut
Hussein Tawbe (198-F-82) '14 pts' from Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut

# Group A standings:
1- Al Jalaa Aleppo (SYR) 3-1
2- Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB) 3-0
3- Champville (LEB) 1-2
4- An Nasr (UAE) 1-2
5- Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY) 0-3

# Group B:

Zain (JOR) 78 - Mahram (IRI) 61 (Qs: 18-10, 34-31, 56-53 & 78-61)
- Best scorers:
Oscar Yebra (200-F-74, agency: Court Side) '28 pts' from Mahram
Zeid Abbas (203-F-83) '17 pts' from Zain
Mike Christensen (203-G/F-85, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: New Hampshire) '16 pts' from Zain
LaShawn Malloy (209-C/F-84, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: New Orleans) '14 pts' from Zain

# Group B standings:
1- Mahram (IRI) 3-1
2- Zain (JOR) 3-0
3- Al Moutahed Tripoli (LEB) 2-1
4- Al Jeish Army Damascus (SYR) 0-3
5- UAE National Team 0-3

* The american center Marquis Estill (206-F-81, college: Kentucky) replaced Guillermo Scholtis (217-C-78) in An Nasr's imports list.

# Day 6 - 20th Dubai International Tournament games schedule (GMT):

- Thursday 25/12:
10:45 Ittihad X Champville
12:45 Army X UAE
15:00 Riyadi X An Nasr
17:00 Zain X Mouttahed



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  URBL   


URBL Announces Supplement Draft - by Mac Claire
December 24th, Converse - The United Regions Basketball League will hold a supplemental draft on February 21st in Converse, TX.
Teams will have a chance just prior to the season to improve the talent of their club. 'We decided on an extra draft because there are players who are eligible to play in our league but did not know about us because we are still so new,' Commissioner Mac Claire explained. 'The league needs talented players and this is one way to see them all at once.'
In order to be eligible, a player must register with the league.
Details will be made available shortly.
For more information and registration, email info@converseflight.com.

URBL Adds DFW Disciples - by Mac Claire
December 24th, Dallas - The United Regions Basketball League is pleased to welcome its newest team, the Dallas Fort Worth Disciples. Alex Taylor will coach the club.
Try-out information will be announced shortly according to owner D. J. Douglas.
'We are happy to be apart of such a great and growing league,' Douglas said. 'Now its all about preparing and continuing to do the things that got us this far.
Our goals are nothing less than a championship!'
'I'm delighted that Coach Taylor will be coaching our ball club,' Disciple Douglas continued. 'He was a great player and now will be a great coach.'
Coach Taylor finished his career at Kennesaw State University.
'I believe in my future team but I also believe in a foundation, and thats what we have in Sherman Douglas and Jermaine Barnes. Those two guys will make it easy to be a coach.'



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  URUGUAY   


Bigua recover the leadership - by Hector Lopez
Bigua, the South American champions, beat Hebraica Macabi 82-78 to recover the leadership of the Uruguayan League after the 9th round. Leandro Garcia Morales (186-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Texas A&M) scored 28 points, Ruben Wolkowyski (207-C-73) added 20 plus 5 rebounds, while Kevin Young (206-C-84, college: Missouri) netted 14 and grabbed 9 rebounds. For Hebraica, with the new HC, Miguel Volcan, Angelo Reyes (205-F/C-81) scored 15 points plus 14 rebounds and Anthony Johnson (198-G/F-79, college: La-Lafayette) 21 and 4. Other results and numbers for import players were:
Defensor Sporting 107 - Thiago Labbate (208-C-83) 18 and 15, Brian Woodward (191-G-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Rhode Island) 17 and 6
Tabare 89 - Clarence Matthews (201-F-82, agency: 22ft, college: Tennessee St.) 26 and 6, Ryan Blankson (198-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Loyola, IL) 16 and 6
- - -
Trouville 79 - LevI Stukes 20 and 3, Kalen Grimes 19 and 13
Bohemios 67 - Albert Burditt (203-F-72, college: Texas) 7 and 9, Curtis Marshall (196-G/F-83, college: Texas Tech) 32 and 6
- - -
Olimpia 75 - Reque Newsome (203-C-82, college: S.Indiana) 15 and 8
Atenas 73 - Terquin Mott (203-F-74, agency: EM-PA, college: Coppin St.) 15 and 9, Marques Lewis (203-F-83, college: UAB) 10 and 10
- - -
Malvin 92 - Jarrett Stephens (200-F/C-77, agency: Duran International, college: Penn St.) 10 and 5, Ike Nwankwo (209-C-73, college: Long Beach St.) 8 and 13
Paysandu 73 - Austin Montgomery (196-G, college: Bowling Green) 9 points 4 assistances
STANDINGS - Bigua 37 points, Defensor Sporting 36, Olimpia 35.5, Malvin 34.5, Atenas and Tabare 32, Hebraica Macabi and Trouville 30, Bohemios 27.5, Paysandu 27. The best eight teams will play quarter finals.



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Women News

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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE - Women  


Jolly JBS jumps on 11-0 in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Gospic CO - Jolly JBS 71-83

It seems that Jolly JBS is totally unstoppable this season in Adriatic league. The team from Sibenik was better than Gospic CO in Croatian derby ending 2008 on top of the regional championship with perfect 11-0 record. Despite Jolly JBS played this game without Constance Jinks (170-G-81, college: UNLV) and Kerri Gardin (186-F-84, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Virginia Tech), they didn't have any troubles to take this one. Ivana Jurcevic (174-G-81) was totally the best player yesterday. She drained 2 clutch triples in third quarter on 58-65 score resolving question about the winner. Jurcevic made 6 triples in total finishing the game with 28 points. Luca Ivankovic (201-C-87) also shined for the winning squad adding 16 points and 5 rebounds. Gospic got the most from Carla Thomas (191-F/C-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Vanderbilt), 22 points. Thomas had pretty good 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. With this defeat Gospic fell on 5-6 (same as Medvescak).

In the second game of Round 12, Medvescak crushed Jedinstvo 65-53 handing it the third defeat of the season (8-3). On the other side, the Croatian representative moved up on 5-6. Gospic and Medvescak currently share third place in regional championship.

Buducnost will meet Merkur Celje on January 17, while the game between Mladi Krajisnik and Ragusa is scheduled for February 12.

Standings
Adriatic L. Standings
 1. Sibenik 11-0 
 2. Jedinstvo 8-3 
 3. Ragusa 5-4 
 4. Gospic 5-6 
 5. Medvescak 5-6 
 6. Vojvodina 4-6 
 7. Merkur Celje 3-5 
 8. Buducnost 3-6 
 9. M.Kraj. BL 0-8 


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  CROATIA - Women  


Jedinstvo outsmarts Gospic CO in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic league, Round 11: Jednstvo - Gospic CO 69-67

Montenegrin representative, Jedinstvo Bjelo Polje, outsmarted Gospic CO in derby game of Round 11 jumping on nice 8-2 record. It means that Jedinstvo is currently the second ranked team in the regional championship, behind undefeated Jolly JBS. On the other side, with this defeat Gospic won't be able to reach the second place in regular season. The team from Croatia currently has not (fourth place).
It was very exciting game until the end. Gospic had wonderful beginning creating 10-point lead after 10 minutes, 15-25. However, the hosts responded in the second frame coming on minus 2 at the half time. It was 39-41. Both teams showed up after the breather with the strong willingness to take this one. Defense looked pretty good at the both sides of the court, which resulted with 31 points in third frame. The host squad had one more than Gospic, 16. It was totally leveled game in the last stanza. Five Gospic's players fouled out in the last 2 minutes, but despite that fact visitors had a chance for the victory. Namely, Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) pulled up a 3-point shot with 3 seconds remaining on 69-67 score, but unfortunately to Gospic she was unsuccessful. It is important to mention that Gospic played this game without Anda Eibele (170-G-84) due to injury.

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  FINLAND - Women  


Huima changes americans - by Esko Saarinen
Huima (Aanekoski) has sent two American players back home during Christmas break. Huima is now on the table at forth place and was in the loosing part in Finnish cup final loosing to Espoo. Huima changes americans Carrie Bacon and Erneisha Bailey and is trying to find better players for them. Bailey was in autumn season the most effective player in Huima having 19,9 points and 5,7 rebounds average, but she was not suitable for the team as the leaders wanted. Bacon has had back troubles during the season and couldn't play and train in her best way. She had ave 12,5 points and 5,0 rebounds. The only American, who is still in the team, is ever-young Kenya Robinson, 39 years in next march. She was the best score in last years serie and was the third time the best foreign player in Finland.

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  ITALY - Women  


Serie A1 day-12: boxscores - by Carlo Grilli
Acer Erg Priolo - G.M.A. Phonica Pozzuoli 78-42
(25-11, 37-20, 60-27)
PRIOLO: Gianolla 8, Bonfiglio, Green 11, Milazzo 3, Cirov 20, Rashidad 6, Seino 8, Beatrice Sciacca (175-G-83) 9, Pascalau 8, Meneghel 5. Coach Coppa Santino
G.M.A. PHONICA POZZUOLI: Aili 10, Favento 1, Andjelic 5, Ferazzoli 4, Benko 8, Minervino 2, Grasso 4, Dixon, Danzi 6, Aties 2. Coach Palumbo Carlo Fulvio

Bracco Geas S.S.Giovanni - ACP Livorno 80-63
(21-12, 45-33, 64-47)
BRACCO GEAS S.S.GIOVANNI: Arturi G. 3 (1/2), Iciss Tillis (194-F-81, college: Duke) 25 (7/14, 2/5), Penicheiro T. 8 (2/3), Zanon M. 6 (3/6), Schieppati V. , Calastri A. 6 (3/4), Twehues K. 6 (0/1, 2/9), Crippa M. 8 (1/3, 2/4), Frantini M. (0/1, 0/2), Machanguana C. 18 (7/10). Coach Galli Roberto
ACP LIVORNO: Franchini M. (0/1, 0/1), Pastore C. 13 (3/8, 2/5), Bade K. 6 (3/6), Buccianti E. 2 (1/3, 0/2), Mariani F. 9 (3/7, 0/1), Gaither K. 4 (2/10), Bagnara B. 22 (2/4, 6/10), Balestri A. dnp, Montagna S. , Ruzickova M. 7 (3/9). Coach Novello Guido

C.A. Faenza Gescom - MCI Viterbo 79-59
(23-17, 48-30, 65-41)
CLUB ATLETICO FAENZA: Moises P. 9 (3/4, 1/3), Erkic M. 17 (4/8, 3/6), Ramon E. 6 (2/4, 0/2), Modica F. 12 (2/5, 2/5), Stakneviciene E. 10 (4/6), Santucci L. 4 (2/3, 0/2), Elena Bandini (165-G-90) 7 (3/5), Bjelica M. 14 (4/7, 2/2), Zampella A. (0/1), Alexander M. dnp. Coach Rossi Paolo
GESCOM MCI VITERBO: Micovic M. 17 (5/12, 0/1), Magaddino E. 9 (3/4), Nicolini E. dnp, Petricca V. dnp, Franchetti M. 6 (3/6, 0/3), Piroli V. 11 (5/9, 0/2), Cusenza C. dnp, Marchesano M. 6 (1/3, 1/5), Butler J. 10 (4/13). Coach Agresti Claudio

Lavezzini Parma - Famila Wuber Schio 75 - 86
(23-28, 49-44, 60-65)
LAVEZZINI PARMA: Pieropan I. dnp, Paparazzo E. 2 (1/6), Zara F. 19 (5/8, 2/6), Vilipic D. 8 (3/3, 0/1), Summerton L. 13 (4/7, 1/1), Micovic M. (0/1, 0/1), Porter N. 10 (2/2, 2/6), Screen J. 23 (1/1, 4/4), Pozzati A. dnp, Manzini L. dnp. Coach Scanzani Maurizio
FAMILA WBER SCHIO: Antibe N. 15 (6/9), Moro E. 9 (2/2, 1/2), Humphrey N. 14 (2/6, 2/4), Feaster A. 8 (1/2, 2/3), Pantani C. dnp, Masciadri R. 7 (3/5, 0/3), Maiorano M. , Ress K. 15 (5/10, 1/2), Ciampoli F. (0/1), Laura Macchi (187-F-79) 18 (4/6, 3/7). Coach Orlando Sandro

Liomatic Umbertide - Cras Taranto 55-46
(13-20, 35-30, 43-49)
LIOMATIC UMBERTIDE: Bonaldo 3, Hodges 9, Rossi 4, Willis 8, Brown 6, Battisodo 5, Callens 18, Arcangeli dnp, Giorgi 2, Gelfusa dnp. Coach Serventi Lorenzo
CRAS TARANTO: Zimerle, Michelle Greco (176-G-80) 13, Mahoney 14, David 12, Batkovic 16; Bello, Sanchez 7, Masoni dnp, Godin 2, Prado dnp. Coach Ricchini Roberto

Napoli Basket Vomero - Pallacanestro Ribera 83-67
(19-20, 39-37, 62-49)
NAPOLI BASKT VOMERO: Marija Eric (164-G-83) 11, Gatti 8, Mauriello 21, Giauro 6, Paterna 3, Gentile 2, Laaksonen 17, Dos Santos 11, Robinson 4, Stamegna dnp. Coach Fossati Fabio
PALLACANESTRO RIBERA. Falauto dnp, Colico 11, Bonafede 2, Creamer 11, Romagnoli, Riccardi dnp, Montagnino 11, Chones 20, Moody 6, Perfetti 6. Coach Anselmo Paolo Francesco

Umana Venezia - Pool Comense 81 - 68
(23-22, 37-39, 63-57)
UMANA VENEZIA: Tognalini F. dnp, Sottana G. 5 (1/4, 0/1), Ballardini S. 21 (6/10, 3/5), Cirone M. 7 (1/3, 1/4), Andrade M. 1 (0/3), Jenifer Nadalin (187-F/C-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Furman) 7 (3/6), Giauro E. (0/1), Jokic D. 18 (7/12), Vujovic A. 8 (2/5, 1/5), Hayden V. 14 (6/10). Coach Riga Massimo
POOL COMENSE: Fassina M. 5 (1/2, 1/1), Bestagno E. (0/1), Silva E. dnp, Hall V. 15 (5/8, 1/2), Invernizzi M. 2 (1/1, 0/1), Slavcheva G. 5 (1/3, 1/4), Limoura L. 2 (1/6, 0/2), Smith B. 19 (9/11), Fazio M. 11 (4/8, 1/2), Sarni S. 9 (3/5, 1/1). Coach Montini Walter

A1 Round: 12 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Umana Reyer - Comense 81-68
Umana Reyer was better than Comense in derby game mostly owing to Simona Ballardini, who drained 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Daliborka Jokic helped with 18, while Vanessa Hayden-Johnson stopped on 14 points and 7 boards. Brooke Smith led the scorers in loss with 19 points. She also had 5 rebounds beside that. Both teams entered into this round with 7-4 record.

Umbertide - Taranto 55-64
Taranto grabbed very important road win against Umbertide jumping on 9-3 record after 12 appearances. It means that Taranto is currently on top of Serie A1, together with Faenza and Lavezzini. On the other side, the hosts fell on 4-8. As usual, Suzy Batkovic was a key player for the winners collecting 16 points and 14 rebounds. Megan Mahoney followed with 2 points less. Umbertide got 18 pts from Evelien Callens.

San Giovanni - Livorno 80-63
As it was expected, San Giovanni outplayed Livorno moving up on 8-4. Iciss Tillis was totally the best player of this game delivering 25 points and grabbing 19 boards (6 off). Benedetta Bagnara contributed with 22 pts in defeat. Livorno 3-9.

Priolo - Pozzuoli 78-42
Important game for both teams as they had 5-6 before it. Priolo smashed its rival having each player with at least 3 points. Tanja Cirov was the leading one registering double-double, 20 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Green added 11 pts and 4 rebs. Pozzuoli had only on player with double-digits in scoring and it was Frida Aili, 10 pts.

Lavezzini PA - Familia Schio 75-86
Schio crushed Lavezzini in Parma handing it third defeat of the season and at the same time improving its record on pretty decent 8-4. Lavezzini remains on top, now with Faenza and Taranto, while Schio share the fourth place with Venezia and San Giovanni. Laura Macchi stepped up for Schio with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Kathrin Ress and Nicole Antibe netted 15 points each. Jennifer Screen came up with 23 pts and 7 rebounds in defeat.

Faenza - Viterbo 79-59
Comfortable 20-point win by Faenza for 9-3 in Serie A1. Maja Erkic netted 17, while Milka Bjelica this time stopped on 14 points and 6 boards. Francesca Modica helped with 12 pts. Viterbo got 17 points and 5 rebounds from Milica Micovic, falling on poor 1-11.

Vomero NA - Ribera 83-67
5-7 for Vomero and 2-9 for Ribera after this game. Paola Mauriello top-scored for the hosts with 21 points. Nina Laaksonen also shined adding double-double, 17 points and 10 boards. Ribera got 20 pts and 9 rebounds from Kaayla Chones.

Standings A1 (W)
A1 Standings
 1. Parma 9-3 
 2. Faenza 9-3 
 3. Taranto 9-3 
 4. Venezia 8-4 
 5. Schio 8-4 
 6. San Giovanni 8-4 
 7. Comense 7-5 
 8. Priolo 6-6 
 9. Vomero NA 5-7 
 10. Pozzuoli 5-7 
 11. Umbertide 4-8 
 12. Livorno 3-9 
 13. Ribera 2-10 
 14. Viterbo 1-11 


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  LATVIA - Women  


Standings - LSBL
LSBL Standings
 1. TTT Riga 14-0 
 2. Cesis 10-2 
 3. TTT Jun. 10-4 
 4. RTU-Merks 7-7 
 5. Liepajas met. 5-8 
 6. Turiba/K. 5-8 
 7. SK Riga 2-12 
 8. DU/Swedbank 1-13 


Stats Leaders - Women
LSBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Niedola Liepajas 22.6
2 Steinberga Jun 21.8
3 Troina TTT Riga 17.6
4 Kublina TTT Riga 15.2
5 Tare SK Cesis 14.9
Rebounds Per Game
1 Niedola Liepajas 11.4
2 Steinberga Juni 11.3
3 Vitola SK Riga 10.0
4 Eglite RTU 9.6
5 Veinberga Turiba 8.9
Assists Per Game
1 Burian TTT Riga 5.9
2 Tare SK Cesis 4.0
3 Troina TTT Riga 3.9
4 Karklina SK Cesis 3.4
5 Priede Jun 3.1
Steals Per Game
1 Karklina SK Cesis 4.5
2 Troina TTT Riga 4.3
3 Krumberga TTT 4.3
Blocks Per Game
1 Vitola SK Riga 2.3
2 Gailite RTU 1.5
3 Eglite RTU 1.3
Ranking
1 Niedola Liepajas 26.6
2 Troina TTT Riga 20.5
3 Steinberga Jun 20.5
4 Kublina TTT Riga 19.9
5 Tare SK Cesis 17.7


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  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


Residence and Etzella share the lead - by Eurobasket News
Residence and Etzella remained on top of the standings after Round 12. They both gained the tenth victories, while T71 Dudelange were stopped by the defending champions Basket Esch and slipped at 9-3 record.
Etzella held off Amicale 95:82 at home court. Due to the strong performance from Lisa Lee (183-F-84, college: Charleston So.) Amicale was the better side in the first half. They grabbed a 2-point lead but it was erased in the third stanza. The league leaders gained the tempo and ran away to an 11-point distance heading into the fourth term. Amicale never rebounded and lost the seventh game in the season.
Lynn Schreiner (158-G-91) knocked down 27 points to lead Etzella. Katie Donovan (183-F-82) delivered 17 points for the winners. Lisa Lee had 23 points for Amicale in defeat.
Residence eased past Grengewald 93:64 at home court. Catherine Scanlon (180-G/F-83, college: Drexel) notched 30 points and 10 rebounds for Residence. Elisabeth Fritz (181-F-89) added 13 points in the tenth success for the hosts. Jennifer Swere responded with 28 points and 10 rebounds for Grengewald as they fell at 2-10 record.
Basket Esch toppled T71 Dudelange 74:63 for the eighth victory. The reigning champions won the opening term 28:14 and Dudelange never overcame the deficit to lose the clash. Alicia Gladden (180-F-85, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Florida St.) and Gaelle Pousseur (182-F/C-82) had 19 points each in the win. Melissa Dennett (188-F-83, college: Colorado St.) answered with 15 points for T71 Dudelange.

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  MONTENEGRO - Women  


Jedinstvo outsmarts Gospic CO in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Adriatic league, Round 11: Jednstvo - Gospic CO 69-67

Montenegrin representative, Jedinstvo Bjelo Polje, outsmarted Gospic CO in derby game of Round 11 jumping on nice 8-2 record. It means that Jedinstvo is currently the second ranked team in the regional championship, behind undefeated Jolly JBS. On the other side, with this defeat Gospic won't be able to reach the second place in regular season. The team from Croatia currently has not (fourth place).
It was very exciting game until the end. Gospic had wonderful beginning creating 10-point lead after 10 minutes, 15-25. However, the hosts responded in the second frame coming on minus 2 at the half time. It was 39-41. Both teams showed up after the breather with the strong willingness to take this one. Defense looked pretty good at the both sides of the court, which resulted with 31 points in third frame. The host squad had one more than Gospic, 16. It was totally leveled game in the last stanza. Five Gospic's players fouled out in the last 2 minutes, but despite that fact visitors had a chance for the victory. Namely, Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) pulled up a 3-point shot with 3 seconds remaining on 69-67 score, but unfortunately to Gospic she was unsuccessful. It is important to mention that Gospic played this game without Anda Eibele (170-G-84) due to injury.

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  ROMANIA - Women  


Stats Leaders - Women
Divizia A Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. F. Diaconu, GOV 25.3
2. J. Hughes, Orad. 23.5
3. C. Graham, STM 20.9
4. B. Savic, Alexan. 19.0
5. A. Denson, Alex. 19.0
Rebounds Per Game
1. D. Eshe, Arad 10.3
2. F. Muller, Oradea 9.5
3. A. Denson, Alex. 8.8
4. Cr. Cutas, Craiova 8.6
5. N. Turoczi, Targov. 8.4
Assists Per Game
1. S. Zoll, Sf. Ghe. 7.0
2. M. Boriga, Targov. 5.1
3. S. Dragusin, UCL 5.0
4. C. Givens, Targov. 3.9
5. A. Pinter, Craiova 3.7
2FGP
1. L. Toma, Targov. 67.6
2. D. Zoric, Arad 64.9
3. D. Varda, Targov. 64.1
4. I. Crasnoscioc, 63.1
5. T. Porter, Alexan. 62.3
Ranking
1. F. Diaconu, GOV 23.4
2. T. Porter, Alexan. 21.6
3. A. Denson, Alex. 21.3
4. L. Toma, Targov. 19.5
5. B. Savic, Alexan. 19.2


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  SERBIA - Women  


Important wins for Spartak and Radivoj Korac - by Zoran Bogdanovic
Kraljevo - Radivoj Korac 70:79 ( 21:23 , 20:16 , 11:23 , 18:17 )
Important win for Radivoj Korac against the direct rival in Kraljevo. The best performance was seen by
Hanna Tsikhamirava (180-G-88). Besides 27 points she added 5 rebounds and 5 asissts, stole seven balls and made excellent
shooting for two (7 from 9). The host team went to half time with two points advantage after the bad opening the match.
But third quarter they played the worst and in the last quarter there were no chance for another result come back .
Musulin's shooting for three was excellent (4 from 6) and two Korac's players double double adittions were enough for fifth win.
Kraljevo : Hanna Tsikhamirava 27 pts, Mihailovic 19 pts
Radivoj Korac : Musulin 18 pts, Vukovic 17 pts & 11 rebounds, Milovanovic 14 pts & 10 assists, Kravic 12 pts
Kovin Uce 108:74 ( 25:17 , 18:14 , 33:16 , 32:27 )
Kovin : Bubnjevic 25 pts & 10 rebounds, Jovanovic 18 pts, Markovic 13 pts, Perovic 11 pts, Musovic 10 pts
Uce : Mlinar 22 pts, Sarvan 15 pts, Traljic 10 pts & 7 rebounds
Proleter Spartak 57:69 ( 16:16 , 16:15 , 13:18 , 12:20 )
First half both teams couldn't make bigger advantage but in second quarter Spartak succedded to come to important win.Marina Ristic
was the player of the game with 23 points scored, eight assists, six stolens and three rebounds.Vidovic added three three pooint hits from six.
Proleter : Vidacic 21 pts & 11 rebounds, Caran 13 pts, Varagic 10 pts
Spartak : Ristic 23 pts, Vidovic 20 pts, Erak 12 pts, Dzuver 4 pts & 12 rebounds
Crvena Zvezda Loznica 97:36 ( 20:5 , 23:12 , 30:5 , 24:14 )
In this match was interesting rebounding additon of Iva Roglic - 12 rebounds for 18 minutes.Loznica had eight scorers for 36 points.
Crvena Zvezda : Bogicevic 25 pts, Ivanovic 21 pts, Radovic 12 pts, Ivanovic 12 pts
Partizan Celarevo: 85:65 ( 27:15 , 27:17 , 13:16 , 18:17 )
Partizan : Dangubic 21 pts, Jankovic 14 pts, Tomasevic 11 pts, Petrovic 10 assists
Celarevo : Moraca 18 pts, Skoric 12 pts, Radisic 11 pts & 7 rebounds

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  SOUTH KOREA - Women  


Standings - WKBL
WKBL Standings
 1. S-Birds 20-3 
 2. Redwings 15-8 
 3. Bichumi 14-9 
 4. Cool Cats 10-14 
 5. KB Savers 6-16 
 6. Woori Hansae 4-19 


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  UNITED KINGDOM - Women  


Team Northumbria gains the seventh win - by Eurobasket News
Team Northumbria remained among the leaders as they earned the seventh win in the season. Lately they held off the Manchester Mystics 77:71 before the home crowd. The hosts entered the game aggressively piling up a 24:16 advantage after ten minutes of action. However the Mystics that won only three games this season bounced back in style. They outgunned their opponents 25:12 in the second frame to enjoy a 5-point advantage at halftime. The teams traded baskets in the third stanza and Manchester managed to maintain the gap heading into the fourth quarter ahead by 4 points. But Team Northumbria stepped on the gas in the dying minutes sneaking past their counterparts. Rice scored 39 points to lead the charge. Ellen Hall (183-F-84, college: Duquesne) contributed 29 points for the winners. Flood responded with 39 points for the Mystics as they fell at 3-6 record.
Meanwhile UWIC Archers extended their impressive start to the season. They knocked down the Sevenoaks Suns 73:51 on the road to clinch the ninth straight win. The visitors dominated throughout the action. They limited the Suns to 7 points in the starting frame to accumulate a 10-point lead. The gap ballooned to as many as 16 points at the interval and UWIC Archers never looked back en route to another sizzling victory. Meagan Hoffman (183-F-82, college: Adams St.) scored 18 points to lead the way for the Archers. Savio contributed 13 points in the win. Lewis and Andrea Wanstall had 14 points apiece for the Suns.