EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 12/26/2008

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Men News

*****************************************************
  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Slobodan Subotic leaves Split - by Eurobasket News
Slobodan Subotic is no longer a head coach of Split. Subotic decided to step down on Tuesday evening and the reason is bad black series of the team in Adriatic league. As a reminder, Split ended this year with four consecutive defeats. In the last round Split faced with home loss 83-91 against Zadar. Split is currently the ninth ranked team in the league with 5-9 record. The team still didn't announce who could be the possible replacement for Subotic.
Slobodan Subotic took over Split in December 2006. This past summer he extended contract with the team for 2 more years. Last season was great for Split, who managed to reach the play-off final in Croatia. The team also participated in the semifinals of Croatian Cup. Subotic changed many clubs before Split. He used to work in Jesi, Olympiakos, PAOK, Panionios, AEK and Iraklis. With Panathinaikos he won the Greek championship in 1998 and 1999. Subotic also was a head coach of Slovenian National Team from 2001 to 2003. As a player Subotic was a member of Aris, Barcelona and few other clubs.

*****************************************************
  AUSTRALIA   


South Dragons sign former NBA player Donta Smith - by Eurobasket News
The South Dragons have given their fans an early Christmas present with the news that they have secured the services of former NBA player Smith Donta (201-G-83, college: SE Illinois JC).

Smith has been plying his trade in China for Shanxi Zhongyu, where was averaging more than 22 points per game.

He was a 2004 second round draft pick for the Atlanta Hawks and played 61 NBA matches before moving to China.

The 6'7'' centre arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday and has been cleared by the NBL and FIBA and will suit up for Friday night's Boxing Day clash with the Gold Coast Blaze.

'I feel good, everybody's welcomed me with open arms and that makes me feel like I'm in a good situation,' Smith said.

'I can't wait to get started, I've heard this is a tough league with guys who can really play. I also heard it's pretty physical and I like that.'

Dragons coach Brian Goorjian was delighted to secure the services of the big man and believes he can make a massive impact on his side.

'We really need someone who can put some points on the board, rebound and play defence,' Goorjian said.

'He's a real important piece to our championship aspirations.'

Courtesy of the NBL(www.nbl.com.au)

*****************************************************
  BRAZIL   


Minas tip off Haarlem Basketball Week with two wins - by Eurobasket News
Minas Tenis Club started the Haarlem Basketball Week in Netherlands in style claiming two straight victories. First Minas defeated Puerto Rican Capitanes de Arecibo in the repeat of the recent Liga Americas clash. Capitanes were the better team at the start. They jumped to an 18:17 lead after the starting period and then stretched the gap to 2 points at halftime 32:30. Capitanes would not slow down after the long break and maintained the pressure on Minas. But the international tournaments defending champions had the right answer. They entered the final stanza trailing by 8 points but rebounded in the final minutes. Joseph Shipp (197-F-81, agency: Octagon, college: California) ignited a comeback effort that saw Minas sneaking past Capitanes 69:66 at the end. Joseph Shipp knocked down 21 points and grabbed 7 boards for Minas. Leandro Da Cruz (202-F/C-81) contributed 14 points in the win. Angel Figueroa (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Dowling) answered with 15 points and 9 boards for Capitanes.
Minas extended their winning streak on Day 2 of the competition. This time the Brazilian team held off Netherlands 64:54. The teams traded baskets throughout the first half and Minas were up by just 2 points at halftime. But a stifling defense allowed Minas to clear off in the second half. Joseph Shipp once again topscored with 20 points for the winners. Luiz Felipe Campos (192-G-80) and Leandro da Cruz had 11 points each for Minas. Peter Van Paassen (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) had 18 points and 8 boards for Netherlands in defeat.
Minas will take on EiffelTowers in the third game of the contest.

*****************************************************
  CHINA   


Players Movement - by Robert Wang
So far, many teams in CBA has been done the replacement on their imports. in fact, their former impports had been doing well but teams are still looking for better players and hope they could help them to improve bigger. Zhe Jiang Guang Sha has replaced their former NBA forward KASIB POWELL and signed back last year import Rodney White, and rodney scored 56 points last game. Garnett Thompson is another big guy came back to China signing with Shan Dong team. Shan Dong team released the huge center PRIEST LAUDERDALE. While Shan Dong has brought former NBA guy Justin Williams for a tryout, but he did not pass the trial and did not play any official games, so team signed GT back since team knew him already from the past years. Qing Dao team released McCaskill Amal and signed KBL all star player Chris Williams. Chris can play 1,2,3,4 postion and he has been playing well for his team. Also, Qing Dao brought Brown Kedrick for a 3 days tryout but KB did not passed the trial. All teams in China need players for a tryout included NBA players. There is no guranteed contract for the players. Hope these players could help teams and give fans good performance during the season! Good luck!

Xinjiang Defeats Qingdao, Guangdong Beats Shanghai as Best Teams Triumph Over Worst - by Arthur Volbert
Myron Allen had 34 points and 9 assists as first-place Xinjiang brought its record to 15-2 with a 107-97 triumph over Qingdao. Xu Guochong (198-F/G-81) added 27 points and 9 assists. Mengke Bateer had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Mai Wulan had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Young Li Pengfei had 9 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. Juan Mendez only played 14 minutes and had 5 points. Chris Williams had 24 points and 8 rebounds for Qingdao. Xie Zhongjie and Sun Shengyue each scored 14. Li Guang had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Qingdao now has a 2-15 record.

Second-place Guangdong moved to a 14-3 record with a 110-95 blowout of 1-16 Shanghai. Jason Dixon had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Zhou Peng, Wang Shipeng and Chen Dawei each scored 15. Zhu Fangyu and Su Wei each scored 10 while Wang Zheng added 9. Wang Yong and Peng Fei each scored 23 for Shanghai. Li Gen added 17 points and DaJuan Tate scored 13. Shanghai is 1-16.

Theron Smith and Liu Hao each scored 29 points and Darryl Watkins had 28 points and 13 rebounds as Tianjin defeated Shaanxi 123-108. Lee Benson had 48 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists for Shaanxi and Brandon Robinson had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

Beijing rallied in the fourth quarter 34-24 to edge Shanxi Zhongyu 93-92. Chen Lei had 21 points and 7 rebounds. Dontae Jones had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Xie Libin and Zhang Yunsong each scored 15 and David Harrison scored 13. Bonzie Wells had 41 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals for Shandong. Olumide Oyedeji had 31 points and 22 rebounds. But the Chinese players on the team seemed to disappear, causing Zhongyu to fade in the fourth quarter and lose.

Liaoning defeated Jilin 104-90 as Awvee Storey, who seems to be playing much better than earlier in the season, scored 36 points. Liu Xiangtao had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Zhang Qingpeng had 14 points and 6 assists. Li Xiaoxu had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Gu Liye also scored 12. Leon Rogers had 30 points and 8 rebounds for Jilin. Lu Yan scored 20. Zhong Cheng, last year's best high school player, had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Soumaila Samake was listed as a starter with one second of playing time.

Zhejiang Guangsha defeated Shandong 96-80. Rodney White had 36 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks, though he committed 9 turnovers. Zhang Nan had 20 points and 7 rebounds. Jin Lipeng had 16 points and 5 assists. Li Meng, a veteran wide-bodied big man, had 8 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals. Priest Lauderdale scored 17 for Shandong. Mack Tuck and Wang Gang scored 15. Tuck added 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Guo Lei had 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Bayi defeated Jiangsu 108-98 as Mo Ke had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Li Nan added 17 points. Wang Zhongguang had 16 points and 6 assists. Wang Lei had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Chen Ke scored 12. Young big man Xu Zhonghao had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. Donnell Harvey had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks for Jiangsu. Jameel Watkins had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Han Shuo had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Point guard Hu Xuefeng had 7 assists but missed all 12 shots that he took.

Chris Porter had 37 points and 14 rebounds as Fujian crushed Yunnan 112-90. Matt Frieje had 17 points and 7 rebounds and Gong Songlin also scored 17. Zhao Tailong, listed as born in 1990, scored 14 points. Yang Genglin had 8 points and 7 rebounds. Zhang Yi had 21 points for Yunnan. Keith Closs had 16 points and 9 rebounds. Li Lin and Li Tao each scored 15. Zhao Anan scored 14.

CBA Round: 17 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Fujian - Yunnan 112-90
Porter Chris led Fujian over Yunnan in a 112:90 victory with 37 points and 14 rebounds. Zhang Yi ended up with 21 points in the losing effort.

Shanghai - Guandong 95-110
Guandong is second with 14-3 after a road win over Shanghai 95:110. Dixon Jason led six players who reached double digits with 16 points. Peng Fei and Wang Yong posted 23 points apiece in defeat.

Xinjiang - Qingdao DS 107-97
Xinjiang improved to 15-2 on the first place after the win over Qingdao DS 107:97. Allen Myron paced all the winners with 34 points and Xu Guochong notched 27. Williams Chris shined with 24 points for the guests.

Zhejiang C. - DongGuan 115-107
Zhejiang Cyclones stun DongGuan 115:107 behind 35 points and 18 boards from Hoskin Sam. Snyder Kirk was 1 assist away from his triple-double as he had 30 points, 19 rebounds and 9 assists. Harris Michael collected 39 points and 17 rebounds in defeat.

TianJin R. - Shaanxi 123-108
TianJin overcame Shaanxi 123:108 in Regular Season Round 17. Liu Hao and Smith Theron led the winners with 29 points each, while Watkins Darryl had 28 points and 13 boards. Benson Lee shined for the guests with 48 points and 15 rebounds.

Beijing - Shanxi Zh. 93-92
Beijing edged Shanxi Zhongyu 93:92 as Chen Lei scored 21 points and made 7 rebounds for the Ducks. Ex-NBA star Wells Bonzi had 41 points, 9 boards and 6 assists in defeat, while Oyedeji Olumide collected 31 points and 22 caroms.

Jilin - Liaoning 90-104
Jilin lost to Liaoning 90:104, while Storey Awvee paced all the winners with 36 points and Liu Xiangtao added 16. Rodgers Leon finished the night with 30 points in defeat.

Shandong - Zhejiang G. 80-96
Zhejiang Lions improved to 11-6 after a road win over 80:96. White Rodney top-scored for the winners with 36 points, while Zhang Nan followed him with 20. Lauderdale Priest produced 17 points in the losing effort.

Jiangsu - Bayi 98-108
The game between Jiangsu and Bayi became the key one in the round as the latter had 98:108 win. Mo Ke notched 20 points and made 10 boards for the winners, while Harvey Donnell brought 31 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.



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  CROATIA   


Slobodan Subotic leaves Split - by Eurobasket News
Slobodan Subotic is no longer a head coach of Split. Subotic decided to step down on Tuesday evening and the reason is bad black series of the team in Adriatic league. As a reminder, Split ended this year with four consecutive defeats. In the last round Split faced with home loss 83-91 against Zadar. Split is currently the ninth ranked team in the league with 5-9 record. The team still didn't announce who could be the possible replacement for Subotic.
Slobodan Subotic took over Split in December 2006. This past summer he extended contract with the team for 2 more years. Last season was great for Split, who managed to reach the play-off final in Croatia. The team also participated in the semifinals of Croatian Cup. Subotic changed many clubs before Split. He used to work in Jesi, Olympiakos, PAOK, Panionios, AEK and Iraklis. With Panathinaikos he won the Greek championship in 1998 and 1999. Subotic also was a head coach of Slovenian National Team from 2001 to 2003. As a player Subotic was a member of Aris, Barcelona and few other clubs.

Coach Drazen Anzulovic rejects Zadar - by Eurobasket News
After waiving the head coach Aleksandar Petrovic, the reigning Croatian champion already started search for his replacement, at least until the end of the season. Zadar's top candidate for the bench was Drazen Anzulovic, who currently works in Belgian Charleroi. However, Anzulovic was officially on the meeting with Zadar's management but they didn't agree. Anzulovic announced that he rejected Zadar's offer because he didn't feel that all members of the club's management will support his arrival. Anzulovic currently makes pretty good results with Charleroi in Belgium. His team is on the second place with 9-2 record. The top ranked team in the league is Dexia Mons-Hainaut with 10-2. Anzulovic and his Charleroi grabbed the championship title last season.

After unsuccessful negotiations Zadar will have to focus on other solutions. 'We will continue our search for the new head coach. We already have few candidates, but I would like to keep it away from the public for a while', said Kristijan Magas, president of Zadar.

In the meantime Zadar celebrated in the last round of Adriatic league against Split on the road. With that victory Zadar jumped on 8-5 record. Croatian champ currently share fifth place with Buducnost.

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  EUROCUP   


Nenad Canak leaves Lukoil Akademik, Vladimir Mijovic joins it - 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 (44-0 score in total). 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.

In the meantime, Lukoil agreed terms with 24-year old Vladimir Mijovic (207-F-84). Serbian player started this season in Cypriot Omonia Nicosia. His ex team is currently on the seventh place in Division A with 3-7. Before Omonia, Mijovic played two seasons in Sloga Kraljevo. In 07/08 he had 20 games in A league averaging 15.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg. In 05/06 Mijovic played for Bosnian team Banjalucka Pivarna. A season before that he was a member of Atlas. In the past Mijovic used to play for Partizan's juniors and the local team Umka (D3).



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  FYR MACEDONIA   


Fersped Rabotnicki looks for the new players - by Eurobasket News
One of two Macedonian representatives in Balkan league, Fersped Rabotnicki, announced it plans to reinforce the roster for the rest of the season. Rabotnicki has Ognen Stojanovski (189-G-85) on PG spot, but the team wants to add another one.

'We already started search for another point guard. It is clear that the player will be outside of Macedonia. I have to say that at this moment we already have few options, said Marin Dokuzovski, the head coach of Fresped Rabotnicki.

It is almost sure that the team will need another reinforcement in the paint.

'We will see who is available on the basketball market these days. Perhaps we will ink another big guy to our roster. There is not need for rush', added Marin Dokuzovski .

As a reminder Fersped Rabitnicki already returned Aleksandar Dimitrovski (193-G-80, agency: Interperformances). The only player who left Rabotnicki this season is Ronnie Ross (187-G-79, college: Utah St.).

Rabotnicki currently has 10-2 record in A Superleague. ANMAK SP from Ohrid has the same digits. In Balkan league Rabotnicki is on the second place in Group B, together with Mega Hypo Leasing (3-2).

News from MZT Skopje - by Eurobasket News
Macedonian teams are on the break until January 21st, but for some of those there is not time for rest. MZT Skopje, who ended this year on the fifth place with not so good 6-7 score, is looking to sign a new point guard, at least until the end of the season. MZT's first option is Aleksandar Ugrinoski (192-G-88, agency: Interperformances). Maceodonian/Croatian player joined Torus at the beginning of the season, but he didn't appear in any official game due to injury. Ugrinoski supposed to play this season for the NBDL team Anaheim Arsenal, but he left it in November. He spent last season in another D-League team, Utah Flash, averaging 2.2 ppg and 1.6 apg in 18 games. On season 06/07 Ugrinoski was a member of Arkadia Lions from Austria. He grew up as a player in Cibona Zagreb and later spent some time with Dubrava Sport Tip. Ugrinoski was a member of Croatian U16 and U18 National Team.

Meanwhile, the team announced that Aleksandar Held (-81) can stay in the club if he wants. If not, the team will let him got but only to some other team abroad, not in FYR Macedonia. It is not known yet what decision will the player make. More from MZT, Pero Blazevski (200-C-72, agency: Global Sports Plaza) still recovers from the injury. MZT hopes that he will be ready for the second half of the season.

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  HOLLAND   


Haarlem Basketball Week starts in Amsterdam - by Eurobasket News
The 2008 Haarlem Basketball Week tipped off in the Netherlands capital just days ago. Teams from around the world started off the annual hoops competition. Eight teams try to claim the title this year, among them Brazilian Minas who defend the 2007 triumph.
Netherlands opened the tournament with two wins in three games played. The National Team toppled EiffelTowers 84:79 in the opener. EiffelTowers led by 3 points after the starting stanza but Netherlands managed to deny the deficit and ensured a tough win at the end. Peter Van Paassen (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) had 24 points and 14 rebounds for the winners. Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side) had 16 points for Netherlands. Jerome Beasley (209-F-80, college: N.Dakota) replied with 18 points and 13 rebounds for Eiffeltowers in the loss.
Netherlands however were stopped in their second game as they came up short against Minas 54:64. Peter Van Paassen tallied 18 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
The second win came from the clash with Puerto Rican Capitanes de Arecibo. Peter Van Paassen notched 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Robert Krabbendam (213-C-86, agency: Court Side, college: Virginia Tech) added 14 points for the winning team.
MyGuide Amsterdam posted two wins in a row at the start of the tourney. The hosts outgunned the Francis Marion University 73:52 in the first game. Avis Wyatt (211-F/C-84, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Virginia St.) scored 15 points and added 9 boards for Amsterdam. Victor Thomas (201-F-79, college: La Salle) nailed 12 points in the win.
Amsterdam were challenged by the Kazakhstan champions Astana Tigers in the second encounter. The home team wasted a 13-point advantage after the opening term but still succeeded 62:61 at the end. Avis Wyatt posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. CC Harrison (194-G-76, agency: Court Side, college: N.Carolina St.) added 14 points in the victory.

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  HUNGARY   


Standings - A Division
A Division Standings
 1. Dombovar 8-2 
 2. Albacomp 7-2 
 3. Atomeromu 7-2 
 4. Falco 7-3 
 5. PVSK Panth. 7-4 
 6. Kormend 7-5 
 7. ZTE KK 6-4 
 8. Univer KSE 6-4 
 9. Soproni 6-5 
 10. Kaposvari 4-7 
 11. Szolnok 4-8 
 12. Marso-Vagep 2-7 
 13. Debreceni 1-9 
 14. EnterNet-NTE 0-10 


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  IRAN   


Standings - Superleague
Superleague Standings
1. Petrochimi 8-0
2. Mahram 7-2
3. Saba 7-2
4. Ararat 5-4
5. Zob Ahan 5-4
6. Kordestan 5-3
7. a.s Pipe 4-5
8. Gorgan 4-5
9. BEEM 4-4
10. Shahrekord 3-6
11. Langeroud 2-6
12. Azad 2-6
13. Khorasan 0-9


Dakota Wizards Center Hamed Haddadi Recalled by Grizzlies - by Houman Bagheri
Memphis, Tennessee - The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled Iranian center Hamed Haddadi from the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Haddadi posted 6.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.55 blocks in 17.7 minutes in 11 games (seven starts) with the Wizards. Memphis assigned the 7-2, 280-pound center to the Wizards on Nov. 24.
Signed by Memphis on Aug. 28, the Ahvaz, Iran native has yet to make his NBA debut.

Super Shepp, Super Game, Super Win - by Mohammad Ahmadi
10th week of Iran Basketball SuperLeague was played on today and in one of most important matches of the week, Ararat was playing in Shiraz against Shiraz a.s Pipe. Ararat which have won Saba Mehr last week was in Shiraz to win Shiraz a.s Pipe which lost last week against Langeroud in surprising result in last seconds. In this game, players of Shiraz a.s Pipe started powerfully and showed that they have too many things to say and won first quarter by 25-13. In second quarter result was 22-22 and third quarter was for a.s pipe in 29-25 and Nothing could stop a.s pipe and they continued their great game and won the game by 109-98. In this day, Kevin Sheppard (182-G-79, college: Jacksonville) which is called 'Super Shepp' scored 33 points and 7 assists and Mehdi Shirjang (191-F-90) scored 22 points (7 three points) and Ali Doraghi (210-C-84) got 19 points, 17 rebounds and 2 assists and Kamran Jamshidvand (190-F/G-80) scored 13 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 5 rebounds and Zoran Majkic (207-C-78) scored 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists.

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  ISRAEL   


Third coach in Rishon - by Tamar Goldman

It took Miki Dorsman one month with four league games and another in the cup to give up on Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion . Dorsman replaced Ziv Erez as head coach in Rishon, but his affair with the club didnt last too long. The third chaoch in Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion this season will be Ofer Berkovic . Berkovic coached in Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion during 2007/08 season he came in order to save the team from dropping to the second Div., did the job but didnt get his contract extended. Now Berkovic has to save the team again.
Berkovic made his reputation has a savior on 2005/06 season when he took Maccabi Givat Shmuel and help the team win nine out of ten games in the third round of the league. H started the 2006/07 season in Maccabi Givat Shmuel but was faired during the season. During 2007/08 Berkovic coached in Eldan Ashkelon but left after three rounds, shortly after he took Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion, as mentioned above.

Israel edge Francis Marion University in Amsterdam - by Eurobasket News
Israel National team is using a chance to experiment with the squad as they arrived in Netherlands to take part in the annual Haarlem Basketball Week in Amsterdam. Israeli team got into Pool B of the international tournament together with MyGuide Amsterdam, the US Francis Marion University team and the Astana Tigers from Kazakhstan.
Israel opened their campaign yesterday as they took on Francis Marion. Israel looked dominant right from the start. Israel shot the ball well and slowed the Patriots down. Israel grabbed a 29:23 lead at the first intermission and continued to enlarge the gap in the second frame. The European team ballooned the margin to as many as 20 points at halftime. The Patriots recovered a bit in the third stanza and trimmed the gap early in the frame. But soon Israel gained the speed and came into the final quarter leading by 24 points. Francis Marion never rebounded in the final term and lost the battle 72:104.
Anton Shoutvin (206-C/F-89, agency: Arik Krayn Services) scored 18 points and pulled down 6 boards for Israel. Elishay Kadir (203-F-87, agency: Avi Zilberman) registered 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Raviv Limonad (192-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) added 12 points for the winners. Kevin Clark (201-F-87) responded with 22 points for the Patriots in defeat.
Israel will play against MyGuide Amsterdam next. The Patriots in the meantime suffered the third straight loss and occupied the last spot in Pool B.

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  JAPAN   


JBL2 Standings
JBL2 Standings
 1. Toyota Tsusho 8-0 
 2. Aisin AW 8-1 
 3. Toyoda Gosei 6-3 
 4. Hitachi C.B. 5-4 
 5. Ishikawa 4-5 
 6. Kuroda Electric 2-7 
 7. Kagoshima 2-7 
 8. Tokyo Big Blue 0-8 


Kawamura named JBL All-Star MVP - by J.D. Greene
From Japan Times:

Local star Takuya Kawamura (191-G-86) was selected the Most Valuable Player with his 34-point performance and his East team ran past the West team 120-98 at Utsunomiya Municipal Gymnasium in the JBL All-Star Game on Tuesday. Kawamura made 10 of 21 3-pointers in the game.

Center Shunsuke Ito, the Link Tochigi Brex guard's teammate, and Rera Kamuy Hokkaido forward Tyler Newton followed with 16 points apiece. Ito had a game-high 11 rebounds as well. Former NBA player Yuta Tabuse, also of the Brex, had 12 points, seven boards and nine assists, coming off the bench.

For the West team, Hitachi Sunrockers forward/center Kosuke Takeuchi led the way with 19 points and was selected the team's top player.

In the JBL All-Star Jam Session, which was held on Monday, Tabuse won the skills challenge, while Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins forward Carl Thomas and Takeuchi triumphed in the 3-point contest
and slam dunk contest, respectively.

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  KAZAKHSTAN   


Astana Tigers travel to Holland - by Eurobasket News
The Astana Tigers went to Netherlands to take part in the annual Haarlem Basketball Week in Amsterdam. The international tournament gathered many well-known teams around the world. The Tigers tipped off their campaign against the Francis Marion University from the USA. A tough defensive battle in the first half saw the lead changing hands for several times. The students led 15:14 at the first intermission but the Kazakhstan team managed to accumulate a 29:26 lead at halftime. Astana stretched the margin to as many as 6 points before the fourth quarter. The Tigers looked solid in the key moments of the final stanza and ensured the winning outcome at the end. Rustam Yargaliyev (195-F-86) nailed 14 points to pace the Tigers. Aleksandr Tiutiunik (198-F-90) added 13 points and 7 boards, while Anton Ponomarev (209-C-88) had 10 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
The Astana Tigers were close to clinching the second straight win at the tournament but fell just short of the victory against the EclipseJet Amsterdam. The hosts raced ahead to a 13-point advantage before successfully wasting the major part of the advantage. The Tigers trimmed the distance and were on the brink of winning this one. But Amsterdam escaped with a narrow victory 62:61 victory at the end. Rustam Yargaliyev finished with 15 points to lead the Tigers. Evgeni Isakov (203-F-82) managed 11 points in defeat.
Astana will next face Israel on December 27.

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  LEBANON   


Maket News - by Mohammed Malas

- Tebnine basketball club management decided to replace Bakari Hendrix (204-C-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Gonzaga) with the american center Brandon Kurtz (208-C-78, college: Tulsa)...

Kurtz played one game in Iran with Mahram club this season and then he left for personal reasons, His played before in Holland, Turkey, Israel and Spain.

- Marcus Melvin (203-F-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) will be the new import of Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut for the reminder of the season, The player arrived before few days and started trainings with the greens, This action was taken to cover the absence of Samaki Walker (206-F/C-76, college: Louisville) who left the club, The 2nd import will be announced very soon....

The ex-North Carolina State graduate had played before wiuth Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut in season 2004-2005 and led them to the title of West Asian Championship, His experience also includes Italy, Portugal and Philippines.



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  NBA   


Thunder hand-delivers Krstic offer sheet to Nets - by Eurobasket News
Struggling teams like to move quickly to get their roster together, but this is ... well, different.

Oklahoma City, as everyone knows, signed Nenad Krstic (7'0''-C-83) offer sheet Monday, and it was incumbent upon the Thunder to have the document sent to the Nets for their review.

Only the team didn't overnight-mail it to New Jersey, as most teams would.

'They sent a guy on a plane to hand-deliver it,' Rod Thorn explained, with some amusement. 'I'm sure that's been done before, but I really can't think of another time. I guess they were in a hurry.'

The Nets won't be in any such hurry to match it or recant it. They have seven days, and they'll make Oklahoma City wait -- even though it is practically assured that they'll pass on the three-year, $15.58 million offer sheet and allow Krstic to become a Thunder plunder.

Stromile Swift was still back home in Louisiana Tuesday, dealing with a serious family illness, with no timetable for return. And Bobby Simmons was home in Chicago, awaiting the birth of his child -- which was due Tuesday.

Jarvis Hayes returned Tuesday night to play 28 important minutes in the 108-107 classic against the Pacers (eight points, three boards), three days after suffering a concussion. He said his headache -- the result of getting picked hard Friday night by Miami's Joel Anthony -- finally went away Monday.

Management and the coaching staff has begun to discuss the practicality of sending Sean Williams to the D-League. The decision may be based partly on how long Swift may be occupied. Williams was inactive again Tuesday night.

Josh Boone is still trying to make the adjustment from starter to spectator to second-stringer, and he thinks he's getting the knack -- slowly but surely. It was no accident that his coach allowed him to play nine minutes in the fourth period, and he finished with seven points, five boards and two blocks.

'I was glad to be a part of it, to make a difference late in the game,' Boone said. 'He put me in and told me to try and not let 'em get to the basket, because they were getting easy stuff.'

That's an understatement: After the Nets built a 96-88 lead with 6:30 left, the Pacers scored four straight times with Brook Lopez patrolling the paint -- including three straight layups -- with Travis Diener taking his dribble anywhere he wanted.

As it turns out, Mark Cuban has a sense of humor after all, and can take it when 9,800 people are poking fun at him.

'That was really funny,' the Dallas owner said, when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asked him about the 'Thank You Cuban' chant at Izod Friday. 'I thought it was hysterical.'

Just the same, the balance of the story was about how the Mavs got the better of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal, if for no other reason than it gave the billionaire more money to spend in 2010 ... even though Cuban added that he could always clog the cap that summer beforehand with the salary from a good player if he's a 'difference-maker,' which he thought Kidd would be.

Courtesy of http://www.nj.com

Rockets trade guard Francis to Grizzlies - by Eurobasket News
Steve Francis (6'3''-G-77, college: Maryland) proved you can go home again when he returned to the Rockets last season.

But after one year-plus of an unsatisfying reunion, the former All-Star guard was sent packing once more.

The Rockets traded Francis to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in a deal that was little more than a salary dump to create space under the luxury-cap threshold.

After having surgery to repair a torn quadriceps tendon in his right knee on Feb. 26, Francis never was able to get back into shape and crack the Rockets rotation. He has not appeared in a game this season.

The 31-year-old point guard was sent to Memphis along with a 2009 draft choice the Rockets obtained from the Grizzlies on draft night last June in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in 2011.

By trading Francis, the Rockets have dropped below the luxury-tax threshold and now have the flexibility to sign another player.

We did this deal really for two reasons, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. First, to get flexibility with the salary cap to sign players and also for Steve to have a chance to get playing time, which had become very difficult here.

This gives us what we wanted, which was the flexibility for trades and the ability to take back a little more salary in a trade. When we signed (forward Carl) Landry this summer, it put us about ($2 million) over, and this will get us enough under so that we can sign a player.

The Rockets trimmed $2.634 million off their payroll with the trade.

Francis is returning to the Grizzlies franchise that originally made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft when the team was located in Vancouver. When he said he would not play in Canada, the Rockets obtained him in a three-way deal that also involved the Orlando Magic.

Flourishing for five seasons with the Rockets, first as the heir apparent to Hakeem Olajuwon as the center of their offense and then as the face of the team, he was known as Stevie Franchise. He was a three-time member of the Western Conference All-Star team as a Rocket, the last two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) as a starter alongside teammate Yao Ming.


A really big deal

Francis then was the centerpiece of what was at the time the largest deal in NBA history when he, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato were traded to Orlando in the package deal that included Tracy McGrady on June 29, 2004. Francis played a little more than a season with the Magic, then was traded to the New York Knicks.

After the Knicks traded Francis to Portland, the Trail Blazers bought out his contract, and the one-time Rockets star returned to Houston where he makes his home on July 20, 2007. He was expected to provide depth at point guard.

However, Francis underperformed in training camp in 2007 and was never able to crack the playing rotation. He appeared in just 10 games (three as a starter) last season, averaging 5.5 points and three assists. Knee problems prevented Francis from making any progress, and his season ended in February with the surgery.

The Rockets previously had indicated that they might try to re-sign veteran free-agent center Dikembe Mutombo for depth on the front line if they could get under the salary-tax threshold.

I think this is sort of step one in what weve been talking about in giving us the ability to get in there and do that, Morey said. I havent had a chance to talk to Dikembe, so I think we are still just at step one at this point.


Mutombo in demand

Mutombo, 42, who is also considering options with the Celtics and Grizzlies, went into the season hoping to join a team before the new year.

Hopefully, by the 28th, Ill know something, Mutombo said.

Asked if he were still considering the Rockets, Mutombo said: This is why I have not gone to someone else already. I could have gone to another team. It got complicated.

People are texting me and calling me (about the Francis trade). I need to make a decision after Christmas.

Courtesy of http://www.chron.com

Phoenix Suns sign Dee Brown - by Eurobasket News
The Phoenix Suns have signed free-agent guard Dee Brown (6'1''-G-84, college: Illinois) to a contract, the club announced yesterday.

A two-year NBA performer, Brown was originally selected by the Utah Jazz with the 46th overall pick (second round) in the 2006 NBA Draft. The 6-0, 181-pound guard spent his rookie season in Salt Lake City where he appeared in 49 regular season games off the bench and eight more in the playoffs. The 24-year-old played in Turkey for Galatasaray Caf Crown in 2007-08 where he averaged 12.3 points during the regular season and 14.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds during postseason play. Brown signs with the Suns after appearing in 17 games (11 starts) and seeing 13.7 minutes of action with the Washington Wizards to begin 2008-09. He now owns career averages of 2.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.8 assists in 68 NBA contests.

Browns stellar career at the University of Illinois was highlighted by his 2006 win of the Bob Cousy Award as the nations top point guard in his senior season. The Illini standout led the Big Ten in assists (5.8) and ranked 18th in the nation overall. Brown posted those numbers while leading his team in scoring average (14.2), steals (1.61), minutes (35.8) and free-throw percentage (.757) and leading the team in scoring in 15 of 33 games.

Nicknamed The One Man Fastbreak in college due to his quickness, Brown was selected the Sporting News National Player of the Year and named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. Most notably, he became the first consensus First Team All-American at Illinois since 1952 after helping to lead the Illini to a 29-0 start and a berth in the national title game.

Brown is a graduate of Proviso East High in Maywood, Ill., the same high school attended by Celtics coach Doc Rivers and San Antonio Spurs guard Michael Finley.

Courtesy of http://www.insidehoops.com

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  NCAA1   


Miami (Ohio) PG Kenny Hayes out for the year - by Eurobasket News
Miami (Ohio) point guard Kenny Hayes (6'2''-G-87) will miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury.

An official announcement is expected soon.

Hayes injured his hand against Northwestern State on Dec. 6. After that he missed the Wisconsin-Milwaukee game before trying (hopelessly) to play against Valparaiso. He then missed Saturday's game against West Virginia, in which the RedHawks had 26 turnovers. The 6-foot-2 senior was re-evaluated after the WVU game, and a decision was made to sit him down for good, starting with a Dec. 30 rematch against Northwestern State.

Hayes was averaging 13.9 points and 3.8 assists for the RedHawks.

Courtesy of http://www.sportsline.com

7-footer Jeff Withey transfers to KU from Arizona - by Eurobasket News
Just hours after the Kansas Jayhawks somberly boarded a homeward-bound plane in Tucson, Ariz., early Wednesday morning, KU coach Bill Self got some news that would brighten his holiday.

Self received word from KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend that freshman big man Jeff Withey (6'10''-C) was ready to make his decision to transfer from Arizona to Kansas public. So at least the Jayhawks, coming off an 84-67 beating by the Wildcats, wouldn't come home from the desert totally empty-handed.

Withey, rated the No. 36 overall player in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com, visited Kansas as a high school junior but eventually chose to play for Arizona and legendary coach Lute Olson instead. But when Olson suddenly retired in late October, Withey had a change of heart. Withey notified Self of his decision to come to KU on Sunday but didnt want to announce anything until after the KU-Arizona game had been played.

'I talked to my family, and we realized that Kansas is the best fit for me', Withey said. 'I've been watching them on TV, and I just feel like I can come in and help them out next year. I can go into practice and play against Cole (Aldrich) and the (Morris) twins and help them out, and theyll help me out. Its a really good situation for me'.

Withey will enroll in spring classes and start practicing in January. He wont be eligible to play in a game until after the fall semester next year because of NCAA transfer rules. When he begins play, he will be considered a redshirt freshman. With the addition of recruits Elijah Johnson and Thomas Robinson, KU would be one over its 13 scholarship limit next year unless another player transferred or left the program.

Withey, who played at Horizon High in San Diego, has struggled to find a basketball home. He originally made an oral commitment to Louisville as a junior but decided to decommit because of family reasons. Withey decided to stay closer to home and chose Arizona.

Witheys parents moved with him to Tucson, where his mother found a job as a fourth-grade teacher. They had made their decision and were going to stick with it.

We really had high hopes for everything when we moved here, said Debra Withey, Jeffs mother. But with the sad and disappointing news about Coach Olson, we just knew there wasnt enough stability in the program.

After Olsons retirement, none of the coaches who recruited Withey to Arizona remained on staff.

'It was pretty frustrating', Jeff Withey said. 'I didn't feel like that was my home anymore'.

KU immediately surfaced at the top of his list. Withey remembered his visit to Late Night in the Phog in October 2006 and the conversations he had with Self, Townsend and KU assistant coach Danny Manning.

There was something Coach Self said one time when we were there about how Kansas is bigger than even him, Debra recalled. And at that point in time we didnt really take it to heart. Now, thinking about it, its Kansas.

Debra said that she and her husband hope to move to Lawrence after she finishes the school year in Tucson. They will have no choice but to let Jeff get adjusted to the Heartland winter by himself.

Jeffrey will have to get used to snow, Debra said.

Thatll be the biggest transition.

Withey, who measures 7 feet tall and 225 pounds, said he hopes to spend the next year building muscle in the weight room.

Courtesy of http://www.kansascity.com

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  NEW ZEALAND   


CJ Bruton out three weeks - by Eurobasket News
Three weeks. That's how long the New Zealand Breakers will have to make do without their mercurial point guard CJ Bruton (188-G-75, college: Indian Hills CC) as they get set for their historic title bid in the Australian National Basketball League.

Bruton today confirmed he had suffered a grade two lateral ligament tear in his left ankle in Saturday nights groundbreaking 118-94 victory at the Perth Wildcats. It was the first time the New Zealand club had won at Challenge Stadium, aka The Jungle, and was their seventh straight road victory of the season.

The 15-4 Breakers are breathing right down the neck of the 16-4 South Dragons in an intriguing two-horse race at the top of the standings.

The injury will leave the outstanding point-man and two-time Olympian on crutches for the next 10 days and out of action for around three weeks. He will definitely miss the next three matches - at Wollongong (Jan 2), at Sydney (Jan 3) and at the table-topping South Dragons (Jan 10).

There's a chance he could return in time for the home match against the Townsville Crocs on January 15, though that will depend on how well he rehabs the damaged ankle.

Bruton cut a rueful figure at Breakers training today as he announced his status alongside club physio Anousith Bouaaphone whom hes been getting to know pretty well in recent weeks. Bruton was already carrying knee and elbow injuries before Saturday nights third-quarter incident where he rolled his ankle.

The 33-year-old three-time NBL title-winner said it was disappointing to miss a chunk of the season like this, but on the bright side he hoped it would enable him to get all his ailments cleared up before the business end of the season.

Were in a good spot with Paulie Henare running the show, with Corey Webster backing him up and the team in the position we are. The confidence in the group is good, he said.

Bruton said it was kinda sad to miss the new year trip to Sydney where he had planned to catch up with his father (NBL Hall of Famer Cal Bruton) as well as siblings, but added: There are things you have to do to rehab to make sure youre right when the playoffs roll around. Im still frustrated but better it happens now than in the playoffs.

The likeable Aussie even joked that the injury at least had one bright side.

Ill be home for New Years, at Christmas Ill have my foot up and obviously there will be a little less housework. My body also gets a rest after the Olympics. But Id like to be out there playing with the boys. I didnt come here to rest, I came to win a championship. Were close to our goal but its not done yet.

Bruton said the Breakers outstanding season thus far had not been a surprise to him, given the talent in the squad and the fact that the players were now carrying out their coachs instructions (ie playing defence).

If you make shots youre there, but defensively were doing a better and better job which is what you have to do to win a championship. Theres always improvements to make, but I think were on par to get the championship.

Meanwhile Henare, who will step into the starting lineup to fill the breach in Brutons absence, said he would just be himself in a role he was more than comfortable with.

Already this year at different stages weve had a few guys miss games. Although it hurts us losing a class player like CJ were not going to go into panic stations and worry about anything, he said.

'We've just got to move on which is how weve dealt with things so far this season. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery but in the meantime its up to me and the team to get the job done.'

Henare has spent the best part of four seasons as a starter in the NBL so should handle the step up in responsibility with aplomb. Its likely sixth man Phill Jones will step into the role as backup point man, though development player Webster could also get a chance.

'I don't think my role changes, added Henare. Im not going to try and be a CJ and do something Im not. It obviously might mean a few more minutes, but Im just going to do what I do.'

Im the team leader, Im the organiser, and thats what I do best. Im going to continue to do everything but probably a little bit more of it.

Injuries never come at a good time, but for the Breakers if ever there was a spell they had to be without their do-it-all point guard, this isnt the worst.

Two of their next three matches are distinctly winnable, and theres a distinct possibility that Bruton could come back stronger from a much-needed spell of rehab.

Courtesy of http://www.basketball.org.nz

Smashing wins for the Breakers - by Eurobasket News
The New Zealand Breakers extended their impressive record at the ANBL as they added two more wins over the weekend.
First the New Zealand Breakers wrote in the new franchise-record win as they thrashed the Sydney Spirit by as many as 44 points. Phill Jones (196-G-74) knocked down 24 points to lead the Breakers to the 114:70 triumph. Kirk Penney (194-G-80, college: Wisconsin) added 19 points, while Tony Ronaldson (203-F/C-72) had 18 in the victory.
The start of the third period turned out crucial as the Breakers notched 18 unanswered points to run away to a 29-point advantage. The hosts continued to maintain the lead as they enjoyed a 31-point cushion at the final break. The Spirit had nothing to come up with in the final term and suffered a resounding defeat at the end.
The Breakers never slowed down as they visited the Perth Wildcats at the Challenge Stadium. The visitors lost CJ Bruton (188-G-75, college: Indian Hills CC) midway through the game but it did not keep the Breakers from slashing the Wildcats 118:94. The game was pretty close throughout three quarters but baskets from Phill Jones and Tony Ronaldson at the start of the fourth frame gave the visiting team a 9-point lead that they never surrendered. Kirk Penney fired 32 points to pace the victors. Tony Ronaldson had 31 points as the Breakers improved at 15-4 record. They will now take on Wollongong and Sydney on the road next.
Some bad news came after the game as it became known that CJ Bruton would miss about three weeks with a ligament tear.

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  PHILIPPINES   


Menk-led Ginebra stops Rain or Shine outright semis bid - by Eurobasket News
Barangay Ginebra gained an outright entry into the quarterfinals and unwittingly gave Talk 'N Text a free lift into the semifinals.

This was the Yuletide package the Kings wrapped up as they whipped the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 63-58, in a low-scoring duel at the close of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup double-round elimination phase at the Araneta Coliseum.

'Talagang merry ang Christmas,' said Barangay Ginebra head coach Joseph Uichico as they scored the win guaranteeing the team automatic quarters passage.

'At the start of the conference, we're just thinking of surviving. Now we're in a spot everybody wants to be in if you miss the outright semis,' Uichico added.

The Kings even claimed the top seeding in the quarters with a better quotient than the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The three teams finished tied at third with identical 10-8 win-loss card.

'Mabigat ang seeding namin but I take it anytime because we could have been in the wildcard round. Maraming salamat talaga we're here,' Uichico said. 'Come quarters, iba na naman yon. We'll try to get healthy. Hopefully, makabalik si Rafi Reavis.'

Though still playing with aches and pains, the Kings got back at the Painters, denying Rain or Shine a playoff with Talk N Text for the second outright semis seat.

The Tropang Texters instead joined Alaska in an outright entry into the Final Four with Rain or Shine relegated into a best-of-three quarterfinal against defending champion Sta. Lucia Realty.

Barangay Ginebra will slug it out in the other best-of-3 quarterfinal against the lone survivor from the wildcard playoffs.

Slugging it out in the knockout wildcard games are Coca-Cola versus San Miguel Beer, and Air21 against Purefoods, with both series starting at once this Sunday at the Big Dome.

Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine figured in the lowest-scoring battle of the conference but the Kings managed to imposed their will, leading by as many as 20 at 41-21.

Eric Menk (199-F-74, college: L.Superior) and Ronald Tubid both churned out a double-double game for the Kings with the former tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds and the latter 11 markers and 10 boards.

Only with 12 and 10 points, respectively, Jay R Reyes and Gabe Norwood were already the highest scorers for the Painters limited to an all-time franchise low on an atrocious 27.3-percent field-goal shooting.

Rain or Shine was 5-of-37 from beyond the arc and 16-of-40 from the two point zone while Ginebra was 27-of-85 overall en route to the lowest winning score of the tourney. (NC)


The scores:

Barangay Ginebra 63 -- Eric Menk 15, Tubid 11, Cabatu 10, Helterbrand 10, Valenzuela 7, Mamaril 4, Escalona 2, Wilson 2, Crisano 2, Pacana 0, Artadi 0, Salvacion 0.
Rain or Shine 58 -- Reyes 12, Norwood 10, Salangsang 8, Arana 7, Mercado 6, Wainwright 5, Tang 4, Ibanes 3, Andaya 2, Dulay 1, Isip 0, Ejercito 0.

Quarterscores: 20-14, 37-21, 51-38, 63-58

Courtesy of www.pba.ph

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  SERBIA   


Nenad Canak leaves Lukoil Akademik, Vladimir Mijovic joins it - 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 (44-0 score in total). 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.

In the meantime, Lukoil agreed terms with 24-year old Vladimir Mijovic (207-F-84). Serbian player started this season in Cypriot Omonia Nicosia. His ex team is currently on the seventh place in Division A with 3-7. Before Omonia, Mijovic played two seasons in Sloga Kraljevo. In 07/08 he had 20 games in A league averaging 15.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg. In 05/06 Mijovic played for Bosnian team Banjalucka Pivarna. A season before that he was a member of Atlas. In the past Mijovic used to play for Partizan's juniors and the local team Umka (D3).



Radnicki 034 hires Radovan Pesic as a new head coach - by Dragan Jankovski
Serbian basketball market is pretty active these days.

After not so brilliant results in Serbian A league as well as in Balkan league, management of Radnicki 034 Group decided to waive the head coach Zoran Cvetanovic. The team immediately promoted point guard Radovan Pesic (186-G-72, agency: Beo Basket) as his successor. Pesic joined Radnicki 034 Group in 2006 from Mornar Bar. On season 07/08 he was one of the best players in A league averaging 15 ppg and 4.7 apg in 18 games. This season he played 7 games in domestic championship adding 7ppg and 2.9 apg. In Balkan league Pesic had very similar digits in 6 games. His team celebrated just once in BIBL, while in Serbia it has 7-7. Clearly the management is not satisfied with that.

Novi Sad agreed terms with Branislav Jancikin (198-G-86). Jancikin spent last two seasons in Slask Wroclaw. In 07/08 he had 1.5 ppg in 14 Polish league games. In ULEB Cup he had 1.3 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 4 matches. In the past Jancikin used to play in Spartak Subotica. Novi Sad currently has 5-9 in A league and it is very close to the last ranked Zdravlje and Sloga (4-10)

Serbian B league, round 13 - by Zoran Popovic
Radnicki Obrenovac-Superfund BP Beograd 83-66 (21-12, 16-15, 21-16, 25-23)

Radnicki Obrenovac made and 8th won this season and this time Radnicki won against Superfund BP Beograd. During the all match Radnicki was better team. They made +9 points advantage in the first quarter, which the guests from Belgrade tried to decrease in the second period of the match, but the half time was finished with +10 points for Radnicki. In the third and fourth quarter Radnicki continued with good game. Led by Nastic (18 points), Colic (20 points) and Boricic (23 points) Radnicki routinely finished the match. Better then others in Superfund BP Beograd was Lesic (13 points) and Ljubicic (13 points).

Radnicki Obrenovac: Ljubas, Radojicic 3, Nastic 18, Koprivica 4, Boricic 23, Colic 20, Huskic 4, Jevtic 4, G.Huskic, Kolasinac, Jovanovic 7, Stankovic.
Superfund BP Beograd: Ljubicic 13, Lesic 13, Malidzan 11, Veinovic 3, Kostic 8, Markovic 10, Filipovic 4, Popovic, Petrovic 3, Matic 2.

KK Crnokosa Kosjeric-Crvena Zvezda 2nd team 76-66 (22-11, 17-18, 16-14, 21-23)

With aggressive and strong defence KK Crnokosa Kosjeric started the match and finished first quarter with +11 points advantage and that was crucial for the rest of the match. Other three quarters of the match both teams was equal rival, but previos advantage domestic players saved and won their seventh match this season. The most efficient player in Crnkosa was Bircevic who scored 34 points. And for the guests Sepa scored 15 points.

KK Crnokosa Kosjeric: Nikic, Djurovic 2, Puzic 11, Cvijic, Vasiljevic, Vukosavljevic 14, Mukanovic 8, Bircevic 34, Pavlovic, Belic 2, Mirkovic 5.
Crvena Zvezda 2nd team: Susa, Lukic 8, Radosavljevic 11, Gagic 2, Rondovic, Stevovic 2, Nedovic 10. Dj.Majstorovic 4, D.Majstorovic 7, Sepa 15, Djukic, Milosevic 7.

Kikinda-Maraton Atlantik Jagodina 78-62 (17-19, 10-13, 27-11, 24-19)

Match played in Kikida had lot of turnovers. Guests from Jagodina was better team in the first two quarters and finished first half with +5 for them (27-32). In the third period of the match Kikinda players made break and finished third quarter with +11 for them (54-43). The last quarter was routine for domestic players. For Kikinda Veljkovic scored 19 points and Mladenovic scored 18 points. For the guests Gajovic scored 20 points and Micovic 25 points.

Kikinda: Mladenovic 18, Ilic 7, Bogdanovic, Cerina, Krajnovic 8, Vokic 14, Cvetkovic 5, Tesla, Trkulja, Simic, Veljkovic 19, Mihajlovic 7.
Maraton Atlantik Jagodina: Gajovic 20, Petricevic 3, Djuric, Milojevic, Stevanovic, Arisc 4, Mladenovic, Milutinovic 2, Micovic 25, Milincic 8.

KK Sloboda Uzice-KK Vojvodina 100-92 (18-16, 30-23, 14-33, 38-20)

The most intrested match of this round was played in Uzice between KK Sloboda Uzice and KK Vojvodina. KK Sloboda Uzice surprised guests from Novi Sad and open the match with serie 16-5, but the guests from Novi Sad answered and first quarter was finished with +2 points for domestic players. In the second quarter domestic players condinuted in the seame rhytam as in the first quarter and finished first half with +9 points advantage (48-39). In the third quarter young KK Vojvodina players made break and to the end of that period turnover result and finished third quarter with +10 for them (62-72). The last quarter of the math started with much aggressive and organized game of KK Sloboda Uzice players. Led by Petronijevic and Perisic KK Sloboda Uzice first equalize result and after that made small advantage which they save to the end of the match. The best role in KK Sloboda Uzice showed Petronijevic who scored 26 points and Perisic who add 23 points. For KK Vojvodina Bjelica scored 19 points and Andjusic 18 points.

KK Sloboda Uzice: Tasic 3, Malesevic 15, Bodic 4, Obrenovic, Zaric 11, Petronijevic 26, Perisic 23, Vasiljevic, Djokic 13, Panic, Bukvic, Bakralcic 5.
KK Vojvodina: Djukic, Dzeverdanovic 3, S.Knezevic, Nem.Knezevic 8, Drakulic 8, Neb.Knezevic 12, Kostic 3, Bjelica 19, Andjusic 18, Roncevic 3, Kitanovic 18.

Very interesting exhibition game played last night in Belgrade - by Dragan Jankovski
In very interesting exhibition/charity game played last night in Belgrade Serbian players from abroad were better than Serbian players from the domestic teams 104-94. The reason for this exciting event was 60th anniversary of the Serbian Basketball Federation. 'Foreigners' controlled rhythm of the game almost the entire time. Their head coach was Aleksandar Trifunovic of Panionios Athens. Of course on the other side was Dusko Vujosevic of Partizan Igokea. Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) scored the most for the winning team, 19 points. Nenad Krstic (214-C-83) had 16 (10 of those in the first quarter), while Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) added 15 points. Domestic team got 20 points from giant Boban Marjanovic (222-C-88). He also had 7 rebounds beside that. Marko Keselj (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) also shined draining 14 points.

Head coach of the Serbian National team, Dusan Ivkovic, also was one of the spectactors.

'Here we have many players which are potentional candidates for our NT. I will announce the preliminary list in May so until that time the players have a chance to become better. We saw a lot of talent tonight and the reason is professional work in our domestic clubs. Partizan's players will benefit the most as they play in Euroleague. I have to say that Crvena Zvezda also made great thing with bringing of Svetislav Pesic', said Dusan Ivkovic.


Domestic players - 'Foreigners' 94-104

Domestic players: Marko Keselj 14, Milenko Tepic 13, Bojan Krstovic 8, Nemanja Bjelica 4, Dragan Labovic 4, Stefan Markovic 9, Uros Tripkovic 4, Boban Marjanovic 20, Milan Macvan 2, Aleksandar Rasic 2, Novica Velickovic 12, Miroslav Raduljica 2.
Foreigners: Bojan Popovic 3, Branko Cvetkovic 13, Zoran Erceg 19, Dusan Kecman 9, Ivan Zoroski 2, Nenad Krstic 16, Vanja Plisnic 15, Ivan Radenovic 8, Miroslav Raicevic 8, Milos Teodosic 11.

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  SLOVAKIA   


HBK Prievidza ends 2008 on top of Extraliga - by Eurobasket News
HBK Prievidza suffered road defeat against Chemosvit Poprad 50-67 in the last Extraliga Round in 2008. However, despite this loss visitors ended year on top with 14-4 record. Chemosvit had impressive first half of the game creating 15-point lead. Prievidza slightly improved after that, but it was not enough against the very motivated hosts. Peter Sedmak (203-C-85) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Zachary Ingles (188-G-83, college: E.Kentucky) was behind him with 13. Visitors got the most from Gabriel Szalay (215-C-86), 13 pts. Lubos Strocel (193-G-81) was the last one with double-digits, 11 points.

AX SPU Nitra managed to crush Pezinok as a guest 105-101 in derby game of Round 18. It means that these two teams currently share the second place with 13 wins and 5 defeats. It was very exciting game until the end. Both teams netted 60 points in the second and 59 in third quarter. Eugene Lawrence (185-G-86, college: St.John's) led the scorers in this game with impressive 32 points. Dametri Hill (203-C-74, college: Florida) also shined for the winners with 20, while Lubos Pohanka (190-G-77) helped with 16 points. Andrej Lukjanec (203-F/C-69) was totally the best in loss with 29 points. Lorenzo Williams (191-G-84, college: Rice) followed him delivering 20.


Other results in Round 18:
Astrum Levice - MBK Handlov 84:78 (33:19, 15:12, 20:26, 16:21)
Inter Bratislava - Slvia TU Koice 82:67 (18:20, 21:11, 25:12, 18:24)
MBK Rieker Komrno - 04 AC LB Spisk Nov Ves 80:90 (16:19, 19:21, 19:19, 26:31)
KP Bansk Bystrica - BK Doln Kubn 78:57 (14:7, 19:18, 22:21, 23:11)

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  SOUTH KOREA   


KBL Round: 17 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Orions - LG Sakers 81-75
Orions edged LG Sakers 81:75 as Daniels Chris and Kim Seung-Hyun led the way with 17 points each. Crump Brandon finished the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Cho Sang-Hyun added 10.

KTF M.Wings - Samsung Th. 76-83
Samsung improved to 12-11 after a win over KTF M.Wings 83:76. Leather Terrence was unstoppable with 37 points and 10 boards, while Haynes Aaron notched 21. Peters James ended up with 21 points in defeat.

Mobis Phoebus - ET Land B.Sl. 68-70
Mobis Phoebus sensationally lost to ET Land 68:70 but remained on top with 15-7 record. Jung Young-Sam and Powell Carlos paced all the winners with 15 points apiece. Dunston Bryant chipped in 20 for the hosts and Blankson Odartey had 19.

LG Sakers - KCC Egis 83-72
LG Sakers overcame KCC Egis 83:72 in Regular Season Round 17. Johnson Ivan led the winners with 24 points and Crump Brandon collected 21 points and 12 boards. Mitchell Carl finished the night with 24 points and 10 boards.

Dongbu Promy - Orions 82-83
Dongbu Promy fell from the top position after the home loss to Orions 82:83. Daniels Chris top-scored for the winners with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Kim Joo-Sung netted 20 in defeat, whilst White Wendell had 19 points and 10 caroms.

SK Knights - KT&G Kites 88-81
SK Knights sensationally beat KT&G Kites 88:81 as Bang Sung-Yun and Shannon Terrence produced 29 points each for the winners. Chandler Marquin had 23 in defeat, whilst Joo Hee-Jung nailed 15.



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  SPAIN   


Yebra plays in Iran! - by Mohammed Malas

Former Spanish National team player Oscar Yebra (200-F-74, agency: Court Side) signed last week with Mahram Club of Iran to play with them in 20th Dubai International Tournament in Dubai, UAE which will end on the 28th of December, He may stay with them for the reminder of the season, The spanish forward scored yesterday 28 points in the team's loss against Zain of Jordan in the 1st round.



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  TURKEY   


Latest Market News in Turkish Basketball League - by Baha Kurtulus

Antalya Buyuksehir Belediye has signed with Ricardo Marsh (203-F-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: ODU) again. (2007-2008: Antalya Buyuksehir Belediye (Turkey-TBL, starting five): 34 games: 18.7ppg, 5.6rpg), ( 2008-2009: ASK Riga (Latvia-LBL, starting five): LBL: 5 games 14.0ppg 7.8rpg )

Besiktas ColaTurka Istanbul has signed with Williams Justin (208-F/C-84, college: Wyoming) (2005-2006: Wyoming (NCAA): 30 games: 11.1ppg, 11.0rpg, 5.4bpg) (2006-2007: Sacramento Kings (NBA), released in Oct.'06, then moved to Dakota Wizards (D-League,1T): 12 games: 12.1ppg, 12.3rpg, 3.1bpg), 2008-2009: Golden State Warriors (NBA), left in Oct.'08, then moved to Charlotte Bobcats (NBA), only pre-season, in Dec.'08 signed at Shandong Flaming Bulls (China-CBA, starting five).

Erdemirspor Belediyesi has released Sean Colson (182-G-75, college: Charlotte)




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  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   


Day 6 - 20th Dubai Int'l Tournament - by Mohammed Malas
* Thursday 25/12:

# Group A:

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB) 75 - An Nasr (UAE) 71 (Qs: 21-11, 43-37, 62-54, 75-71)
- Best scorers:
Saleh Sultan(178-G-89) '22 pts' from An Nasr
Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) '21 pts' from An Nasr
Knight Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) '17 pts' from Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut
Hussein Tawbe (198-F-82) '15 pts' from Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut

Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY) - Champville (LEB) 'Al Ittihad Alexandria won 20-0 due to Champville's withdraw from the game!!'

# Group A final standings (1st 4 teams qualified to Quarter Finals):
1- Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB)
2- Al Jalaa Aleppo (SYR)
3- An Nasr (UAE)
4- Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY)
5- Champville (LEB)

# Group B:

Al Jeish Army Damascus (SYR) 99 - UAE National Team 83 (Qs: 34-19, 51-33, 76-51 & 99-83)

Al Moutahed Tripoli (LEB) 67 - Zain (JOR) 55 (Qs: 25-8, 37-21, 48-40 & 67-55)
- Best scorers:
Darren Kelly (190-G-78, college: Texas) '26 pts' from Al Moutahed Tripoli
Mike Christensen (203-G/F-85, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: New Hampshire) '14 pts' from Zain
Tony Williams (202-F-78, agency: ACMT, college: Louisville) '11 pts' from Al Moutahed Tripoli
Moussa Al Awadi (190-G/F-85) '11 pts' from Zain

# Group B final standings (1st 4 teams qualified to quarter finals):
1- Zain (JOR)
2- Al Moutahed Tripoli (LEB)
3- Mahram (IRI)
4- Al Jeish Army Damascus (SYR)
5- UAE National Team

# Quarter-Finals games schedule (GMT):
- Friday 26/12:
10:45 Moutahed X An Nasr
12:45 Zain X Ittihad
15:00 Riyadi X Army
17:00 Jalaa X Mahram

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


GB chase Kelenna Azubuike - by Eurobasket News
GB bosses are back on the trail of NBA star Kelenna Azubuike (196-G/F-83, college: Kentucky) as they look to strengthen their squad for the 2009 European Championship Finals.

The Golden State Warriors guard does not yet possess a British passport, even though he was born in London prior to his family moving to the United States.

But he has indicated he is keen to pursue one and join the GB squad as it continues its successful march towards the 2012 Olympics.

GB performance manager Ron Wuotila said: 'We have had discussions with the NBA's international people, as well as Kelenna's people themselves, and every indication is that he is very keen to play.

'We understand that last year he had to concentrate on his NBA career and make sure that he had a contract to sign at the end of the season.

'But now that he has done that, we are investigating fully what needs to be done to help him obtain his passport.

'The NBA have been great partners for us in this and, hopefully, he will be another player we can add to the squad for the challenges ahead.'

GB continue to hold a regular dialogue with Chicago star Ben Gordon, a team mate of GB's Luol Deng at the Bulls, who has also committed his long-term international future to the country of his birth.

Like Azubuike, Gordon withdrew from consideration last year because of contract uncertainty at his club, but officials are hopeful that he will be available for the Finals in Poland.

And that could give coach Chris Finch three established NBA stars in his squad for a tough campaign that sees the Brits take on world champions Spain, Serbia and Slovenia in their opening group.

By Ian Whittell
Courtesy of http://www.basketball247.co.uk



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Women News

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


Rohanee Cox is 'Nivea Player of the Week' for Round 12 - by Eurobasket News
Townsville Fire Co-Captain Rohanee Cox (182-F-80) has been named the Nivea Player of the Week for Round 12 of the ADF WNBL.

The ADF Opal has had a big month, claiming the WNBL Player of the Month for November, and Nivea Player of the Week title for Round 10.

Cox put in a commanding performance on Saturday night to lead Townsville over fellow ADF Opal Kristi Harrowers team, the Bendigo Spirit, for an 87-57 win.

The 182cm guard scored a game-high 27 points and crashed the boards for 15 rebounds.

Cox said the team were eager to win their last game before the Christmas break.

We really wanted to get this win and end our year well, Cox said.

We had a hard two-week road trip away and we were just really excited... to give it all weve got and then have a well deserved two weeks off.

Everyone is really excited about the next part of the season too, coming into the New Year and getting to the finals time and playing at the finals.

The win keeps Townsville (11-3) in contention for the title as they sit in second below the Canberra Capitals (13-2) on the league ladder.

If the Fire stays on track it will be just the second time the Queensland team has progressed to the finals, and Cox could be the player to get them there; Cox continues to lead the competition in points per game (22.3) and she is one of the top ten players in offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and steals.

Townsville continue their 2008/09 season campaign on 9th January 2009 when they host Logan Thunder in a Queensland derby.



The other noteworthy Round 12 performances:

Adelaide Lightning: Jessica Foley scored a team-high 22 points for Adelaide, adding 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Tracy Gahan posted 9 points and dominated the boards with 15 rebounds.

AIS: had the bye

Bendigo Spirit: Kristi Harrower scored 12 points against Townsville but exploded with 23 points and 6 assists against Logan.

Bulleen Boomers: Katrina Hibbert led Bulleen with 16 points including 4-of-4 from 3-point range, and Shelley Hammonds claimed a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Canberra Capitals: Tracey Beatty stood up for her best game of the season with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Dandenong Rangers: Jennifer Benningfield posted team-high numbers in both Rangers games on the weekend, 12 points and 6 rebounds against Bulleen and 13 points and 7 rebounds against Canberra.

Logan Thunder: 163cm guard Sarah Graham continued her form with another team-high score of 16 points with 4 rebounds. Biancia Abbott and Kristen Veal were in support; Abbott added 15 points and 5 rebounds and Veal grabbed 13 rebounds and 6 points.

Perth Lynx: had the bye

Sydney Uni Flames: Eva Afeaki carried an injury into the game but provided a spark for the Flames with 20 points. Lindsey Pluimer with 23 points and Sally Potocki with 17 kept Sydney Uni in touch with Adelaide.

Townsville Fire: Rachael Flanagan challenged Bendigos Kristi Harrower with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists while Jennifer Crouse tallied another double-double; 14 points and 13 rebounds.



ADF WNBL Nivea Player of the Week for the 2008/09 season:

Round 1: Jennifer Crouse (Townsville Fire)

Round 2: Deanna Smith (Perth Lynx)

Round 3: Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit)

Round 4: Jessica Foley (Adelaide Lightning)

Round 5: Nat Hurst (Canberra Capitals)

Round 6: Nat Hurst (Canberra Capitals)

Round 7: Shelley Hammonds (Bulleen Boomers)

Round 8: Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit)

Round 9: Tracy Gahan (Adelaide Lightning)

Round 10: Rohanee Cox (Townsville Fire)

Round 11: Alicia Poto (Sydney Uni Flames)


By Kimberley Lewis for WNBL Media
Courtesy of the WNBL

Canbera Capitals ends 2008 on top of WNBL - by Eurobasket News
Canbera Capitals celebrated in the last WNBL Round in 2008 jumping on nice 13-2 record. It means that the Capitals ended this year as a top ranked team in the league. Adelaide and Townsville Fire share the second place with 11-3.

This time the Capitals were better than Danedong on the road 63-58. Third quarter was the crucial one as the Capitals stopped the hosts on just 9 points. On the other side they drained 17. Kellie Abrams (175-G-78) led the scorers in Canberra with 16 points. Tracey Beatty (202-C-79) also was on great level collecting 13 points and impressive 15 rebounds. Natalie Hurst (163-G-83) netted 12, while Abby Bishop (189-C-88) helped with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Jennifer Benningfield (190-F/C-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Vanderbilt) shined for the hosts with 13 points and 7 boards. Alison Downie (181-G/F-84) also had 13 pts and he was the last one with double digits in scoring for the loosing side.

Above mentioned Adelaide was better than Sydney UF in Round 12 by 14 points, 90-76. Townsville Fire trashed Bendigo 87-57. In the other games Logan Thunder suffered home loss ve Bendigo, 67-85 while Bulleen outsmarted Dandenong 81-57.

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  BALTIC LEAGUE - Women  


Spartak Saint Petersburg beat Berezina - by Eurobasket News
Spartak Saint Petersburg opened their tour around Belarus as the part of Round 13. Yesterday Spartak tipped off their schedule against Berezina. Spartak turned out victorious at the end and posted the fourth success in the season. Berezina in the meantime slipped at 8-2 record in the ladder.
Berezina got to the better start cheered up by the home crowd. Volha Padabed and Dureika led the way for the BWBL leaders as they claimed an 18:16 lead after ten minutes of action. However Spartak bounced back in the second term. The visitors maintained the defensive effort throughout the stanza and ensured a 37:31 lead at halftime. Berezina looked a bit more consistent in offense in the third frame but failed to recover. Spartak Saint Petersburg ran away to a 10-point distance before the final term. Berezina tried hard to comeback into the game in dying minutes but the Saint Petersburg team looked solid and secured the win at the end.
Yulia Mironova (183-F-79) nailed 20 points to lead the charge. Svetlana Makhlina (180-G-85) added 19 points, while Olga Iakovleva (195-C-86, agency: LBM Management) netted 18 point in the victory. Volha Padabed tallied 15 points and 13 boards, while Dureika contributed 15 points in the losing case.
Spartak Saint Petersburg continue to tour Belarus as they take on Minsk-2006 later tonight.

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  LEBANON - Women  


Standings - Women League
Div.1 Standings
1. Antranik 3-0
2. Homentmen A. 3-0
3. Al muttahed 1-2
4. Al Riyadi 1-1
5. Antoura 1-1
6. Homentmen B. 0-3
7. Anibal 0-2


Results - Round 3 of the Lebanese League - by Raffi Kassabian
The third round of the lebanese league kicked off with the game between Homenetmen Beirut and Antrnaik Beirut. The game that was originally scheduled to be played in Sagesse Jdeideh court was moved to Antranik's court because of failure in the scoreboard in Sagesse Jdeideh court. However, Antranik didn't find difficulty to win the game but also won with a big difference (96-36) that allowed them to top the standings in round 3. In the second game Mouttahed Tripoli won their first game in the first division against Anibal Zahle in a close game with the score 69-61. In the third game, Homenetmen Antelias hosted Riyadi Beirut in the presence of more than 500 Homenetmen fans and had a deserved win with the score 76-61.

Results - Round 3

Antranik Beirut - Homenetmen Beirut 96-36

Mouttahed Tripoli - Anibal Zahle 69-61

Homenetmen Antelias - Riyadi Beirut 76-61
Homenetmen Antelias: Sandra Najem 24, Leyla Fares 17, Nathalie Sevadjian 14, Caroline Moufarreje-Bahna 12, Christine Moufarreje 9.


Schedule - Round 4

Saturday 27/12/2008
Antranik Beirut vs Anibal Zahle 19:30 Demirdjian Center

Sunday 28/12/2008
La Toure Antoura vs Homenetmen Antelias 18:00 Antoura Court
Riyadi Beirut - Mouttahed Tripoli 20:00 Riyadi Court

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  NCAA1 - Women  


No. 21 Oklahoma St. routs E. Kentucky 90-35 - by Eurobasket News
Andrea Riley (5'5''-G-88) scored 23 points and No. 21 Oklahoma State routed Eastern Kentucky 90-35 on Monday night.

Riley, the Big 12 Conferences leading scorer (22.2 ppg), also had seven assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Cowgirls, who won their sixth straight.

Taylor Hardeman scored 17, Tegan Cunningham had 16 and Shaunte Smith had 12 for Oklahoma State (8-2).

The Cowgirls turned up the defensive pressure midway through the first half, when Eastern Kentucky turned the ball over 15 times.

After a basket by Kayla Drake made it 15-11, the Cowgirls outscored Eastern Kentucky 29-10 to take a 49-21 lead at the break. Oklahoma State widened its advantage with a 20-2 run in the second half, when the Lady Colonials (3-6) scored just 14 points.

Drake led Eastern Kentucky with 11 points and eight rebounds.

http://www.rivals.yahoo.com/

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  RUSSIA - Women  


Spartak Saint Petersburg beat Berezina - by Eurobasket News
Spartak Saint Petersburg opened their tour around Belarus as the part of Round 13. Yesterday Spartak tipped off their schedule against Berezina. Spartak turned out victorious at the end and posted the fourth success in the season. Berezina in the meantime slipped at 8-2 record in the ladder.
Berezina got to the better start cheered up by the home crowd. Volha Padabed and Dureika led the way for the BWBL leaders as they claimed an 18:16 lead after ten minutes of action. However Spartak bounced back in the second term. The visitors maintained the defensive effort throughout the stanza and ensured a 37:31 lead at halftime. Berezina looked a bit more consistent in offense in the third frame but failed to recover. Spartak Saint Petersburg ran away to a 10-point distance before the final term. Berezina tried hard to comeback into the game in dying minutes but the Saint Petersburg team looked solid and secured the win at the end.
Yulia Mironova (183-F-79) nailed 20 points to lead the charge. Svetlana Makhlina (180-G-85) added 19 points, while Olga Iakovleva (195-C-86, agency: LBM Management) netted 18 point in the victory. Volha Padabed tallied 15 points and 13 boards, while Dureika contributed 15 points in the losing case.
Spartak Saint Petersburg continue to tour Belarus as they take on Minsk-2006 later tonight.

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  SERBIA - Women  


Hemofarm joined Vojvodina on the top - by Zoran Bogdanovic
Hemofarm - Vojvodina 69:67 (21:16, 14:18, 19:8, 15:25).
Hemofarm joined Vojvodina on the top of the table after bringing them first loss this season. The host team had 13 points advantage at the moment, but the match was totally leveled until the end . Dara Kovacevic (197-C-83) solved the question about the winner a second before the end of the game.
Hemofarm: Kovacevic 19, Dojcinovic 12, Radocaj 10
Vojvodina: Siljegovic 23, Cekic 10, Stupar 9, Vukoje

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  SWEDEN - Women  


Lulea BBK hands the first defeat to Telge Energi - by Eurobasket News
Lulea BBK managed to crush Telge Energi 60-59 handing it the first defeat of the season. However, despite this loss Telge Energi remains on top of Damligan with nice 9-1 record. The hosts came pretty close now on 9-2. The same digits also as 08 Stockholm, who was free in this round. These two teams share the second place. It is important to mention that Solna Vikings, which played 2 games less, will have a chance to jump on top with Telge Energi. The Vikings now have almost perfect 8-1. Amra Mehmedic (175-G-81, agency: LBM Management) top-scored for Lulea BBK with 15 points. Elizabeth Sherwood had 13, while Frida Grahn (184-F-88) netted 10 points. At the same time Grahn was the last one with double-digits in scoring for the winning squad. Telge Energi got the most from Louice Halvarsson (189-C-89), impressive 30 points. She was way better than the others in loss as the second scorer of Telge was Sandra Jansson (168-84) with 9 pts.
In the other games Jamtland outplayed Sundsvall 83-81 for 5-6 record. Marbo Basket was too strong for poor Umea 80-54 reaching the fifth place, together with Visby (6-5). In this round Visby outsmarted Norrkoping 91-75. Above mentioned Solna Vikings grabbed a road win against Brahe 69-48.