SEB Baltic Basketball League -by Gunars Gailitis
SEB Baltic Basketball League
Elite Division
February, 16
SK Valmiera - Barons/LMT 75-97 (17-19, 13-27, 24-21, 21-30)
Stimac 18, Olivero 15, Cavars 15; Batista 20, Hlebowicki 14, Skele 14, Gustas 14
Neptunas - ASK Riga 79-91 (22-25, 15-26, 23-18, 19-22)
Runkauskas 21, Pridotkas 16, Peciukas 13; A.J. Bramlett (208-C-77) 24, Millage 16, Valters 13
Lietuvos Rytas - BK Ventspils 88-86 (12-20, 28-21, 25-21, 23-24)
Bajramovic 19, Petravicius 15, Slezas 13, Vroman 13; Baxter 18, Vairogs 15, Love 14
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MEXICO
Halcones Xalapa dominate the Southern Division Final series -by Eurobasket News
Halcones Xalapa got to a flying start of their Division Final series against Halcones Cordoba. Xalapa were victorious in the first two encounters and grabbed a 2-0 lead. They are now one step away from the LNBP Grand Finale. The series opened in a highly impressive manner as the teams came up with a sizzling performance. The first half of the matchup turned out to be a real scorcher with neither team giving up an inch. Cordoba managed to clinch a minimum 27:26 lead after the opening frame and extended it to 57:55 at halftime. But Xalapa exploded with 40 points in the third stanza and jumped in front. Cordoba fought for life in the fourth term but the hosts used all of their experience to maintain the lead and celebrated an important 123:115 victory. Jermaine Watson (193-G-81, college: Boston Coll.) notched 33 points for Xalapa. Sam Bowie (198-F/G-75, college: SE Louisiana) added 23 points, while Gustavo Ayon (211-F/C-85, college: San Jose St.) tallied 21 points and 12 boards for the winners. Dallas Logan (193-G-82, college: Northwood) answered with 23 points for Cordoba. Jose Portillo (200-G/F-74, college: N.Mexico Highlands) and Mike Smith netted 21 points apiece in defeat.
Xalapa stretched their winning habit with a 113:91 win yesterday. This time the hosts laid claim early on. They outscored their opponents 35:21 in the starting stanza to build a safe buffer. The gap grew wider in the second stanza and reached a comfortable 25 points at the break. Cordoba struggled to make impact in this one as they trailed by as many as 28 points heading into the fourth term. Xalapa finalized a winning outcome in the fourth stanza and moved closer to the league Final. Victor Mariscal (198-F-72) topscored with 24 points. Jermaine Watson had 22 points, while Mike Johnson (193-G-79) delivered 18 points in a win. Dallas Logan accounted for 24 points, while Mike Smith dropped 18 points for Cordoba.
Game 1
Xalapa - Cordoba 123:115
Xalapa: Jermaine Watson 33, Sam Bowie 23, Gustavo Ayon 21+12 boards
Cordoba: Dallas Logan 23, Jose Portillo 21, Mike Smith 21
Game 2
Xalapa - Cordoba 113:91
Xalapa: Victor Mariscal 24, Jermaine Watson 22, Mike Johnson 18
Cordoba: Dallas Logan 24, Mike Smith 18
CIBACOPA: Mineros signings -by Alejandro Martinez
Mineros de Cananea have agreed the hiring of head coach Victor del Barba. Del Barba is no stranger to cibacopa, as he has guided two different teams to the playoffs in the past two seasons. Del Barba guided expansion team Colorados de San Luis last year to the conference finals, losing in 4 games to Agua Prieta. In addition, the club has announced the return of fan favorite Scott Freymond (188-G-80, college: Cent.Washington. Freymond was part of the 2006 team who went undefeated at home that season. In addition the club has signed former NBA player Leon Smith (209-F-80)and former Guaymas guard Benny West (191-G-82, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Howard Payne) . On the mexican side, the team has agreed terms with Regional players Jorge Salcedo (194-F-86) and Arturo Velasco (200-F-77). There is one spot open in the roster for a National player, which the club must decide in the next couple of days. All these players have reported to training camp, under the guidance of coach Del Barba.
CIBACOPA: Mazatlan signings -by Alejandro Martinez
Lobos UAD Mazatlan have announced the signings of its three imports for the upcoming 2008 season. The first import is Mugabe Thomas (193-F-80, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Cedarville), who had a sensational season last year with Mazatlan. In addition, the club has agreed to terms with former Frayle de Guasave sensation Larry Taylor (186-G-80, college: Missouri Western) and the return of fan favorite Ron Selleaze (197-F-76, college: CSU Bakersfield). All of these players were reccomended by head coach Lasalle Taylor. On the national side, the club has come to terms with forward Julio Everardo (200-C-81) . Everardo is coming off a solid season with Durango of the LNBP, a team coached by head coach Taylor.
CIBACOPA: Fuerza Guinda signings -by Alejandro Martinez
Fuerza Guinda de Nogales has announced they have agreed to terms with Nogales' 2007 leading scorer Noah Brown (186-G-81, college: Appalachian St.) for the 2008 season. Brown led the team in scoring in the '07 season and is coming off a solid season with LNBP Algodoneros de Torreon. In addition, the team has announced the signing of Center Justin Howard (208-C-81, college: Mercer). Howard played half a season with Nogales in 2006 and will replace previously signed Letheal Cook on the roster. On the regional side, the team has agreed to terms with Forward Jean Gameros (199-F/C). Gameros played for Colorados last season in CIBACOPA. All players have reported to training camp under the guidance of head coach Nathan Mott.
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MOROCCO
Day 14 results -by Nour Amri
IRT's team scoring guard Mustapha Khalfi took charge with only two minute left in the game and hit 2 three-pointer to give his team the lead and the win against local rival FUS. IRT had to work hard for the victory, having been incomprehensively outplayed by FUS in the first half (37-16). FUS players showed much better tactical organisation on the court and IRT's coach Bouzidi had tried unsuccessfully many different defenses (m&m, zone, triangle & 2). IRT players were playing without desire and showed a worrying lack of aggressiveness in defense and lack of ideas in offense, which is still based only on individualities. But right after half time IRT came more and more into the game thanks to a simple and normal 1-2-2 zone press and the lack of experience of FUS young line up. FUS resisted to IRT comeback on the score thanks to Bangoura Mourlaye (18 points, 11 rebounds) but Tunisian player Marouane Kechrid (20 points) took the ball in crunch time and made the decisive baskets to tie the game 2:30 minutes remaining in the game. Then Mustapha Khalfi (19 points) netted is only 3 three-pointer shots of the game and sealed another victory for IRT (65-75).
Despite this lost the inexperienced young and hunger FUS players showed in general a high level of discipline in offense and good consistency in defense, and are promising good results to come.
MAS secured his second place after a home victory over WAC (91-82). The teams exchanged runs in the first half with WAC earning a 14-16 lead after 1Q before MAS players responded to take a 38-36 halftime lead. Things stayed the same until MAS switched to a 2-3 zone defense and created many problems to WAC players. When WAC's coach decided to set a box and one defense in order to stop Alpha Traore good shooting range, Matar M'baye appeared and enjoyed a terrific game topscoring with 24 points and 8 assists. WAC players tried to stop the fire with a terrible unorganised match-up zone defense where Aloui Brahim (4 out of 5 three-pointer) and Hjira's double double (14 points, 14 rebounds) found easily the way to the basket. Michel Lasme topscored for WAC with a strong 21 points performance but was not enough as he did not receive any help from his teammates.
Saturday's other result saw RCA edge past ASS 81-77 and KAC struggling for a win over MET 61-64. TSC recovered from last weeks defeats with a 97-69 strong victory over CMC.
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NAIA
Cal Baptist Lancers ousted -by Stephan Ditgens
LA MIRADA, Calif. — Despite dropping a 58-50 decision to Biola, California Baptist still remains atop the Golden State Athletic Conference in a tie with Concordia. The Lancers (19-4, 11-4 GSAC) shot less than 30 percent (14-for-53) from the floor.
CBU got a team-high 14 points from Marquis Kennedy who went 4-for-9 form the floor and 2-for-4 from outside. Dave Cernin also scored 13 while Mark Roussin added 12.
Danny Jones scored a game-high 17 points for Biola while Rocky Hampton added 14 as the Eagles shot 51.2 percent (22-for-43) from the field.
CBU was out rebounded 40-24, but was able to force 21 turnovers, compared to giving up 13, and was 15-for-18 at the free throw line.
The Lancers led early, 13-6, taking their biggest lead of the half on a Cernin trey. The lead vanished on a 20-6 run by Biola as the Eagles took their biggest lead of the half at 26-19. Roussin cut it to 26-21 at the half with a pair of three throws.
After CBU got within two at 26-24 early in the second half, Biola outscored the Lancers 18-5 over the next nine-plus minutes to take its biggest lead of the game at 44-29.
California Baptist cut it to seven, 49-42, on a 13-5 run that was capped by a Michael Brewer jumper with 3:35 left to play, but the Eagles pushed it back out to 13 with less than a minute to go to seal the fate of the Lancers.
CBU will now host Hope International, Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m.
source: www.cbulancers.com
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NBA
NBDL All Star Game - Saturday -by Darryl Reshaw
The NBDL All Star game is one event in the NBA weekend where the
players give full effort.
Some of these guys will eventually play in the NBA and this game
showcases the best talent in the D-League.
Every year the NBDL has a lot of players who will get called up to
the NBA and some players have been allocated from the NBA to the
assigned D-League franchises.
In the first half the blue team marched to a 53-43 lead with the
quality play from Jeremy Richardson (6'7''-G/F-83, college: Delta St.) with 11 points.
Elton Brown (6'9''-F/C-83, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Virginia) dominated the inside play
in the first with a collection of nice post moves to tally 13 points.
In the third quarter the blue team opened up an 87-67 lead with Richardson leading the way.
Elton Brown and Kaniel Dickens (6'8''-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Idaho) looked good for the red team but the blue team had better all around play.
The red team won the game by a 117-99 margin and Jeremy Richardson won the games MVP honors by scoring 22 points.
However Morris Almond (6'6''-F-85, college: Rice) definitely was a factor in the MVP voting as he chipped in 20 points for the winners.
Elton Brown led the red team with an impressive 20 point performance.
Mike Bibby heading to Atlanta -by Eurobasket News
The Atlanta Hawks recharged their backcourt as they acquired Michael Bibby (6'2''-G-78, college: Arizona) in a 5-player deal. Atlanta sent starting point guard Anthony Johnson (6'3''-G-74, college: Charleston), back up guard Tyronn Lue (6'0''-G-77, college: Nebraska), veteran forward Lorenzen Wright (6'10''-C/F-75, college: Memphis), sophomore Shelden Williams (6'9''-F-83, college: Duke) and a 2008 second-round draft pick to the Kings in exchange. Michael Bibby averages 16.7 points throughout 10 years of his NBA career. He missed the start of the current season because of a thumb injury but already managed 15 games in which his stats came up to 13.5 points and 5 assists per game. Michael Bibby was among the only three players in the Kings' history to score 8,000 points and dish out 2,500 assists. The departure of Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue means a new role for rookie point guard Acie Law. He is expected to step up as a back-up guard for Mike Bibby and would definitely receive more court time. Texas A&M graduate appeared in 38 games this season nailing 4.2 points and issuing 2.3 assists per game.
Meanwhile the Sacramento Kings continued rebuilding their squad. Michael Bibby and Ron Artest (6'7''-G-79, college: St.John's) were long talked as possible trade aims for many teams in the league. Sacramento acquired Shelden Williams who was averaging 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in his rookie year. However his digits fell in the current season and stand now at 2.9 points and 2.9 boards per game. Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue and Lorenzen Wright all have the expiring contracts. The Kings immediately waived Justin Williams (6'10''-F/C-84, college: Wyoming) and Dahntay Jones (6'5''-F/G-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Duke). Justin Williams scored 1.4 points in 22 games this season, while Dahntay Jones appeared in 25 games netting 3.2 points per game.
NBA Expansion to Europe is not likely in near future -by Eurobasket News
NBA Commissioner David Stern held an annual press-conference during New Orleans All-Star Weekend. He talked about his ongoing plans for the NBA Expansion to Europe. As we told you before it would possibly include 5 more teams joining the league. David Stern outlined the key problem for the NBA being presented on a wide scale in Europe. It is the absence of NBA-caliber Arenas across the continent. But as there is a movement in that direction with O2 Arenas being built in London and Berlin the idea would reliably come up in the nearest decade. He also pointed out that the NBA is mulling over the possibility of establishing expansion teams in London, Madrid, Berlin and Rome rather than European franchises joining the league. However the idea now stands at the developing stage. It is not about the nearest future that NBA will include European-based franchises in its calendar. But the market insists that one day it should become a reality.
NBA All Star Weekend - Saturday -by Darryl Reshaw
The New Orleans Arena had the jazzy blues atmosphere on Saturday
night featuring Dr. John playing that down home type of music.
The arena was full of past and present legends including George
Gervin, Darryl Dawkins and Julius Erving just to mention a few.
The team competition was won by the surprised team of San Antonio
featuring a couple of seven footers of Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) and David Robinson.
In the skills challenge Deron Williams (6'3''-G-84, college: Illinois) defeated hometown favorite
Chris Paul in a record time. Defending champion Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) finished
in last place.
Jason Kapono (6'7''-F-81, college: UCLA) out dueled Daniel Gibson (6'3''-G-86, college: Texas) and Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) to capture
back to back NBA 3pt shooting contests.
He tied the the record held by Craig Hodges in the 1986.
The dunk contest was the featured event of the evening and was the most entertaining contest in recent years.
Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) and Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) put on a show of electrifying dunks with a variety of imagination which the world of basketball has not seen.
Gerald Green actually blew a candle out which was place on the ledge of the rim after dunking the basketball.
He also windmill dunk barefooted which was a first to the basketball world.
However this night belong to Dwight Howard who had a creative dunk where he bounced the ball off of the backside of the backboard and still dunked the ball on the front side of the goal without hitting his head on the rim.
He also surprised the audience by wearing a superman cape where he flew and displayed a spectacular dunk.
His other dunks were very creative as well as he shocked the basketball world with his new found creativity.
Dwight Howard was the NBA Dunk Champion in New Orleans in 2008 with big time style points.
by Darryl Reshaw
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NCAA2
#7 versus #8 in the entire NCAA D2 Nation,Findlay/Gannon! Final Score 90-61! -by Lucius Jones
#7 Findlay (OH) defeated #8 Gannon 90-61 for their 57th regular season win at home in a row. The win was a decisive victory in a pivital moment of the season with Regional rankings soon ending and conference tournaments beginning soon. The Oilers stretched a 40-31 halftime lead with intense, defensive pressure that has become the staple of this traditionally winning program. The pressure resulted in 28TO's and ignited the uptempo game Findlay (OH) has employed all season long.
Gannon's Kyle Goldcamp displayed consistent inside production to the tune of 27pts 16rebs and 5blks.
Findlay (OH) was led by the insanely efficient Morgan Lewis (6'4''-F-87) who scored 22pts on 9-10FG,4-5 3pt in less than 29mins and added 4rebs(3off),1stl,1blk as well. The high flying talent also had yet another dunking highlight moment that will be added to his www.youtube.com highlight dunks currently being dispalyed. He is a true professional prospect at the 2 guard position. All American Josh Bostic (6'5''-F-87) had another solid outing with 17pts on 7-12FG and 6rebs(3off)2asts,3stls,2blks all in 26mins of play. A third double figure scorer, Lee Roberts (6'7''-F/C-87) ,who is currently ranked Nationally in FG% at over 70%FG for the year, had 14pts, 6rebs(4off), 1ast,3stls in 26mins. The big man completes what has to be one of the top frontcourts in the nation,if not THE top overall in NCAA D2 basketball.
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NIGERIA
Lagos City league starts March 20… Pardon Seyi Ayodele -by Olusegun Ikuesan
The 4th editions of the Lagos City league will jump-start on March 20 this year at the Sports Hall of the Lagos National Stadium.
The league according to the Chairman of the Lagos State Basketball Association, Babs Ogunade will retain the twelve team format for men and four for women.
The date was agreed on at the association's stakeholders meeting held last Wednesday at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba with members of the LSBBA led by Ogunade and club owners/ representatives.
LSBBA Secretary, Uthman Ola-Okunnu told the gathering that team will be admitted on first come first serve basis as the association is providing a level playing ground for all the teams in Lagos State with March 8 as deadline for registration.
All FIBA rules will be adhere to in the organization of the league which is to provide an alternative to the premier league organized by the Nigeria Basketball Federation.
City league secretary and image maker of the LSBBA, Olusegun Ikuesan says this year's edition of the league will be far better organized than that of last year.
'We will definitely improve on our last year record where a total number of 145 matches were played by the twelve teams from the regular stage to the playoff.
'The league is growing and so also the organization and sponsorship drive as we strive to give our teeming clubs, coaches, players and fans a worthwhile time.
A combine referee and coaches clinic will precede the league so as to keep everybody abreast of the latest rules that govern the game especially when Lagos has been chosen as one of the venue for the hosting of the 2009 edition of the biggest basketball fiesta on the Africa continent - The 24th FIBA Africa Championship for Men known as the Cup of Nations.
The association also announced the lifting of the one year suspension placed on Dodan Warriors guard and former junior international, Seyi Ayodele.
It will be recalled that the Warriors guard was suspended by the LSBBA after he was found wanting for assaulting a referee in the week-two game involving his team, Warriors and Islanders basketball club last year.
LSBBA chairman, Ogunade who announced the lifting of the ban on the player says the player has tendered a letter of apology and has promised to be of good behaviour In future.
The decision to lift the ban on player was applauded by the stakeholders present at the meeting.
Ivy League - ISL in double win over Belina -by Olusegun Ikuesan
University of Lagos International School last week recorded a double victory over Belina College in the boys' and girl's cadre of the Ivy league.
The ISL as the UNILAG International are often called handed down a 16-04 points defeat to the Belina girls while its male counterpart rose from an 8 points down in the first half (26-18) to inflict a 50-34 points defeat on the Belina boys.
In another match played last week also America International School defeated Greensprings by 52-27 points in the boys category while Avi-Cenna and Ifako International posted a 39-19 points and 41-19 points wins over Indian Language School in the boy's cadre.
The Indian Language School girls unlike their male counterpart were more purposeful in the three matches they played last week with victories over Avi-Cenna (14-11), Vivian Fowler (24-05) and Ifako International School (14-03) respectively.
Action continues this week as group games draw to a close.
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NPBL
Bulldogs preparing their NPBL season -by Gianni Pascucci
Fourteen players, most of them former members of the ABA teams named Syracuse Bullies and Corning Bulldogs, are sweating at the Elmira Bulldogs preseason camp, guided by Head Coach and team owner James R. Schutz . The Bulldogs will enter in the new league meeting the NPBL Defending Champs Hudson Valley Hawks in their Home Opener, Saturday March 1st at 7pm at the Chemung County YMCA (former South Side High School)
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PANAMA
Douglas scores 23 but Pamesa loses -by Miguel Sanchiz
Panama International Ruben Douglas (193-G-79, college: N.Mexico) scored a game-high 23 points, but PAMESA VALENCIA basketball club lost to archrival REAL MADRID on Sunday action of the ACB Spanish Professional Basketball League. Real Madrid beat Pamesa 97 to 74, spite of Douglas effort. Real Madrid leads the Spanish League and now leads Pamesa 9 to 8 in their last encounters. Pamesa Valencia has had to losses in a row, but Douglas has excelled in both of them.
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PARAGUAY
Ferguson joins Sol de America -by Gianni Pascucci
The answer from Jamal Nichols hasn' t yet arrived, this is why Metropolitan league champions of Sol de America called at tryout USA-ARG Calvester Ferguson (207-C-68, college: Georgia Southern) and started negotiations with Tim Jones (193-G/F-73, college: Georgia St.). To further strengthen the roster, Sol de America has yet inked domestic star Gustavo Paniagua (186-G-80), and is expected to ink some other players, at present competing in Pilar league finals.
Pilar Finals postponed -by Gianni Pascucci
1 de Mayo and America will play tonight at 10pm Game 1 of the Pilar Reg.League Finals, after that the game, scheduled for the past friday, had been postponed due to inclement weather. Given the results of the last games, 1 de Mayo seems favourite, but the difference between the two teams is so thin that anything could happen. The best scorer of the regulsr season was Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82), from America..
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PBL
Weekend games results -by Gianni Pascucci
The good new is that the Dallas Defenders traveled till Chicago and Quad Cities to play, being defeated two times, OK, but showing that their owner, Erin Patton, is making important efforts around completing the season in the PBL, which is in the best interest of the Defenders and the league the same. Talking about the game results, Rochester took an easy win over Wilmington, confirming its leadership overall the league, and Quad Cities won two games, keeping the lead of the Western Division. Some of the weekend games were postponed to the league showcase, named 'Super Scouting Showcase' and scheduled for the first weekend of March. See here down all the results:
Rochester def Wilmington 114-84
Maryland def Jacksonville 144-116
Quad Cities def Arkansas 118-105
Arkansas def Rockford 123-107
Chicago def Dallas 112-102
Quad Cities def Dallas 121-100
Rockford def Maryland 133-121
Traveling team finally unveiled -by Gianni Pascucci
The PBL has coordinated with Coach Thaddeus Hill and 'ReelSports' to make this the official 'PBL Travelers' team, that has been used to fill some voids left in teams schedules due to travelling problems of the visiting teams. To say the truth, the current roster is comprised of players almost all from the Wilmington, NC, area, most of them with only high school and intramural college basketball experience, and this explains why they lost a game by 31 points and another one by almost 50.... The team list released is the one down:
Number Name pos height weight School
20 YahYa Kaazim G, 6'3 195lbs Livingston College
33 Morton Dowdy G, 6'0 185lbs Cape Fear C.C.
22 Shaun Collins G/F, 6'3 205lbs Coastal Carolina
40 Travis Corpening G/F, 6'2 190lbs UNC Wilmington
30 DeJuan Green F, 6'4 195lbs Chowan
25 Desmond Sneed F, 6'4 200lbs Coastal Carolina
20 Daniel Smith G, 6'3 180lbs Pender High School
34 Mike Gibbs C, 6'9 280lbs UNC Wilmington
32 Chris Shurford G, 6'2 210lbs Laney High School
25 Jeffrey Cook F, 6'3 190lbs West Forsythe High School
24 Stevie Stucks G, 6'3 195lbs New Hanover High School
33 Michael Pierce F, 6'4 215lbs Coker
Head Coach: Thaddeus Hill
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PUERTO RICO
Indians counting on Offense -by Luis Ramirez
Of all the BSN teams in this upcoming season, it seems like the Indians will need an extra stroke of luck to make it into the postseason. The Indians on paper do not intimidate, but Head Coach Manuel Cintron likes being the underdog and looks to surprise some teams this year. Cintron is counting on his 3 import players to make the difference. The Indians will have import players DaJuan Tate, Takais Brown and Community player Carl Krauser. According to Cintron the team will have a good chance to win if these players show up with their promised offense. To assist the import players Mayaguez will count on veteran scorer Eddie Casiano, who will come from the bench this year, rounding out the team will be Angel Caballero, Giovanni Jimenez, Angel Paniagua, TJ Latson and Keenan Jourdan among others. Mayaguez will be playing in a tough group which includes Ponce, San German, Arecibo, Guayama and Caguas, so you can see that Coach Cintron has his work cut out for this team to try to make it into the postseason.
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ROMANIA
Harlem Globetrotters -by Bogdan Bocaniala
Harlem Globetrotters will have a show in Romania in Bucarest, Sibiu, Cluj and Timisoara in March.
17 march they will play in Bucarest, 18 march they will play in Sibiu
19 march they will play in Cluj Napoca and 20 March in Timisoara
Last time Harlem Globetrotters were in Romania it was back in 1966 when they played in Bucarest and in Cluj against our National Team
Round 17 -by Bogdan Bocaniala
Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca - BCMUS Arges Pitesti 94- 74
The game against BCMUS Arges Pitesti looked like It was a easy victory for U Mobitelco, even thou game was not easy.
Cluj team is looking more and more like a team with big ambition.
The big difference was made by the easy score of mobitelco( they scored a lot form they're transition game).
The scorers for cluj were Zoran Krstanovic (205-C-82) 18 points; Brad Buckman (203-F-84, college: Texas) 17; Flavius Lapuste (201-F-78) 16; LeVar Seals (194-G-82, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: De Paul) 14.
BC Tirgu Mures - Gaz Metan Medias 105- 94
CSU Ploiesti - CSS BC Ramnicu Valcea 89- 61
BCM Timisoara - BC Targoviste Bucuresti 101- 77
CS Otopeni Bucuresti - CS Rapid Neoset Bucuresti 69- 84
CSM Leonardo Oradea - CSU Cuadripol Brasov 85- 84
CSU Atlassib Sibiu - Dinamo-Galean Bucuresti 84- 83
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RUSSIA
CSKA victimizes Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in Moscow -by Eurobasket News
CSKA extended their winning run in Russian Superleague as they destroyed Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 130:61 at home. Seven CSKA players scored in double figures en route to a stunning victory. CSKA were coming off a difficult Euroleague win over Lottomatica Roma but it never influenced the tempo of the game. The hosts dominated every facet of the game and established a 28:10 lead after the opening frame. Lokomotiv tried to answer every bucket from the home team in the second quarter but the gap still grew to 23 points at halftime. CSKA ensured the winning outcome after the break as they outscored the visitors 36:12 in the third term and cruised to an outstanding victory at the end. Zakhar Pashutin (195-G-74) topscored with 22 points for CSKA. Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) had 18 points, while David Andersen (212-C-80) secured 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Ilia Aleksandrov (194-G-81) and Maxim Krivosheev (204-F/C-88) responded with 14 points apiece for Lokomotiv.
Meanwhile Khimky consolidated their second spot with a hard-fought 65:64 win over Triumph. Khimky kept Triumph scoreless for about 5 minutes early in the game. Fedor Likholitov (210-C-80, college: Va Commonwealth) broke the deadlock midway through the frame but Khimky still won the starting stanza 14:8. But Triumph quickly recovered in the second quarter and began their way back into contest. Triumph soon ignited a 5:0 run and later Khloponin fired from downtown to put the hosts in front. Mire Chatman (187-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: UTPA) and Terrell Lyday (190-G-79, college: BYU) soon led Triumph to a 50:35 advantage midway through the third period. Nevertheless Khimky did not surrender and tied the scoreline at 64 with seconds left in regulation. Daniel Ewing (191-G-83, college: Duke) got fouled with 1.4 second left in the game and sank one of two free throws to make it 65:64 for Khimky. The ball was handed to Terrell Lyday but his jumper missed the target and finalized Triumph's loss. Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) paced the visitors with 12 points and 10 boards. Clay Tucker (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) added 12 points for the winners. Terrell Lyday delivered 18 points for Triumph, while Mire Chatman had 12 points in a losing clause.
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SERBIA
FMP surprised Zadar in "Jazine", Olimpija outplayed Vojvodina -by Dragan Jankovski
FMP made surprise beating, this season very good, Zadar on the road 84-78. Until Saturday Zadar lost only one game on their home court 'Jazine'. After 6-6 at the beginning FMP, mostly owing to Zoran Erceg, made 14-0 run setting the score on 20-6 and very soon to 28-7. Panthers finished the first quarter with plus 20 but Zadar succeeded to make a turn in 29th minute and later to extend lead on plus 8. FMP didn't give up and took lead again 72-71 with three minutes to go. At the very end FMP's players netted 4 FTs what was enough for the 11th win in Adriatic league. Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) added 22 points and 5 rebounds for FMP while Zadar got 20 points and 5 rebounds from Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF).
Vojvodina Srbijagas, who has a lot of problems this season, wasn't able to resist Olimpija in Ljubljana. Slovenian Natonal Cup holder made easy win 58-72. Jasmin Hukic (204-G/F-79, agency: Beo Basket) led the winners netting 23 points including 5 rebounds. Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) was better than the others in Vojvodina with 19 points and 5 rebounds.
Hemofarm STADA beat Zagreb on Friday 73-66.
Zadar - FMP 78-84
(11-31,24-13,30-13,13-27)
Zadar: Stallworth 20 (5 rebs), Gecevski 15 (11 rebs), Bruer 12 (4 rebs)
FMP: Erceg 22 (5 rebs), Jeremic 14 (4 rebs), Labovic 12 (7 rebs)
Olimpija - Vojvodina Srbijagas 72-58
(23-14,18-11,14-15,17-18)
Olimpija: Hukic 23 (5 rebs), Rizvic 14 (6 rebs), Dragic 12 (8 rebs, 6 as)
Vojvodina Srbijagas: Ivanovic 19 (5 rebs), Bojovic 11 (6 rebs), Golubovic 8 (8 rebs)
Partizan remains on top of Adriatic league -by Dragan Jankovski
In derby game of 21st round of Adriatic league Partizan Igokea once again was better than Crvena Zvezda 88-81. The game was played at the front of the around 1.500 spectators who had a yearly tickets because the other tickets for today's game were not on sale. It was maybe the most interesting derby between two eternal rivals in the last two years. The game is decided in the last quarter after 3-pointer by Tripkovic and Palacio's lay-up. After serious defeat in Siena, Partizan's head coach Dusko Vujosevic was satisfied with this win and the fact that black and whites has two wins more than Zadar which gives them right to play without bigger pressure until the end of the regular season.
Partizan got 24 points from PG Milton Palacio (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.) and 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists from Dusan Kecman (197-G/F-77, agency: Beo Basket). MVP of the game was Novica Velickovic (205-F-86), who added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) netted 26 points and 4 rebounds for Zvezda while Mladen Sljivancanin (200-G/F-85) followed him with 18 points and 4 rebounds.
Crvena Zvezda - Partizan Igokea 81-88
Crvena Zvezda: Cook 26 (4 rebs), Sljivancanin 18 (4 rebs), Misanovic 14 (5 rebs)
Partizan Igokea: Palacio 24, Kecman 13 (4 rebs, 5 as), Velickovic 10 (11 rebs)
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SPAIN
ACB Round 21 -by Paul Nilsen
It is a case of as you were at the top of the ACB classifications with the top five sides all winning to retain the status quo writes www.acb-basket.com - Real Madrid remain top with DKV Joventut, Bilbao, Tau Ceramica and Barcelona all tied with the same 15-6 records.
Real Madrid travelled to Fuente San Luis and recorded a 97-74 win over Pamesa in front of 8,500 Valencia fans. The whites were generally in control from start to finish with a strong third quarter seeing off the home team who are yet to find their feet with many players easing their way back into things after lengthy injuries. As in the Copa last weekend when Valencia were dismal, only Ruben Douglas truly carried the fight to the opposition and he scored 23 points although Shammond Williams did dish out 8 assists. Real had five players reaching double-figures with the pick being Charles Smith with 18 points and five assists as the capital side remain two wins ahead of the pack.
Copa Del Rey champions DKV Joventut picked up where they left off last weekend with Rudy Fernandez showing why he was the Copa MVP with another big performance against injury hit Fuenlabrada. Rudy claimed 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 7 assists to help Badalona beat the men in orange by 89-63. His all action display wasn't all good though as his usual accurate perimeter shooting let him down. However with Jerome Moiso scoring 16 points and only two Fuenla players scraping into double-figures, it was a breeze for La Penya. Nicola Vasic scored 14 points for the visitors while basket difference lifted Badalona into second spot. Fuenla remain firmly entrenched in a relegation dogfight to avoid LEB basketball next season.
A week after losing in the Copa Del Rey final on their own floor, Tau Ceramica took their ACB frustration out on Akasvayu Girona, a club who are rumoured to be in financial trouble. A devastating final quarter destroyed the visitors as Baskonia outscored the Catalan club by 41-20 to pick up a 111-86 victory. Pete Mickeal continued the good form he showed in the Copa and made up for the technical foul that handed Joventut the initiative last week with a great performance. Mickeal recorded 23 points and 7 rebounds while Zoran Planinic also made up for a quiet final with 14 points and 7 assists. Pablo Prigioni had 20 points and missed just one shot all night although Coach Spahija will be ruing the fact that his side finally cut out their errors and stopped turning the ball over - a week too late. Girona had Marc Gasol in his usual impressive form with 19 points, 4 boards and 5 assists but it was San Emeterio who starred with a sensational six from seven three-pointers on his way to 25 points.
Barcelona produced a strong final quarter at Blaugrana to take a scrappy and hard fought 69-62 win over Valladolid in their first game since the departure of Dusko Ivanovic. Interim coach Xavier Pascual went into the game with a win already under his belt courtesy of Thursday nights Euroleague success over Unicaja but he had to sweat for this first league victory. Barcelona were never in control until the final six or seven minutes and were behind 17-14 after the first quarter. While they sneaked in front by half-time, Valladolid began to look dangerous in the third quarter with some excellent perimeter shooting from Boddicker and in particular Joao Santos. The visitors looed like they would take a lead into the final period but right on the buzzer Pepe Sanchez produced a stunning half-court three-pointer to give the initiative back to Barca. Interestingly, the new coach gave significant minutes to the players not truly utilised by Ivanovic in Mario Kasun and Alex Acker and they both stepped up to show what they are capable of. The pair combined for 41 points with Acker top scoring with 24 along with 9 rebounds while Sanchez served up 10 assists to show his class. Visiting play-caller Javier Imbroda will be disappointed that his team faded and nobody truly supported Joseph Gomis who scored 15 points, the only member of his side to manage double-digits.
Bilbao produced a real surprise by completing a comfortable home win over a lacklustre and bitterly disappointing Polaris World Murcia. Bilbao were expected by many to struggle because of long term injuries to Luke Recker and Martin Rancik, both sustained last weekend in the Copa but there is little stopping Bilbao at home in the ACB. They cruised to a 71-60 success thsanks mainly to a big second quarter when they outscored Murcia by 26-13. A phenomenal rebounding performance by the hosts was key, they outrebounded their opponents 45-26 with Weis claiming 13 of them while fellow big man Marko Banic completed a double-double. Up and coming guard Javier Salgado also continued his recent fine run with a top score of 17 points.
At the bottom of the table the future really does look bleak for Estudiantes who have had a very difficult run of fixtures and they remain in second bottom spot after slumping at 87-71 at Unicaja. To make matters worse for Estu, they are now level with Leon on just five wins all season after their relegation rivals pulled off a shock victory at Granada. Estu were always going to struggle in the Martin Carpena as Unicaja are strong at home and they were never really in the game after a poor start that left them 28-16 down after the opening quarter. Malaga had Kus, Haislip and Santiago all chalking up scores in excess of 20 and the big factor in the game was the confidence of the home side against the low confidence of the visitors. Unicaja had 21 assists in the contest compared with a terrible 6 for Estudinates and the loss was tough on Florent Pietrus returning to his former club. The Frenchman had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Unicaja meanwhile moved away from Pamesa Valencia and clearly into sixth place to keep in touch with the possibility of home advantage in the play-offs if they can maintain some form.
Grupo Begar Leon pulled off a real surprise by picking up an 87-92 win in Granada to give their survival hopes a real shot in the arm. Leon started strongly with a 29-17 first quarter advantage and never let up in their quest for that elusive away victory with two stellar performances from Rick Hughes (204-C/F-73, agency: Interperformances, college: Thomas More) and Javier Bulfoni laying the foundation. Bulfoni fired up six three-pointers while Hughes produced a monumental display for a valuation of 35 with a double-double 23 points and 12 rebounds. Although Granada didn't have Curtis Borchardt, this will not take anything away from the visitors achievement in picking up this lifeline. For Granada have won games without Borchardt many times before and did have Italian duo Andrea Pecile and Nic Gianella in hot form, combining for 50 points.
Both Leon and Estu were helped by Cajasol slumping to a disappointing home loss against Gran Canaria. Seville coach Manel Comas will do well to steer his team away from the drop-zone if his team continues to give up so many points defensively, this time losing 89-98 at home. 25 points from Ignerski wasn't enough to prevent a dismal home loss with a poor start to the second half proving costly. Marcus Norris and Carl English combined for 39 points to seal a rare road win for Granca.
ViveMenorca made home advantage count after sneaking past Ricoh Manresa 63-62 to pull further away from the bottom of the table. Never a classic game, Menorca's control of the boards was vital and Ricard Casas will be overjoyed at the fact that his team pulled together to secure an amazing 45 rebounds although he might be disappointed at their shooting percentages of course. He will simply be happy to have dodged a bullet in truth picking up an important victory. Ratko Varda just missed out on a double-double with 11 points and 9 boards for Menorca while Josh Asselin top scored in the game for the visitors with just 15 points. Toby Bailey had a nightmare debut for Manresa and was 1 from 6 from inside and 0 of 2 from outside.
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TRINIDAD
QRC maintains unbeaten run in schools basketball -by Don Farrell
Queen's Royal College's Under-20 basketballers continued their hot streak at the Jean Pierre Complex, Port of Spain, on Friday, when they beat Fatima College 59-50 in the NGC/Express Secondary Schools Basketball Association North Zone.
The Royalians are now three-from-three after wins against HYPE and the International School of Port of Spain (ISPS) earlier this week.
Again, point guard Shemuel Bartholomew was the main aggressor, sinking 25 points, to lift his team to victory. Halfway through the final period, the game could have swung either way, but QRC stole the momentum towards the end and the result as well, as Fatima faded in the closing minutes.
The teams were evenly matched in the first half, to which a 22-21 scoreline in favour of QRC would attest. But Jaeon Bobb (14 points) lent firm support to Bartholomew and the pair stretched their lead, especially with drives to the basket and close range layups.
Fatima's main threats came via lanky guard Caleb Cudjoe (14 points), who hustled the QRC defence and found his way through for a few baskets, but one foul too many saw him sitting out the end of the game.
Daniel Francis (ten points) took the lead role in Cudjoe's absence, but by then QRC had already opened up a healthy lead that would see them to a comfortable victory.
The shot of the day, though, came from QRC's Ricardo Fournillier, who collected from Bartholomew to calmly sink a three-pointer that helped wrest the initiative from a battling Fatima. QRC settled for defence in the last two minutes to close out very exciting encounter.
Friday's SSBA results
Boys Under-20
- QRC 59 (Shemuel Bartholomew 25, Caleb Cudjoe 14) Fatima 50 (Jaeon Bobb 14, Daniel Francis)
Thursday's results
Boys Under-17
- Russell Latapy Sec 28 (Dillon Thomas 14) Tranquility Gov't 59 (George Dixon 21, Richard Taitt 14)
Boys Under-20
- Malick Sec Comp 72 (Anthon Trim 38) CIC 46 (Darson Hamilton 17)
*****************************************************
TURKEY
TB2L: Week 16 -by Serdar Ortakuyu
Week 16 featured more than a few tough match ups such as FMV Isikspor-Vestel, Erdemir-ITU games and Tofas-Pertevniyal. Home teams came up as victors in these three decisive games thanks to their big men who made the difference.
These results took Tofas to the top of Group A as ITU put an end to their hopes to finish the regular season at the top of Group B since Ryan Sidney (188-G-82, agency: EM-PA, college: Boston Coll.) and his Aliaga keep winning.
On the other hand TB2L newcomers Eyup secured a place in the league for the next season with this week's victory as Anadolu Uni who have a 0-16 record, are ready to say goodbye
Group A
FMV Isikspor - Vestel: 78-74
Gazi Uni - Eyup: 59-73
Izmir Bsb - Genc Banvitliler: 83-84
Cukurova Uni - Orman: 67-63
Tofas - Pertevniyal: 79-71
Akcakokca Poyraz - Usak: 78-69
Group B
Anadolu Uni - Bursa Basketbol: 68-85
Ankara Basketbol - TED Istanbul: 88-70
Yesilyurt - Aliaga: 59-76
Gelisim Koleji - Duzce Genclik: 83-94
Canakkale - Golcuk: 86-63
Erdemir - ITU: 68-62
(Click on the results to go to the stats page.)
*****************************************************
U.KINGDOM
Saturday results -by Eurobasket News
Great Britain found out the opponents in the next euro battles. The next EuroBasket will take place in Poland from 7th through 20th September 2009. So the draw of the qualifying stage in Division A was held today in Italy. Seventeen teams were distributed into 4 groups. Three groups will comprise 4 teams and one will consist of 5 contenders. The top team in each group and three more best-ranked squads will automatically qualify for EuroBasket. One more spot will be raffled off in an additional qualifying tournament.
Group A drawn together Italy and Serbia that will definitely fight for the top spot. Alongside this obvious favorites Bulgaria will try to make impact. Hungary and Finland can also come up with some sort of surprises.
Group B will enjoy the battle of last EuroBasket participants Latvia and Portugal clash together. Macedonia and Estonia will also fight for the lucky ticket.
Group C seems as the toughest possible one. Turkey and France are obvious favorites, while Ukraine and Belgium are ambitious teams that are capable of sensation at this stage. Group D brought together Czech Republic, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Great Britain.
The draw of the preliminary round of U20 European championship was performed in Venice, Italy. Division B tournament will take place in Targu Mures, Romania in early August. The teams were distributed in 4 groups with 5 teams in Groups A, B and C and 4 teams in Group D. Two best teams out of each group will advance to the qualifying round. Great Britain will play in Group A together with Norway, Portugal, Finland and Macedonia.
Saturday was rich with 4 games and only Team Birmingham Panthers celebrated the win away from home. The team beat PAWS London Capital 60:64 as Rob Paternostro (180-G-73, college: S.New Hampshire) top-scored with 16 points. Daniel Gilbert (197-G-83, college: Buffalo) led Guildford Heat over BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 111:91. Andrew Lasker (188-G-82, college: Point Loma) nailed 27 as his Kularoos Plymouth Raiders overcame Sheffield Sharks 85:73. Worcester Wolves won over Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 67:66.
Guildford Heat - BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 111:91
Heat: Daniel Gilbert 31, Jones 22, Harrison 15
Jets: Jayson Obazuaye (188-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Colorado) 27, Otten 27, Moore 14
PAWS London Capital - Team Birmingham Panthers 60:64
Capital: Santa Ataha (178-G-84) 20, Bradley 14, Stancil 9
Panthers: Rob Paternostro 16, Sandell 14, Omope 11
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders - Sheffield Sharks 85:73
Raiders: Andrew Lasker 27, Beasley 17, Moore 11
Sharks: Shelby Chaney (206-C, agency: IceBasket, college: Mercyhurst) 14, Virgil 11, Graham 10
Worcester Wolves - Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 67:66
Wolves: Anthony Paez (198-F-84, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Stephen F. Austin) 23, Life 18, Harker 12
Riders: McKnight 16, White 16, Burns 11
*****************************************************
U.S.VIRGIN ISL.
NBA should do better job marketing Spurs' Duncan -by David Edole
By Evan Mohl
With the NBA All-Star Game set to take place today in the week full of sports news (Roger Clemens on Capitol Hill, Kelvin Sampson under investigation, the Daytona 500), it got me thinking about a relevant basketball question that was posed to me a couple of months ago.
My cousin asked me with a straight face, 'Evan, how come nobody likes the (San Antonio) Spurs?'
When I answered with the traditional answers of 'they're boring' and 'no one appreciates good defense,' it became clear that the NBA has failed the best team in the last 10 years. Even more disappointing, the NBA has neglected one of the best power forwards of all time in Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest).
On stats alone, Duncan holds his own among the greats. He's averaged 21.7 points, 12 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in his 11-year career. He shoots nearly 51 percent from the field while dishing out over three assists a contest - not a bad number for a seven footer.
Duncan's awards are endless: two MVPs, three finals MVPs, rookie of the year and nine all-star game appearances among others. Oh, and he's only missed the postseason once.
Outside of tangible evidence, Duncan is also the quintessential team player. He's unassuming and does whatever it takes to make his team better. How many times has he made a pass or set a pick so Robert Horry could hit a game-winning shot?
So, unless you're an irrational and homer-ific Mavericks, Suns or Pistons fan, there's absolutely no reason why you should dislike Duncan.
There's one problem though: Duncan's game has no sex appeal. He's a cerebral player who takes pride in fundamentals like footwork. His 15-foot jump shot off the glass, no matter how difficult it is to accomplish, will never be deemed entertaining. His commitment to defense so the Spurs can hold opponents to 85 points will never be described as awesome.
But, this is exactly where the NBA has failed. Because good marketing, no matter what the product is, will find a way to sell something great.
Take, for example, Peyton Manning. He's about as vanilla as they come. Yet, the NFL has found a way to sell Manning. Viewers have come to appreciate the Colts quarterback as he calls five audibles at the line of scrimmage and takes 30 seconds to hike the ball.
The NBA should be able to do this with Duncan.
Even companies like Mastercard and Sprint have found ways to sell Manning. They even mock his insipid personality with segments like 'priceless pep talks.'
When was the last time Duncan was in a commercial?
Perhaps the irony of the NBA's failure with Duncan is that the league has been trying for the past few years to reinvent itself. Ever since the infamous Palace Brawl between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers, the NBA has desperately wanted to get away from the thug, me-first perception.
In 2005, the NBA introduced a new business casual dress code. They have levied heavier fines and suspensions for player's misconduct. A new rule was put in place a few years ago on technicals. It states when a player reaches the 16 technical foul mark on a season, a suspension will be handed down to that player.
Still, Duncan remains neglected and unappreciated by the NBA. Last season, his jersey ranked just 15th in terms of overall sales.
Dunks, selfishness, dangerous and provocative might be easier to market, but the NBA missed out on a great opportunity with Duncan. Not only did the league fail to reinvent itself with him at the center, but it deprived its consumers - the fans - of one of the greatest all-around players of all time.
At home with a storm - Duncan at work -by David Edole
Buck Harvey
Express-News staff writer
NEW ORLEANS — Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) practiced Saturday inside the New Orleans convention center. He's never had to camp outside of it.
He's also never had to signal for help from a roof, and he's never had to wait five days for FEMA to think that water might come in handy. But Duncan knows hurricanes, and one changed his life.
Maybe that's why, when the NBA paraded its stars to various work sites this weekend, attempting to help New Orleans as well as promote its own image, something that NBA staffers were saying to each other made sense.
'Anyone notice how much Duncan wanted to work?'
Duncan managed to have some fun, too, because playing with David Robinson always has been. When the two 7-footers teamed up with Becky Hammon to win a shooting contest Saturday night, Duncan and Robinson picked up where they left off. They shared a trophy.
But that's part of the disconnect about this weekend. The NBA had its dunk contests and opulence, and at the same time the league wanted to portray itself as a civic partner.
The league helped post-Katrina New Orleans just by bringing the All-Star Game here. But the 'NBA Cares' program has always had the sincerity of a political-campaign photo op, and a marketing idea added to that. Then the league mailed work gloves to the media, when a house in the 9th Ward could have been rebuilt for the price.
The gloves were to promote a Day of Service, which involved putting millionaires to work with cameras nearby. A picture of Jason Kidd on ESPN.com summed up the so-called service; standing on a ladder, Kidd was surrounded by, among other devices, a boom mic.
But some athletes like to be involved, and Yao Ming was. His job Friday was to lay sod at a school, and when he arrived at the site, it was raining. His handlers told him not to worry, because they had a plan.
Run out for two minutes, get a quick picture and we're-outta-here.
Yao chose to stay a while. He didn't put in an eight-hour day, but he lifted sod, and he tried to be helpful, and the NBA also got what it wanted. He was pictured with muddy gloves and muddy shoes on the front page of the local New Orleans newspaper.
Chances are, a lot of these guys want to do something, which is where their foundations come in. Duncan has one of those, too. His program in San Antonio affects about 1,200 kids.
But hurricane damage hits close to home for him, because one hit his home. Late in the evening of Sept. 17, 1989, while Robinson prepared for his rookie NBA season, Hurricane Hugo came to St. Croix.
Bill Duncan sat in a bedroom, monitoring a house he had long ago fortified as a handyman. His family, including 13-year-old Tim, huddled in a bathroom made of cinder blocks for five hours.
Duncan remembers losing only a large window. His roof stayed intact, as did a Christmas present given to him by one of his sisters the year before. The backboard and pole, planted deep into the soil by his father, remained stable for further use.
But fishing boats were tossed into the streets. Power was out for six months, and the hospital was so damaged that Duncan's mother, Ione, had to endure cancer treatments in a tent.
As for the other damage that changed a franchise in South Texas: St. Croix's only Olympic-sized pool was destroyed, pushing a teenager toward another sport.
Duncan says Hugo wasn't Katrina. Still, there were response issues, and 'there's still stuff there that has not been rebuilt.'
What he learned: 'You work around that, accept that, and you move on.'
Duncan has. He provided grants to buy equipment for a local hospital, to re-establish a Red Cross chapter in St. Croix and to aid the United Nations in restoring Virgin Islands communities damaged by hurricanes.
That's why New Orleans wasn't just another stop for him. 'I think I had a different perspective,' he said Saturday, 'on what people have gone through.'
With that, Duncan went to his assigned site Friday, where he helped build a playground along with fellow players such as Chauncey Billups. Duncan put in some effort, as the NBA staff noted, albeit without the need for new apparel.
He's been wearing his own work gloves for a while.
NBA All-Star Game: Duncan is a fixture despite his style -by David Edole
Mike Monroe
Express-News staff writer
NEW ORLEANS — Wearing hip-hop attire, the questioner had a yellow microphone and a breezy patter.
In the middle of a Friday afternoon interview session with players selected for today's NBA All-Star Game at New Orleans Arena, he asked Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) to record a voice mail message for his cell phone.
Sliding a 'script' across the table at which Duncan was seated, he demanded Duncan read it, word for word.
Patiently, but firmly, the Spurs' All-Star power forward rebuffed repeated requests.
At last, the young man's persistence reached its limit. Dejected, he reached for his unused script and headed off to pester another All-Star victim.
'Nice try,' Duncan said, rolling his eyes. 'Maybe next year.'
For a brief moment, the insolent interrogator shared something with LeBron James. During the 2007 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers' All-Star discovered that no matter how hard you try, when Duncan is determined, he can make you wait until next year.
Today, Duncan will be the starting power forward for the Western Conference for a ninth consecutive All-Star Game. He still professes astonishment that fans who value highlights over consistent excellence choose him for a game dedicated not to fundamentals, but to showing off.
Only as a rookie did Duncan have to wait until next year for the fans to embrace him as one of the NBA's very best.
'Every year I get voted in, I say this, but every year I mean it,' Duncan said. 'It's amazing the fans continue to support me and vote me onto this team. It's an honor to be here, especially for the 10th time. I love playing this game.'
Duncan's solid game is made for the championship grind, not the All-Star Game, when some players pass to themselves off the backboard for dunks that bring down the house. He has been called the most boring MVP in league history.
Let James and Amare Stoudemire get the 'oohs' and 'aahs' today. Duncan prefers to bide his All-Star time, hoping for a close fourth quarter, waiting for crunch time.
When a game is on the line, even one played mostly for entertainment value, he always has been a go-to guy.
The West went to him in the clutch in 2000, when it repelled a rally and earned a 137-126 victory in Oakland, Calif. Then, Duncan made 12 of 14 shots, grabbed 14 rebounds and shared All-Star MVP honors with Shaquille O'Neal.
'My game's not made to be All-Star MVP,' Duncan said. 'I got lucky one night. It just worked out the way it did.'
Duncan has been making things work out well for the Spurs since 1997, when he was NBA Rookie of the Year.
His four championships in nine years make him the No. 1 NBA winner of the past 10 seasons. Though his scoring average for six seasons has been on a steady decline from his career-best 25.5 points per game in 2001-02 — it slipped all the way to 18.3 in '05-06 before a jump to 20.0 last season — his consistent excellence has remained.
'The better the team, the less important statistics are,' said Hall of Fame center and ABC/ESPN analyst Bill Walton. 'My guess is, as the team has gotten better and better and better, Tim's stats have gotten worse.'
Of far greater importance, Walton said, is how Duncan has put his stamp on games. Few players in NBA history have had greater bearing on the outcome.
'In terms of impact and control, he has everything,' Walton said. 'He's like Oscar Robertson. He does everything fabulously well, and his team wins all the games. Is there anything else to ask of a player?'
Nobody asks more of Duncan than Duncan.
His work ethic is legendary. He was blessed with size (7-foot, 260 pounds), but not athleticism. He has remained an All-Star by constantly improving his skills.
Duncan's performance during the past six weeks has reminded the world he also remains basketball's best big man.
In 22 games since the start of the new year, he has averaged 21.7 points and 12.9 rebounds. His scoring average has crept up to 19.9 points per game. In the last four games of the Spurs' nine-game rodeo road trip, he had at least 21 points and 13 rebounds.
The headlines, of course, went to his teammates.
Robert Horry's wake-up call in Washington after a season of slumber helped produce a victory there. Michael Finley's clutch 3-pointers punctuated a win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Then Manu Ginobili scored 34 and 46 in victories at Toronto and Cleveland.
Isn't that how Duncan likes it?
'It's not whether you like it or not,' he said. 'It is what it is. As long as we're winning games, it doesn't matter who gets the credit for what. At the beginning of the year, I was playing five, eight minutes less than I am now. I feel very good on the court now.
'I feel like I'm playing well, but in this league, one person doesn't win games. You need a bunch of guys playing well, and you can do your part as much as you can. When help is there, you appreciate help and give credit wherever credit is due.'
Duncan never worries about getting proper credit himself. An All-Star amazed by the fans' acceptance of his excellence never judges his place among the pantheon of basketball greats.
Rest assured, others understand his legacy already is certain.
'Tim Duncan will go down as one of the handful of greatest players ever, regardless of position,' Walton said. 'Tim will be discussed not in terms of statistics; not in terms of highlight plays; not in terms of anything other than his overall brilliance and that his teams won all the games. And the teams that did beat him, you had to beat him with the best you had, and that would mean that you would get the championship.'
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Women News
*****************************************************ADRIATIC L. (W) - Women
Ragusa creates a sensation -by Eurobasket News
Three games were played last night in Adriatic league for Women. In all of them the hosts won the campaigns, including a sensation from Ragusa in the game against Gospic.
Ragusa defeated Gospic 67:48 in a great defensive game for the team. A 13:5 in the third was a shock for the guests that lost for the third time this season. Marta Cakic (175-G-82) led the winners with 20 points. Matea Vrdoljak (-85) netted 10, while Anica Tesic (180-F-81) and Popovic posted 9 each. Cori Enghusen (200-C-80, college: Stanford) finished the game with 12 points in defeat.
Another Croatian Jolly smashed another Croatian Medvescak 83:56. Anda Jelavic (173-G-80) produced 19 points for the winners. Luca Ivankovic (201-C-87) posted 17 and JURIC Tihana scored 14. Mirna Mazic (188-F-85, college: Richmond) drilled 15 points in the losing clause.
Bosnian Mladi beat Jedinstvo 79:70. The game was done in the end of the battle with 21:14 in the last quarter. Svetlana Stanic (189-C-77), Aida Pilav (187-C-87) and Dragoslava Zakula (173-G-73) top-scored with 15 points each. Jelena Maksimovic (192-C-82) poured in 20 points for Jedinstvo.
Ragusa - Gospic 67:48 (21-19, 19-8, 13-5, 14-16)
Ragusa: Marta Cakic 20, Matea Vrdoljak 10, Anica Tesic 9, POPOVIC 9
Gospic:Cori Enghusen 12, Popovic-MANDIR Sandra 10
Jolly - Medvescak 83:56 (26-15, 17-13, 16-16, 24-12)
Jolly:Anda Jelavic 19, Luca Ivankovic 17, JURIC Tihana 14
Medvescak: Mirna Mazic 15, KLEIN - SUMANOVAC Dea 13
Mladi - Jedinstvo 79:70 (15-12, 21-14, 22-20, 21-14)
Mladi:Svetlana Stanic 15, Aida Pilav 15+13 rebs, Dragoslava Zakula 15
Jedinstvo: Jelena Maksimovic 20, SEMEREDI Kristina 15
Standings
Adriatic L. Standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANGOLA - Women
Primeiro de Agosto are the Champions! -by Eurobasket News
Primeiro de Agosto are the Champions of National Championship. In the second game against Interclube Primeiro de Agosto celebrated 64:58 win. In the first game the champions were also stronger 47:30. Just a reminder that last year Interclube won the title, but this season the winner had changed. We shall live and see how the things will go on the nearest future.
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BOSNIA - Women
Mladi beat Jedinstvo 79:70 -by Eurobasket News
Bosnian Mladi beat Jedinstvo 79:70. The game was done in the end of the battle with 21:14 in the last quarter. Svetlana Stanic (189-C-77), Aida Pilav (187-C-87) and Dragoslava Zakula (173-G-73) top-scored with 15 points each. Jelena Maksimovic (192-C-82) poured in 20 points for Jedinstvo. Mladi left the last spot and now 3-12 in the league. Vojvodina covers the bottom with 2-12, while Jedinstvo dropped to 5-9.
In Round 13 of Bosnian League Zeljeznicar beat Sloboda 46:88 on a road. Celik overcame Brotnjo Citluk 90:56, while Jedinstvo won over Mladost BL 97:73. Banovici was stronger than Spars 82:74.
The next EuroBasket will take place in Latvia from 7th through 20th June 2009. So the draw of the qualifying stage in Division A was held today in Italy. Nineteen teams were distributed into 4 groups. Three groups will comprise 5 teams and one will consist of 4 contenders. The teams will fight for 9 available spots. Bosnia and Herzegovina will play in Group B with Turkey, Finland, Italy and Poland.
Mladi - Jedinstvo 79:70 (15-12, 21-14, 22-20, 21-14)
Mladi:Svetlana Stanic 15, Aida Pilav 15+13 rebs, Dragoslava Zakula 15
Jedinstvo: Jelena Maksimovic 20, Kristina Semeredi (185-G-77) 15
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BWBL - Women
Barsy Atyrau lose to Cesis -by Eurobasket News
Cesis - Barsy Atyrau 87:45
BWBL schedule for Saturday included a clash between Cesis and Barsy Atyrau. Latvian side entered the game 7-4 record at the 5th spot, while Barsy Atyrau posted their first win just a day ago against TTT/Rapa. Cesis however did not allow Kazakh team to extend their winning streak. The teams looked pretty matched in the opening frame as Cesis held to a 20:16 lead. But the hosts took over in the second period and started to build an unassailable lead. The Latvian players outscore the visitors 25:14 in the second term and posted a 45:30 advantage at halftime. It went from bad to worse for Barsy Atyrau in the second half. Cesis tightened up their defense and Kazakhstan outfit struggled to deliver. They were limited to only 15 points after the break and suffered a stunning 45:87 loss. Jessica Moore (191-C-82, college: Connecticut) provided game-high 21 points for Cesis. Ifeoma Okonkwo (183-F-84, college: Northwestern) produced 15 points, while Willnett Crockett (188-F/C-84, college: Connecticut) added 13 points and 5 boards for the winners. Ekaterina Dvorskaya (199-C-73) answered with 14 points and 7 boards for Barsy Atyrau. Svetlana Serdukova (175-F) notched 9 points in a loss. Cesis dominated the boards 37:24 and forced the visiting side to as many as 26 turnovers. Latvian team also converted 56% from the field.
Barsy Atyrau fell to 1-11 record and would next take on TLU/Volta in a double-header on February 18 and 19. Cesis will visit Tallinn to face Tallinna Living on Thursday.
Cesis: Jessica Moore 21, Ifeoma Okonkwo 15, Willnett Crockett 13
Barsy Atyrau: Ekaterina Dvorskaya 14, Svetlana Serdukova 9
Standings
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CROATIA - Women
Derbies between each other -by Eurobasket News
Three games were played last night in Adriatic league for Women. Croatia could enjoy two games with their four teams in the tournament. Ragusa defeated Gospic 67:48 in a great defensive game for the team. A 13:5 in the third was a shock for the guests that lost for the third time this season. Marta Cakic (175-G-82) led the winners with 20 points. Matea Vrdoljak (-85) netted 10, while Anica Tesic and Popovic posted 9 each. Cori Enghusen (200-C-80, college: Stanford) finished the game with 12 points in defeat.
Another Croatian Jolly smashed another Croatian Medvescak 83:56. Anda Jelavic (173-G-80) produced 19 points for the winners. Luca Ivankovic posted 17 and Tihana Juric (194-C-76) scored 14. Mirna Mazic (188-F-85, college: Richmond) drilled 15 points in the losing clause.
The next EuroBasket will take place in Latvia from 7th through 20th June 2009. So the draw of the qualifying stage in Division A was held today in Italy. Nineteen teams were distributed into 4 groups. Three groups will comprise 5 teams and one will consist of 4 contenders. The teams will fight for 9 available spots. Croatia was sent to Group C with Romania, Slovak Republic, France and Hungary.
Ragusa - Gospic 67:48 (21-19, 19-8, 13-5, 14-16)
Ragusa: Marta Cakic 20, Matea Vrdoljak 10, Anica Tesic 9, POPOVIC 9
Gospic:Cori Enghusen 12, Sandra Popovic-Mandir (177-G-77) 10
Jolly - Medvescak 83:56 (26-15, 17-13, 16-16, 24-12)
Jolly:Anda Jelavic 19, Luca Ivankovic 17, Tihana Juric 14
Medvescak: Mirna Mazic 15, KLEIN - SUMANOVAC Dea 13
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CYPRUS - Women
KV Imperial AEL wins the Cup -by Chris Mammides
KV Imperial AEL Limassol won the cup last Friday, upon beating the team of Move Smart Anagennisis Yermasogeias with 70-49. The very strong team of Linos Gavriel prove in practice all the rumors which wanted the powerfull club to win the title very easy.
Top scorers for the winning team of AEL were:
Ancuta Stoenescu (171-G-80) 20 points, Chrystalla Phedonos (183-F-77) 12 and Eleni Theodorou (170-G-85) 9 points
From the team of Anagennisis Yermasogeias top scores were:
Vassiliki Kanatselou (171-G-85) 21 and Eleana Pantazi (177-G-83) 8.
This is the 7th cup for the Limassol team
New Head Coach for Etha Engomis -by Chris Mammides
The Serbian Nemanja Bjedov (192-F/G-77) is the new head Coach of the Women's team of Etha Engomis. The young coach will try to help the young women's team in the difficult continuation of the league. Nemanja Bjedov is an ex player who spent the last part of his career in the Cyprus courts, mostly in the Second division. This will be his first job as a coach in a team.
Other news
The teams of Achilleas Kaimakliou and Apoel Nicosia have withdraw from the Cyprus league due to financial reasons, so after AYMA (At the beggining of the seazon) another two teams were added in the 'problematic' situation. The league currently consist of only 5 teams, AEL, Keravnos, Etha, Anagennises Yermasogeias and ENAD.
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CZECH REP. - Women
Gambrinus wins the battle of titans -by Eurobasket News
Gambrinus - USK Praha 91:76
Round 17 of Czech ZBL brought a real treat for all basketball fans. Gambrinus and USK Praha clashed in Brno. Gambrinus extended their perfect run as they bumped their arch-rivals 91:76 and remained spotless at 16-0 record. USK Praha meanwhile suffered their second loss in the season losing both regular season games to Gambrinus.
Brno outfit was busy in midweek as they completed the win over MiZo Pecs in Euroleague tournament. It could be a reason for somehow weary start of the hosts. USK Praha scored the first 5 points and grabbed an early lead. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) soon nailed back-to-back three-pointers to put the visitors up by 6 points 13:7. Later Jannell Burse (197-C-79, college: Tulane) and Michaela Pavlickova (190-F-77) teamed up for 9 points as USK Praha accumulated a 22:8 lead. Marketa Mokrosova (178-F-81) netted 5 consecutive points and USK Praha led by as many as 18 points. Finally Gambrinus began to return to life. Timea Beres (192-C-76) scored 6 points, while Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) added 7 for the hosts to trim the gap to 10 points 30:40 midway through the second stanza. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) capped the first half with 4 straight points for Gambrinus and they trailed 46:51 at halftime. Ivana Vecerova (194-C-79) and Tamika Whitmore (187-C/F-77, college: Memphis) quickly nailed 4 points to open the second half and Gambrinus climbed within a single point from USK Praha. Marketa Mokrosova drained a trey as the visiting side maintained the advantage for some time but the home team soon denied it. Hana Machova was perfect from charity stripe and Ivana Vecerova converted a jumper to put Gambrinus up by 3 points 59:56. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) and Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) fired from beyond the arc and Gambrinus opened a double digit lead for the hosts. But not for too long as Jannell Burse, Katerina Elhotova and Elodie Godin (190-C-85) made it all square at 68 after 30 minutes of action. Eva Viteckova poured in 4 points and Hamchetou Maiga added 4 more to carry Gambrinus to an 82:72 distance. USK Praha failed to come any closer to the hosts and lost the battle. Hamchetou Maiga paced the hosts with 17 points and 7 boards. Hana Machova provided 15 points and 10 boards, while Eva Viteckova added 15 points for the winners. Lindsay Whalen (173-G-82, college: Minnesota) nailed 23 points and pulled down 7 boards for USK Praha. Marketa Mokrosova contributed 17 points in defeat.
Gambrinus: Hamchetou Maiga 17, Hana Machova 15+10 boards, Eva Viteckova 15
USK Praha: Lindsay Whalen 23, Marketa Mokrosova 17
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E.CHAMPS U20 - Women
The Draw for U20 European championship is being held in Venice -by Eurobasket News
Yesterday the draw of the preliminary round of U20 European championship was performed in Venice, Italy. Four groups with 4 teams in each were chosen for Division A competition. The U20 European championship will take place in Chieti and Pescara, Italy from July 11 through July 20. Three top teams of each group will advance to the qualifying round, where they will fight for the right to go into the semifinal stage.
Group A: Serbia, Germany, Italy, France
Group B: Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Greece
Group C: Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia
Group D: Spain, Belarus, Montenegro, Belgium
Meanwhile Division B tournament will take place in Poznan, Poland. The teams were distributed in 2 groups with 5 teams in each. Four best teams of each group will advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage.
Group A: Great Britain, Ireland, Slovak Republic, Romania, Hungary
Group B: Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Israel, Sweden
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FINLAND - Women
SM-SARJA: Espoo Team defeated FoA -by Rauno Hurmalainen
SM-sarja, Round 27: Only one game on Sunday. Espoo Team won Alku (Forssa) by 26 pts even was down by three pts during the half time. Yolanda Jones (185-F-84, college: La-Lafayette) led Espoo Team with 27 pts and 20 rbs. Pauliina Oksanen (178-F-81) added 27 pts as well. Jamie Hawkins (185-F-84, college: Oregon) scored 20 pts for FoA. Alku (Forssa) has 'won' only one game during the whole season by now.
Espoo Team - FoA 95-69 (43-46) (Yolanda Jones 27/20, Pauliina Oksanen 27 - Jamie Hawkins 20, Megan Griffith 15).
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HUNGARY - Women
Hunagrian Cup- Quarter Finals -by Csilla Kantor
This weekend four games were played in the Hungarian Cup. On Saturday both ZTE and Szolnok beat their opponents, so they entered the Semi-Finals, as it was their second winning.
ZALA VOLAN-ZTE - VASAS-CSATA 80-53
ZTE: PUNGOR 15/6, CREAMER 12, Szelesy 2, TÚRÓCZI 25/3, Milkova 6. HERSICS 11/3, Horvath Zsofia 7/3, Ambrus 2, Gerencser, Bojti, Bencze. Head-coach: Bencze Tamas
VASAS-CSATA: Izsak 5/3, Lakloth 6/3, Fritz 4, KONCZ 11/3, Fejes 4. Rasheed, CZANK 10/3, Kovalcsik 6, Mansare 2, Manyoky 5/3. Head-coach: Tursics Sandor
SZOLNOKI NKK - ATOMERŐMŰ-KSC-SZEKSZARD 84-60 (20-10, 26-17, 10-12, 28-21)
SZOLNOK: Sonyak 2, DJELMIS 22/15, Kozdron 6/6, Hegedus 7, KELLER 5.Boskovics 9/6, VESCAN 17/3, Szavercsenko 4, Furtos 7/3, Adamecz 5/3, Kmezics. Vezetőedző: Kmezics Zoran. Head-coach: Meszaros Zoltan
SZEKSZARD: Bukovszki 7, BALINT R. 13/6, Tamas R. 8, MAKSZIMOVICS 17/3, Varda 9. Tamis 6, Balogh D. Head-coach: Ujhelyi Gabor
On Sunday Mizo Pecs 2010 played against Szeviep Szeged and beated them 89-65.
MIZO PECS 2010 - SZEVIEP-SZEGED 89-65 (17-16, 28-11, 17-13, 27-25)
PECS: IVANYI 16/3, FEGYVERNEKY 12/3, Meszaros, PODRUG 28, Graziane 7/3. Krivacsevics 4, VAJDA 14/3, Somogyi 8/6, Sarok. Head-coach: Ratgeber Laszlo
SZEGED: FŰRESZ 16, Torok 7/3, Szlimak 4, Tomova 4, ZSERZSERUNOVA 23. Vrancseva 5/3, Russai 2, Kovacs K. 4. Head-coach: Fodor Peter
The fourth game took place between MKB Euroleasing Sopron and BSE where Sopron succeeded to win.
BSE - MKB-EUROLEASING SOPRON 70-86 (20-25, 14-29, 19-10, 17-22)
BSE: Furesz D. 3/3, CASTILLO 33/9, Kiss G. 7/3, VIDA 15/3, Horvath E. Vincze V. 4, Zsovar 8/6. Head-coach: Farkas Sandor
SOPRON: SEMSEI 14/6, Honti, GORBUNOVA 17/3, Karolyi, BRANZOVA 21/3. Milovanovics 2, Eordogh 11/6, Horvath Zsuzsanna 3/3, Horti 11, KOCSIS 7/3. Head-coach: Szekely Norbert
The second round between will be played on Wednesday.
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ICELAND - Women
Iceland Express league. -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Fjolnir 59 Haukar 91. Another loss for Fjolnir. Only one win so far in the league is hard for young team. Slavica Dimovska 28 for Fjolnir. Kiera Hardy 22. Kristrun Sigurjonsdottir 17. Unnur Tara Jonsdottir 16 for Haukar.
Valur 69 Grindavik 57. Valur keeps on winning but probably it's coming too late to make it to the play-offs. Top scorers for Valur Molly Peterman (179-G-80, college: Detroit Mercy) 33. For Grindavik. Tiffany Roberson 18.
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ISRAEL - Women
Liron Cohen in Spain -by Gil Goshen
THE SPANISH CUP :
The Israeli national guard Liron Cohen agency - GG basktball was chosen as the MVP of the Spanish Cup tournament !!!!
Althiugh her team CLUB BALONCESTO SAN lost the final game vs. CIUDAD ROS CASARES VALENCIA ( the champion and the cup holder ) 66:68.
Liron was chosen by all the coaches as the MVP.
On the final game Liron led her team and had 12 points, 3 ast. 2 rb.Liron Cohen (173-G-82)
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KAZAKHSTAN - Women
Barsy Atyrau lose to Cesis -by Eurobasket News
Cesis - Barsy Atyrau 87:45
BWBL schedule for Saturday included a clash between Cesis and Barsy Atyrau. Latvian side entered the game 7-4 record at the 5th spot, while Barsy Atyrau posted their first win just a day ago against TTT/Rapa. Cesis however did not allow Kazakh team to extend their winning streak. The teams looked pretty matched in the opening frame as Cesis held to a 20:16 lead. But the hosts took over in the second period and started to build an unassailable lead. The Latvian players outscore the visitors 25:14 in the second term and posted a 45:30 advantage at halftime. It went from bad to worse for Barsy Atyrau in the second half. Cesis tightened up their defense and Kazakhstan outfit struggled to deliver. They were limited to only 15 points after the break and suffered a stunning 45:87 loss. Jessica Moore (191-C-82, college: Connecticut) provided game-high 21 points for Cesis. Ifeoma Okonkwo (183-F-84, college: Northwestern) produced 15 points, while Willnett Crockett (188-F/C-84, college: Connecticut) added 13 points and 5 boards for the winners. Ekaterina Dvorskaya (199-C-73) answered with 14 points and 7 boards for Barsy Atyrau. Svetlana Serdukova (175-F) notched 9 points in a loss. Cesis dominated the boards 37:24 and forced the visiting side to as many as 26 turnovers. Latvian team also converted 56% from the field.
Barsy Atyrau fell to 1-11 record and would next take on TLU/Volta in a double-header on February 18 and 19. Cesis will visit Tallinn to face Tallinna Living on Thursday.
Cesis: Jessica Moore 21, Ifeoma Okonkwo 15, Willnett Crockett 13
Barsy Atyrau: Ekaterina Dvorskaya 14, Svetlana Serdukova 9
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MALI - Women
Hamchetou continues to shine -by Eurobasket News
Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) and her Gambrinus extended their Euroleague season as they won the decisive third encounter of the eighth-final series against MiZo Pecs 84:45. Gambrinus did not look particularly impressive in the first two matchups of the series as they resembled of the Gambrinus that won the Euroleague trophy two years ago. The Czech powerhouse took over right from the start and did not give too much breathing space for the visitors. MiZo Pecs tried to answer for every strike from Gambrinus early on but Eva Viteckova and Petra Kulichova scored 6 straight points late in the opening frame as the hosts grabbed a 20:11 lead. Zuzana Zirkova opened the second stanza with a trey and Petra Kulichova added a jumper as Gambrinus took off to a 14-point distance. Tamika Whitmore later stepped up with 5 straight points for the home team to enlarge the margin. Zsofia Fegyverneky capped the first half with a jump shot to trim the difference to 19 points at 22:41. Timea Beres, Tamika Whitmore and Hamchetou Maiga ignited a 6:0 run to start the second quarter and Gambrinus enjoyed a 49:22 advantage. It was virtually no stoppage for the home side as Timea Beres and Hamchetou Maiga soon carried Gambrinus to a massive 72:25 buffer after 30 minutes of action. The intrigue passed away and Czech favorites cruised to an overall win afterward. Zuzana Zirkova led Gambrinus with 18 points, while Hamchetou Maiga provided 12 points. Tamika Whitmore and Timea Beres added 10 points for the winners. Anna Vajda was the only Pecsi player to score in double figures as she posted 10 points in defeat. Zsofia Fegyverneky contributed 8 points for Hungarian team. Dalma Ivanyi played only 13 minutes and was kept scoreless as the injury troubled her throughout the game. Gambrinus held their opponents to only 33% from the field and forced Pecsi to 27 turnovers. Gambrinus will now take on Ros Casares in the quarterfinals. Game 1 of the best-of-three series is scheduled for February 26 in Spain.
In Round 17 of Czech ZBL Gambrinus and USK Praha clashed in Brno. Gambrinus extended their perfect run as they bumped their arch-rivals 91:76 and remained spotless at 16-0 record. USK Praha meanwhile suffered their second loss in the season losing both regular season games to Gambrinus.
Brno outfit was busy in midweek as they completed the win over MiZo Pecs in Euroleague tournament. It could be a reason for somehow weary start of the hosts. USK Praha scored the first 5 points and grabbed an early lead. Katerina Elhotova soon nailed back-to-back three-pointers to put the visitors up by 6 points 13:7. Later Jannell Burse and Michaela Pavlickova teamed up for 9 points as USK Praha accumulated a 22:8 lead. Marketa Mokrosova netted 5 consecutive points and USK Praha led by as many as 18 points. Finally Gambrinus began to return to life. Timea Beres scored 6 points, while Hamchetou Maiga added 7 for the hosts to trim the gap to 10 points 30:40 midway through the second stanza. Hana Machova capped the first half with 4 straight points for Gambrinus and they trailed 46:51 at halftime. Ivana Vecerova and Tamika Whitmore quickly nailed 4 points to open the second half and Gambrinus climbed within a single point from USK Praha. Marketa Mokrosova drained a trey as the visiting side maintained the advantage for some time but the home team soon denied it. Hana Machova was perfect from charity stripe and Ivana Vecerova converted a jumper to put Gambrinus up by 3 points 59:56. Eva Viteckova and Zuzana Zirkova fired from beyond the arc and Gambrinus opened a double digit lead for the hosts. But not for too long as Jannell Burse, Katerina Elhotova and Elodie Godin made it all square at 68 after 30 minutes of action. Eva Viteckova poured in 4 points and Hamchetou Maiga added 4 more to carry Gambrinus to an 82:72 distance. USK Praha failed to come any closer to the hosts and lost the battle. Hamchetou Maiga paced the hosts with 17 points and 7 boards. Hana Machova provided 15 points and 10 boards, while Eva Viteckova added 15 points for the winners. Lindsay Whalen nailed 23 points and pulled down 7 boards for USK Praha. Marketa Mokrosova contributed 17 points in defeat.
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POLAND - Women
FGE Gameday 20: MVP Ewelina Kobryn (eval: 32) -by Wojciech Strzebinczyk
INEA AZS Poznań - Cukierki Odra Brzeg 81:51 (22:5, 16:16, 21:9, 22:21)
INEA AZS Poznań: Joanna Jarkowska 20, Paulina Dąbkowska 12, Reda Aleliunaite-Jankowska 10, Monika Sibora 8, Amy Sanders 7, Beata Krupska-Tyszkiewicz 6, Małgorzata Mycka 6, Marlena Wdowczyk 6, Joanna Lorek 3, Anna Pamuła 2, Agata Rafałowicz 1, Olga Pacyńska 0.
Cukierki Odra Brzeg: Ludmiła Lyubarska 10, Shantia Owens 10, Khaili Sanders 9, Justyna Daniel 9, Joei Clyburn 6, Daria Cybulak 5, Magdalena Rzeźnik 2, Marta Szymańska 0.
Wisła Can-Pack Krakow - Arcus SMS PZKosz Łomianki 103:58 (17:14, 25:17, 30:13, 31:14)
Wisła Can-Pack Krakow: Monika Krawiec 26, Ewelina Kobryn 25, Anna DeForge 13, Natalia Trafimawa 12, Dorota Gburczyk 11, Agnieszka Pałka 10, Agata Gajda 5, Jelena Skerovic 1, Anna Wielebnowska 0.
Arcus SMS PZKosz Łomianki: Olivia Tomiałowicz 22, Claudia Sosnowska 14, Magda Kaczmarska 9, Katarzyna Arak 5, Aneta Kotnis 3, Katarzyna Bednarczyk 2, Małgorzata Misiuk 2, Agnieszka Modelska 1, Agnieszka Śnieżek 0, Anna Soszyńska 0, Katarzyna Cwiklińska 0.
Lotos PKO BP Gdynia - Energa Toruń 91:75 (28:21, 26:16, 23:12, 14:26)
Lotos PKO BP Gdynia: Chamique Holdsclaw 15, Patrycja Gulak 14, Dominique Canty 12, Anna Breitreiner 11, Magdalena Leciejewska 11, Ganna Zarytska 9, Slobodanka Maksimovic 8, Marta Jujka 5, Jekaterina Snicyna 4, Natalia Waligorska 2, Karolina Ambrosiewicz 0.
Energa Toruń: Amy Denson 12, Alicja Perlińska 11, Justyna Grabowska 11, Lindsay Taylor 10, Beata Predehl 8, Anna Marczewska 8, Joanna Chełczyńska 6, Emilia Tłumak 5, Latoya Bond 4, Justyna Zielińska 0, Patrycja Bajerska 0.
PKM Duda PWSZ Leszno - CCC Polkowice 78:57 (29:13, 16:10, 20:11, 13:23)
PKM Duda PWSZ Leszno: Edyta Krysiewicz 21, Daria Mieloszyńska 16, Ryan Coleman 15, Agnieszka Budnik 11, Martyna Koc 10, Agnieszka Makowska 2, Olga Żytomirska 2, Anna Talarczyk 1, Anna Krzywicka 0, Agnieszka Krol 0, Monika Soroczyńska 0.
CCC Polkowice: Jennifer Lacy 19, N.Ndiaye 17, Ilona Jasnowska 8, Olga Masilione 6, Petra Stampalija 3, Justyna Jeziorna 2, Veronika Bortelova 2, Anna Szycko 0, Marta Gajewska 0, Magdalena Pietrzak 0.
KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp. - ŁKS Siemens AGD Łodź 69:57 (23:20, 13:17, 17:12, 16:8)
KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp.: Carrie Moore 21, Katarzyna Czubak 9, Justyna Żurowska 8, Joanna Czarnecka 7, Agnieszka Szott 7, Katarzyna Ristic 7, Aleksandra Chomac 5, Denaimou N'Garsanet 3, Małgorzata Babicka 2, Barbara Kaszewska 0.
ŁKS Siemens AGD Łodź: Katarzyna Kenig 18, Sylwia Wlaźlak 17, Jennifer Humphrey 8, Renata Oliveira 5, Dorota Sobczyk 4, Birute Dominauskaite 3, Milena Owczarek 2, Agnieszka Wilk 0.
Utex ROW Rybnik - MUKS Poznań 69:47 (20:10, 17:16, 14:7, 18:14)
Utex ROW Rybnik: Edyta Błaszczak 12, Hollie Merideth 12, Olena Proszczenko 11, Nikita Bell 10, Minja Siljegovic 10, Magdalena Skorek 9, Marquetta Dickens 3, Joanna Gorzyńska-Szymczak 2, Małgorzata Chomicka 0, Barbara Głocka 0, Sonia Moszkowicz 0, Natalia Przekop 0.
MUKS Poznań: Agnieszka Skobel 19, Paulina Antczak 6, Justyna Nieznalska 6, Okeisha Howard 4, Ilona Mądra 4, Barbara Skowronek 4, Żaneta Durak 3, Marijana Ivovic 1, Adrianna Najtkowska 0, Katarzyna Rezler 0, Martyna Mickow 0.
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RUSSIA - Women
UMMC bruises ailing Dynamo Moscow -by Eurobasket News
UMMC overcame Dynamo Moscow 69:60 in Ekaterinburg to improve to 13-2 record. Dynamo continued to struggle to find the right form on the local scene as they dropped to 7-9 record in the bog of the ladder. UMMC did not wait for too long before taking over in this one. The hosts opened the game with a 24:16 rally to leave Dynamo behind. UMMC limited Dynamo's leaders offensively and extended the gap to 16 points at halftime 44:28. Dynamo however refused to surrender that early. They showed a nearly perfect defensive effort in the third term holding the hosts beyond 10-point mark and trimming the deficit to 3 points heading into the final period. But UMMC withstood the momentum and eased to an overall win at the end. Agnieszka Bibrzycka (184-F/G-82, college: Abil.Christian) fired 22 points for UMMC. Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) added 18 points and 10 boards for the winners. Ieva Kublina (193-C-82, college: Virginia Tech) responded with 17 points for Dynamo. Nuria Martinez (176-G-84) had 11 points in defeat.
The league leaders CSKA thumped Dynamo Kursk 95:58 away from home yesterday. CSKA cruised past their opponents and easily secured their 15th straight win in the season. Nicole Powell (188-G/F-82, college: Stanford) and Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) stepped up with 16 points apiece for CSKA. Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) and Ann Wauters (194-C-80) scored 15 points apiece in winning case. Svetlana Makhlina (180-G-85) answered with 14 points for Dynamo Kursk as they fell to 7-8 record.
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SENEGAL - Women
Gomis top-scores in her last game of Euroleague this season -by Eurobasket News
Emilie Gomis (180-F-83) and her Valenciennes stopped just one step from producing the loudest sensation of the Euroleague playoffs as they were close of eliminating Ros Casares. But Ros Casares proved the strength in the decider and advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the competition. USVO handed the first loss to Ros Casares in the Euroleague season in the previous game but in Valencia Spanish outfit restores status quo. Krissy Bade and Emilie Gomis scored first 4 points in the game to spark USVO but Ros Casares quickly responded with a 15:0 run that put gave them a firm hold of the initiative. Elena Tornikidou and Katie Douglas nailed a bunch of free throws to extend the gap to 21:6 after the starting frame. Elisa Aguilar connected from afar early in the second stanza but her attempt was well-matched by Laurie Koehn. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the second period and Ros Casares drove to a 38:23 advantage at the break. Laia Palau and Ferragut gave the hosts a 46:27 lead midway through the third term but Emilie Gomis crowned the stanza with 4 consecutive free throws to trim the deficit to 17 points. Katie Douglas completed a three-point play, while Delisha Milton-Jones and Baranova added 4 points for the home team as they opened a 20+ advantage with almost 7 minutes left in regulation. Valenciennes never recovered and had to surrender at the end. Katie Douglas provided game-high 17 points for Ros Casares. Elena Tornikidou posted 12 points, while Milton contributed 9 points and 13 boards for the winners. Emilie Gomis and Krissy Bade answered with 10 points apiece in a losing case. Reka Cserny dropped 8 points for French team. USVO converted just 29% from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
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U.S.VIRGIN ISL. - Women
Javois held to 14 points -by David Edole
Fort Hays State University did its best to make sure the fight for that eighth and final spot in the MIAA's postseason tournament stays interesting as the regular season winds down, handing Missouri Western State University an 81-79 defeat, and forcing a three-way tie for that eighth spot. The Griffons fall to 9-13 overall and 4-10 in the MIAA.
Western senior guard Yanique Javois (176-G-86, college: St.Louis), who scored 24 in the Griffons' 22-point shellacking of the Tigers in St. Joseph, Mo., had just 14, with eight coming in the first half.
They have some premiere players,' Tigers Coach Annette Wiles said of Missouri Western. 'Yanique is a tremendous player and you're not going to go into a game and hold her to zero points, but we ran a lot of different players at her all night long.'
Missouri Western led by as many as six in the first half, but had several second-half leads. The Griffons, who shot 8-for-10 from the free throw line for the game, led 75-72 with 2:19 to play and 77-74 with just over a minute to play. Tiger senior guard Naomi Bancroft, hit the last of her four 3-pointers for the game to tie the game with 1:07 to play.
'After so many times of getting beat over and over gain, we didn't learn from it and it caught up with us,' Lynn Plett said.
Bancroft was 4-for-13 from long range, as the Tigers hit nine bombs from downtown.
Fort Hays went up 79-77 on a pair of free throws from Bancroft, but Jill Johnson tied it on a backside lob, setting up Fort Hays with the ball with 26 seconds to play. Brianna Willhite took her shot, and Meshia Mason followed with the game-winner as time expired.
'The ending was fitting,' Plett said. 'All game long we did a horrendous job of keeping Fort Hays off the offensive boards. Ironically, that's the way they won the ball game with the shortest player on the floor getting the offensive rebound, and putting it back for the game winner.'