Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/21/2008

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Men News

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ARGENTINA

Problems for Central Entrerriano and Kevin Sowell -by Facundo Iatzky
The Lebanon Federation announced CABB that Kevin Sowell (190-G-81) is not authorized to play in any league of the world because he left the club Anibal Zahle without permission. Central entrerriano will miss a lot him because he had a great impact on the team averaging 24.5 pts helping to the team to get 2 important victories. It seems that Kevin Will not can play in Central anymore and argentinian team will have to look for another player but it will be confirmed during the next days.

Another Jason Osborne in Argentina -by Facundo Iatzky
ciclista juninense signed Jason Osborne (203-F-83, agency: Duran International, college: St.Francis,PA) but he is not the player of penarol. He comes from Mexico and played in Louxembourg and France previously. He was the best offensive player of the 2006/07 louxembourg league. He had played in Southamerica before(Uruguay and Chile). Now Jason will have the chance of showing his skills in a competitive league as the argentinian one(second division).

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AUSTRALIA

Townsville chucks out Gold Coast -by Eurobasket News
Townsville - Gold Coast 97:89

The NBL playoffs got under way today when the Townsville Crocs took on the Gold Coast Blaze at the Townsville Entertainment Centre. The 5th-ranked took on the Blaze that finished at the 8th spot in the regular season. The first frame turned into a three-point skirmish between James Harvey (196-G/F-79) and John Rillie (195-G-71, college: Gonzaga). James Harvey came up with four straight trebles, while John Rillie answered with 3 treys as they the tension grew. But the Crocs had Corey Williams (191-G-77, college: Alabama St.) on court as the guard accounted for 8 points in the opening stanza to give the hosts a 29:27 lead after 10 minutes. Gold Coast however quickly retained the lead after the intermission and with the help of hot shooting James Harvey accumulated a 50:48 halftime lead. Corey Williams and Galen Young (201-F/G-75, college: Charlotte) stepped up for the home team to restore the Crocs' lead and soon opened up a double-figure advantage. Brad Sheridan (196-F/G-80) and Michael Cedar (195-G-86) provided a needed support from the bench nailing big-time triples for the hosts to stay up by 10 points after 30 minutes. Townsville continued to mount pressure and stretched the margin to 14 points midway through the fourth term. Scott McGregor (203-F-76) and Pero Cameron (199-F-74, agency: Duran International) notched treys to revive the intrigue in the game but Trevor Gleeson immediately introduced Corey Williams, John Rillie and Galen Young back into action and the Crocs secured the winning outcome at the crunch time. John Rillie ended up shooting 6/11 from beyond the arc and scoring game-high 30 points for Townsville. Corey Williams added 20 points and 5 assists, while Galen Young totaled 11 points and 15 boards for the winners. James Harvey responded with 27 points for Gold Coast. Luke Whitehead (199-F-81, college: Louisville) and Ben Melmeth (208-F/C-75, college: Utah) dropped 12 points apiece, while Jason Crowe (193-G-76, agency: Court Side, college: Cal.St. Northridge) was limited to only 7 points and issued 7 assists in defeat. Townsville outrebounded their opponents 43:41 and scored 19 points off their opponents' turnovers. The Blaze managed just 38% from the field, while the hosts converted 52% of field goals.
The Crocs will now take on the Perth Wildcats in the away from home semifinal on February 22.

Townsville: John Rillie 30, Corey Williams 20, Galen Young 11+15 boards
Gold Coast: James Harvey 27, Luke Whitehead 12, Ben Melmeth 12

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BELARUS

Players in Ukraine -by Eurobasket News
Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76, agency: Octagon, college: George Washington) and his Ukrainian Azovmash beat Zadar 82:80 in the first game of Uleb Cup Last 32 series . The 2-point loss is rather a victory for Zadar as they are known as a home-team and can possibly hope for much better outcome at home court. It was not an easy ride for Zadar though with Azovmash dominating at some points. The teams traded baskets early in the game with Juby Johnson highlighting for Zadar. He gave his team an 11:8 lead but soon Azovmash produced a 7:0 run to gain an advantage. The hosts led by 4 points after the opening frame 17:13 and stepped on the gas after the intermission. Rodney Rodney Buford ignited a three-point bombardment from the hosts. He drained two trebles, while Alexandr Skutelnik and Panagiotis Liadelis added two more for Azovmash to go up 32:18 in the second stanza. However Zadar found the savior in Corey Brewer as he fueled a 12:4 rally from Zadar to cut the deficit. Yegor Mescheriakov capped the first half with a trey to give Azovmash a 39:30 advantage. Gerrod Henderson made it 42:30 at the start of the third term and the hosts maintained the lead for some time. Zadar struggled offensively without Corey Brewer who was kept on the bench with 3 personal fouls. But when he returned to court late in the quarter the things got rolling for the visiting side. They came up with a couple of successful offensive plays but Azovmash denied it as Gerrod Henderson scored 5 points and sealed the scoreline at 67:55 after 30 minutes. Zadar replied on Juby Johnson and Shammell Stallworth as they brought Croatian team within 3 points midway through the final frame. The hosts extended the gap to 6 points on Archiblad's layups nevertheless Corey Brewer and Shammell Stallworth trimmed the gap to 2 points 78:80. Gerrod Henderson scored two free throws but Shammell Stallworth run across the whole court to sink a buzzer-beating layup for Zadar and finalizing a narrow loss for Zadar.
Gennadi Kuznetsov (204-F-75) scored 4 points for Odessa in Ukraine over Cherkasy Jovica Arsic's team gained lead but Odesa's made something fantastic in the last quarter. The friendly status of this game gave the possibility for the newcomers Marcus Wilson, Chuck Bailey and Vladyslav Podolian to receive much play-time so they put on good show. Odessa won 63:67 away from home.

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BULGARIA

CSKA with important 85-81 over Balkan -by Vladi Lazarova
CSKA won over Balkan 85:81 in a very ugly game in front of 700 'Red' fans at 'Hristo Botev' arena in Sofia. The team of Rosen Barchovski now has chances to climb to the 3rd place in the league, where now remains Balkan. CSKA has 14 victories and 10 lost matches in Bulgarian Pro A this season. The squad from Botevgrad is 15-9. This Friday 'The Greens' will host unbeatable champion and National Cup holder Lukoil Akademik which has 23 wins in a row. On Saturday 'The Reds' will face Cherno more in Bulgarian sea capital Varna.
Balkan lost 3rd consecutive game after these from Levski at home and from Spartak in Pleven and now is on a verge of 4th loss, this time from 'The Students'.
Huge troubles for CSKA too, no matter they survived tonight. Their starting point guard - Mike Henderson (188-G-84, agency: Interperformances, college: Iowa) left the court just 7 minutes before the end. 24-years old American injured his knee and there are big doubts that maybe he torn ligaments. Tomorrow Henderson will pass MRI in the hospital which, will show how tough is his situation and how long he will stay out of the court.
In the last 39 minutes of the match two teams made more than 20 free throws, but in the battle of the strong nerves, the winner was dressed in red. The last two made Hristo Nikolov (200-F-85). 200 cm tall forward finished with 19 points, all of them scored in the 2nd and 3rd quarter. He added 7 rebounds as well.
Lavell Payne (203-F-85, agency: AMI, college: Cent.Florida) finished another outstanding performance with 21 points and 10 boards. Before the break 206 cm tall American power forward led CSKA with 16 pts.
The new addition in the team from the capital - Josh Washington (190-G-83, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Texas A&M - C.C.) pored 13 points, coming of the bench, but was easy target in defence and made too many turnovers.
Ludmil Hadjisotirov (189-G-80, agency: AMI, college: Maine) helped with 10 points, including three extremely important shots from the 3 point range.
For Balkan amazing game played Pavle Boljkovac. 24-years old playmaker exploded with 27 points (5/9 for 2 pts, 2/2 for 3 pts, 13/14 from the line). Ivan Lilov added 15, but wasn't on his usual shooting level. A shadow of himself was the big leader of the 'green' team Dwayne Morton. Tonight wasn't his day and he left the court against his ex-club with 9 pts, 13 rebs and a lot of missed open shots.

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CHILE

Market news -by Cristian Quiroga
Chilean basket continues its movement during this pre-season. Provincial Osorno signed experimented forward Rodrigo Zuniga (198-F-76) who played last year in Ancud. Renato Vera (199-C/F-87) will continue in the roster too.
Guard Leonel Mendez (184-G-75) agreed terms with Universidad de Los Lagos of Puerto Montt to play Libsur and Dimayor this year. With Mendez arrive to ULA forward Johnny Gomez (195-F-80) coming from Ancud and center Francisco Gonzalez (200-C-82), last year in Espanol of Talca.
Deportivo Valdivia announced the sign of Ramiro Vera (199-C/F-80) who returns to the city after some years playing in other southern teams. Added to this, Valdivia leadership said that young players Esteban Toledo (189-F-90) and Franco Morales (179-G-92) (both cadets NT players) will be part of the roster this year. David Ergas and Jorge Soto wouldn't continue in the team.
Forward Carlos Sepulveda (195-F-83), a rol player who stayed last season in Ancud, was signed by CDUdeConce.

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CHINA

Liaoning Salvages a Finals Victory -by Arthur Volbert
Zhang Qingpeng (189-G-85) scored 31 points, Li Xiaoxu scored 27 and Olumide Oyedeji scored 25 as Liaoning kept alive in the CBA finals with a 105-96 victory over Guangdong. Guangdong now leads 3 games to 1 and can gain the championship by winning at home Friday.

Jamal Sampson did not play for Liaoning and Liu Xiangtao only played 14 minutes but nevertheless Liaoning was able to use its homecourt advantage to avoid a 4-0 blowout. Gu Liye again flashed his potential for Liaoning with 5 blocks in the game. But he has lost out to Li at power forward only got 26 minutes of playing time because of Sampson's absence.

Zhu Fangyu once again excelled for Guangdong with 29 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. He hit 7 of 9 two-point shots but, in his only negative statistic, hit only 2 of 8 three-pointers. Wang Shipeng had 17 points but hit only 2 of 10 three-pointers. All told Guangdong had a terrible game from outside, hitting only 7 of 29 shots from behind the arc. Chen Jianghua played acceptably, hitting all three of his shots for 7 points. He had 4 assists but also 4 turnovers. In an interesting battle of huge young reserve centers, Han Dejun (215-C-89) of Liaoning had 3 points and 3 rebounds and Su Wei (212-C-89) had 3 points and 1 rebound as each played about 5 minutes. Both are listed as born in 1989. But Han has previously been listed as born in 1987 and newly received his 1989 birth year when he joined the Liaoning senior team this season.

Liaoning---- 30 31 23 21 105
Guangdong 28 22 24 22 96

Liaoning 105
Bian Qiang 7p+8r+5a+1s, Liu Xiangtao 14min+0p+1a+2s, Zhang Qingpeng 43min+31p(10/13)+3a+2s+7to+6fl, Li Xiaoxu 27p(12/15)+4r+1a+1s, Olumide Oyedeji 25p+14r+4a+5s, Gu Liye 7p+2r+1a+1s+5bl, Yang Ming 25min+5p+1a+1s+6fl, Han Dejun 5min+3p+3r
Guangdong 96
Zhu Fangyu 29p+2r+4a+1s+3bl, Liu Xiaoyu 7p+3r+3a+1to, Jason Dixon 14p+12r+3a+4s+1bl, Wang Shipeng 17p+4r+1a, Du Feng 22min+10p+5r+1a, Lamond Murray 5p+2r+1s+1bl, Chen Jianghua 7p+1r+4a+1s, Su Wei 5min+3p+1r

LIAONING PULL ONE BACK!! -by Ogoh Odaudu
Liaoning Panpan showed the stuff that brought them to the CBA finals as they played the game of their lives today to pull one back from the series in which a loss for them today meant a sweep by Guandong. Spurred on by the inspirational play of Zhang Qingpeng (189-G-85) who scored 31pts in 43mins of play,Liaoning led from the tip-off till the buzzer sounded to hand down a 105-96 defeat to Guandong. He eventually fouled out but by then Liaoning were coasting home.Guandong who were usally great from 3pt range shot a dismal 7of 29 but did a better job in the paint as they made 28 of 42 shots. As usual, Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) paced Guandong with 29pts while Wang Shipeng (197-F/G-83) and Dixon Jason (205-C-73, college: Liberty) each contributed 17 and 14pts each. Du Feng (206-C/F-81) fouled out in the 4th quarter and was reduced to only 10pts. Zhang Qingpeng led scoring for Lioaning with 31pts while Lui Xiaoxu who also had a huge night in the absence of Sampson Jamal (209-F/C-83, agency: Octagon, college: California) added 27pts and 4rebs. Oyedeji Olumide (208-C/F-81) who played 43 minutes scored 25pts and grabbed 14rebs. Game 5 will be played on friday,the 22nd in DongGuan.

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CROATIA

Loss in Ukraine is no tragedy for Zadar -by Eurobasket News
Azovmash - Zadar 82:80

Croatian Zadar lost their first leg encounter against Ukrainian Azovmash but could hardly call it a major defeat. The 2-point loss is rather a victory for Zadar as they are known as a home-team and can possibly hope for much better outcome at home court. It was not an easy ride for Zadar though with Azovmash dominating at some points. The teams traded baskets early in the game with Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) highlighting for Zadar. He gave his team an 11:8 lead but soon Azovmash produced a 7:0 run to gain an advantage. The hosts led by 4 points after the opening frame 17:13 and stepped on the gas after the intermission. Rodney Rodney Buford (196-G-77, college: Creighton) ignited a three-point bombardment from the hosts. He drained two trebles, while Alexandr Skutelnik (192-G-77) and Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) added two more for Azovmash to go up 32:18 in the second stanza. However Zadar found the savior in Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) as he fueled a 12:4 rally from Zadar to cut the deficit. Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76, agency: Octagon, college: George Washington) capped the first half with a trey to give Azovmash a 39:30 advantage. Gerrod Henderson (193-G-78, agency: Octagon, college: Louisiana Tech) made it 42:30 at the start of the third term and the hosts maintained the lead for some time. Zadar struggled offensively without Corey Brewer who was kept on the bench with 3 personal fouls. But when he returned to court late in the quarter the things got rolling for the visiting side. They came up with a couple of successful offensive plays but Azovmash denied it as Gerrod Henderson scored 5 points and sealed the scoreline at 67:55 after 30 minutes. Zadar replied on Juby Johnson and Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) as they brought Croatian team within 3 points midway through the final frame. The hosts extended the gap to 6 points on Archiblad's layups nevertheless Corey Brewer and Shammell Stallworth trimmed the gap to 2 points 78:80. Gerrod Henderson scored two free throws but Shammell Stallworth run across the whole court to sink a buzzer-beating layup for Zadar and finalizing a narrow loss for Zadar.
Corey Brewer tallied game-high 27 points and 6 assists for Zadar. Shammell Stallworth provided 17 points, while Jure Lalic (212-C-86) stepped up with 11 points in a loss. Rodney Buford paced Azovmash with 20 points. Gerrod Henderson dropped 18 points, while Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, college: Illinois) added 17 points and 11 boards for the winners.

Azovmash: Rodney Buford 20, Gerrod Henderson 18, Robert Jr. Archibald 17+11 boards
Zadar: Corey Brewer 27, Shammell Stallworth 17, Jure Lalic 11

Zagreb unable to tame Barons -by Eurobasket News
Barons - KK Zagreb 67:58

KK Zagreb lost the first game in the best-of-three series against Barons in Latvia. KK Zagreb looked ready to challenge the hosts and got to a better start of the matchup. Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) scored 5 points to put the visitors up early in the game. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) and Petar Babic (191-G-85) kept Croatian team ahead as Zadar secured a 14:13 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Barons however stay closed and soon after the beginning of the second term Raimonds Vaikulis (191-G-80) handed the hosts a 18:16 lead. Krunoslav Simon (198-G/F-85) immediately answered with a three-pointer to retain advantage for Zagreb. Later Gordan Zadravec (204-F/C-69) hit a trey and Mario Dundovic (200-F/C-77, agency: Court Side) sank a jumper for Zagreb to enjoy a 26:21 cushion. Five points from Krunoslav Simon allowed the visitors stretch the margin to 8 points before Dainius Adomaitis (202-F-74) and Armands Skele (192-G-83) trim it to 4 points at the break 29:33. Kaspars Berzins (211-F/C-85, agency: FCM) opened the third stanza with a triple and shortly after Giedrius Gustas (190-G-80, agency: Interperformances) returned the lead to the home team. Zagreb quickly accumulated 5 team fouls and Barons capitalized piling up points from free throw line. Michal Hlebowicki (204-F-76) and Armands Skele capped the frame with 5 straight points to give Barons a 52:46 lead. Armands Skele quickly scored 6 points and Barons opened up a double-digit lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left in regulation. Gordan Zadravec completed a three-point play for Zagreb but his effort was denied by a three-pointer from Michal Hlebowicki. Giedrius Gustas and Armands Skele were deadly from charity stripe to ensure the winning outcome for Barons at late stages. Armands Skele notched 25 points to lead all scorers. Michal Hlebowicki provided 13 points in a win. Jakov Vladovic answered with 13 points and 5 boards for KK Zagreb. Krunoslav Simon tallied 10 points and 7 boards in a losing case. KK Zagreb lost the battle under the rims 31:41. And though they held the hosts to only 36% accuracy from the field KK Zagreb committed 18 turnovers and the hosts capitalized.

Barons: Armands Skele 25, Michal Hlebowicki 13, Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama) 10+10 boards
KK Zagreb: Jakov Vladovic 13, Krunoslav Simon 10, Gordan Zadravec 9

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CUBA

Matanzas vs. Camaguey, what a fight! -by Alessandro Fontana
LSB-Time in Cuba, Incredible Results in these weeks, and the fight for the '4th place' between Camaguey and Matanzas is one of the most interesting events of this LSB 2008. Camaguey won two times against Capitalinos, the new leader of the Cuban League and Matanzas won also two times against the 'second team of the LSB' Guantanamo. Four unexpected results and Matanzas won also without his best scorer Allens Jemmott (193-G-80).
Last week one of the best games was Matanzas- Ciego de Avila. In the first game 'Los Avilenos' won with a great Geoffrey Silvestre, the MVP of the game with 37 points (16/24 2pts, 5/9 FT) and 10 rebs. In the second game was the 'AJ one man show', Allens Jemmott scored 36 points (14/19 2pts, 74% 2pts), He was unstoppable and He lep Matanzas up to a great victory.
To mention also the game of Andy Boffill against Metropolitanos. His team won 90-80 and He scored 44 pts.
The Results:
Capitalinos- Metropolitanos= 85-59 (C= Torres 24, Garcia 20, Torres 14; M= Borlot 14, Casanas 10)
Capitalinos- Matanzas= 96-67 (C= Alvarez 18, Lima 16, Valdes 14; M= Jemmott 19, Diaz 15)
Matanzas- Ciego de Avila= 87-105 (M= Jemmott 24, Torriente 23; C= Silvestre 37, Guerra 22, Perez 10)
Matanzas- Ciego de Avila= 99-96 (M= Jemmott 36, Torriente 22, Diaz 13; CAV= Silvestre 30, Perez 19)
Camaguey- Capitalinos= 79-72 (C= Batista 18, Polas 15, Ramos 13; C= Leguen 15, Lima 12)
Matanzas- Guantanamo= 80-75 (M= Norona 22, Torriente 21, Albelo 20; G= Simon 26, Masso 15)
Camaguey- Capitalinos = 71-67 (C= Batista 18, Jimenez 13, Polas 12; C= Torres 19, Lima 16)
Metropolitanos- Villa Clara= 80-90 (M= Dube 18, Borlot 17; VC= Boffill 44, Rodriguez L. 14, Arcia 10)
Matanzas- Guantanamo= 88-85 (M= Torriente 26, Diaz 20, Rossell 14; G= Simon 30, Elias 18)

Next games will be on 21st february: Metropolitano- Camaguey; Matanzas- Santiago de Cuba; Guantanamo- Ciego de Avila; Villa Clara- Capitalinos.
A. Fontana

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CYPRUS

FIBA Europe Cup: AEL beat Khimik 70-65 and made the first step to the final four. -by Chris Mammides
Proteas EKA AEL's ambitions for EuroCup Final Four for the first time in their history came to just very close after the yesterday's game as they won the opening leg of their Top 8 series against Khimik. Cypriot team outlasted their opponents on every inch of the court and deservedly won the game, after a decisive 15-2 run over a span of seven minutes in the second quarter and used that as a platform for victory. The game was pretty close early on but just before Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) begun his amazing offensive crescent. The first frame ended up with Khimik leading by 2 points 16-18. Khimik, got points mainly from Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, college: Salem Intern.) and Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81), but encountered a slow persistence in the second quarter who found Proteas trailing a 15-8. Kelly kept the visitors alive with a couple of important buckets in the second stanza however the home side capped the half with a 6:0 run to establish by the end of the half time a deficit of 5 for the Ukrainians at the interval.
The third quarter continued on the same up-tempo from the home team with Milutin Aleksic being the top performer for another European game for AEL.
At the fourth quarter, the Ukrainians with Kolchenko's input cut the deficit but a killer blow then struck the Ukrainian team when Famutimi was whistled for a foul on Vasily Zavoruev, who was attempting a three-pointer, and he made all three of his shots from the charity stripe for a seven-point lead. Kelly did give Khimik hope with an incredible four-point play midway through the quarter. But the reliable Aleksic responded with a lay-up to take his points haul to 18 as AEL stayed in front for the remainder of the game.
Aleksic had 21 points for the winners, who won despite being out-rebounded 42-31.Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) also had 15 points and four assists in a winning effort.

Proteas EKA AEL: Duane Woodward 15, Milutin Aleksic 21 and Ryan Randle (206-F-81, college: Maryland) 11
Khimik: Wykeen Kelly 14, Sasa Bratic 14, Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80) 9

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CZECH REP.

ULEB Cup elimination round Nymburk vs Zgorzelec -by Ondra Simecek
PGE Turow Zgorzelec rallied from a 17-point deficit to get a 61-61 tie against CEZ Nymburk in the 1st leg of their ULEB Cup Last 32 series in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. As such, both teams set a make-or-break, winner-take-all showdown for the 2nd leg next week, when Turow hosts Nymburk in Liberec, the Czech Republic. Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) led Nymburk with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Radoslav Rancik added 15 points and 9 rebounds while Petr Benda had 13 points for the hosts. Dragisa Drobnjak led Turow with 14 points on 6-for-8 two-pointers. David Logan added 13 while Marko Scekic and Robert Witka each had 12 for the guests. Sokolovsky and an unstoppable Rancik allowed Nymburk to get a 32-15 margin late in the second quarter. Scekic and Witka brought Turow within 34-21 at halftime while a 0-8 run got the guests even closer, 38-34. Sokolovsky tried to keep Nymburk ahead but Andres Rodriguez gave Turow its first lead of the night, 56-58, with 3 minutes to go. Logan stroke from down town but Sokolovsky followed free throws with a triple to tie the series at the end of the 1st leg.

Sokolovsky got Nymburk going with a quick basket and soon added his first three-pointers in a 7-1 opening run that Benda capped with a layup. Drobnjak tried to change things for Turow but back-to-back baskets by Rancik gave Nymburk an 11-3 lead. Drobnjak kept pacing Turow with free throws but Michael Kremen answered from downtown to keep the hosts ahead, 14-5. Logan and Benda traded baskets while Drobnjak scored again for a 16-9 Turow deficit. A three-pointer by Arthur Lee allowed Nymburk to keep a 19-12 lead after 10 minutes. Lee scored again right at the start of the second quarter while Monty Mack stroke from downtown to give Nymburk its first double-digit margin, 24-14. Slobodan Ljubotina made a free throw but Turow kept struggling to score. Meanwhile, Rancik had 6 points in an 8-0 run that boosted the hosts' lead to 32-15. Scekic stepped up for Turow with back-to-back baskets while a put-back layup by Witka brought the guests within 34-21 at halftime.

David Logan - PGE TurowTurow improved its defense right after the break, making Nymburk go scoreless in the opening 4 minutes of the third quarter. Meanwhile, a three-pointer by Logan ignited a 0-8 Turow run that Witka capped another one from downtown to make it a five-point game, 34-29. Nymburk called a much-needed timeout, as Mack and Sokolovsky stepped up with consecutive baskets. Turow did not panic, however, as Drobnjak scored again while Kelati fired in a triple to get the guests even closer, 38-34. Rancik answered from downtown and Sokolovsky added a layup but consecutive baskets by an unstoppable Drobnjak kept Turow within 43-38. A layup-plus-foul by Benda and a big triple by Witka fixed the score at 46-41 after 30 minutes. Logan sank another triple to get Turow as close as 46-44 early in the fourth quarter. Benda followed a layup with a put-back basket while Rancik made Turow call timeout at 52-45. Scekic followed Witka's triple with free throws but Sokolovsky kept Nymburk ahead, 54-50. Skecic stayed unstoppable while Rodriguez completed the guests' comeback, 56-58, with 3 minutes to go. Logan buried a triple that capped a 0-9 Turow run for a 56-61 lead. Sokolovsky made free throws while Rodriguez missed foul shots and a triple, giving Nymburk the final possession. Sokolovsky stroke from downtown to set a do-or-die showdown in Liberec next week.
source: ULEBcup.com

Market News - Sarovic in Geofin for two more seasons -by Ondra Simecek
Geofin Novy Jicin prolonged the contract with Robert Sarovic (205-F-78) for another two seasons. Sarovic is one of the best players on his position this season not just in the team of Geofin but also in the Czech Republic.
BK Pardubice signed a newcomer for this season. Martin Sykora is coming to the team from Slovakian ESO Club Lucenec and signed a two year contract with Pardubice. The club claimed that it should be the last signing for this season.

Nymburk - record in attandance again - 10.460 spectators -by Ondra Simecek
In the ULEB Cup game Nymburk vs Zgorzelec the record of the spectators was broke again.
Nymburk is playing its ULEB Cup games on the court of CEZ Arena in Pardubice and since the beggining of the season is breaking all records in attandance of basketball in the Czech Republic. For the first time the record was broke in the game against Fortitubo Bologna in December, when 7.120 spectators came. A month later 9.875 fans were in the arena on the game against Dynamo Moscow. Another record was expected on the following game and Nymburk was hoping to break the number of 10.000 spectators. Yesterday on the 'Last 32' Game 1 battle there was 10.460 fans watching the game in the arena. That makes the new record of an attandace not just for the Czech Republic but also record for all the ULEB Cup games played this season.
The average number of spectators coming to see Nymburks ULEB Cup home games this season is 7.150 people.

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ESTONIA

EMKL HEATS UP...BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN... -by Ozell Wells

Last night in the EMKL saw two marked changes in the standings...
TTP/Pirita rode the stellar play of William Sharp (202-F-84) and his 26 points and 12 rebounds to handily defeat Tartu-Fausto 86-62. For Fausto, Ardo Armpalu (207-F/C-80, college: Marshall) had 19 points and 9 rebounds but it was to no avail as there was NO ANSWER for Joosep Pokla (198-G-86) who chipped in 19 points and 8 rebounds for Pirita. WIth the victory, Pirita stands in sole possesion of the 3rd place in the table, a spot held for the past month by Triobet/Dalkia. Both of those teams have to face off 23 February to decide who will hold the 3rd place in the table as the season is winding down.

The other night's game saw BC Kraft Moobel defeat TTU KK 84-60 behind Heiko Niidas (206-C-83) and his 20 points. Greg McQuay (201-F-76, college: Purdue) (201-F-76, college: Purdue) was the difference maker in this game as he had 17 points, 18 rebounds and 2 blocked shots as his blocks came in the middle of a 22-12 4th quarter that saw Kraft Moobel put the game away.
With the win, Kraft Moobel takes the 8th playoff spot with 9 games remaining. Kraft Moobel after starting the season 0-12 have seemingly turned things around behind the rebounding of Greg McQuay and Heiko Niidas. Both players are among the league leaders in rebounding with McQuay leading the entire EMKL with 12.4 rebounds per game and Niidas currently sits at 4th in the lague with 8.14 rebounds. Kraft Moobel ends their season with two pivotal games against Rakvere Tarvas, the team that held the 8th spot for the past 3 months. Much like the Pirita & Triobet scenario the teams will square off to decide a victor.

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EURO CUP

Ural Great and Samara lose in EuroCup -by Eurobasket News
Both Ural Great and Samara were held back in the EuroCup quarterfinals. They opened their series on the road and were handed a painful losses in Estonia and Belgium.
Ural Great visited Tartu to take on the local TU/Rock in the first game of the best-of-three series. The visitors experienced some coaching mess the last week as previous team's head coach Drazen Anzulovic unexpectedly left the franchise just days before the EuroCup game and the management had to look for a substitute in frenzy. Roman Dvinyaninov took over as a head coach through the reminder of the season and steered the team in Tartu. And Ural Great fought bravely but fell just short of upsetting surprising TU/Rock. The teams kept it close in the opening frame and were tied at 15 with 40 seconds left in it. But Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) hit a free throw and Aleksei Surovtsev (202-G-84) converted a three-pointer to put the visiting side ahead by 4 points 19:15. Aleksei Zozulin (199-G/F-83) extended the margin to 5 points early in the second term but Gert Kullamae (198-G/F-71) connected twice from the outside to retain the lead for TU/Rock. He later drained another trey to make it 30:26 for the hosts. Tanel Tein (194-G/F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) and Vallo Allingu (206-C-78) stretched the gap even more but Vanja Plisnic and Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81, college: Centenary) drilled straight triples to carry Ural Great within 2 points from the home team. Ivan Koljevic (186-G-84) netted 5 points in a row for the visitors as Ural Great restored a 37:36 lead. Nevertheless Marek Doronin (200-F/G-83) crowned the half with 5 points for TU/Rock to enjoy a 41:37 advantage at the interval. Tanel Tein and George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) teamed up for 9 points as TU/Rock accumulated a 50:41 lead midway through the third period. Aleksander Bashminov (213-C-78) accounted for 5 points and Vanja Plisnic knocked down another trey for Ural Great to trim the deficit to a single point. Vallo Allingu and Tanel Tein still uttered the last word for the hosts and ensured a 59:54 outcome after three quarters of action. Tanel Tein scored 5 points and Gert Kullamae notched a three-pointer for TU/Rock as they widened the damage to 15 points. Ural Great refused to surrender. Brent Wright (203-F/C-78, college: Florida) and Aleksei Zozulin stepped up with consecutive three-pointers to narrow the deficit. Aleksei Zozulin later completed a three-point play, while Vanja Plisnic and Brent Wright added 5 more points to drag Ural Great within 4 points. George Tsintsadze did not hesitate from charity stripe to restore a 6-point buffer with 38 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Wisniewski scored three points but it was all Ural Great could do. TU/Rock withstood and celebrated an important victory as they stepped closer to the Final Four. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for next week Perm. Tanel Tein drained 18 points, while George Tsintsadze had 16 in a win. Vanja Plisnic bruised the home team for 19 points and 6 boards.
Meanwhile Samara were dismantled by Mons Hainaut 66:92 in Belgium. Samara opened the game bravely enough and held a 21:19 advantage after the opening frame. But the hosts gradually improved their game and soon claim the lead for good. Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.) paced the home side with 16 points. Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) had 14 points in a winning case. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: St.Louis) dropped 24 points for Samara. Evgeni Voronov (192-G-86) nailed 15 points in a losing effort.

Zagreb unable to tame Barons -by Eurobasket News
Barons - KK Zagreb 67:58

KK Zagreb lost the first game in the best-of-three series against Barons in Latvia. KK Zagreb looked ready to challenge the hosts and got to a better start of the matchup. Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) scored 5 points to put the visitors up early in the game. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) and Petar Babic (191-G-85) kept Croatian team ahead as Zadar secured a 14:13 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Barons however stay closed and soon after the beginning of the second term Raimonds Vaikulis (191-G-80) handed the hosts a 18:16 lead. Krunoslav Simon (198-G/F-85) immediately answered with a three-pointer to retain advantage for Zagreb. Later Gordan Zadravec (204-F/C-69) hit a trey and Mario Dundovic (200-F/C-77, agency: Court Side) sank a jumper for Zagreb to enjoy a 26:21 cushion. Five points from Krunoslav Simon allowed the visitors stretch the margin to 8 points before Dainius Adomaitis (202-F-74) and Armands Skele (192-G-83) trim it to 4 points at the break 29:33. Kaspars Berzins (211-F/C-85, agency: FCM) opened the third stanza with a triple and shortly after Giedrius Gustas (190-G-80, agency: Interperformances) returned the lead to the home team. Zagreb quickly accumulated 5 team fouls and Barons capitalized piling up points from free throw line. Michal Hlebowicki (204-F-76) and Armands Skele capped the frame with 5 straight points to give Barons a 52:46 lead. Armands Skele quickly scored 6 points and Barons opened up a double-digit lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left in regulation. Gordan Zadravec completed a three-point play for Zagreb but his effort was denied by a three-pointer from Michal Hlebowicki. Giedrius Gustas and Armands Skele were deadly from charity stripe to ensure the winning outcome for Barons at late stages. Armands Skele notched 25 points to lead all scorers. Michal Hlebowicki provided 13 points in a win. Jakov Vladovic answered with 13 points and 5 boards for KK Zagreb. Krunoslav Simon tallied 10 points and 7 boards in a losing case. KK Zagreb lost the battle under the rims 31:41. And though they held the hosts to only 36% accuracy from the field KK Zagreb committed 18 turnovers and the hosts capitalized.

Barons: Armands Skele 25, Michal Hlebowicki 13, Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama) 10+10 boards
KK Zagreb: Jakov Vladovic 13, Krunoslav Simon 10, Gordan Zadravec 9

Quarter Final Round. First games -by Eurobasket News
First games of the EuroCup quarterfinals were played last night in four cities of four different countries. KK Zagreb lost the first game in the best-of-three series against Barons in Latvia. KK Zagreb looked ready to challenge the hosts and got to a better start of the matchup. Jakov Vladovic scored 5 points to put the visitors up early in the game. Ante Tomic and Petar Babic kept Croatian team ahead as Zadar secured a 14:13 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Barons however stay closed and soon after the beginning of the second term Raimonds Vaikulis handed the hosts a 18:16 lead. Krunoslav Simon immediately answered with a three-pointer to retain advantage for Zagreb. Later Gordan Zadravec hit a trey and Mario Dundovic sank a jumper for Zagreb to enjoy a 26:21 cushion. Five points from Krunoslav Simon allowed the visitors stretch the margin to 8 points before Dainius Adomaitis and Armands Skele (192-G-83) trim it to 4 points at the break 29:33. Kaspars Berzins opened the third stanza with a triple and shortly after Giedrius Gustas returned the lead to the home team. Zagreb quickly accumulated 5 team fouls and Barons capitalized piling up points from free throw line. Michal Hlebowicki and Armands Skele capped the frame with 5 straight points to give Barons a 52:46 lead. Armands Skele quickly scored 6 points and Barons opened up a double-digit lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left in regulation. Gordan Zadravec completed a three-point play for Zagreb but his effort was denied by a three-pointer from Michal Hlebowicki. Giedrius Gustas and Armands Skele were deadly from charity stripe to ensure the winning outcome for Barons at late stages. Armands Skele notched 25 points to lead all scorers. Michal Hlebowicki provided 13 points in a win. Jakov Vladovic answered with 13 points and 5 boards for KK Zagreb. Krunoslav Simon tallied 10 points and 7 boards in a losing case. KK Zagreb lost the battle under the rims 31:41. And though they held the hosts to only 36% accuracy from the field KK Zagreb committed 18 turnovers and the hosts capitalized.
Ural Great visited Tartu to take on the local TU/Rock in the first game of the best-of-three series. The visitors experienced some coaching mess the last week as previous team's head coach Drazen Anzulovic unexpectedly left the franchise just days before the EuroCup game and the management had to look for a substitute in frenzy. Roman Dvinyaninov took over as a head coach through the reminder of the season and steered the team in Tartu. And Ural Great fought bravely but fell just short of upsetting surprising TU/Rock. The teams kept it close in the opening frame and were tied at 15 with 40 seconds left in it. But Vanja Plisnic hit a free throw and Aleksei Surovtsev converted a three-pointer to put the visiting side ahead by 4 points 19:15. Aleksei Zozulin extended the margin to 5 points early in the second term but Gert Kullamae connected twice from the outside to retain the lead for TU/Rock. He later drained another trey to make it 30:26 for the hosts. Tanel Tein (194-G/F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) and Vallo Allingu stretched the gap even more but Vanja Plisnic and Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81, college: Centenary) drilled straight triples to carry Ural Great within 2 points from the home team. Ivan Koljevic netted 5 points in a row for the visitors as Ural Great restored a 37:36 lead. Nevertheless Marek Doronin crowned the half with 5 points for TU/Rock to enjoy a 41:37 advantage at the interval. Tanel Tein and George Tsintsadze teamed up for 9 points as TU/Rock accumulated a 50:41 lead midway through the third period. Aleksander Bashminov accounted for 5 points and Vanja Plisnic knocked down another trey for Ural Great to trim the deficit to a single point. Vallo Allingu and Tanel Tein still uttered the last word for the hosts and ensured a 59:54 outcome after three quarters of action. Tanel Tein scored 5 points and Gert Kullamae notched a three-pointer for TU/Rock as they widened the damage to 15 points. Ural Great refused to surrender. Brent Wright and Aleksei Zozulin stepped up with consecutive three-pointers to narrow the deficit. Aleksei Zozulin later completed a three-point play, while Vanja Plisnic and Brent Wright added 5 more points to drag Ural Great within 4 points. George Tsintsadze did not hesitate from charity stripe to restore a 6-point buffer with 38 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Wisniewski scored three points but it was all Ural Great could do. TU/Rock withstood and celebrated an important victory as they stepped closer to the Final Four. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for next week Perm. Tanel Tein drained 18 points, while George Tsintsadze had 16 in a win. Vanja Plisnic bruised the home team for 19 points and 6 boards.
Samara were dismantled by Mons Hainaut 66:92 in Belgium. Samara opened the game bravely enough and held a 21:19 advantage after the opening frame. But the hosts gradually improved their game and soon claim the lead for good. Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.) paced the home side with 16 points. Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) had 14 points in a winning case. Marque Perry dropped 24 points for Samara. Evgeni Voronov nailed 15 points in a losing effort.
AEL outlasted Ukrainian opponents Khimik on every inch of the court and deservedly won the game 70:65, after a decisive 15-2 run over a span of seven minutes in the second quarter and used that as a platform for victory. The game was pretty close early on but just before Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) begun his amazing offensive crescent. Aleksic had 21 points for the winners, who won despite being out-rebounded 42-31.Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) also had 15 points and four assists in a winning effort.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Tarmo upset Torpan Pojat -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiiga, Round 34: Four games on Wednesday. One real upset; Tarmo (Porvoo) defeated Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) 98-94! Tony Bennett (185-G-84, agency: Edge Sports, college: Bradley) led Tarmo with 32 pts. When Kauhajoki won again over YMCA Lahti at Kauhajoki, that means Team Componenta (Karkkila) is now # 12 in the league.

Tarmo - Torpan Pojat 98-94 (46-50) (Tony Bennett 32, Mark McCarroll 19/11 - Josh Gonner 26, Iiro Tenngren 17).

Kauhajoki - YMCA Lahti 88-84 (44-40) (Eric Washington 41/10, Mario Porter 16 - Ville Makalainen 21, Teemu Laine 18).

Kouvot - Team Componenta 94-63 (48-37) Corey Smith 28, Wayne Bernard 212 - Turo Lehtonen 15, Chris Hester 14).

Pyrinto - KTP 96-84 (40-43) (Damon Williams 31/12, Damion Dantzler 21/16 - Steve Smith 22, Jermaine Spivey 20).

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GERMANY

Pesic from Ansbach to Freiburg -by Moritz Korff
USC Freiburg (2. Bundesliga Pro B) has strengthend its roster once again and signed Mihajlo Pesic (206-F/C-81, agency: Court Side). The 26-year-old Power Forward/Center and former member of the Yugoslavian Junior National Team - being the son of an Irish mother and a Serbian father - had joined the Ansbach Piranhas in January and averaged 24.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 5 games. Pesic shall help the Freiburg team to move to the 2. Bundesliga Pro A.

ASC Mainz: Green is paving the way to the championship -by Kristian Santiago

Last weekend, Panthers Schwenningen visited ASC Theresianum Mainz for the crucial game to decide which of the two teams is going to gain promotion to Pro B next year. Mainz is in first place while second placed Schwenningen needed a win to close the gap to the leaders.
Edjuan Green (203-F-82, college: Texas A&M) spoke to Eurobasket about the game:
'We pretty much got our motivation from them beating us on their court in our first match, so this was a game we have been looking forward to for a while now.
After reviewing the film of the first encounter against them, it was clear that they out hustled us on the boards, and we came into the game knowing since both teams like to get up and down the floor, it was a must to control the rebounds on both ends', tells us Edjuan Green about the preparation prior the game.

Eventually, it was his 26 points (he top scored all players) along with 19 rebounds that helped ASC Theresianum Mainz to beat the ambitious Panthers 87-78.
'As a team we came out and played great team ball and the outcome of the game showed with us winning the game', notes the Texas-native who is currently averaging 17,6 ppg in 19 contests for ASC Theresianum Mainz.

With the season nearing it's end, the forward is bound to play in the U.S. again: 'After the season, I plan on returning to the States to play off-season ball in the IBL in Vancouver, Oregon ,so I can work on my game and stay in shape.'
We are hoping to see Edjuan later the year in one of the bigger leagues in Europe again, with the same story of success like the one he is currently living in.

Rick Stafford announces comeback -by Moritz Korff
Rick Stafford will make a comeback on the basketball court and is going to wear the jersey of Dimplex Falke Nuernberg in the 2. Bundesliga Pro A for the remainder of the season. The 35-year-old American with German passport has won one German Championship in his career as a player and hung up his sneakers in 2006. He took over his first coaching job at TSV Breitenguessbach the same year, but returned to the hardwood during the season for one single game. For this current season Stafford joined the coaching squad of Brose Baskets Bamberg as an assistant to Dirk Bauermann. Nuernberg is currently 16th in the ladder of the 2. Bundesliga Pro A. Stafford's first appearance for the Falcons is scheduled for tonight, when the team takes on USC Heidelberg on the road.

Boumtje Boumtje in Oldenburg for the remainder of the season -by Moritz Korff
The EWE Baskets Oldenburg (1. Bundesliga) have extended the contract with Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown) until the end of this current season. The 29-year-old Cameroonian Center came to Oldenburg in November 07. In 13 Bundesliga-apperances he has averaged 4.0 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Thunderbirds this season. Last year he played for ALBA Berlin and has also a past in the NBA.

Total chaos! Koeln 99ers die and rise again within a couple of hours -by Moritz Korff
Total chaos in the Bundesliga! The Koeln 99ers needed only a couple of hours to drop out of Germanys first division and to get back. Only three hours after both the league-management and the Koeln 99ers put out a press release yesterday which told that the 99ers would withdraw from the league with immediate effect for financial reasons, the 99ers removed this news from their website to replace it by the message that the club has been saved from insolvency and is able to continue the season. Right after the decision to withdraw Koeln from the league the 99ers had been moved to the last place in the official ladder of the Bundesliga. This change was undone at about 3pm on Wednesday, after the 99ers had announced in a press conference earlier that day to finally have found two investors. These businessmen declared to close the financial gap (according to reports on the leagues' website 750.000 Euro were needed) and to establish an economic basis for the 99ers which allows the team to finish this current season in the 1. Bundesliga regularly.
At least one question is left in this matter: How truthworthy and reliable is a league that announces the withdrawal and the comeback of a club within only a couple of hours? And how long will it take until the next team of the Bundesliga gets in econmic trouble? One thing is sure: In and out, back and forth - with all this fuss that has been made within only 20 hours the Bundesliga has completely made a fool of itself.

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HOLLAND

Landstede Basketball Wins In Weert, Get Back In Playoff Hunt -by Sanders Jackson

Tuesday night in Weert, Landstede Basketball continue on course in their pursuit for a playoff spot, with one of their best starts and shooting performances of the season in a 97-79 blowout of reeling Upstairs Weert. Landstede jumped out to a 26-14 1st quarter start and shot an impressive 65% FG. Robby Bostain

(191-G/F-84, agency: Sports Plus International, college: Furman) scored a season-high 31 pts. with 4 three-pointers, 5 assists and 4 steals, with Darnell Wilson

(198-F-85, college: Canisius) adding 23 pts. and 3 steals, and Gerad Punch

(193-G/F, college: Furman) scored 19. Landstede wins its 2nd in a row and five of last six, moving ahead of ZZ Leiden for the 8th playoff spot and one game behind Upstairs.

West-Brabant Giants Blow Out ZZ Leiden -by Sanders Jackson

In Leiden on Tuesday night, in a tale of two teams going in opposite directions, West-Brabant Giants continue to grow in their team confidence, while ZZ Leiden is going in the opposite direction, with West-Brabant winning in an 106-87 blowout. The West-Brabant frontline of Tim Blue

(206-F-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Middle Tenn.St.), Andre Harris

(203-F-85, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) and Devonne Giles

(203-F-83, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Tech) continued their strong play for the Giants, combining for 63 total points, with Giles and Blue notching double-doubles. West-Brabant took a ten-point lead heading into halftime and kept ZZ at arm's length throughout, finishing things off in a big 4th quarter run. The nets were friendly to the Giants, making string music at 63.5% FG, while also not hesitating to share the wealth (26 assists). Donald Wilson (193-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) led ZZ with 24 pts. The win was West-Brabant's fifth straight, with ZZ losing its 3rd straight.

Eiffel Towers Win In Nijmegen -by Sanders Jackson

In the Horstacker on Tuesday night to decide a Dutch Cup semifinal spot, defending Dutch champions Eiffel Towers made their return to their old stomping grounds versus arch rivals Matrixx Magixx better than in their previous two matchups, winning the war in a 92-86 thriller. Eiffel took a 69-53 lead heading into the final quarter, but had to hold off a furious Matrixx rally, but got the job done. Darrell Tucker

(206-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: USF) led Eiffel with 22 pts., with Robert Owens

(201-F-82, college: Ball St.) adding 21. Todd Abernethy

(185-G-84, college: Mississippi) scored 22 for Matrixx. Eiffel advances in the Dutch Cup.

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HUNGARY

Round 19: Kormend could win in Pecs -by Tamas Deri
Kormend could beat Pecs in a very top game tonight in their own arena. Kormend lost only one game in 2008 (13th of January in Hodmezovasarhely) yet, after a very bad start of the season (4-10), won five games in a row.

PVSK-EXPO CENTER PECS - POLAROID-LAMI-VED KÖRMEND 85-90
(22-25, 24-19, 14-24, 15-22)
PVSK: Kutasi 5/3, Nick Williams (192-G-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Cincinnati) 14/9, Gabor Denes (197-F-82) 16/12, Toth 6, Lapov 10/3, Wittmann, Peter Grebenar (211-C-81) 18, Czigler 2, Dragan Aleksic (196-G-70, agency: Beo Basket) 14/6, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
KORMEND: Marton Fodor (191-G-81, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 12/6, Ferencz 8/6, Rudolf Trummer (196-F-78, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 13/9, Ocitti 9/3, Vavra 12, Jermaine Thomas (187-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: La Salle) 12/6, McCants 5/3, Gergely Fodor (193-G-77, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents) 19/12, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic

Round 19: NYKK could won in Kecskemet -by Tamas Deri
UNIVER-KECSKEMET - MARSO-VAGEP-NYÍREGYHAZI KK 75-89
(17-25, 23-16, 19-23, 16-25)
Kecskemet, Att.: 1.100, Referees: Forrai S., Benczur, Gal J.
KECSKEMET: Jakob Sigurdarson (192-G-82, agency: IceBasket, college: Birmingham Souther) 23/6, Blair 21/6, Horvath A. 6, Zsolt Szabo (202-F-86, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 17/9, Fiegi 2, Csorvasi 6, Csabay, Toth P., Lekli, Coach: Zsoldos Andras
NYÍREGYHAZA: Branko Savic (181-G-79) 17/9, Gary Buchanan (191-G-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Villanova) 22/9, Mouton 10/6, Erno Sitku (208-C-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 25/9, Helbich 10, Trepak 5, Siska, Coach: Deri Csaba

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IBL

Explosive guard latest to join Steelheads -by Trask Frost
Gary, IN—The Gary Steelheads have announced that high-flying Royce Parran (5'9''-G-85) has been added to the team's 2008 roster.

At 5'9', Parran will be one of the smallest players in the league, but also one of the most athletic. As a senior, Parran was a finalist in the 2007 NCAA slam dunk contest.

Parran had an outstanding collegiate career at Chicago State University. Highlights include: Honorable mention All- Independent Team as a senior; Second Team All-Mid-Continent as a junior; Mid-Continent Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman. Parran finished his career as the Cougar's all-time leading Division 1 scorer with 1,510 points.

Steelheads' Head Coach Rob Spon - ‘There's no doubt that at 5'9' with his leaping ability, Royce is going to be a fan favorite. However, this is not a novelty act—Royce is a fantastic basketball player that will make this team better.'

The Steelheads' inaugural IBL season gets underway at the Genesis Center on Friday, March 14. Tickets start at $5—for more information, contact the Steelheads at (219) 883-3000 or visit www.steelheadshoops.com.

ASC Mainz: Green is paving the way to the championship -by Kristian Santiago

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IRAN

Mahram thrash Kaveh 3-0 in the semis; ( Fixtures and Results) -by Houman Bagheri
Mahram have already reserved their place in the finals after beating Kaveh 3-0 in the semis.

Semi-final games results
1st game: Mahram-Kaveh 92-90
2nd game: Mahram-Kaveh 102-98
3rd game: Mahram-Kaveh 93-80

1st game: Zob Ahan-Saba 79-78
2nd game: Saba-Zob Ahan February 22nd
3rd game: Zob Ahan-Saba To be Announced

If the winner of Saba and Zob Ahan game is known after 3 or 4 games, then:

Final and 3rd-place games schedule:
First game of finals: February 29th
First game of 3rd place: Feb. 29th

Second game of finals and 3rd place: March 3rd

Third game of finals and 3rd place: March 6th

If the winner of Saba and Zob Ahan games is not known after three or four games, then:

Fifth game between Saba and Zob Ahan: March 2nd
First game of finals and 3rd place: March 5th
Second game of finals and 3rd place: March 7th
Thrid game of finals and 3rd place: March 9th

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IRELAND

Irish National Team 2008 -by Kasia

Burke

Larranaga

Bree

Bracey

Callahan

Pat Burke (208-C-73) of BC Khimky Moscow Region (RUS)
James Larranaga (195-G-75) of Pepsi Caserta (ITA)
Michael Bree (184-G-80) of SKK Kotwica Kolobrzeg (POL)
Chris Bracey (198-F-80) of Egaleo AO (GRE)
Dan Callahan (205-F/C-70) of BT Roseto Basket (ITA)
Donnie McGrath (193-G-84) of La Fortezza Bologna (ITA)
Marty Conlon (210-F/C-68) of Eldo Basket Napoli (ITA)
Baker Dunleavy (196-G/F-82) of Matrixx Magix Nijmegen (NED)
Mike Williams (211-C-82) of Manchester Millrats (USA)
Conor Grace (205-F-82) of Norrkoping Dolphins (SWE)
Justen Naughton (205-F-81) of Imaje Sabadell Gapsa (ESP)
Emmett Donnelly (186-G-78) of Roma St.Vincents Dublin

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ISRAEL

Jerusalem beats previously undefeated Besiktas -by Eurobasket News
Hapoel Jerusalem - Besiktas 88:73

Jerusalem made it look pretty trivial. Nevertheless it was the first loss for Besiktas in this season's edition of ULEB Cup. Previously unbeaten Turkish outfit were handed a painful blow yesterday as they lost in Jerusalem by 15 points and now need to hope to overcome the deficit at home to advance to the next round of the competition. The game got to a slow start as the teams piled up turnovers and struggled to find offensive rhythm. The things were tied at 13 after the opening frame. Jerusalem gained the speed after the intermission as Sharon Shason (204-F-79, agency: Arik Krayn Services) ignited a 10:0 run to put the hosts ahead. Jamie Arnold (203-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Wichita St.) hit a three-pointer to open up a double-digit advantage for Israeli team. Dror Hagag (178-G-78, agency: Avi Zilberman) nailed straight triples to enlarge the gap to as many as 17 points midway through the second period. Besiktas finished the half on a high as they scored 6 points in a row to trail 29:41. However Guy Pniny (201-F-83, agency: Avi Zilberman) upset them early in the third quarter with back-to-back trebles to establish a 20-point lead for the home team. It later grew to 22 points and Besiktas looked hapless at the moment. Turkish side needed Mehmet Yagmur (188-G-87)'s consecutive treys to cut the margin to 16 points, while Preston Shumpert (198-G-79, college: Syracuse) and Rick Apodaca (192-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency, college: Hofstra) then shaved it to 10 with a couple of more three-pointers. It never helped the ailing Turkish side though. Jamie Arnold was red-hot and a couple of impressive buckets from him restored a 20-point hole between the teams. Rick Apodaca and Preston Shumpert responded with treys but Dror Hagag and Ramel Curry (191-G-80, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: CSU Bakersfield) finally sealed a 15-point victory for Hapoel.
Jamie Arnold ended up with 28 points and 11 boards for Jerusalem. Guy Pniny added 20 points, while Dror Hagag and Ramel Curry provided 12 points apiece in a win. Rick Apodaca replied with 23 points for Besiktas. Preston Shumpert nailed 18 points for Turkish team. Jerusalem had an obvious dominance in the paint outrebounding their opponent 39:22. They also limited the visitors to 42% from the field, while converting 60% themselves.

Jerusalem: Jamie Arnold 28+11 boards, Guy Pniny 20, Dror Hagag 12, Ramel Curry 12
Besiktas: Rick Apodaca 23, Preston Shumpert 18

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ITALY

Serie A Week 23 -by Stefano Pini
Montepaschi Siena played a perfect game at Milano. Four players in double digit, 15 assists, 48% by 3p., 17 steals and only 10 turnovers. For Drake Diener (196-G-81, agency: Priority Sports, college: De Paul) 6 points in 15'. Premiata Montegranaro kept the second place winning the derby against Pesaro. Against Scavolini the game plan is often 'attack their frontline'. Sharrod Ford (206-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Clemson) had 26 points, Valerio Amoroso (202-F-80) 20. Capo D'Orlando overcame Lottomatica Roma. Romel Beck (203-G/F-82, agency: Interperformances, college: UNLV) had 21 points and 5 steals in his first game in Sicily. Upim Bologa reached playoff zone beating Varese. Stefano Mancinelli (202-F-83) was unstoppable for Cimberio's frontline. Devin Green (201-G-82, college: Hampton), in his first game at Teramo, helped his team with 16 points and 6 assists in the victory against Rieti. Benetton Treviso is still far from the 'elite 8'but at Cantu they obtained a good victory. 15 points and 7 rebounds for Mario Austin (206-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.). Gerald Fitch (191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Kentucky) had 29 for Tisettanta. Eldo Napoli obtained 2 importants points to jump away from relegation zone. Chris Monroe (191-G-81, college: George Washington) e Jumaine Jones (201-F-79, agency: Octagon, college: Georgia) combined for 41 points. Eldo had a great 11/23 by 3p. Legea Scafati didn't stop to believe to save his season. Marco Killingsworth (203-F-82, college: Indiana) put 25 points in Snaidero's paint to continue to hope.

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JORDAN

Round 1 of Final 4 -by Mohammed Malas
Zain and Orthodox were the winners in the opener of Final 4 yesterday in Prince Hamza Hall in Amman....

Zain 93 - Al Riyadi/Aramex 79 (Qs: 25-15, 46-34, 74-48 & 93-79)

Glen Summerall (193-G-80, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.)'s 2nd game with the team was successful and helped his team alot to find some solutions from outside the arc following the injury of both Sam Daghlas and Rasheim Wright, Glen scored yesterday 24 points and 11 rebounds to make good support to Nate Johnson (17 points) and Zaid Al Khas (17 points), Moussa Al Awadi played with Zain after he was back from a loan in Al Wihdat.

In the other side, Andre Laws and Demetris Montgomry (22 points) played their 1st game with Al Riyadi and did well with veteran Hussam Lutfi but without big help from their other teammates.

Orthodox 88 - Arena 75 (Qs: 24-17, 45-38, 65-55 & 88-75)

Orthodox made a good beginning in the game and that turned to control most of the time with a comfortable lead following the success of Chris Campbell (23 points), Ayman Idais (20 points), Naser Bassam (19 points) and Kelly Wise (19 points) despite some good work from Mark Strickland (22 points), Zeid Abbas (17 points) and Josh Cooperwood (17 points) but those 3 did'nt found their colleagues in the team without the needed effect and that led to a red end.

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KOSOVO

From the Board meeting on 18.02.08 -by Edona Shabani
The Board of Basketball Federation of Kosova on its meeting hel on 18.02.08 took these decisions:

D E C I S I O N S

1. Festive match between Kosova - Albania will take place on Thursday 21.02.08 in Prishtina

2. The Championship of Mabetex Super League will start on 27/28.02.08

3. The Spring season of Toyota Women League will continue on March 8, 2008

4. The spring season of Juniors League, Cadet's League and Pioneers League 'Stobi Flips' will continue on March 1st , 2008

5. Transitory winter term started on February 15th 2008 and it will continue till:
- February 24, senior -men
- February 28, young categories
- March 5, women

6.Coaches for NT of Kosova in women category for the match between Kosova- Albania is assigned Resmije Juniku and Agron Ceku

President of BFK
Erolld Belegu

Source: www.basketbolli.com

Congratulations and Invitation from Poland -by Edona Shabani
Immediately after the declaration of independence of Kosova from the Assembly of Kosova, BC 'Gniezno' from the homonym city in Poland sent an congratulation email for the Independence and as well an initiation for tournament.

'Congratulations for your newborn state, independent and proud. We hope that this separation will make a lot of things easier, like development of culture, and this way all your skills will come into light by making the functionality easier'.

The tournament will take place on August and will participate youngsters born on 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Source: www.basketbolli.com

BFK invites kosovar fans -by Edona Shabani
'LET'S CLEBRATE INDIPENDENCE'

On the occasion of festive basketball matches between NT of Kosova and NT of Albania, which will take place on Thursday, 21.02.08 (on 6:00 women category and on 8:00 men) Basketball Federation of Kosova invites all kosovar fans to fill the Sports and Youth Hall in Prishtina with National flags, state flags and also the flags of all states that support Kosova.

It is an ideal occasion to create together a sportive atmosphere and be part of the first interstate match of Kosova in all kinds of sports after the declaration of independence of Kosova and its international recognition

Entrance GRATIS CELABRATION CONTINUES........

Source: www.basketbolli.com

The members of NT of Kosova -by Edona Shabani
The Selector of NT of Kosova and his assistant Albert Sylejmani for the match between Kosova-Albania which will take place on February 21, 2008 invited these players:
Fikret Hanxhiq, Naim Haxha,Gazmend Asllani ( Trepca), Vigan Radoni,Valdet Grapci (Peja), Fisnik Mehmeti (RC Cola Drita),Korab Ferizi (Ylli) Muhamed Hasani, Edmond Azemi, Valentin Spaqi, Florent Lila, Ismet Ferati, Gezim Citaku, Besnik Podvorica ( Sigal Prishtina).
Meanwhile the coaches of NT of Kosova women category Resmije Juniku and Agron Ceku invited these players:
Kimete Haliti, Teuta Abdullahu, Learta Berisha, Edona Lushtaku, Lirona Rexhepi (Sigal Prishtina) Arbnore Perquku, Elinda Musliu, Dafina Krasniqi, Iliriana Berisha(Bashkimi), Albina Ramzi, Donjeta Demi (Drita) Valbona Bytyqi, Vlora Idrizi (Penza), Kaltrina Mehmeti (Trepca), Mergime Haziraj(Vellaznimi).

The doctor of NT is Dr. Merkur Dobroshi while phisiotherapist is Mazllom Jevriqi.

Source: www.basketbolli.com

Official People Appointed -by Edona Shabani
The Commissary of Competition Mithat Belegu appointed official people who will conduct the interstate match between Republic of Kosova and Republic of Albania which will take place on 21.02.08 in Sports and Youth Hall in Prishtina.

WOMEN

REPUBLIC OF KOSOVA - REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA, Thursday on18:00
Referees: Tomor Hasnjaku, Alban Vula
Monitors: Sejdi Mehmeti

MEN

REPUBLIC OF KOSOVA - REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA, Thursday on 20:00
Referees: Shefqet Bektashi, Faton Kurshumliu, Daut Mehmeti
Monitors: Lulzim Maloku

Source: www.basketbolli.com

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LUXEMBOURG

Luxembourg National Team 2008 -by Kasia

Jones

Schartz

Hoffmann

Schumacher

Picard

Alvin Jones (211-C-78) of Mutlu Aku Selcuk Universitesi Konya (TUR)
Christian Schartz (184-G-86) of Amicale Steinsel
Felix Hoffmann (190-F-87) of T 71 Dudelange
Tom Schumacher (188-G/F-87) of T 71 Dudelange
Samy Picard (195-F-88) of Musel Pikes
Tom Schmitz (201-C-82) of Musel Pikes
Pitt Koster (178-G/F-89) of AS Soleuvre
Christian Weisen (195-F-86) of AS Soleuvre
Peter Rajniak (196-G-81) of Calefacciones Farho Gijon (ESP)
Jean-Marc Melchior (198-F-84) of Northwestern University (USA)
Martin Rajniak (205-F-78) of Angers BC 49 (FRA)
Nelson Delgado (185-G-80) of Etzella Ettelbruck
Jair Delgado (192-F-85) of Etzella Ettelbruck

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MONTENEGRO

Major setback for Buducnost in Serbia -by Eurobasket News
Hemofarm - Buducnost 82:56

Buducnost ambitions for Top 16 round of ULEB Cup suffered a painful blow yesterday as they lost the opening leg of their Top 32 series against Hemofarm. Serbian team outlasted their opponents on every inch of the court and deservedly built a 16-point advantage before the second game in Podgorica. The game was pretty close early on but just before Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) scored 4 points and then fed Stefan Markovic (191-G-88) for a three-pointer to put the hosts up by 10 points at 20:10. The first frame ended up with Hemofarm leading by 9 points 22:13. Vukosavlijevic and Milivoje Bozovic (211-C-85, agency: Beo Basket) fired from downtown for the Serbian outfit at the start of the second quarter to stretch the margin. Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) kept the visitors alive with a couple of important buckets in the second stanza however the home side capped the half with a 6:0 run to establish a comfortable 42:28 advantage at the interval.
Nebojsa Joksimovic added to Buducnost despair with 7 straight points and soon Hemofarm enjoyed a 51:30 lead. Milivoje Bozovic made it 54:30 a couple of moments later before Vladimir Micov (201-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) finally broke the scoring drought for Buducnost with free throws. Vladimir Micov and Vladimir Dasic cut the gap to 19 points after 30 minutes of action but Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) and Nebojsa Joksimovic drained consecutive baskets for Hemofarm at the start of the fourth period. Hemofarm extended the buffer to as many as 24 points midway through the fourth term but Buducnost stepped up late in the game. They fueled a 7:0 run and ended the game with a 16-point deficit, which still leaves them vague chances of making it to the next round.
Nebojsa Joksimovic paced the hosts with 29 points, 7 assists and 6 boards. Rawle Marshall contributed 21 points for the winning side. Vladimir Dasic secured 13 points and 7 boards for Buducnost. Nenad Mijatovic (194-G-87) dropped 9 points in a losing effort. Buducnost finished the game shooting just 37% from the field. They also got outrebounded by the home team 23:29. The return leg is scheduled for February 26.

Hemofarm: Nebojsa Joksimovic 29, Rawle Marshall 21, Milivoje Bozovic 15
Buducnost: Vladimir Dasic 13, Nenad Mijatovic 9

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PARAGUAY

America ties the Finals -by Gianni Pascucci
Led by Marcos Tannel (199-F/C), who scored 23 pts, Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82) and Aldo Acosta (192-F/G-76), who added 17 and 16, respectively, America Pilar Basquet Club defeated 1 de Mayo 80-65 in Game 2 of the Pilar Regional Finals, tieing the series on 1-1. The main factor of the America Pilar Basquet Club win was a full-court pressing defense. Only Gustavo Torres (175-G-80), who scored 19 points, kept his performing level in 1 de Mayo, but it wasn' t enough. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday, February 23.

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PBL

Erin Patton yet in charge at Dallas -by Gianni Pascucci
An official release from the Premier Basketball League confirmed that Mr. Erin Patton is again in charge as Team Owner and President of the Dallas Defenders. League Co-founder Tom Doyle stated: 'Erin is still the owner, the league is working with Erin so they can finish the season.' Mr. Patton the same had previously sent to Usbasket.com an e-mail telling that he is making huge efforts to complete the season, and that he own all rights and trademarks to the Dallas Defenders team. In the same official release, the PBL is telling about some 'contingency plans' to activate in case of need. Otherwise than what happens in the ABA, where teams are simply allowed to fold, fans are left without a team, and players are left without a paycheck, in the PBL, when problems have arisen, they have been dealt with. We have yet seen the league intervetion in the Jacksonville case, we are seeing the same in the Dallas case..

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POLAND

Turow secures draw in Czech Republic -by Eurobasket News
Turow made a huge step towards a Top 16 stage after they managed to hold on against Nymburk away from home. It was not an easy task for Turow though. They had to overcome a 17-point deficit to finalize a 61:61 draw at the end of the game. Nymburk got to a better start to the game as Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) scored quick 5 points for the hosts to give them a 7:1 lead. Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) and Michal Kremen (200-F-81) continued to keep the home team up as they finished the first frame leading 19:12. Arthur Lee (185-G-77, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Stanford) and Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) came up with 5 consecutive points for Nymburk to extend the gap to 24:14 early in the second period. Turow then conceded an 8:0 rally from Czech team and trailed by as many as 17 points late in the frame. However Scekic and Robert Witka (205-F-81) sealed the first half outcome at 21:34. Turow mounted the pressure on the hosts defensively, while David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) and Robert Witka poured their basket from downtown to trim the deficit to 5 points. Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) and Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, college: Washington St.) dragged Turow within four points from Nymburk 34:38. The teams exchanged baskets at the end of the third period to make it 46:41 for Nymburk after 30 minutes. The hosts kept in front for sometime early in the fourth before Scekic and Andres Rodriguez (182-G-81, college: American) ignited a comeback run that allowed the visitors finally grab a 58:56 advantage. David Logan stretched it to 5 points with a massive three-pointer. Ladislav Sokolovsky replied with free throws and then crowned the game with a long trey to square thing up at 61.
Dragisa Drobnjak had 14 points for Turow. David Logan provided 13 points, while Marko Scekic (207-F-81) and Robert Witka stepped up with 12 points apiece for Polish side. Radoslav Rancik posted 15 points and 9 boards for Nymburk. Ladislav Sokolovsky dropped game-high 16 points for the home side.
Meanwhile Slask Wroclaw were bruised by Dynamo Moscow at home. The Russian outfit led from the start but was not able to build a decisive margin. Wroclaw team stayed close and challenged the visitors throughout the action. The teams traded baskets in the first frame and were all square at 25 after 10 minutes. The closest possible game continued after the intermission as the teams were going hand-in-hand. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) gave the hosts a 33:32 advantage for a fraction of time but Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) capped the first half with a jumper to put the visitors ahead 42:39 at halftime. Dynamo tried to spur away at the start of the third stanza as Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) came up with a couple of impressive buckets to open up a double-digit lead 51:41. But Slask were alert and Andrius Giedraitis (196-F-73) and Oliver Stevic (201-F-84) trimmed the deficit back to a single point. Moscow side still dominated and headed into the fourth period with a 63:59 lead. It all went down to the crunch time where Dynamo proved the difference. Milos Vujanic and Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) teamed up for 5 straight points to give the guests a 79:72 advantage late in regulation. Dawan Robinson fired from downtown but it was too late to change the outcome. Dynamo sealed a 85:78 victory and made the first step towards the next stage. Robertas Javtokas was outstanding with 28 points and 7 boards. Milos Vujanic added 14 and Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) posted 13 points for the winners. Dawan Robinson accounted for 21 points. Andrius Giedraitis totaled 16 points in a loss.

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PUERTO RICO

Giants looking to cast a big shadow -by Luis Ramirez
The Carolina Giants are eager to start the season as they believe that they have composed a competitive team that will make their mark this season. They will have a team with speed, good outside shooting and a pretty good size in the paint. With the likes of Alvin Cruz (186-G-82, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Niagara) and Filiberto Rivera (187-G-82, college: UTEP) they are solid in the point guard position. They will also have Angelo Reyes (205-F/C-81) in the mix, which was last year's most valuable player. Their Head Coach will be Raymond Dalmau, known for his defensive style. As for import players the Giants will have Ebi Ere and while Ere arrives they will have import player Darius Rice (208-F/C-82, college: Miami, FL), who played in an preseason game against the Ponce Lions a couple of weeks ago and lit up the scoreboard from every angle of the court, his offensive production has caused the team to think about retaining him as their second import. According to Coach Dalmau this team has all the required ingredients to get to the postseason. Another player which arrives to the team will be Alejandro Carmona (194-G/F-83, agency: Next Level) another offensive player, so as you can see it seems that the Giants will no doubt cast a Big Shadow this season.

Delk in Carolina and Boricuas Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
Los Gigantes de Carolina tried in these days the nigerian Ekene Ibekwe but the managerial staff of the team decided to sign another player, the 'NBA guard' Tony Delk. Delk is an expert player who has a great experience in NBA. He was chosen by Charlotte Hornets in NBA DRAFT 1996 at the first round (number 16). He played in NBA for Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. He played also in Europe, in Greece for one of the strongest greek teams, Panathinaikos, where He won a Greek Cup and the Euroleague, where He scored 7.8 ppg and 1.9 rpg.
BORICUAS ABROAD
In Uleb Cup, Turow evens the score against Nymburk 61-61. For Andres Rodriguez only 5 points (2/4 2pts, 0/1 3pts, 1/4 FT) in 31 minutes but also 8 assts, 4 steals and 3 rebs.
Besiktas was defeated by Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel 88-73. It will be now difficult to win in Turkey with more than 15 points, but Besiktas is a strong team and if 'The Wizard Apocadabra' is 'on fire' They can really qualify. In the first game, Rick Apodaca played 36 minutes with 23 pts (8/10 2pts, 2/8 3pts, 1/1 FT), 5 rebs and 1 steal, Christian Dalmau played 27 minutes with 4 pts (2/3 2pts, 0/5 3pts, 0/1 FT), 4 assts and 3 steals.
A. Fontana

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QATAR

Army Club : The League Champions!! -by Mohammed Malas
Army Sports Club (Al Jaysh) deserved to be the champions of Qatar's Basketball League after securing it by beating Al Sadd by 16 72-56 in the last round of the league yesterday in Al Gharafa Club Court......

The team is coached by Dragoslav Milavanovic from serbia and the best stars of the champions were Ali Turki (200-F-82), Baker Ahmad Mohammed, Johhanes Krug, Sheikh Ibrahima, Fadi Hani and Lamar!!

The supposed champions Al Rayyan suffered so much this year due to many reasons such as the import's quality, big confedence, bad luck...etc.........

# Teams stadings in 2007/2008 Qatar's Basketball League:
1- Army SC
2- Al Rayyan
3- Al Arabi
4- Al Sadd
5- Qatar SC
6- Al Ahli
7- Al Gharafa
8- Al Wakra

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ROMANIA

News from Miodrag Perisic -by Bogdan Bocaniala
Hi Misa, how are you? How is it going for you?
I'm very well, thanks. I've been in Macedonia for nearly 2 months now, which is enough time to get accommodated with the new country, team and league. So, things are going just fine.

How did you find the team?
I was fairly satisfied with the team that I found when I arrived here. We've brought 4 more players (3 foreigner's and 1 Macedonian) so I think we have a pretty strong team now, capable of achieving good results this season.

Do you have an objective for this year (having in mind that you took the team only from the second part of the championship)?
I think that the team has the opportunity to play final of championship and also national Cup. We work hard to get there and, why not, to win it…

I've saw that you won last game and now you are on third position in championship?
We've had a really good start, we won for the first time in the club's history in front of K.K. Rabotnicki (multiple champion's of Macedonian league) in Skopje. This victory brought us on third position and in the same time gave us the ambition to go further.

Is Basketball sport number one in Macedonia?
Football is the most popular sport, and after that came basketball and handball. Macedonia was part of former Yugoslavia so it's also part of Yugoslav's basketball school/family. Here is a tradition of watching basketball, just like anywhere in the former Yugoslavians country.

Tell us a few things that you miss from Cluj?
I'm a professional so I don't have the privilege of missing things, It's something you have to be aware when you choose this job. Bitola is a new chapter in my life. I spent more than 3 years in Cluj-Napoca, so, naturally, I made a loot's of friends. Along with my girlfriend, who is also Romanian, I missed them most.

Which is biggest difference between U- Mobitelco team and Swisslion Pelister?
They are both top clubs in their's countries, they share the same ambition and both have great supporters.
Every place it's a different experience, I always try to focus on positive things that have happened to me. This is something that keeps me going on, along with my family and friends. It is a famous Serbian song which says that, as we get older, good things push away bad things that have happened to us. Hopefully, when I get old there will be much more good things to look back at.

Is Macedonian championship stronger then Romanian? Is it different?
Macedonian league has only 8 teams whereas there are 14 in Romanian. Romania is a bigger country, its clubs have bigger budgets which consequently reflects on the championship. On the other hand, 7 out of 8 Macedonian clubs are very close in terms of quality, something that is not the case in Romania. There can be only 4 foreign players in Macedonian clubs and 5 in Romanian so there are more opportunities for native players here. Best Macedonian clubs could participate well in Romanian league, just like the best Romanian clubs could play here in Macedonia. So, I'd say they are equally strong.

Name one thing that you will always take with you?
I take all the times with me a gold neck less, a gift from my parents for my 18th birthday.

I hope that you will achieve your goals with Swisslion Pelister and everything best to you.
I hope that basketball in Romania will continue its expansion and soon you guys have your teams in some of the strongest European competition, on club or national team level. I would also like to say 'hi' to all my friends and basketball fans in Romania, thank you for everything.

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RUSSIA

Ural Great and Samara lose in EuroCup -by Eurobasket News
Both Ural Great and Samara were held back in the EuroCup quarterfinals. They opened their series on the road and were handed a painful losses in Estonia and Belgium.
Ural Great visited Tartu to take on the local TU/Rock in the first game of the best-of-three series. The visitors experienced some coaching mess the last week as previous team's head coach Drazen Anzulovic unexpectedly left the franchise just days before the EuroCup game and the management had to look for a substitute in frenzy. Roman Dvinyaninov took over as a head coach through the reminder of the season and steered the team in Tartu. And Ural Great fought bravely but fell just short of upsetting surprising TU/Rock. The teams kept it close in the opening frame and were tied at 15 with 40 seconds left in it. But Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) hit a free throw and Aleksei Surovtsev (202-G-84) converted a three-pointer to put the visiting side ahead by 4 points 19:15. Aleksei Zozulin (199-G/F-83) extended the margin to 5 points early in the second term but Gert Kullamae (198-G/F-71) connected twice from the outside to retain the lead for TU/Rock. He later drained another trey to make it 30:26 for the hosts. Tanel Tein (194-G/F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) and Vallo Allingu (206-C-78) stretched the gap even more but Vanja Plisnic and Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81, college: Centenary) drilled straight triples to carry Ural Great within 2 points from the home team. Ivan Koljevic (186-G-84) netted 5 points in a row for the visitors as Ural Great restored a 37:36 lead. Nevertheless Marek Doronin (200-F/G-83) crowned the half with 5 points for TU/Rock to enjoy a 41:37 advantage at the interval. Tanel Tein and George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) teamed up for 9 points as TU/Rock accumulated a 50:41 lead midway through the third period. Aleksander Bashminov (213-C-78) accounted for 5 points and Vanja Plisnic knocked down another trey for Ural Great to trim the deficit to a single point. Vallo Allingu and Tanel Tein still uttered the last word for the hosts and ensured a 59:54 outcome after three quarters of action. Tanel Tein scored 5 points and Gert Kullamae notched a three-pointer for TU/Rock as they widened the damage to 15 points. Ural Great refused to surrender. Brent Wright (203-F/C-78, college: Florida) and Aleksei Zozulin stepped up with consecutive three-pointers to narrow the deficit. Aleksei Zozulin later completed a three-point play, while Vanja Plisnic and Brent Wright added 5 more points to drag Ural Great within 4 points. George Tsintsadze did not hesitate from charity stripe to restore a 6-point buffer with 38 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Wisniewski scored three points but it was all Ural Great could do. TU/Rock withstood and celebrated an important victory as they stepped closer to the Final Four. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for next week Perm. Tanel Tein drained 18 points, while George Tsintsadze had 16 in a win. Vanja Plisnic bruised the home team for 19 points and 6 boards.
Meanwhile Samara were dismantled by Mons Hainaut 66:92 in Belgium. Samara opened the game bravely enough and held a 21:19 advantage after the opening frame. But the hosts gradually improved their game and soon claim the lead for good. Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.) paced the home side with 16 points. Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) had 14 points in a winning case. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: St.Louis) dropped 24 points for Samara. Evgeni Voronov (192-G-86) nailed 15 points in a losing effort.

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SCOTLAND

Archibald collects 17 points and 11 rebounds -by Eurobasket News
Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, college: Illinois) and his Ukrainian Azovmash beat Zadar 82:80 in the first game of Uleb Cup Last 32 series. The 2-point loss is rather a victory for Zadar as they are known as a home-team and can possibly hope for much better outcome at home court. It was not an easy ride for Zadar though with Azovmash dominating at some points. The teams traded baskets early in the game with Juby Johnson highlighting for Zadar. He gave his team an 11:8 lead but soon Azovmash produced a 7:0 run to gain an advantage. The hosts led by 4 points after the opening frame 17:13 and stepped on the gas after the intermission. Rodney Rodney Buford ignited a three-point bombardment from the hosts. He drained two trebles, while Alexandr Skutelnik and Panagiotis Liadelis added two more for Azovmash to go up 32:18 in the second stanza. However Zadar found the savior in Corey Brewer as he fueled a 12:4 rally from Zadar to cut the deficit. Yegor Mescheriakov capped the first half with a trey to give Azovmash a 39:30 advantage. Gerrod Henderson made it 42:30 at the start of the third term and the hosts maintained the lead for some time. Zadar struggled offensively without Corey Brewer who was kept on the bench with 3 personal fouls. But when he returned to court late in the quarter the things got rolling for the visiting side. They came up with a couple of successful offensive plays but Azovmash denied it as Gerrod Henderson scored 5 points and sealed the scoreline at 67:55 after 30 minutes. Zadar replied on Juby Johnson and Shammell Stallworth as they brought Croatian team within 3 points midway through the final frame. The hosts extended the gap to 6 points on Robert Jr. Archibald's layups nevertheless Corey Brewer and Shammell Stallworth trimmed the gap to 2 points 78:80. Gerrod Henderson scored two free throws but Shammell Stallworth run across the whole court to sink a buzzer-beating layup for Zadar and finalizing a narrow loss for Zadar.
Corey Brewer tallied game-high 27 points and 6 assists for Zadar. Shammell Stallworth provided 17 points, while Jure Lalic stepped up with 11 points in a loss. Rodney Buford paced Azovmash with 20 points. Gerrod Henderson dropped 18 points, while Robert Jr. Archibald added 17 points and 11 boards for the winners.
John Tehan (185-G-71) scored 6 points for Irish Tigers secured their 12th success in the championship as they got to an 89:78 victory over Neptune on the road. Tigers dominated the game from the start and managed to accumulate a 45:36 advantage at halftime. Mathew Gorman worked hard for Neptune to deny the deficit but his effort was not enough to change the complexion of the encounter. Tigers drove to an overall win and improved to 12-2 record in the standings. Mathew Gorman led the action with 34 points. Kieran O'Brien added 15 points in a loss. Carl Hadley shone for Tigers with 28 points. Paris Katsimpas netted 19 points for the visitors. Killester will take on Tigers in the key clash of the next round.

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SERBIA

Crvena Zvezda goes to Treviso with plus 10, comfortable win for Hemofarm STADA -by Dragan Jankovski
After inconvenient defeat in Serbian derby against Partizan last week-end and leaving of center Nenad Misanovic to Dynamo Moscow, Crvena Zvezda demonstrated very good performance against Italian Benetton beating the united colors 81-71. From the beginning Zvezda had a lead finishing the first quarter with 30-19. Of course Benetton didn't give up and came to 70-69 in the last quarter. When it seemed that Zvezda doesn't have enough power to return the bigger lead again their best player Dragicevic shined and with 7 consecutive points brought a nice chance to red and white team to reach 1/8 final after second game in Treviso. Captain of Crvena Zvezda Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) recorded double-double, 23 points and 12 rebounds. Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) also had a good night as he added 17 points and 8 assists. Benetton got 24 points and 8 rebounds from Mario Austin (206-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.).

Hemofarm STADA made comfortable win over Buducnost Podgorica 82-56 so the orange team already is with one leg in the TOP 16 of ULEB Cup. Hemofarm dominated from the beginning extending its lead from quarter to quarter to the fantastic plus 26 at the end. Slovenian guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) had amazing night leading his team to very important win. He collected 29 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) followed him adding 21 points and 4 rebounds. With 13 points and 7 rebounds Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) was the only one who scored double digits in Buducnost.
After the game head coach of Hemofarm STADA Miroslav Nikolic said: 'We couldn't play better than this and I am wondering why our defense is not always good as it was tonight. Advantage of 26 points is a very nice capital for the second game but we are going to Podgorica to pick up another win.'

Crvena Zvezda - Benetton Tamoil 81-71
(30-19,15-17,15-13,21-22)

Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 23 (12 rebs), Cook 17 (8 as), Sljivancanin 10
Benetton: Austin 24 (8 rebs), Gaines 14, Bonsu 11 (12 rebs)

Hemofarm STADA - Buducnost 82-56
(22-13, 20-15,20-15,20-13)

Hemofarm STADA: Joksimovic 29 (6 rebs, 7 as, 4 st), Marshall 21 (4 rebs), Bozovic 15 (9 rebs)
Buducnost: Dasic 13 (7 rebs), Mijatovic 9

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SLOVAKIA

New coaches, new players -by Martin Galajda

Svit has signed Zach Ingles to a one week tryout, he is flying from the US today and will arrive today.

Komarno signed until end of the season forward Marek Jurik (191-G/F-78, agency: Promotex). He is comming back almost after two years.

Levice will test American center Steve Rich (208-C-72, college: Miami, FL) and Montenegrin Luka Sjekloca (212-C-84). For medical tests is coming American guard Janavor Weatherspoon (186-G-80, agency: Promotex, college: Oklahoma St.). He played there four games season ago with 14.3 ppg. Levice also released coach Juraj Gacik and signed Jozef Lovik released from BK Dolny Kubin.

Dolny Kubin signed new coach Croatian Ivan Fulgosi.

Slovak NT forward Martin Sykora (190-G/F-81, agency: Heinrich Sports) signed multi year contract with Czech BK Pardubice.

Brock Gillespie (188-G-82, college: Rice) signed until end of the season with Casta SPU Nitra after successful try out.

Slovak Rep. National Team 2008 -by Kasia

Svitek

Gavlak

Rancik

Lesko

Novak

Dusan Pandula (195-F-84) of BK ASK Inter Slovnaft Bratislava
Stefan Svitek (203-F/C-77) of BK Synthesia Pardubice (CZE)
Juraj Gavlak (185-G-79) of Geofin Novy Jicin (CZE)
Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78) of CEZ Basketball Nymburk (CZE)
Richard Lesko (204-F-81) of Soproni Sordogok (HUN)
Daniel Novak (201-F/G-78) of BK ASK Inter Slovnaft Bratislava
Robert Nuber (186-G-83) of Albacomp-UPC Szekesfehervar (HUN)
Martin Sykora (190-G/F-81) of E.S.O. Club Lucenec
Gabriel Szalay (215-C-86) of SKK Kotwica Kolobrzeg (POL)
Igor Pesta (203-F/C-84) of BK 04 AC LB Spisska Nova Ves
Martin Micka (180-G-81) of BK ASK Inter Slovnaft Bratislava

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SWEDEN

Swedish National Team 2008 -by Kasia

Levin

Ringstrom

Inan

Grant

Jonzen

Mats Levin (188-G-77) of Ignis Draghi Novara (ITA)
Martin Ringstrom (206-F-81) of PAOK Marfin Thessaloniki (GRE)
Serkan Inan (198-G-86) of Alpella Istanbul (TUR)
Kenny Grant (188-G-82) of Atlas Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski (POL)
Fredrik Jonzen (207-C/F-78) of Uppsala Basket
Christian Maraker (206-F-82) of Plus Pujol Lleida (ESP)
Oluoma Nnamaka (200-F/C-78) of Carife Ferrara (ITA)
Jim Nystrom (194-G/F-82) of 08 Stockholm
Olivier Ilunga (185-G-84) of Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (CYP)
Joakim Kjellbom (213-C/F-79) of Sundsvall Dragons
Rudy Mbemba (181-G-87) of Solna Vikings
Mikael Lindqvist (193-G-83) of Etendard de Brest (FRA)

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SWITZERLAND

Transactions in Switzerlands' LNA -by Kristian Santiago

After playing in three games , Zack Anderson (211-F/C-78, agency: 011 Sports, college: Hawaii-Pacific) has been released by BC Boncourt.
He posted 3 ppg and 5,6 rpg for the Swiss team.
In the meanwhile, Julien Rahier (193-G-83, agency: LBM Management) who signed for Sdent BBC Nyon earlier this year, is out for the season.

He fractured the medial malleolus in a game against Vevey.
The player from Belgium averaged 8,5 ppg and 1,9 rpg in six contests for Sdent BBC Nyon.
Leaving Sdent BBC Nyon is Irish Liam Farrell (195-G/F-83) who is unhappy with the limited playing time given by head coach Mario De Sisti .
New in Sdent BBC Nyon is point guard Fabien Fond (177-G-71) , who already played in the last game against Vevey and should be signed soon to a contract.

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TAIWAN

SBL stats thru. Feb. 19 -by Chris Wang
Scoring
1 Chen Hsin-an(Yulon) 21.5
2 Jon Sanders(dmedia) 20.3
3 Ouyang Jin-hen(dmedia) 18.9
4 Chien Jia-hong (PY) 17.3
5 Ho Sho-jen(TB) 16.4

Rebounding
1 J. Sanders(dmedia) 17.3
2 Hsu Chi-chan(BOT) 9.2
3 Chen Hsin-an(Yulon) 8.9
4 Wu Dai-hao (TB) 7.8
5 Lin Chih-jay(TB) 6.9

Assists
1 J. Sanders(dmedia) 5.7
2 Lin Chih-jay(TB) 4.0
3 Wang Chih-chun (Dacin) 3.9
4 Chen Hsin-an(Yulon) 3.7
5 Wu Yong-jen(TM) 3.5

Blocks
1 Wu Dai-hao(TB) 3.0
2 Hsu Chi-chan(BOT) 1.4
3 J. Sanders(dmedia) 1.2
4 Chen Hsin-an(Yulon) 0.9
5 Hsu Wei-sheng (TM) 0.9

Steals
1 Wang Chih-chun (Dacin) 3.07
2 Wu Yong-jen(TM) 2.09
3 J. Sanders(dmedia) 2.00
4 Hsu Tse-shin(TM) 1.60
5 Hong Chi-chao(TM) 1.59

Sanders wins Week 10 BOW -by Chris Wang
No doubt about it. This season has been somewhat of a Sanders Jonathan (201-G-81, college: St.Mary's, CA) season. The American forward/guard led dmedia to two huge victories over league-leading Yulon and Taiwan Beer last week, averaging 31 points, 24 rebounds and 6 assists in both games.

Sanders followed the January MVP honor with his third BOW award of the season.

Voting results (points):
J. Sanders (dmedia) 41
Chang Chi-feng (Dacin) 8
Hong Chih-shan (PY) 6
Chen Chih-chung (Yulon) 5
Also receiving votes: 5, Chen Hsin-an; 3, Chien Jia-hong, Ouyang Jin-hen, Wang Chih-chun; 1, James mao

2007-08 Baller of the Week:
Week 10: Jonathan Sanders (dmedia)
Week 9: Lin Chih-jay (TB)
Week 8: Chien Jia-hong (PY)
Week 7: Chang Bo-sheng (BOT)
Week 6: Lin Chih-jay (TB)
Week 5: Jonathan Sanders (dmedia)
Week 4: Chen Hsin-an (Yulon)
Week 3: Jonathan Sanders (dmedia)
Week 2: Chen Hsin-an (Yulon)
Week 1: Chen Hsin-an (Yulon)

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Familiarity helps Boyd Anderson advance past Ely -by David Edole
By TIM DWYER | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Having defeated Ely three times this season, Boyd Anderson coach Eugene Richardson knew the game plan required to stop the Tigers again.

On Tuesday, the host Cobras nearly executed that plan to perfection as they downed the Tigers 71-55 in a Class 6A regional semifinal.

The top-ranked Cobras (28-1) will travel to face Santaluces on Saturday in a regional final. A win will send Boyd Anderson to the state semifinals for the first time since 1994, when the Cobras won the championship.

Center Ivan Aska led the Cobras with 26 points and 16 rebounds, prevailing in a hard-fought battle against Bryce Clark.

Clark led the Tigers (18-8) with 17 points, but it was Aska's points in the fourth quarter that quelled Ely's final rally.

Trailing by 19 to start the final quarter, Ely cut the lead to 61-50 with 4:04 left.

Aska then put the game out of reach with a pair of dunks sandwiched around two Tyrone Davis free throws.

'In this game, [our plan was] to get the ball inside the post,' Aska said. 'And that's what we did, play inside-out. It was kind of tough, but we had heart. We were kind of fatigued, but our hearts weren't fatigued.'

The Cobras set the tone early, much to the delight of the Boyd Anderson fans that packed the sold-out gym, as they opened a 22-8 lead early in the second quarter.

'We wanted to do what we did, come out and get an early lead and try and control the tempo,' Richardson said. 'If we would just keep our composure, we would be OK.'

Instead, it was the Tigers who unraveled, as they committed early turnovers and were unable to find a scoring option besides Clark. Clark scored Ely's first eight points, while the Cobras relied on a number of scoring options.

'We didn't play every possession and that kind of cost us,' Ely coach Melvin Randall said. 'And of course, Boyd Anderson took advantage of that.'

PRO REPORT -by David Edole

After being released by Rethimno (Greece), Reggie Freeman (198-G/F-75, college: Texas) has been searching for another basketball home. Freeman signed with a team in Slovenia then decided not to go. He then went to Germany for a couple of days and worked out with Trier but it still was not a match. In the middle of this past week, Freeman dotted on the line with Atlas Stal Ostrow of the Polish Basketball League.
The lefty is expected to help Atlas with defense and three-point shooting.
Atlas Stal Ostrow won on Saturday but Freeman did not play. Look for Freeman to help Atlas surge for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. .

The Americas

PUERTO RICO
Kevin Sheppard (182-G-79, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Jacksonville) and Ja Ja Richards (207-C-75, agency: EM-PA, college: Loyola, IL) seem to be fitting in nicely with their new teams on the Superior Basketball League (BSN).
Sheppard met his new teammates of the Guaynabo Conquistadors and was a hot topic of discussion in today's El Nuevo Dia newspaper. The newspaper talked about the teams offensive prowess and all their weapons including Carmelo Antrone Lee, Carlos Escalera, Jerod Ward, Melvin Simon and of course Sheppard.
Richards, the first pick of the 'community player' draft is expected to pass on his knowledge to younger players of Humacao Grises. Richards, who has spent most of his career in Puerto Rico, is one of the better shot blockers and rebounders in the Central America and Caribbean region.

ABA
The Manchester Millrats downed the visiting Quebec Kebekwa 147-116, thus completing a two game sweep of the Kebs. Manchester (21-10) had been previously 0-4 against Quebec prior to this weekend. With the victory Manchester improves to 21-10 on the season, winning 8 of their last 9 games. David Cooper (201-F-83, college: JMU) collected nine points and four boards for the Millrats. Cooper is also part owner of the ABA franchise.

CBA
Darnell Miller (195-G-82, college: W.Georgia) had seven assists as the Pittsburgh Xplosion fell to the Albany Patroons, 110-107, Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.
The Patroons won the first quarter, 28-25. But the Xplosion made a comeback in the second. Miller's lay-in at the second quarter buzzer gave Pittsburgh a 56-54 lead heading into intermission.
Tuesday night's game between the Xplosion and Atlanta Krunk was postponed due to a Carrie Underwood concert at the Petersen Events Center.
'We apologize to our fans for having to make these changes to the schedule, but due to various arena problems, the changes were necessary,' said CBA Director of Operations Dennis Truax.
Carl Krauser (188-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) is still on the injured reserve roster for the Xplosion.

ARGENTINA
Jameel Heywood (198-F-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Oklahoma) and Club Atletico Lanus dropped both of their games over the weekend in the Argentinean TNA-1 division. Lanus (2-6) was outlasted by Union de Sunchales, 65-64, Tuesday night. Lanus led the game in the waning moments, 64-62. However, Gaston Luchino nailed a triple to put the game in the win column for Sunchales.
The two teams were evenly matched but Union moved the ball better for the entire game. The movement of the ball was on display, when Sunchales held six-point lead at the end of the first period, seven in the second and even held a ten point lead (47-37) at the start of the third.
Lanus recovered in the second half behind 17 points and eight boards from Heywood. The forward scored most of his points at the charity stripe (9-of-13).

EURPOPEAN BALL
PORTUGAL
Omari Peterkin (204-F/C-83, college: Boston U.) and Lusitania seems not able to put a consecutive game win streak together. The team with Peterkin aboard has won every other game and this weekend was no different. After winning the previous game, Lusitania (6-9) dropped a contest to CAB Madeira, 75-64, Saturday night in Portuguese Basketball League (UZO).
Peterkin was the bright spot for Lusitania as he finished with 10 points and 14 boards.

SPAIN
Cuthbert Victor (196-G-83, college: Murray St.) had a double-double on the night but it was not enough as CAI Zaragoza fell to Bruesa GBC, 94-89, in Spain's Basketball League Gold Division (LEB-Oro). Victor had 10 points and 10 boards off the bench. The loss dropped Zaragoza to 14-5 on the season and a three way tie for first place with Bruesa and Alicante Costa Blanca.

LUXEMBOURG
Jerome Gumbs (194-F-82, college: USF) and T71 were relegated to the 'Playdown' division of the Luxembourg's Basketball League (DBBL). T71 concluded the regular season at 8-10 which was only good enough for seventh place. Only the top six teams move on the playoffs. Gumbs opened the play down division with 16 points which was good enough to defeat Zolwer, 75-65, on Saturday.

BELGIUM
Josiah James (201-F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Birmingham Souther) and Voo Verviers-Pepinster surprised Dexia Mons-Hainaut outscoring them in the third frame and held on for an 82-76 win the in the Belgium's Basketball League (Ethias). Mons-Hainaut was in control of the game. They held a 28-24 lead after the first and four point halftime lead.
Verviers-Pepinster (9-11) used a dramatic third period which saw the home team outscore Mons-Hainaut, 25-10. That effort changed the game in Pepinster's favor. James had 11 points and four boards in the contest.

HOLLAND
After a brief absence by Kitwana Rhymer (208-C-78, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Massachusetts), the Virgin Islander returned to help Hanzevast Capitals defeat Aris Friesland, 98-89, in Dutch Eredivise action. Rhymer contributed eight rebounds and tacked on two points.
Hanzevast (16-10) has not been playing well in their previous game and the return of Rhymer boosted the clubs confidence as well as their win-loss record.

In Asia, Trimmingham Leon (200-F-71, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Briar Cliff) has a new home in South Korea while Carl Thomas (200-F-76, college: Charleston) and Hitachi put a two game win streak together.

JAPAN
Behind good games from Carl Thomas, Hitachi Sun Rockers swept both games over the weekend versus Toyota Alvark. Thomas had 15 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 75-58 win. He followed that effort with 16 points and eight boards in a tough win, 78-75 on Sunday. Hitachi SunRockers record improves to 13-18 in the Japan Basketball League (JBL).

KOREA
On of the best basketball players in Virgin Islands history, Trimmingham Leon was traded a couple weeks ago from Daegu Orions to his new team ET Black Slamer. Problems arose between the management of Orions and Trimmingham over injuries. Trimmignham had an injury and Orions wanted him to play regardless. Trimmingham got his rest and the two sides went their separate ways when Orions traded their marquee player. In all it was a good thing for both sides, Orions got younger and Black Slamer got someone who could team with Terrence Shannon in the post. Look for the duo to make noise in the playoffs.
Tuesday night, Trimmingham showed his old team what they were missing when he scored 36 points and 11 rebounds to lead ET (23-21) to a close, 95-87, win in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). The 6-foot-7 forward was 10-of-13 from the field and 16-18 from the charity stripe.

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UKRAINE

Odesa vs Cherkasy -by Lena Liashenko
Cherkasy and Odesa were right to full the pause within Superleague by friendly meeting on February, 19. Note, Ukrainian championship has a pause this week-end - just Monkeys - MBC Mykolaiv have a game.
Jovica Arsic's team gained lead but Odesa's 'sharks' made something fantastic in the last quarter. The friendly status of this game gave the possibility for the newcomers Marcus Wilson, Chuck Bailey and Vladyslav Podolian to receive much play-time so they put on good show.
As for the Monkeys: their officials are strengthening the team. Maris Laksa, Yannis Gagaloudis and Kaspars Cyprus were invited, according to http://mavpabasket.com. If their physical condition and adaptation in the team satisfies Arsic, they will be inked. Laksa was already tested by Azovmash in November, 2004 but not signed.
Friendly
Feb. 19
Cherkasy Monkeys - BC Odesa 63:67 (18:17, 19:7, 18:19, 8:24)
ChM : Cekovski 19, Edwards 11, Markovic 10...
O: Poltoratsky 31, Wilson 11, Bailey 11, Rybalko 10, Kuznetsov 4...

'Sharks' has one friendly / Three candidates for Monkeys -by Alexander Muzyka

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ULEB CUP

Turow secures draw in Czech Republic -by Eurobasket News
Turow made a huge step towards a Top 16 stage after they managed to hold on against Nymburk away from home. It was not an easy task for Turow though. They had to overcome a 17-point deficit to finalize a 61:61 draw at the end of the game. Nymburk got to a better start to the game as Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) scored quick 5 points for the hosts to give them a 7:1 lead. Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) and Michal Kremen (200-F-81) continued to keep the home team up as they finished the first frame leading 19:12. Arthur Lee (185-G-77, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Stanford) and Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) came up with 5 consecutive points for Nymburk to extend the gap to 24:14 early in the second period. Turow then conceded an 8:0 rally from Czech team and trailed by as many as 17 points late in the frame. However Scekic and Robert Witka (205-F-81) sealed the first half outcome at 21:34. Turow mounted the pressure on the hosts defensively, while David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) and Robert Witka poured their basket from downtown to trim the deficit to 5 points. Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) and Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, college: Washington St.) dragged Turow within four points from Nymburk 34:38. The teams exchanged baskets at the end of the third period to make it 46:41 for Nymburk after 30 minutes. The hosts kept in front for sometime early in the fourth before Scekic and Andres Rodriguez (182-G-81, college: American) ignited a comeback run that allowed the visitors finally grab a 58:56 advantage. David Logan stretched it to 5 points with a massive three-pointer. Ladislav Sokolovsky replied with free throws and then crowned the game with a long trey to square thing up at 61.
Dragisa Drobnjak had 14 points for Turow. David Logan provided 13 points, while Marko Scekic (207-F-81) and Robert Witka stepped up with 12 points apiece for Polish side. Radoslav Rancik posted 15 points and 9 boards for Nymburk. Ladislav Sokolovsky dropped game-high 16 points for the home side.
Meanwhile Slask Wroclaw were bruised by Dynamo Moscow at home. The Russian outfit led from the start but was not able to build a decisive margin. Wroclaw team stayed close and challenged the visitors throughout the action. The teams traded baskets in the first frame and were all square at 25 after 10 minutes. The closest possible game continued after the intermission as the teams were going hand-in-hand. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) gave the hosts a 33:32 advantage for a fraction of time but Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) capped the first half with a jumper to put the visitors ahead 42:39 at halftime. Dynamo tried to spur away at the start of the third stanza as Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) came up with a couple of impressive buckets to open up a double-digit lead 51:41. But Slask were alert and Andrius Giedraitis (196-F-73) and Oliver Stevic (201-F-84) trimmed the deficit back to a single point. Moscow side still dominated and headed into the fourth period with a 63:59 lead. It all went down to the crunch time where Dynamo proved the difference. Milos Vujanic and Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) teamed up for 5 straight points to give the guests a 79:72 advantage late in regulation. Dawan Robinson fired from downtown but it was too late to change the outcome. Dynamo sealed a 85:78 victory and made the first step towards the next stage. Robertas Javtokas was outstanding with 28 points and 7 boards. Milos Vujanic added 14 and Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) posted 13 points for the winners. Dawan Robinson accounted for 21 points. Andrius Giedraitis totaled 16 points in a loss.

Loss in Ukraine is no tragedy for Zadar -by Eurobasket News
Azovmash - Zadar 82:80

Croatian Zadar lost their first leg encounter against Ukrainian Azovmash but could hardly call it a major defeat. The 2-point loss is rather a victory for Zadar as they are known as a home-team and can possibly hope for much better outcome at home court. It was not an easy ride for Zadar though with Azovmash dominating at some points. The teams traded baskets early in the game with Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) highlighting for Zadar. He gave his team an 11:8 lead but soon Azovmash produced a 7:0 run to gain an advantage. The hosts led by 4 points after the opening frame 17:13 and stepped on the gas after the intermission. Rodney Rodney Buford (196-G-77, college: Creighton) ignited a three-point bombardment from the hosts. He drained two trebles, while Alexandr Skutelnik (192-G-77) and Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) added two more for Azovmash to go up 32:18 in the second stanza. However Zadar found the savior in Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) as he fueled a 12:4 rally from Zadar to cut the deficit. Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76, agency: Octagon, college: George Washington) capped the first half with a trey to give Azovmash a 39:30 advantage. Gerrod Henderson (193-G-78, agency: Octagon, college: Louisiana Tech) made it 42:30 at the start of the third term and the hosts maintained the lead for some time. Zadar struggled offensively without Corey Brewer who was kept on the bench with 3 personal fouls. But when he returned to court late in the quarter the things got rolling for the visiting side. They came up with a couple of successful offensive plays but Azovmash denied it as Gerrod Henderson scored 5 points and sealed the scoreline at 67:55 after 30 minutes. Zadar replied on Juby Johnson and Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) as they brought Croatian team within 3 points midway through the final frame. The hosts extended the gap to 6 points on Archiblad's layups nevertheless Corey Brewer and Shammell Stallworth trimmed the gap to 2 points 78:80. Gerrod Henderson scored two free throws but Shammell Stallworth run across the whole court to sink a buzzer-beating layup for Zadar and finalizing a narrow loss for Zadar.
Corey Brewer tallied game-high 27 points and 6 assists for Zadar. Shammell Stallworth provided 17 points, while Jure Lalic (212-C-86) stepped up with 11 points in a loss. Rodney Buford paced Azovmash with 20 points. Gerrod Henderson dropped 18 points, while Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, college: Illinois) added 17 points and 11 boards for the winners.

Azovmash: Rodney Buford 20, Gerrod Henderson 18, Robert Jr. Archibald 17+11 boards
Zadar: Corey Brewer 27, Shammell Stallworth 17, Jure Lalic 11

Major setback for Buducnost in Serbia -by Eurobasket News
Hemofarm - Buducnost 82:56

Buducnost ambitions for Top 16 round of ULEB Cup suffered a painful blow yesterday as they lost the opening leg of their Top 32 series against Hemofarm. Serbian team outlasted their opponents on every inch of the court and deservedly built a 16-point advantage before the second game in Podgorica. The game was pretty close early on but just before Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) scored 4 points and then fed Stefan Markovic (191-G-88) for a three-pointer to put the hosts up by 10 points at 20:10. The first frame ended up with Hemofarm leading by 9 points 22:13. Vukosavlijevic and Milivoje Bozovic (211-C-85, agency: Beo Basket) fired from downtown for the Serbian outfit at the start of the second quarter to stretch the margin. Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) kept the visitors alive with a couple of important buckets in the second stanza however the home side capped the half with a 6:0 run to establish a comfortable 42:28 advantage at the interval.
Nebojsa Joksimovic added to Buducnost despair with 7 straight points and soon Hemofarm enjoyed a 51:30 lead. Milivoje Bozovic made it 54:30 a couple of moments later before Vladimir Micov (201-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) finally broke the scoring drought for Buducnost with free throws. Vladimir Micov and Vladimir Dasic cut the gap to 19 points after 30 minutes of action but Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) and Nebojsa Joksimovic drained consecutive baskets for Hemofarm at the start of the fourth period. Hemofarm extended the buffer to as many as 24 points midway through the fourth term but Buducnost stepped up late in the game. They fueled a 7:0 run and ended the game with a 16-point deficit, which still leaves them vague chances of making it to the next round.
Nebojsa Joksimovic paced the hosts with 29 points, 7 assists and 6 boards. Rawle Marshall contributed 21 points for the winning side. Vladimir Dasic secured 13 points and 7 boards for Buducnost. Nenad Mijatovic (194-G-87) dropped 9 points in a losing effort. Buducnost finished the game shooting just 37% from the field. They also got outrebounded by the home team 23:29. The return leg is scheduled for February 26.

Hemofarm: Nebojsa Joksimovic 29, Rawle Marshall 21, Milivoje Bozovic 15
Buducnost: Vladimir Dasic 13, Nenad Mijatovic 9

Jerusalem beats previously undefeated Besiktas -by Eurobasket News
Hapoel Jerusalem - Besiktas 88:73

Jerusalem made it look pretty trivial. Nevertheless it was the first loss for Besiktas in this season's edition of ULEB Cup. Previously unbeaten Turkish outfit were handed a painful blow yesterday as they lost in Jerusalem by 15 points and now need to hope to overcome the deficit at home to advance to the next round of the competition. The game got to a slow start as the teams piled up turnovers and struggled to find offensive rhythm. The things were tied at 13 after the opening frame. Jerusalem gained the speed after the intermission as Sharon Shason (204-F-79, agency: Arik Krayn Services) ignited a 10:0 run to put the hosts ahead. Jamie Arnold (203-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Wichita St.) hit a three-pointer to open up a double-digit advantage for Israeli team. Dror Hagag (178-G-78, agency: Avi Zilberman) nailed straight triples to enlarge the gap to as many as 17 points midway through the second period. Besiktas finished the half on a high as they scored 6 points in a row to trail 29:41. However Guy Pniny (201-F-83, agency: Avi Zilberman) upset them early in the third quarter with back-to-back trebles to establish a 20-point lead for the home team. It later grew to 22 points and Besiktas looked hapless at the moment. Turkish side needed Mehmet Yagmur (188-G-87)'s consecutive treys to cut the margin to 16 points, while Preston Shumpert (198-G-79, college: Syracuse) and Rick Apodaca (192-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency, college: Hofstra) then shaved it to 10 with a couple of more three-pointers. It never helped the ailing Turkish side though. Jamie Arnold was red-hot and a couple of impressive buckets from him restored a 20-point hole between the teams. Rick Apodaca and Preston Shumpert responded with treys but Dror Hagag and Ramel Curry (191-G-80, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: CSU Bakersfield) finally sealed a 15-point victory for Hapoel.
Jamie Arnold ended up with 28 points and 11 boards for Jerusalem. Guy Pniny added 20 points, while Dror Hagag and Ramel Curry provided 12 points apiece in a win. Rick Apodaca replied with 23 points for Besiktas. Preston Shumpert nailed 18 points for Turkish team. Jerusalem had an obvious dominance in the paint outrebounding their opponent 39:22. They also limited the visitors to 42% from the field, while converting 60% themselves.

Jerusalem: Jamie Arnold 28+11 boards, Guy Pniny 20, Dror Hagag 12, Ramel Curry 12
Besiktas: Rick Apodaca 23, Preston Shumpert 18

Crvena Zvezda goes to Treviso with plus 10, comfortable win for Hemofarm STADA -by Dragan Jankovski
After inconvenient defeat in Serbian derby against Partizan last week-end and leaving of center Nenad Misanovic to Dynamo Moscow, Crvena Zvezda demonstrated very good performance against Italian Benetton beating the united colors 81-71. From the beginning Zvezda had a lead finishing the first quarter with 30-19. Of course Benetton didn't give up and came to 70-69 in the last quarter. When it seemed that Zvezda doesn't have enough power to return the bigger lead again their best player Dragicevic shined and with 7 consecutive points brought a nice chance to red and white team to reach 1/8 final after second game in Treviso. Captain of Crvena Zvezda Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) recorded double-double, 23 points and 12 rebounds. Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) also had a good night as he added 17 points and 8 assists. Benetton got 24 points and 8 rebounds from Mario Austin (206-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.).

Hemofarm STADA made comfortable win over Buducnost Podgorica 82-56 so the orange team already is with one leg in the TOP 16 of ULEB Cup. Hemofarm dominated from the beginning extending its lead from quarter to quarter to the fantastic plus 26 at the end. Slovenian guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) had amazing night leading his team to very important win. He collected 29 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) followed him adding 21 points and 4 rebounds. With 13 points and 7 rebounds Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) was the only one who scored double digits in Buducnost.
After the game head coach of Hemofarm STADA Miroslav Nikolic said: 'We couldn't play better than this and I am wondering why our defense is not always good as it was tonight. Advantage of 26 points is a very nice capital for the second game but we are going to Podgorica to pick up another win.'

Crvena Zvezda - Benetton Tamoil 81-71
(30-19,15-17,15-13,21-22)

Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 23 (12 rebs), Cook 17 (8 as), Sljivancanin 10
Benetton: Austin 24 (8 rebs), Gaines 14, Bonsu 11 (12 rebs)

Hemofarm STADA - Buducnost 82-56
(22-13, 20-15,20-15,20-13)

Hemofarm STADA: Joksimovic 29 (6 rebs, 7 as, 4 st), Marshall 21 (4 rebs), Bozovic 15 (9 rebs)
Buducnost: Dasic 13 (7 rebs), Mijatovic 9

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Women News

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SPAIN - Women

Fans of San Jose Leon received their team are champion -by Ivan Villar
San Jose Leon couldn't win its first final but left great image in Sevilla.Everybody is agree with excellent game of team coached by Miguel Angel Estrada.Over 50 fans waited to their players in Leon shouting 'Champions,champions'.It's clear that Leon had a little seed in Sevilla to grow and become bigger team of women basketball in Spain.Bad new came from Ashley Battle (185-C/F-82, college: Connecticut).Shooting guard from USA fell injured in quartersfinals against Extrugasa.She probably should to stop until league's game of her team visiting Vilagarcia 2 weeks later.

Tina Lelas is waiting for doctor's announcement about her knee -by Ivan Villar
Bad luck for Kristina Lelas (196-C-74) in Queen's Cup.Center of Olesa was injured in her knee in quarterfinals against Perfumerias Avenida.Doctors will examinate her knee to find out if some ligament is broken.Kristina Lelas said to be sad because she thinks that maybe she cannot finish season.Croatian player was making a very good season with revelation team of Olesa.Catalan team should to move quickly if she loose rest of season.Deadline to sign players is next February 29th.

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WNBA - Women

WNBA preseason games -by Bruno Baltazar

The WNBA announced its 2008 preseason schedule today, including four games in non-WNBA markets. For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Sky will tip off the league's preseason as they welcome the Seattle Storm to the UIC Pavilion on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m.

The excitement of WNBA basketball will extend to four non-WNBA markets, highlighted by a return to Milwaukee, Wisc. and Lubbock, Texas, sites that hosted WNBA clubs during the 2007 preseason. The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky will travel to the Badger State and play at the Al McGuire Center on May 3 while the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock will square off against the San Antonio Silver Stars May 12 at Lubbock's United Spirit Arena.

Additionally, the WNBA will visit Tampa, Fla. for a game between the Sacramento Monarchs and Washington Mystics on May 5. The fourth non-market game involves the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks who will meet in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. on May 11.

Highlighting the preseason schedule will be the inaugural game for the Atlanta Dream as they host the Los Angeles Sparks at Philips Arena on May 3. The game will be the first chance to see the league's newest franchise take the court and will mark the return to WNBA action of three-time league MVP Lisa Leslie. Leslie sat out 2007 due to the birth of her first child. Also, the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury will play their first preseason game against the Connecticut Sun on May 4 in Uncasville, Conn. The Mercury's preseason home opener is set for May 11 against Atlanta.

The full preseason schedule is as follows:

2008 WNBA PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Day

Date

Visiting Team

Home Team

Local Time

Venue

City

Wed.

April 30

Seattle

Chicago

7:00 PM

UIC Pavilion

Chicago, Ill.

Thurs.

May 1

Connecticut

Minnesota

11:00 AM

Target Center

Minneapolis, Minn.

Fri.

May 2

Houston

San Antonio

7:00 PM

AT&T Center

San Antonio, Texas

Fri.

May 2

Seattle

Sacramento

7:00 PM

Arco Arena

Sacramento, Calif.

Sat.

May 3

Indiana

Chicago

5:00 PM

Al McGuire Center

Milwaukee, Wisc.

Sat.

May 3

Los Angeles

Atlanta

7:30 PM

Philips Arena

Atlanta, Ga.

Sun.

May 4

Phoenix

Connecticut

12:00 PM

Mohegan Sun Arena

Uncasville, Conn.

Mon.

May 5

Sacramento

Washington

7:00 PM

University of Tampa

Tampa, Fla.

Weds.

May 7

Minnesota

Indiana

7:00 PM

Conseco Fieldhouse

Indianapolis, Ind.

Thurs.

May 8

Washington

New York

11:00 AM

Madison Square Garden

New York, N.Y.

Thurs.

May 8

Los Angeles

Chicago

7:00 PM

Sears Center

Chicago, Ill.

Fri.

May 9

Houston

Connecticut

7:00 PM

Mohegan Sun Arena

Uncasville, Conn.

Sat.

May 10

Indiana

Seattle

7:00 PM

Key Arena

Seattle, Wash.

Sun.

May 11

Minnesota

Los Angeles

2:00 PM

Betty Engelstad Sioux Center

Grand Forks, N.D.

Sun.

May 11

Atlanta

Phoenix

6:00 PM

US Airways Center

Phoenix, Ariz.

Mon.

May 12

Detroit

San Antonio

7:00 PM

United Spirit Arena

Lubbock, Texas

Tues.

May 13

Houston

Washington

7:00 PM

Verizon Center

Washington, D.C.

About the WNBA

Storm signs Swin Cash -by Bruno Baltazar
The Seattle Storm announced today the acquisition of two-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA All Star Swin Cash (6'2''-F-79, college: Connecticut). Cash was acquired from the Detroit Shock in exchange for the No. 4 pick in the April 9 WNBA Draft.
Cash, a 6-1 forward, has averaged 12.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists during her six-year WNBA career, all as a starter in Detroit. The second overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft out of Connecticut behind new teammate Sue Bird, Cash averaged 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists during the 2007 season for the Shock. She was a member of the 2003 and 2006 WNBA champion Detroit Shock teams .

'Having Swin on our roster is a huge boost going into this season,' said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. 'She brings great scoring ability, but also tremendous experience. Her playoff experience and championships are exactly the kind of attributes we're looking for. We're excited about camp opening this spring with Swin in a Storm uniform.'

A member of the 2004 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, Cash also was a two-time NCAA Champion in 2000 and 2002 at the University of Connecticut, and was named to the Kodak All-American first team in 2002.

'I'm really happy to be in Seattle and I look forward to the upcoming season,' Cash said. 'Playing with Sue and Lauren (Jackson) is going to be exciting for me. I'm also looking forward to playing for Coach Agler. He brings a lot of experience to the women's game, and I'm happy to be playing for him in Seattle.'

Anna DeForge sign with Lynx and Fever sign Katie Douglas -by Bruno Baltazar
The Minnesota Lynx today announced the signing of unrestricted free agent guard Anna DeForge. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

'We are very excited that Anna chose to continue her career here with the Minnesota Lynx,' said Minnesota Lynx Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith. 'Last year, we worked hard to bring in a core of young and talented players. Signing Anna is the first step in our plans to add quality veteran leadership into the mix with our young players. Anna is a career double-figure scorer, but it is her work ethic and her commitment both on and off the court that will serve as the best example of what it takes to be successful for our young players. We are committed to building a championship contender here in Minnesota. Anna will play a key role in our success in 2008, which we expect will include a return to the WNBA Playoffs.'

The Niagara, Wisc., native will play in her seventh WNBA season in 2008. In her six previous seasons in the WNBA, DeForge has averaged 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while playing her rookie season with the Detroit Shock (2000), three seasons with the Phoenix Mercury (2003-2005), and the last two seasons with the Indiana Fever.

'I am excited to be joining the Minnesota Lynx organization, and I hope to have the opportunity to finish my career here, just a few hours away from my hometown,' DeForge said. 'I am looking forward to working with Coach Zierden, as well as another opportunity to work with Coach Julie Plank again here with the Lynx after two seasons of learning from her in Indiana. I cannot wait to get on the court with our young talent as we strive to return the Lynx to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The goal for me every season is to win a WNBA Championship, and I am coming to the Lynx to help bring the trophy home to Minnesota.'

DeForge, who will turn 32 on April 14, adds veteran leadership that will be vital to a Lynx roster that featured four rookie guards in 2007 and just five players with playoff experience.

'We are very, very excited to add someone with the ability and experience of Anna DeForge,' said Lynx Head Coach Don Zierden. 'We think it is a big step for this organization. We look forward to watching her scoring ability on display in a Lynx uniform in 2008, as well as the teaching that she will provide all of our young players. We are certain that our fans are going to be very excited with this free-agent signing.'

In her two seasons in Indiana, DeForge helped guide the Fever to two straight appearances in the WNBA Playoffs, including the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007. In the first round of the 2007 Playoffs against the Connecticut Sun, DeForge averaged 25.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in the series won in three games by the Fever.

'Anna DeForge is a huge signing for our organization in Minnesota,' said Lynx Assistant Coach Julie Plank. 'She is a great shooter, one of the very best in the WNBA from beyond the arc. Her work ethic, basketball IQ, and competitive drive will be a great addition to our young nucleus. Anna is an experienced veteran who has had tremendous success, not only in the WNBA, but overseas in Poland as well. I am so excited to be coaching Anna again after spending the last two seasons with her in Indiana. She works extremely hard at her game, and she was very instrumental in our playoff runs in each of the last two seasons. I know our staff and players will love what she brings to the Minnesota Lynx organization.'

AND
In one of the biggest trades in Women's National Basketball Association history, the Indiana Fever has announced the trade acquisition of former Perry Meridian High School and Purdue star Katie Douglas (6'0''-G/F-79, college: Purdue), from the Connecticut Sun. In exchange for Douglas, Indiana has traded 2006 All-Star Tamika Whitmore and its first-round pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, along with rights to shooting guard Jessica Foley (third-round pick in 2005 who has remained in Australia.)
Douglas, 28, was a WNBA MVP candidate during each of the past two seasons, a two-time All-Star and the 2006 All-Star Game MVP. She has been named to the WNBA's All-Defensive Team every summer since 2005. The six-foot sharpshooter was a first-team All-WNBA selection in 2006 and a second-team pick last summer.

The former Purdue All-American (2000, 2001) helped lead the Boilermakers to an NCAA Championship in 1999 and another Final Four appearance a year later. Four years after being selected as runner-up for Indiana Miss Basketball honors as a prep star south of Indianapolis, she was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2001. She was a first-round draft pick of the Orlando Miracle in 2001, and moved with the club to Connecticut in 2003 where she has become the team's go-to player the past two seasons.

'Acquiring Katie Douglas is another big milestone for our franchise,' said Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf. 'She is one of the top 10 players in the league and has become one of the elite guards in the game. I have been impressed at how she has continued to get better each and every season. She is a fierce competitor who is in the prime of her career. I am very excited about adding her to our core group of players as we continue our quest for a WNBA title.'

Krauskopf added, 'Katie's impact will be felt immediately. I can't say enough about how excited I am for our team and our fans. It will be nice for Indiana fans to finally see her in a Fever uniform since this is where she spent her early years developing her game.'

If Indianapolis is where Douglas developed her game, it is at Conseco Fieldhouse where she has often perfected it.

She won a Big Ten championship on the Conseco Fieldhouse hardwood in 2000, and some of her best games have come in Indianapolis against the Fever. Her 30-point career scoring high came at Conseco Fieldhouse last summer (6/22/07). Her playoff scoring high, 27 points, came in an overtime thriller in Indianapolis that was, ironically, her final game in a Connecticut uniform (8/27/07).

'I'm looking forward to coming home and playing in front of my family and friends,' said Douglas while traveling from Spain where she plays overseas for Ros Casares Valencia. 'This is a dream come true for me, and I will give my best effort to make a major contribution to the team's success going forward.'

Douglas rejoins Fever coach Lin Dunn, who recruited her to Purdue. Douglas also joins a Fever roster that includes 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star teammates Tamika Catchings and Tammy Sutton-Brown. Through seven WNBA seasons, Douglas owns career averages of 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Last year, she posted career-best averages of 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals.

One of the WNBA's best all-around and most versatile players, she finished ninth in the WNBA in scoring last season, and was fifth in steals. During each the past two WNBA seasons, Douglas, Catchings and Fever point guard Tully Bevilaqua have all finished together among the league's Top 5 in steals.

Said Dunn, 'Trading for Katie sends a message to our fans that we are serious about challenging for an Eastern Conference title and a WNBA championship. Katie is a winner, on both ends of the court and in the community. She has a very high Basketball IQ, she is one of the top defenders in the league and is such a tough competitor! It will be great to play with her, instead of against her.'

Whitmore, 30, is one of the league's most seasoned veterans and playoff performers. She joins her fourth team while beginning her 10th WNBA season. The 6-2 power forward averaged 15.5 and 10.9 points per game, respectively, during two seasons in Indiana. She was selected to her first All-Star Game in 2006, and set a WNBA Playoffs Record with a 41-point scoring effort in Game 2 of the 2006 Eastern Conference First Round at Detroit. She boasts career averages of 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds.

'Moving Tamika was tough because of the impact she had on our team as a competitor and an all-around great player,' added Krauskopf. 'She gave us two outstanding seasons. She always came up big in our playoff games. I can't thank her enough for what she did for our team while she was here.'

2008 WNBA PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Day	Date	Visiting Team	Home Team	Local Time	Venue	City
Wed.	April 30	Seattle	Chicago	7:00 PM	UIC Pavilion	Chicago, Ill.
Thurs.	May 1	Connecticut	Minnesota	11:00 AM	Target Center	Minneapolis, Minn.
Fri.	May 2	Houston	San Antonio	7:00 PM	AT&T Center	San Antonio, Texas
Fri.	May 2	Seattle	Sacramento	7:00 PM	Arco Arena	Sacramento, Calif.
Sat.	May 3	Indiana	Chicago	5:00 PM	Al McGuire Center	Milwaukee, Wisc.
Sat.	May 3	Los Angeles	Atlanta	7:30 PM	Philips Arena	Atlanta, Ga.
Sun.	May 4	Phoenix	Connecticut	12:00 PM	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville, Conn.
Mon.	May 5	Sacramento	Washington	7:00 PM	University of Tampa	Tampa, Fla.
Weds.	May 7	Minnesota	Indiana	7:00 PM	Conseco Fieldhouse	Indianapolis, Ind.
Thurs.	May 8	Washington	New York	11:00 AM	Madison Square Garden	New York, N.Y.
Thurs.	May 8	Los Angeles	Chicago	7:00 PM	Sears Center	Chicago, Ill.
Fri.	May 9	Houston	Connecticut	7:00 PM	Mohegan Sun Arena	Uncasville, Conn.
Sat.	May 10	Indiana	Seattle	7:00 PM	Key Arena	Seattle, Wash.
Sun.	May 11	Minnesota	Los Angeles	2:00 PM	Betty Engelstad Sioux Center	Grand Forks, N.D.
Sun.	May 11	Atlanta	Phoenix	6:00 PM	US Airways Center	Phoenix, Ariz.
Mon.	May 12	Detroit	San Antonio	7:00 PM	United Spirit Arena	Lubbock, Texas
Tues.	May 13	Houston	Washington	7:00 PM	Verizon Center	Washington, D.C.