EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/28/2008

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Men News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Market news -by Dragan Jankovski
After defeat against Union Olimpija last week-end, management of Siroki Prima pivo decided to release Ivan Perincic (208-F-77, agency: Court Side) and Derrick Zimmerman (189-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi St.). The team immediately agreed terms with their ex member Tony Bethel (188-G-82, college: N.Carolina St.).

Split CO got new reinforcement for the rest of the season. It is Bulgarian center Boyko Mladenov (212-C/F-81, agency: Interperformances), who used to play for Apollon Limassol, Lukoil Akademik, Levski and Partizan.

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AUSTRALIA

Perth squares up the series against Sydney -by Eurobasket News
Perth - Sydney 94:85

The Perth Wildcats survived in Game 2 of the semifinal series against regular season champs Sydney to tie it all at 1-1. The Wildcats capitalized on the undermanned Kings' squad to level things up in the series. Brian Goorjian was not able to use two of his key performers in this one. Mark Worthington (202-F-83, college: Metro St.) was suspended for the game on charges of elbowing Shawn Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports, college: Arizona St.). Moreover Sydney captain Jason Smith (194-G-74) had some problems with his shoulder and never appeared on court. Perth did not wait for too long to begin their onslaught. Shawn Redhage and Peter Crawford (193-G-79) soon masterminded a 14-point advantage for the hosts and put the Jungle to their feet. Sydney trimmed the gap back to 4 points but Peter Crawford notched back-to-back treys late in the frame and allowed the home side to enjoy a 32:24 lead. Perth stayed cool throughout the second term and held on to a 7-point buffer at sides change 56:49. The Kings appeared from the dressing room recharged and proved it with an 11:2 rally that put them on top. The teams then traded the baskets before the Wildcats regained the advantage and finished the third stanza in front 74:68. Luke Kendall (193-G-81, college: Metro St.) raised the tension scoring 4 points in a row to square things up at 76 midway through the final frame. Gerald Brown (191-G-75, college: Pepperdine) and Shawn Redhage gave some breathing space for Perth with straight treys in the last minutes. The Kings eventually never recovered from the blow and suffered a defeat. Shawn Redhage was impressive with game-high 35 points and 11 boards for Perth. Peter Crawford launched 17 points, while Gerald Brown had 14 points for the winners. Dontaye Draper (180-G, college: Charleston) led Sydney with 16 points. Luke Kendall finished with 15 points and 6 boards in a losing case. The decider is scheduled for March 1.

Perth: Shawn Redhage 35+11 boards, Peter Crawford 17, Gerald Brown 14
Sydney: Dontaye Draper 16, Luke Kendall 15

Melbourne too good for Brisbane -by Eurobasket News
Melbourne - Brisbane 116:98

The Melbourne Tigers stepped closer to the Grand Final of the NBL with a confident 116:98 win against the Brisbane Bullets today. Melbourne combined a terrific shooting touch from Sean Lampley (201-F-79, college: California) and a scoring drought of Ebi Ere (195-G/F-81, college: Oklahoma) to grab a 9-point lead. Sean Lampley exploded with 3 triples, while Ebi Ere was kept mum for the whole term as the Tigers clinched a 38:29 advantage. Brisbane tightened up their defense and ignited a 14:2 run to drag within 3 points from the hosts. Melbourne had the last laugh in the first half as Daryl Corletto (190-G-81) and Dave Thomas (204-G/F-76, college: Michigan St.) hit treys to build a 62:54 lead for the Tigers at the interval. Ebi Ere and CJ Bruton (188-G-75, college: Indian Hills CC) struggled to deliver points in the third frame and the Tigers continued to dominate. They stretched their lead to 21 points by the end of the third period 91:70 and entered the final frame with a comfortable buffer. CJ Bruton fired two more trebles early in the fourth stanza to give the Bullets a hope but it went broke pretty soon with Chris Anstey (213-C-75) doing the damage in the paint and Dave Thomas bruising the guests from the field.
Sean Lampley and David Barlow (205-F-83, college: Metro St.) led well-balance Sydney offense with 17 points apiece. Daryl Corletto added 16 points, while Dave Thomas and Chris Anstey netted 14 points for the winners. CJ Bruton responded with game-high 29 points for the Bullets. Dusty Rychart (201-F-78, college: Minnesota) had 20 points and 11 boards in a losing effort. Ebi Ere finished the game with 5 points on a 2/11 field goal shooting. The Tigers forced their opponents to 16 turnovers and held them to 41% accuracy from the field. Melbourne converted 51% of field goals and 82% of free throws. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Thursday at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The Bullets must win to force a decider and remain with hopes for Grand Final.

Melbourne: Sean Lampley 17, David Barlow 17, Daryl Corletto 16
Brisbane: CJ Bruton 29, Dusty Rychart 20+11 boards

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AUSTRIA

Gmunden gets beaten in Spain -by Eurobasket News
Joventut - Gmunden 77:56

Gmunden were unable to beat the odds and tame dangerous Joventut in the Top 32 series. The Austrian team lost the home game by as many as 30 points and had little hopes before the return leg in Badalona. The sensation never happened as Joventut cruised to another impressive victory and advanced to the next round of the competition. Gmunden nevertheless fought bravely and Matthias Mayer (206-C/F-81) quickly scored 6 points to put the visitors ahead 7:4. The teams then traded baskets throughout the first frame and Demond Mallet (186-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Mc Neese St.)'s jumper knotted it all at 20 after 10 minutes of action. Gmunden capitalized on offensive sloppiness from the hosts to limit them to 9 points in the second term. The visiting team grabbed a 32:29 advantage at the break. Garcia Aito Reneses decided to shake things up for his team with the introduction of Joventut's leader Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) into action after the main break. Fernandez did not appear on court in the first half but exploded with 20 points in just 8 minutes to carry the hosts up for good. He masterminded a 27:3 run for Joventut to pile up a 64:46 buffer heading into the fourth term. It was all done and both teams just cruised to the game's ending. Rudy Fernandez stepped up with 20 points to lead Joventut. Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, college: Penn St.) produced 13 points and 9 boards, while Pau Ribas (182-G-87) netted 12 points for the winners. Kevin Johnson (201-F, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Humboldt St.) answered with 16 points and 8 boards for Gmunden. Matthias Mayer chipped in 11 points in defeat. Joventut will next face Khimky in arguably the key heat of Top 16 round.

Joventut: Rudy Fernandez 20, Jan-Hendrik Jagla 13, Pau Ribas 12
Gmunden: Kevin Johnson 16, Matthias Mayer 11

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BOSNIA

KK Bosna gets stopped by Gran Canaria -by Eurobasket News
Gran Canaria - KK Bosna 89:69

KK Bosna hopes of qualifying round have been shattered in Spain. Bosnian outfit secured a 7-point win in Sarajevo and looked forward to securing the buffer in Las Palmas. But Gran Canaria proved their favorite status finalizing a stunning victory to eliminate KK Bosna. Edin Bavcic (210-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) kept it all bright for KK Bosna at the start of yesterday's encounter as he nailed 4 straight points for a 4:0 lead. However Marcus Norris (185-G-74, agency: SportsTalent, college: Ball St.) and Carl English (192-G-81, college: Hawaii) drained treys and fueled a 13:0 run from the hosts as they take a lead. Nik Caner-Medley (203-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Maryland) soon made it 18:7 for Gran Canaria, while Roberto Guerra (195-G-83) sealed the first frame outcome at 20:10. KK Bosna used 5 points from Lance Williams (206-C-80, college: De Paul) and Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) to cut the deficit to 9 points early in the second period. Gran Canaria dominated the reminder of the second stanza building a 38:22 cushion at sides change. Jim Moran (200-F/G-79, college: William & Mary) produced four points to stretch the gap to 20 points at the beginning of the third period. Gran Canaria never slowed down and soon widened the gap to 27 points. Sitapha Savane (202-F-78, college: Navy) converted a basket to mark a 30-point cushion for the hosts 60:30. KK Bosna still fought bravely as they reacted with a 12:4 run to trim the difference. Gran Canaria entered the fourth period up by 25 points and never looked back afterwards.
Kornel David (207-F-71) notched 23 points for the hosts. Carl English added 16 points, while Marcus Norris produced 13 points and 7 assists for the winning side. Lance Williams answered with 19 points and 7 boards for KK Bosna. Goran Ikonic banked 15 points in defeat. Gran Canaria outrebounded the visitors 40:24 and forced those to 14 turnovers.

Gran Canaria: Kornel David 23, Carl English 16, Marcus Norris 13
KK Bosna: Lance Williams 19, Goran Ikonic 15

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BRIT.V.ISLANDS

Sheffield rallying to keep George -by David Edole
By Paul On The Ball Hewlett

The Sheffield Sharks came to my home town Milton Keynes to play the number one seeded team in the league at present, the MK Lions, and they knew they had a touch game on their hands. Milton Keynes, who ended the first half of the season in second place behind the Sharks, continued their momentum, destroying every team in their way.

In the process they won the British knockout cup, proving to all their critics, who said the team was too old with an average age of 34, that they were most definitely a team to reckon with this year.

For Randy George (200-F-81, college: Henderson St.), it was a typical game for himself and Justice Graham who are the two top defensive and offensive players respectively for the team. With the strength of Milton Keynes offensively, George was given specific instructions to focus on defense and when himself and Graham came on, they made huge impacts immediately.

The Sharks administration brought in two new players, seemingly having shuffled players more than any other team in the league and one of the youngest line ups as well. Coach Scantlebury gambled and played his new young players seemingly willing to take risks for the greater future of the team.

The game itself was high impact and very competitive with both teams tying no fewer than seven times during the 40 minutes of play. In a very slow first quarter MK Lions ended with a narrow two point lead of 17-15 and at the half the game was tied at 41. In the third the two teams rallied back and forth but in another low scoring quarter Milton Keynes led, 57-56.

In the final quarter, with 3:46 seconds left in the game, it was all tied up again at 66. From here on though it was all Sheffield whose guard Alto-Virgil hit two back to back 3 pointers and opened up the game. The Lions never recovered and had two big rejections from Chino George as the game ended, 83-66.

After the game I spoke to assistant head coach Mike Tolbert who explained, 'Oh don't worry, we definitely want Randy back next year. He brings so much to our team on the court and on the bench. He is so self motivated and has been a key factor to the guys when we went through our bad patch. He is one of those guys who lift the moral of the team.'

Head coach Peter Scantlebury was very pleased with the win over such a strong team.

'I always knew we had the ability to do it, it was just a matter of time. With guys like Chino on the team it will all come together sooner or later, tonight was proof of that,' he said.

Randy George also spoke about the win, 'Well tonight's game was one of those games where we knew we had to come in and jump on them from the start. They are a pretty good team with a lot of veteran players. We knew it was going to be physical from the start, so we were physically and mentally prepared for that. It was all about playing good defense and scrapping for 40 minutes for me,' George said.

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CHINA

China National Team roster -by Robert Wang
Here is the info. from Bei Jing media about new China National Team roster,
2 new players Zhang Kai (Dong Guan), Xu Yong (Shang Hai), anf then Yao Ming, Yi Jian Lian, Wang Zhi zhi, Zhu Fang Yu, Wang Shi Peng, Du Feng, Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Zhang Song Tao, Chen Jiang Hua, Zhou Peng, Liu Xiao Yu, Li Nan, Wang Lei, Ding Jin Hui, Li Xiao Xu. Yao ming and Yi Jian Lian would be back after NBA season. There is no former NBA center Ba ter (Xin Jiang team), and neither Tang Zheng Dong.

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CYPRUS

FIBA EuropeCup: AEL qualified in the final four!!! -by Chris Mammides
Proteas EKA AEL is the first team from Cyprus to qualify in the final four of the FIBA EuroCup competition. Charles Burton's team swept Dmitriy Bazelevskiy's team and completed a 2-0 series to book their place in the EuroCup Final Four, and add another golden page in the Cyprus Basketball Diary.
The Limassol team was astonishing from the very beginning, dominating in all the edges of the court taking a big advantage of 20 points by the end of the first quarter (12-31) the Ukrainians couldn't believe it, actually they were shocked as Charles Barton's team only won the first leg back in Cyprus 70-65, so they were sure that with one way or another they could have won this game to travel once more to the sunny Limassol for the third decisive, only few (AEL's management mostly and Cyprus Fans) would have expected them to take a stranglehold on Game Two by the end of the first quarter. The road win and the possible qualification in the final four from this second game was closer as the adeficit for the Cyprus site went to 31-11 near the end of the period and Khimik got no closer than 13 points for the rest of the first half.
The visitors kept the pressure on and went in front by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but Khimik refused to give up, the Ukrainians managed to cut the deficit to 71-58 with just less than eight minutes to go after a three-pointer by Martynas Mazeika. The Lithuanian scored another 2 points with a lay-up to make it 71-60, and give some hopes to the Ukrainian site but the replay was immediate from one of the top performers for the Cyprus site, the French Karim Souchu scored a deadly three pointer and with less than 6 minutes to go increase the deficit to 14.
Still, Khimik persevered and with 2:36 left, two free throws from Mazeika to trim Proteas lead to 10 points (77-67). Maxime Maxime Zianveni (198-F-79), who was the top scorer and MVP of the game, made a jumper for a 79-67 lead to end the Khimik resistance once and for all.
The quarters were: 12-31, 32-51, 50-69 and 76-87
The scorers for the two teams were:
Khimik: Kelly 10, Mazeika 13, Brandic 10, Famutimi 12, Koronoshki 3, Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80) 23, Agafonov 5.
Proteas EKA AEL: Liatsos 6, Souchu 16, Aleksic 9, Randle 9, Buzian 10, Maxime Zianveni 19, Zavorojev 5, Woodward 13.

Hassapis Omonoia book the place in the playoff semifinals -by Nemanja Bjedov
Arthur Davis scored 19 points and Marvin Stone added 14 as Hassapis Omonoia beat Intercollege ETHA 78-72 to record a 2-0 win in the best-of-three first round play-off's series on Tuesday night at the Eleftheria Athletic Center.

Davorin Dalipagic scored 10 out of his total 14 points in the opening period as the official visitors propelled to a 24-15 lead. Renos Pitallis' men then reduced their deficit to only three points in the second as they trailed 43-30 going to the half-time break. The third quarter was an offensive struggle with neither team able to score more than 15 points and heading to the final period Intercollege ETHA held a 58-54 lead. However, the Engomi side failed to hold onto their advantage and once the hosts took the lead they never looked back deservedly winning the game and setting up the play-offs semifinal clash against the regular season league leaders Keravnos Strovolos.

The Serbian trio, Djordje Prstojevic, Sasa Mihajlovic and Vladimir Zaric (197-G/F-72), each had 10 points for Hassapis Omonoia. Zaric was also the MVP of the game with 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals, and tendex index of 0.81. He was delighted with his team's performance on the night: 'We all knew how significant this game was for the club and we were at our best when it was the most important. We played as a unit and each of us gave one hundred percent on the court. Our fans were our sixth player and I want to thank them for coming in numbers to support us. I also want to congratulate Intercollege ETHA's players on their fair-play.'

'Now we focus solely on Keravnos Strovolos and the semifinals. They are clearly favorites to advance but we will give our maximum again and try to upset them,' Zaric added.

Gary Ware scored 24 points and hauled down 11 rebounds for Intercollege ETHA, while Dalipagic also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Corey Santee and Bojan Vukadinovic had 11 and 10 points respectively.

SOURCE: CyBasketball.com

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D-LEAGUE

Last Transactions -by Surujh Roopnarine
NBA Player Assignments
The Miami Heat have assigned first year players Daequan Cook (6'5''-G-87, college: Ohio St.) and Joel Anthony (6'9''-C-82, college: UNLV) to the Iowa Energy. Cook, an impressive guard out of Ohio State has averaged 7.2 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 38% from the field in 38 games. His season high came on December 6th, when he scored 20 against Portland. Anthony has been battling injuries for most of the season, only appearing in four games.

NBA Call-Ups
The Houston Rockets have signed second year pro Bobby Jones (6'6''-F-84, college: Washington) from the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Houston will be the third NBA team Jones will suit up for this season, in addition to stints with Denver and Memphis. The former Washington Husky has averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds over his 23 NBA games this season.

Last Transactions
Ft. Wayne: Waived Glen McGowan (6'9''-F-81, college: Pepperdine) due to injury
Iowa: Signed Courtney Sims (6'11''-C-83, college: Michigan)
Ft. Wayne: Signed Harry Good (6'10''-C, college: Fresno St.) and released Nate Gerwig (6'9''-F/C-83, college: Kent St.) due to injury.
Bakersfield: Signed D-League veteran Mateen Cleaves (6'2''-G-77, college: Michigan St.)
Austin: Acquired dynamo point guard Andre Barrett (5'9''-G-82, college: Seton Hall) from Bakersfield in exchange for Justin Reed (6'8''-F-82, college: Mississippi). Barrett, who has had stops with several NBA teams, is averaging 19 points, three rebounds and eight assists per game this season. Reed, a former grinder at the University of Mississippi, averaged 14.5 points and six rebounds in 5 games with Austin this season.

Last Night's Results -by Surujh Roopnarine
Anaheim Arsenal (80) at Los Angeles D-Fenders (88)
ARSENAL: Will Blalock (6'0''-G-83, college: Iowa St.) (23p), Kedrick Brown (13p+6rb), Marcus Campbell (6p+11rb), Mo Charlo (11p+6rb)
D-FENDERS: Brian Chase (5'10''-G-81, college: Virginia Tech) (32p+6rb), Sean Banks (22p+7rb+6as), Stephane Lasme (8p+13rb), Jelani McCoy (7p+13rb)

Ft. Wayne Mad Ants (116) at Rio Grande Valley Vipers (131)
MAD ANTS: Ron Howard (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Valparaiso) (33p+5rb), Corey Minnifield (29p+13rb), Earl Calloway (26p), Eric Smith (13p+7rb)
VIPERS: Desmon Farmer (6'5''-G-81, college: USC) (39p+6rb), Jesse Smith (25p+11rb), Trent Strickland (21p+16rb), Kris Collins (17p)

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EBA

Last Weekends Results -by Justin Moore
In Last weekends EBA action most games were run away's. The Alexandria Avengers Ran over the Schuylkill Firedogs 147-95 with 7players in Double figures led by Brian Carter (6'6''-F-81, college: Catawba) 26pts,15rebs,4ast,3blks,Justin Moore (5'9''-G-80, college: St.Augustine) 23pts,7ast,5stls,4rebs, Tyree Harris (6'1''-G-79, college: Pfeiffer) 21pts,7rebs,5stls,4rebs, Carlos Jones (6'2''-G-81, college: Mountain St.) 17pts,7ast,6rebs,4stls, Steven Miles (6'2''-G-81, college: American) (6'2''-G-81, college: American) 18pts,9ast,7rebs,4stls, Daryl Owens (6'2''-G, college: Nova CC) had a huge game with 16pts,22rebs,7stls,5ast, Julius Stewart (6'6''-F, college: Florida St.) added 14pts,10rebs. The Firedogs were led by Bryant Thomas (5'8''-G) 22pts 9rebs. In Other EBA games The Harrisburg Horizon defeated The Delaware Destroyers 138-106 the Horizon still couldnt slow down the EBA's leading scorer Sherman Brittingham (6'5''-F-82, college: California (PA)) 33pts,18rebs,5ast, Dan Oneil 19pts,8rebs, and Hakim Hart (6'3''-G-79, college: Bridgeport) 15pts,11rebs all in losing efforts.
New Jersey Starting 5ive 158-96 over Philadelphia Power
North Jersey Lakers 118-80 over Wilkes-Barre Barons

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ETHIOPIA

Nile river basket ball compeition -by Yoseph Zemede
last friday water design beats the rwandan team by 10 difference. it shows how the Ethiopia basket ball develoing.water desing flows a ball dramtically from point guard mesfin to center umad,both players pick the team by 28 points and dereje and aby added 26.rwandan number 9 shows good skill of basket ball including slum dunks.

last sunday game result EIG 91 JOY LALIPOP 64 JOY LALIPOP is new team apper in this season combination of last year player from different clubs mainly from st.Joseph a new team is sponserd by Carlos who came from American.and a team coach Solomon.

This saterday fixtures JOY LALIPOP v OLOMPIACOS

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EURO CUP

Ural Great ties the series against TU/Rock -by Eurobasket News
Ural Great survived in the EuroCup quarterfinal series against TU/Rock beating Estonian team 68:61 at home. The series is now tied at 1-1 and the teams will travel to Estonia for the decisive third game scheduled for March 4. It was a must-win affair for Ural Great after the loss in the opening matchup of the series in Tartu. And Ural Great did not disappoint a 5,000 crowd gathered at the Molot Sports Hall in Perm. Brent Wright (203-F/C-78, college: Florida), Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81, college: Centenary) and Ralph Biggs (199-F-76, agency: Court Side, college: Towson) scored 9 unanswered points for the hosts to open the action. Talts managed to score first basket for the visitors only more than 5 minutes into the game. Brian Cusworth (213-C-84, college: Harvard) scored 4 points for TU/Rock as they trimmed the gap to 3 points late in the first quarter. Brent Wright converted two free throws for Ural Great but Gert Kullamae (198-G/F-71) answered from downtown to make it 11:15 after the first frame. Kestutis Sestokas (203-F-76) and Brian Cusworth closed the margin for TU/Rock, while George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) dropped a three-pointer to put the visitors up for the first time in this one 18:17. But soon Aleksander Belov (196-G-77) and Aleksei Zozulin (199-G/F-83) fired from the outside to restore a 26:19 advantage for the hosts. Vallo Allingu (206-C-78) sank a bunch of free throws to keep TU/Rock in contest 28:32 at halftime. Tanel Tein (194-G/F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) poured in two three-pointers early in the third stanza to give Estonian team a 38:36 lead. Andrew Wisniewski ignited a 14:0 run for the hosts as they built a 52:40 buffer late in the third period. Tanel Tein and Kestutis Sestokas clipped the deficit to 9 points heading into the fourth term. Surovtsev and Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) stretched the margin to 14 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter but George Tsintsadze and Tanel Tein refused to give it up. They continued to bombard from beyond the arc to keep the hopes alive for TU/Rock. They managed to narrow the difference to 7 points with less than 4 minutes remaining. But Vanja Plisnic and Aleksei Zozulin quickly renewed a safe distance and Ural Great never looked back in the crunch time. Brent Wright produced 18 points and 10 boards for Ural Great. Aleksei Zozulin, Vanja Plisnic and Andrew Wisniewski knocked down 10 points apiece for the winners. Brian Cusworth answered with 15 points and 7 boards for TU/Rock. Tanel Tein drilled 13 points in a loss.
Meanwhile Samara were denied a chance to advance to the next round of EuroCup as they were eliminated by Mons-Hainaut. Belgium side arrived to Russia having a win in store and completed the series in a thrilling encounter in Samara. The hosts were hopeful through the major part of the game as they held to a 50:46 advantage at halftime. Mons-Hainaut stepped on the gas in the third period surging ahead on Ben Ebong (202-F/C-76, college: Davidson)'s jump shot to head into the fourth quarter up 64:62. Ben Ebong nailed two free throws early in the final term to enlarge the lead to 4 points. But Samara came back to life as Sergei Demeshkin (200-F-76) scored a trey and Yaniv Green (206-F-80, agency: Arik Krayn Services) added a jumper. It all went down to the final minutes as Andrew Sullivan (203-F-80, college: Villanova) drained two free throws and put the visitors in front 82:81 with just over a minute left. Alex Scales (192-G-78, college: Oregon) answered with two accurate free throws for Samara to regain the lead. Later Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) and Andrei Trushkin (207-C/F-81) traded free throws and Samara were ahead 85:84 with 7 seconds left in regulation. Andrew Sullivan committed a turnover but Sergei Demeshkin nailed just one free throw which proved to be too costly for Samara. Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.) silenced the arena with an unbelievable three-pointer with 2 seconds on the clock to bury Samara. Jim Cantamessa topscored with 20 points and 9 boards for Mons-Hainaut. Ben Ebong delivered 18 points and 10 boards for the winners. Alex Scales scored 23 points and issued 7 assists for Samara. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: St.Louis) had 17 points in defeat.

AEL snaps EuroCup season for Khimik -by Eurobasket News
Khimik - AEL 76:87

Khimik Yuzhny were tamed by AEL in Game 2 of their EuroCup quarterfinal series. The loss meant the season had come to an end for ambitious Khimik. The hosts were hopeful before the return leg with just a 5-point deficit to overcome. But it grew to as many as 24 just after 10 minutes of action in Yuzhny. Maxime Zianveni (198-F-79) and Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) teamed up for 15 points in the opening frame to stun the home team 31:12. Olu Famutimi (197-G-84, college: Arkansas) and Andriy Agafonov (207-F-86, agency: Interperformances) opened the second term with 4 straight points trying to recharge desperate hosts but Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) quickly iced any efforts with 6 points in row for the visitors. Olu Famutimi and Martynas Mazeika (192-G-85) ignited a mini-run for Khimik to clip the gap to 15 points. AEL responded with back-to-back triples from Ryan Randle (206-F-81, college: Maryland) and Vasili Zavoruev (196-G-87) to restore a 20-point cushion. Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Salem Intern.) carried Khimik within 15 points early in the third stanza. But Karim Souchu (198-F-79, college: Furman) scored 5 consecutive points for AEL to make it a 62:44 game with less than 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The teams traded free throws late in the frame and AEL headed into the final stanza with a comfortable 69:50 advantage. Martynas Mazeika came up with consecutive treys for Khimik at the start of the fourth period to cut the margin to 13 points and put the fans on their feet. Martynas Mazeika was not done as he stretched his scoring streak with a jumper second later and Khimik climbed within 11 points from the visitors. Karim Souchu finally broke the deadlock for AEL with 4-point play. Khimik simply ran out steam at the moment and never seriously threaten AEL's lead till the final buzzer. Maxime Zianveni poured in 19 points to pace AEL. Karim Souchu scored 16 points, while Duane Woodward added 13 points for Cypriot team. Goran Cakic registered 23 points and 10 boards for Khimik. Martynas Mazeika delivered 13 points in a losing effort.
AEL will now take on Mons-Hainaut in the Final Four of EuroCup on April 18.

Khimik: Goran Cakic 23+10 boards, Martynas Mazeika 13
AEL: Maxime Zianveni 19, Karim Souchu 16, Duane Woodward 13

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Karkkila and Kauhajoki winning -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 35: Five games tonight. Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) losing third time in a row and now in Kouvola, where Kouvot won sixth time in a row.
ToPo was again in troubles especially in defense. Kouvot hit treys 55,2% (16/29). Corey Smith (196-G/F, agency: Warren Sports, college: Vanderbilt) (Kouvot) netted game high 31 pts. YMCA Lahti and visitor KTP (Kotka) had again a close game. This time KTP won by four 79-83. Steve Smith (200-F-81, agency: CAA Sports, college: Iona) and Baboucarr Bojang (204-F-80, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Illinois St.) combined 46 pts for KTP.
In Tampere local Pyrinto defeated Korihait (Uusikaupunki) 87-69. Kauhajoki took an important victory by beating Kataja (Joensuu) 97-73. Eric Washington (192-F/G-74, agency: Interperformances, college: Alabama) (Kauhajoki) was the game MVP: 31 pts and 13 rbs. Team Componenta (Karkkila) had a new American player on the roster as Nigel Moore (191-F/G-81, college: Alabama A&M) played his first game in Finland. Moore's start was good: 22 pts in 28 minutes! And that was in Espoo vs Honka! TC was shooting less, but with better accuracy. Honka won namely the rbs 43-30. Honka missed Petteri Koponen (193-G-88), who DNP (tonsillitis).

Interesting times during the last rounds of the regular season.

Kauhajoki - Kataja 97-73 (44-34) (Eric Washington 31/13, Darryll Hudson 18 - Terry Black 14, Martti Kuisma 11).

Honka - Team Componenta 74-85 (35-37) (Matt Williams 23/11, Kimmo Muurinen 15 - Chris Hester 22, Nigel Moore 22).

Kouvot - Torpan Pojat 106-81 (54-30) (Corey Smith 31/11, Wayne Bernard 19 - Josh Gonner 15, Tyson Patterson 15).

Pyrinto - Korihait 87-69 (41-32) (Antero Lehto 20, M.C.Mazique 17/11 - Glenn Stokes 27, Kyle Shiloh 11/12).

YMCA Lahti - KTP 79-83 (36-40) (Pierre Jallow 18, Vesa Makalainen 12 - Steve Smith 25/12, Baboucarr Bojang 21).




KORISLIIGA: TC signed fourth American player -by Rauno Hurmalainen
Team Componenta (Karkkila) has signed the fourth American player on Team's roster. SG-SF Nigel Moore (191-F/G-81, college: Alabama A&M) comes from Germany, where he has played several seasons in GER-2.Bundesliga (TV Lich) and one season in GER-1.Bundesliga (Giessen). This season (2007-08) Moore played again in GER-1.Bundesliga (Goettingen), but was waived in February. Moore averaged 3,8 ppg, 2,8 rpg and 1,3 apg in 18 contests.

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FRANCE

NM1: Longwy joins Mulhouse, Charleville remains on top -by Chris Spiesser
The leaders continue their winning trend. Charleville did not suffer any moment against Andrezieux. In the mean time, the other top teams had bigger menus. Fos remained strong in Boulogne while Antibes took the game by four points in Bordeaux. Blois played at home against Angers where they impressed especially by allowing only 59 to coach Hay and his boys. The GET Vosges secured shortly two points with a narrow victory against the CFBB. Challans, St-Chamond and Lievin preserve their positive balance and a quite comfortable rank. The most important result of the week is definitively Longwy's win. By defeating Lille, the lorrains join Mulhouse at place 13, one win behind Lille, Bordeaux and Boulogne. And next Sunday (5pm), the Palais des Sports of Mulhouse will welcome Longwy for a crucial derby.

Blois 68-59 Angers
Lorenzo Orr destroyed Angers' paint with 15pts and 18rbs plus 3stl and 4ass. Angers can regret its FT's unaccuracy: 5/13

Charleville 96-49 Andrezieux
120-18, such is the ranking score! Minet was the most efficient with 18pts (6/9), 5rbs, 7ass.

Bordeaux 82-86 Antibes
Antibes scored a nice 12/25 from the 6,25m line. Julien Sauret nailed the decisive one.

Boulogne 68-81 Fos
Babou Cisse scored 30 ranking points (29pts 12/17, 4rbs, 4ass) to lift his team to the win despite Pierre-Joseph's impact (24pts 9/12)

Feurs 66-73 Lievin
Important victory for Lievin which could count in the relegation battle. Lievin made it strong with a better accuracy
(40% vs 48%) and a good Cilly (13pts, 6rbs).

Centre Federal 56-60 Golbey-Epinal
Defense, rebounds, the CFBB wasn't far from a first win but Mdivani's 13pts, 4rbs, 3stl in 12 minutes were decisive.

Challans 100-76 Mulhouse
Coach Masse, decided to replace Darryl Dora by Seth Scott (207-F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Portland St.) who comes directly from Vichy (3.2ppg, 1.9rpg). A good idea, the new US player scored 26pts (10/13). Adell reched the same amount but Mulhouse's defense was totally elsewhere allowing Challans to shoot at 66%.

Saint-Chamond 82-72 Toulouges
The locals net a good win for their confidance. Massenya handled things: 22pts 9/11, 6rbs.

Longwy 92-76 Lille
New game over 30 ranking pts for Jonathan Godin (26pts 10/14, 4rbs, 3stl, 9ass, 36rkg pts) and his team is now 7-1 over the last 8 games with 88.25ppg. This time Alex Atinkpahoun posted also his season high: 21pts (9/12), 6rbs.

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HUNGARY

AJ Milano at Budapest -by Balazs Radics
Greatest Italian player of all time Dino Meneghin (204-C-50) led the delegation of 3 that came to the hungarian capital to negotiate about future cooperation possibilities of the near future between AJ Milano and VASAS SC! Fabio Napoleone youth director and Mario Fioretti the assistant coach of the first team was meeting with the hungarian club executives Markovits Laszlo, Farkas Balazs and Zoldi Peter. Sport director Saeed Armaghani have introduced the facilities and presented the structure of the work at VASAS, same as he did with Barcelona and Cibona Zagreb! Close cooperation between these clubs, player exchanges, coach cliniques and training camps have been the main topics and raising a new basketball generation in Budapest. Which can be also beneficial for the lombardians, as they could sign top prospect young talents to their squad from Eastern Europe. The places of the Cup of 4 cities for U13 players are looking full with Milano, and seems ready to launch this summer!

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IBL

I.B.L. Must See Game: The Holland Blast vs The Hidden Gems All Stars!!! -by Lucius Jones

The Holland Blast will begin their season at Orchardview Middle School in Muskegon Michigan on Sat, March 15th at 7pm versus the Hidden Gems All Stars. The Holland Blast roster for 2008 will feature the 1-2 punch of Dennis Springs (5'8''-G-82, college: Ferris St.) and Antonio Davis (6'6''-F-82, college: Urbana) among many talented others.

Hidden Gems is a semi-pro team that plays competitive,high pressure basketball against different professional teams and colleges. The Hidden Gems All Stars will be composed of players who are in the market for professional basketball employment. Most have achieved high levels of success in their collegiate careers and also have professional experience at varied levels of play. Other IBL teams and representatives of different organizations are encouraged to be in attendance in order to evaluate the prospective talent.

To access information for attending this spectacular game, go to www.hollandblast.com and go to the schedule which has all the traveling information. Or visit either www.iblhoopsonline.com and go to Holland Blast for specific information on the team or www.leaguelineup.com/hiddengems for more information on the Hidden Gems organization as a whole. Roster Information for The Hidden Gems All Stars:

Tyler Ousley (6'9''-F/C) - All American at Otterbien with bigtime pro potential. Can play any frontcourt position at his height.
Tony Cornett (6'5''-F/G-84, college: W.Virginia St.) - 2-time All American. Equally effective at 2/3/4. Athletic,competitor fresh from Iceland.
Dwayne McNeal (6'7''-F/C-79) - Versatile Post player from Hampton who can play 4 or 5. Vast,varied pro experience.
Charles Warren (6'1''-PG/SG, college: Findlay (OH)) - IBL All Star and star in college. Strong at either backcourt position. Top tier shooter and leader.
Marcus McCants (6'1''-PG/SG) - South Carolina St collegiate athlete with deadly outside touch. Plays 1 or 2 very well. Brother of Ed McCants.
Chris Blakely (6'5''-G/F, college: Mt.Union) - Coach on the floor. Premier defender and high quality all around talent. 1-4 on both sides of the ball.

Marcel Jackson (6'3' PG/SG) - Defensive juggernaut. 6'8' wingspan allows for many steals and quality defensive pressure. Deft mid-range shooter as well.

Sean Ballard (6'6' F) - Frontcourt versatility. Fully capable of defending 2/3/4 and strong at 3/4 on offense. High level defense and intensity.
Henry Brown (5'8' PG) - Cat-quick, strong PG who finsihes well in traffic. 3ball is strong,as is defensive pressure. Penetration is almost at will.



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JORDAN

Wytche inks with Zain -by Mohammed Malas
The american combo guard Antonio Wyche (193-F-77, college: Notre Dame) will be part of Zain basketball team till the end of the season to cover the abcense of Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) who will be away for 2 months and Sam Daghlas (197-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) who will miss the rest of the season adding that Glen Summerall (193-G-80, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) who was supposed to continue with the team got a strong injury in his right ankle and that will force to be out of the team after only 2 games....

Antonio was graduated from Notre Dame University (NCAA1) in 1999, He he played before in Finland, Macedonia, 3 seasons in Japan and finally in Qatar with Al Rayyan this season.

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LATVIA

Latvian clubs in Eurocups -by Gunars Gailitis

ULEB Cup
Last 32, 2 game
BK Ventspils - Lukoil Academic (Sofia) 55-73 (21-22; 9-19; 17-15; 8-17) (in 1. game 64-67)
Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80) 29, Veselovs 7, Helmanis 6; Dean 23+6reb+5as+5st, Mujezinovic 16, Stefanov 12, Antic 12+11reb


FIBA Euro cup

Quarter Final Round. Second game

KK Zagreb (CRO) - Barons/LMT 80-74 (18-15, 28-17, 20-20, 14-22). Series 1-1

Simon 17, Vladovic 16+10as, Tomic 16; Gustas 16, Batista 13, Skele 12, Alexander 11



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LIBERIA

Barrolle pinned Dream Team -by Numennie Williams
Mighty Barrolle on Sunday Feb, 24 pinned Dream Team 50-49 points in the on going Liberia Basketball Federation national league. The match which was a see saw one kept the many spectators at the edge of their seats throught out the four quarters. Before that match, former female champions Phoenix fell to current champion K-Deltas 29-47 points. On Saturday LPRC Oilers lost to Uhuru Kings 68-69 points and in the female division, Destiny Queens whipped SOS Trotters 32-20 points.Varney Tulay (-88)

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LIGA SUDAMERIC.

Flamengo and Libertad advanced to quarter finals -by Hector Lopez
Marcelinho Machado (200-F/G-75, agency: Interperformances) scored 34 points, including five thre point shots, leading Flamengo to beat Trouville 106-83 to win group B of the South American Leagu with a perfect record of 3-0. Libertad de Sunchales was second after beating 130-54 Millonario from Bolivia in the last day of the tournament played in Montevideo. Sunchales was 2/1Trouville 1/2 and Millonarioos 0/3. With this results Flamengo and Libertad will advance to quarter finals. Marcelinho was also the leader scorer and selected as the MVP, with 24 ppg.
FLAMENGO 106 -Marcelinho 34, Helio 9, Wagner 0, Fernando 20, Fred 14, Duda 8, Maicom 1, Marcellus 5, Coloneze 1, Alirio 14
TROUVILLE 83 - Rivera 21, Izuibejeres 21, Perez 9, Borges 12, Aguilera 2, Bouzout 0, Zimmerman 16, Thomas 2
- - -
LIBERTAD 130 Dominguez 8, Landoni 1, Giordana 2, Moldu 14, Benitez 7, Muller 29, Pelussi 9, Ginobili 15, Saglietti 29, Battle 16
MILLONARIOS 54 Meyer 0, Ichazo 2, Montellano 3, Espinoza 2, Torrez 8, Triver 9, Abratanski 15, A. Espana 4, Martinez 3, Mendoza 8.

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NBA

Yao Out For Season -by Michael Moten

The Houston Rockets won thier 13th consecutive game against the Washington Wizards 94-69 Tuesday evening, doing so without Ming Yao (7'5''-C-80). They will be without thier All-Star center for the remainder of the regular and post season after doctors discovered a stress fracture in his left foot. 'It's obviously a difficult day for our organization and our fans,' general manager Daryl Morey said. 'We've been playing exceptional ball. Yao's been a huge part of that'.

Houston has been hot of late, pulling itself back into the tight Western Conference playoff picture but loosing Yao's 22 points 11 rebounds and defensive presence will be daunting to replace. The Rockets must depend on veteran center Dikembe Mutombo (7'2''-C-66, college: Georgetown), forwards Luis Scola (6'9''-F/C-80), Chuck Hayes (6'6''-F-83, college: Kentucky) and Carl Landry (6'7''-F-83, college: Purdue) to share frontcourt minutes and carry the load. Recovery time for this injury is projected at four months and it is unclear if Yao will be available to play in the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing.



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NCAA3

Cooper Hits 2,000-Point Milestone in NCAC Tourney Quarterfinal Win -by Moritz Korff
James Cooper (6'0''-G) (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South) became just the second player in the tradition-rich College of Wooster's men's basketball program to score 2,000 career points during the Fighting Scots' 104-71 win over Oberlin College in North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal action Tuesday night at Timken Gymnasium.

Cooper made a couple of free throws with 4:26 remaining in the second half to reach the milestone and was then taken out to a rousing ovation. He joins the legendary Tom Dinger (2,370 points from 1967-71) as the only two Wooster players to accomplish the feat, and he's the third in NCAC history to do so, with Scott Tedder of Ohio Wesleyan University (2,501 points from 1984-88) and Oberlin's Chip Winiarski (2,303 points from 1986-90) being the others.

With the victory, top-seeded Wooster (23-3) advances to the NCAC Tournament semifinals, in which it will face fifth-seeded Wabash College (17-9), an 86-73 winner over Kenyon College. The other match-up will pit sixth-seeded Allegheny College (12-14) against either the No. 2 seed, Ohio Wesleyan University (17-7), or seventh-seeded Hiram College (8-17). Their game was postponed until Wednesday. Allegheny knocked off the No. 3 seed, Wittenberg University, 65-63.

As for the Oberlin-Wooster game, the Scots got off to a fast start, scoring the first eight points, highlighted by a Brandon Johnson (6'2''-G) (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) fast-break dunk off of his own steal. Minutes later, Wooster extended a 12-7 lead into double-digits via another 8-0 run, featuring two fast-break lay-ups for Marty Bidwell (6'4''-F-86) (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick).

The Scots steadily pushed the lead out to 22 at one point (46-24) and went into the halftime break ahead 51-32.

In the second half, the margin never dipped under 15, as Wooster cruised to the 33-point win.

Statistically, the Scots attempted a season-high 37 free throws, making 28 for a rate of .757. The other category, in which Wooster held a significant advantage was rebounding, as the Scots more than doubled-up Oberlin 40-18.

From the field, Wooster shot 55.7 percent (34-of-61), including 8-of-18 3-pointers (.444), but allowed the Yeomen to hit nearly 50 percent (27-of-55).

Individually, Cooper had 28 points for the game, 12 coming at the free throw line (12-for-15). Bidwell scored 14 points, highlighted by a second-half dunk, and Robert Melick (6'8''-C) (Gambier, Ohio / Mt. Vernon) reached double figures with 12.

Bryan Wickliffe (6'5''-F) (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Johnson and Evan Will (6'6''-F/C) (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman) passed out four assists apiece.

Also noteworthy, Devin Fulk (6'1''-G) (Newark, Ohio / Licking Valley) reached a milestone, nailing the 200th 3-pointer of his career to join just four others in team history. In fact, the 200 career 3-pointers made now gives him the minimum number needed for inclusion in the NCAA record book, and he currently sits seventh in Div. III history with a 3-point percentage of .490 (200-for-408).

For the Yeomen, Omari Hall scored a career-high 22 points in their season finale.

The NCAC Tournament semifinals will begin Friday at 6 p.m., with the Wabash-Wooster match-up slated for an 8 p.m. start. Friday's two winners will meet Saturday at 7 p.m., for the title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Tournament. All three games will be at the Scots' Timken Gymnasium.

Courtesy of http://www.wooster.edu/athletics

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POLAND

Turow surpasses Nymburk in thriller -by Eurobasket News
Turow came back from behind and then secured a hard-fought victory against Nymburk to qualify for ULEB Cup Top 16 stage. After a 61:61 tie in Game 1 it was do or die for both teams yesterday. The teams traded baskets for some time in the opening frame before Ljubotina and Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) ignited an 8:2 run for the hosts to take a 17:12 lead. But Nymburk reacted immediately with 7 unanswered points to regain the advantage and capped the first frame with a 3-point edge 21:18. Petr Benda (203-F/C-82, agency: Court Side) and Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) continued to score at the start of the second frame putting Nymburk up by 7 points. But David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) fired from beyond the arc to trim the deficit. The game remained close but a successful offensive effort from David Logan allowed Turow to gain a 41:34 advantage at halftime. The hosts kept Nymburk for about two minutes early in the third stanza and accumulated an 8-point buffer. Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) broke the drought for the visitors with a three-pointer and then Blake Schilb (201-G-83, college: Loyola, IL) stepped up with a jumper to drag Czech outfit within 3 points from Turow. David Logan crowned the third frame with yet another treble to give the home team a 54:47 advantage. David Logan stretched his outstanding momentum in the fourth period when he nailed 6 straight points to open up a 60:47 lead for Turow. Dragisa Drobnjak soon extended the margin to 14 points but Nymburk refused to give up. Radoslav Rancik nailed 7 points in a row to shave the deficit a bit. Later Arthur Lee (185-G-77, college: Stanford), Radoslav Rancik and Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) revived the intrigue bringing the guests within 4 points at 64:68. Arthur Lee scored two free throws for a 66:68 game and when Kelati and Andres Rodriguez (182-G-81, college: American) missed their chances for Turow it was all in the hands of Monty Mack. However Nymburk's guard came up short on his last possession and sealed the win for Turow. David Logan fired 23 points to pace Turow. Dragisa Drobnjak added 17 points in a winning case. Michal Kremen (200-F-81) and Petr Benda answered with 14 points apiece for Nymburk. Turow will now face NC Kyiv in the Top 16 round.
Dynamo Moscow completed the task of entering the Top 16 round by downing Slask Wroclaw 92:83 at home. Having built a 7-point buffer before Moscow game Dynamo had little worries about an overall outcome of the series. Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) made sure Dynamo did not worry too much at home beating Slask. He came up with 26 points hitting 5/6 triples en route to a confident Dynamo's win. Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) provided 23 points, while Sergei Monya (204-F-83) accounted for 14 points in a winning effort. Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) answered with 29 points for Slask. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) provided 13 points in a loss.

Rashid Atkins - 29 Points -by Interperformances
6'0' point guard Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) plays with Asco Slask Wroclaw in Poland. They also play in the Uleb Cup. Rashid had a great game in the loss to Dynamo Moscow in the Uleb Cup 92-83 where he scored 29 points. He shot 8 for 14 from the '2'and 3for 6 from behind the '3' point line He also handed out 9 assists and had 6 steals to complete a great game..

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PORTUGAL

Mike Plowden dies in a tragic day for portuguese basket -by Bruno Baltazar
Mike Plowden (200-F/C-58, college: Saginaw Valley) a former player ,consider by many as one of the best players to ever compete in the portuguese league died during a practise of the team he coached-Quintajense,same team his son plays ,he witness his father of 49years old of age falling during the team practise.
He arrived to Portugal to compete in the 80s for Barreirense,in the early 90s he competed in Benfica in those great Benfica years in the international competitions.
A great PF of his time and now a master and teacher of the game ,everyone knew Mike as a great person,always ready to teach the game for the young kids,was in the youth players project of Barreirense,a great lost for portuguese basketball also he represented the portuguese national team for 61 times.

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PUERTO RICO

Captains looking more like Four Star Generals -by Luis Ramirez
Don't let the rank fool you the Captains will have a strong arsenal in their ranks. They return to the BSN with most of their starting group from last year plus they have added proven players to their roster. One of those is Bobby Joe Hatton, ex-Lion player who is a fierce competitor and will no doubt give the Captains additional speed and scoring power. In addition to Hatton, the Captains added Carlos Rivera who comes from the San German Athletics, Rivera a young guard who is seen as a promising player and San German was shocked to see that Rivera decided to leave the Athletics. One big absence for the Captains will be Power Forward Marcus Fizer who is currently playing in Israel and is not likely to be in the lineup during this season. To cover this absence the Captains have brought in import Rodney White 6'9' player who is said to be a very versatile player who can play off the dribble. Back for the Captains will be Mario Butler, Osiris Ricardo, Angel Figueroa, Rafael Cruz, and Raul Rivera. As Community Player the Captains picked Karel Rosario. Head Coach David Rosario is confident that he has a good combination of speed, power and scoring needed to return to the finals this year. Outlook for this team is that anything else than a championship will not be acceptable.

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ROMANIA

Virgil Stanescu advance to the last 16 in ULEB Cup -by Adrian Popa
Virgil Stanescu (207-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances, college: S.Alabama) had 17 points for 7/11 shooting and added 11 rebounds and 2 assists in one of his best game of the season with Unics Kazan in ULEB Cup. Kazan advanced to a Last 16 showdown with Artland Dragons despite losing at Turk Telekom 96-93 in the Last 32 return leg. Unics ended up winning the two-game series with a 184-161 aggregate score.

The romanian national team center played for 24 minutes, and helped his team to close the gap before halftime, scoring three consecutive baskets. Kazan was trailing 49-37 - but still leading the series by 14 points.

After the brake Stanescu contributed also to a 10-2 run by Unics, together with the best scorer of the game, Tariq Kirksay, both scoring 4 poins during the run, to cut the leat of Telekom to 64-62.

In close game, at the end Telekom obtains the consolation victory, 96-93, but Virgil Stanescu and Unics Kazan advance to the last 16.

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SERBIA

Hemofarm STADA and Crvena Zvezda in 1/8 finals of ULEB Cup! -by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda succeeded not only to keep plus 10 which they earned in Belgrade but to beat Benetton in Treviso 83-82. At the end of the third period the hosts had a nice lead 67:53 while at the middle of the last quarter, after Soragna's 3-pointer, Benetton extended lead to 72-57 and it seemed that Italian team will make a comfortable win. But USA PG Omar Cook and Tadija Dragicevic didn't think so. After Dragicevic's lay-up Zvezda came closer on minus 10 and then Cook step up burring consecutive 3-pointers and later making 8-8 from the FT line what was more than enough for the ULEB Cup TOP 16. Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) paced the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds while clutch player of the game Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) netted 23 points. Benetton got double-double from Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington), who added 21 points and 13 rebounds . Zvezda's head coach Stevan Karadzic after the game was extremely happy and some of his words were: 'It was a real war on the court. I want to congratulate my players and especially Cook, who was real hero of the game.'

After easy win in Vrsac, Hemofarm STADA had to give a lot of effort to keep plus 26 in Podgorica, where Buducnost at the end won 73-78. Namely, thanks to Dragojlovic, Otasevic and Bakic Montenegrin team made 72-57 at the beggining of the last quarter and they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. From that moment Vukosavljevic and Marshall came on the scene destroying every hope of the hosts that they can reach 1/8 finals. Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in Buducnost. Bojan Bakic (197-G-83, agency: Beo Basket) followed him with 15 points. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) scored 24 points while center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) 'Joe' collected 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals for Hemofarm STADA.


Benetton Tamoil - Crvena Zvezda 82-83
(16-24,26-24,23-5,17-30)

Benetton: Menhas-Bonsu 21 (13 rebs), John 19, Gaines 12 (5 rebs)
Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 24 (7 rebs), Cook 23, Markovic 12 (6 rebs)


Buducnost - Hemofarm STADA 78-73
(22-20,22-16,20-16,14-21)

Buducnost: Dasic 17 (5 rebs, 5 st), Bakic 15, Gordic 14, Otasevic 12 (4 st)
Hemofarm STADA: Marshall 24, Vukosavljevic 23 (4 rebs, 4 st)

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TANZANIA

Chang'ombe Boys, UDSM in Super Cup Tie -by Carlos Pereira
Dar es Salaam based Chang'ombe Boys need an outright victory in today's clash against University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) so as to qualify for the semi-finals in the ongoing Kili Super Cup basketball championship.
The Chang' ombe Boys win will also ease pressure on holders JKT, who face elimination after losing one match and winning another in their group.
Should Chang' ombe Boys lose the clash, the team to progress to the semi-final will be decided by the number of points earned during the preliminaries. Savio from Group B have already won the semi-final berth after posting two wins and now await today's clash between Vijana and Oilers to conclude the last four pairings.
Dar es Salaam champions Vijana have a psychological advantage ahead of today's final clash against the Oilers.

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TURKEY

Besiktas and Galatasaray Through Final 16 -by Serdar Ortakuyu
On a spotless Tuesday night Galatasaray Cafe Crown, Besiktas Cola Turka and Turk Telekom all snapped up victories but only the first two were able to advance to final 16.

Despite losing the Game 1 by 15 which is the first ever loss Besiktas Cola Turka suffered in ULEB Cup this season Ergin Ataman and his crew managed to take down Hapoel Jerusalem at Akatlar Arena by 20 receiving a huge boost in a packed arena. The hosts were able to lead the entire game but never opened the gap up to double digits till the last quarter. Sinan Guler (192-G-83, college: Carroll (MT))'s triple from the corner 4 minutes remaining did not only create an 11 point deficit but also rallied the troops for Besiktas Cola Turka who dominated the rest of Game 2 for a 20 point victory over the visitors who failed to handle the pressure and could not avoid the turnovers. Sandro Nicevic (210-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) added a double double for his side as Rick Apodaca (192-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency, college: Hofstra) hit a game high 15 points.

Galatasaray Cafe Crown faced Asvel in Istanbul in Game 2 to seize the chance they grabbed in Game 1. After an even first quarter, dominated by the youngster Cenk Akyol (200-G-87, agency: FCM) of Galatasaray, the visitors showed an effective perimeter game leading the half by 10. An extraordinary 16-0 run, rallied by Charles Gaines (201-F-81, college: S.Mississippi) in the third, put the hosts ahead but Asvel responded to tie the score at 65 in the last quarter. Cuneyt Erden (185-G-77) who was the topscorer with 19, nailed the tactical free throws in addition to a very cruical jumper, secured the victory for Galatasaray while Aymeric Jeanneau (185-G-78)'s triple at the horn was only able to determine the final score 76-75.

Turk Telekom put an end to their ULEB Cup season and also a three game losing streak by topping Unics Kazan at home by 3 although it was not enough to overcome the 26 points loss in Game 1. The hosts went to the locker room with a 12 point advantage at the half but Tariq Kirksay (199-F-79, college: Iona) who dominated the first game, was there to upset Turk Telekom again. He changed the score into Unic Kazan's favour again but Kris Lang (211-F/C-79, agency: SportsTalent, college: N.Carolina) stepped up to bring a 96-93 win for the hosts.

Besiktas Cola Turka will play Red Star as Galatasaray Cafe Crown are to take on Gran Canaria in the nxt round. The winners are going to meet each other in Final 8, will be held in Italy.

BEKO TBL: Week 21 -by Serdar Ortakuyu

Week 21 featured many close games including two surprises not everyone was expecting to see such as Casa TED's victory over Fenerbahce Ulker on the road. On Saturday the Ankara side never stepped back and ran a huge 26-13 serie in the third thanks to Omer Unver who fired 16 just in 10 minutes. Will Solomon (187-G-78, college: Clemson) and Emir Preldzic (206-F-87, agency: Beo Basket) responded in the last quarter to tie the game but Antawn Dobie (183-G-78, college: LIU Brooklyn) never struggled to keep his team in the game.

Another surprising result came from Ankara as TBL newcomers Antalya BSB managed to take down a struggling Turk Telekom on the road and had the chance to start a possible play off meeting 1-0 ahead since they defeated Turk Telekom in the first half of TBL as well. It was a close game untill Ricardo Marsh hit the winning shot one second remaining against his former team in addition to his 28 points and 8 boards. This win took Antalya to fourth place on TBL and moved Turk Telekom to sixth.

Sunday's games were more predictable as Besiktas Cola Turka kept Darussafaka at the bottom by beating the Greens and Kepez handed a shorthanded Pinar Karsiyaka missing starters Baris Ermis (194-G-85) and Geno Carlisle (190-G-76, college: California) due to injury problems. On the other hand Huseyin Besok's effort helped Galatasaray Cafe Crown post an overtime win over Mersin BSB and Kevin Braswell's 34 points cruised past Banvit to stay his Mutlu Aku Selcuk away from the relegation zone.

On Sunday there were two games determining the victors by 1 and 2 points. Efes Pilsen travelled to Bursa to face Oyak Renault who kicked them out of the Turkish Cup final. The hosts had to play without their leader Andre Woolridge (183-G-73, agency: Interperformances, college: Iowa) but even Evren Buker (194-F-85)'s extra effort was not enough to prevent the 58-60 loss. Ironically Efes Pilsen side was able to score only 3 points in the last quarter which is likely to be a record in the beermen's history.

The last game of Week 21 was in Istanbul between Beykoz and Alpella, probably the most dramatic too. Alpella's Serhat Cetin (197-G-86) who turned the ball over and saw Cem Coskun (209-C-87) making the score 88-86 with a dunk for Beykoz two seconds remaining to the end, hit an incredible but controversial buzzer beater three to win the game for Alpella. Beykoz made an application with the video of this game and waiting for federation's decision.

Best Five:
Kevin Braswell (188-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgetown)
Preston Shumpert (198-G-79, college: Syracuse)
Omer Unver (204-F-81)
Ricardo Marsh (203-F-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: ODU)
Huseyin Besok (212-C-75, agency: Interperformances)



Crisis at Efes Pilsen! -by Sinan Can
EFES Pilsen shocked just before the away game against Partizan which will be played thursday, as four of the American players, Drew Nicholas, Loren Woods, Rashad Wright and Andre Hutson, refused to go Serbia due to security reasons. Efes Pilsen GM Engin Ozerhun said, 'We do know that USA government warned their citizens not to travel Serbia, because of the situation between Kosovo, but Serbian government gave as warranty for a safe game and trip as we all had to go there. Scoonie Penn and Kenny Gregory decided to come and play including our US citizen coach David Blatt, but other four Americans refused to travel. This is definitely unacceptable situation as I can easily say that those four players, Drew Nicholas, Loren Woods, Rashad Wright and Andre Hutson will not play for us anymore.' Efes Pilsen arrived Belgrade with 8 players, but due to rules there hould be 10 players for an official game as there'll be a meeting with ULEB authorities to playe the game with 8 players.

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UKRAINE

BC Kyiv coasts into ULEB Cup Top 16 round -by Eurobasket News
BC Kyiv sealed their Top 16 birth yesterday with a comfortable 68:60 win over Telindus Oostende. Kyiv outfit entered the game with a 5-point buffer built in Belgium and seemed to be in full control throughout the game at the Sports Palace. The teams traded baskets early in the game before Chuck Davis (202-F-84, college: Alabama) scored 4 points in a 9:0 run from Oostende that put them in charge at 18:13 after 10 minutes of action. BC Kyiv never panicked and Marcus Faison (196-G-78, college: Siena) retained Kyiv's lead early in the second period. Oostende kept it close and later Sebastien Bellin (205-C-78, agency: Court Side, college: Oakland) connected from beyond the arc to put the visitors up by 4 points at 30:26. BC Kyiv had the last laugh in the quarter though as Marcus Faison notched 7 points to ignite a 10:1 rally and ensure a 36:31 advantage at the interval.
Oostende came out of the dressing room ready for battle of their lives and fired from all guns. Sam Van Rossom (188-G-86) buried 6 points to fuel an 8:0 run for the visitors as they grabbed a 39:36 lead. Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) masterminded an impressive run as he drained 9 point in a row to restore BC Kyiv's advantage. The teams continued to exchange buckets and Sam Van Rossom capped the frame with another successful jumper to give Oostende a 47:46 edge. The game remained close as they teams were all square at 58 with over 2 minutes left. Eugene Jeter (179-G-83, agency: CAA Sports, college: Portland) scored 4 straight free throws for BC Kyiv to claim the lead for good. BC Kyiv qualified for the Top 16 stage where they would face Polish Turow. Artur Drozdov finished with 17 points for BC Kyiv. Marko Maravic (201-F-79, agency: VTBM/SRBM) netted 11 points, while Josh Davis (203-C/F-80, college: Wyoming) and Marcus Faison contributed 10 points apiece in a winning case. Chuck Davis answered with 16 points and 11 boards for Belgian team. Chris McCray (195-G-84, college: Maryland) came up with 10 points in defeat.
Meawnhile Azovmash failed to complete the task of reaching Top 16 falling short in Zadar. Azovmash travelled to Croatia having a 2-point lead in store but it was erased by the hosts. Buford, Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) and Skutelnik kept the visitors hopeful in the first frame as they maintained a narrow lead. But it all went broke after the first intermission. Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) and Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) scored 8 points late in the frame to give Zadar a 35:30 advantage at halftime. Azovmash tried hard to stay in visibility for some time in the second half but soon Shammell Stallworth and Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) exploded with back-to-back trebles to open up a double-digit lead for the home team. Zadar masterfully kept Azovmash at distance for the reminder of the game and secured a 77:60 victory at the end. Juby Johnson accounted for 23 points to lead Zadar. Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) nailed 15 points and pulled down 11 boards for the winners. Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, college: Illinois) totaled 12 points and 15 boards for Azovmash. Panagiotis Liadelis and Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76, agency: Octagon, college: George Washington) dropped 12 points apiece in a losing clause.

AEL snaps EuroCup season for Khimik -by Eurobasket News
Khimik - AEL 76:87

Khimik Yuzhny were tamed by AEL in Game 2 of their EuroCup quarterfinal series. The loss meant the season had come to an end for ambitious Khimik. The hosts were hopeful before the return leg with just a 5-point deficit to overcome. But it grew to as many as 24 just after 10 minutes of action in Yuzhny. Maxime Zianveni (198-F-79) and Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) teamed up for 15 points in the opening frame to stun the home team 31:12. Olu Famutimi (197-G-84, college: Arkansas) and Andriy Agafonov (207-F-86, agency: Interperformances) opened the second term with 4 straight points trying to recharge desperate hosts but Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) quickly iced any efforts with 6 points in row for the visitors. Olu Famutimi and Martynas Mazeika (192-G-85) ignited a mini-run for Khimik to clip the gap to 15 points. AEL responded with back-to-back triples from Ryan Randle (206-F-81, college: Maryland) and Vasili Zavoruev (196-G-87) to restore a 20-point cushion. Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Salem Intern.) carried Khimik within 15 points early in the third stanza. But Karim Souchu (198-F-79, college: Furman) scored 5 consecutive points for AEL to make it a 62:44 game with less than 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The teams traded free throws late in the frame and AEL headed into the final stanza with a comfortable 69:50 advantage. Martynas Mazeika came up with consecutive treys for Khimik at the start of the fourth period to cut the margin to 13 points and put the fans on their feet. Martynas Mazeika was not done as he stretched his scoring streak with a jumper second later and Khimik climbed within 11 points from the visitors. Karim Souchu finally broke the deadlock for AEL with 4-point play. Khimik simply ran out steam at the moment and never seriously threaten AEL's lead till the final buzzer. Maxime Zianveni poured in 19 points to pace AEL. Karim Souchu scored 16 points, while Duane Woodward added 13 points for Cypriot team. Goran Cakic registered 23 points and 10 boards for Khimik. Martynas Mazeika delivered 13 points in a losing effort.
AEL will now take on Mons-Hainaut in the Final Four of EuroCup on April 18.

Khimik: Goran Cakic 23+10 boards, Martynas Mazeika 13
AEL: Maxime Zianveni 19, Karim Souchu 16, Duane Woodward 13

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ULEB CUP

Gmunden gets beaten in Spain -by Eurobasket News
Joventut - Gmunden 77:56

Gmunden were unable to beat the odds and tame dangerous Joventut in the Top 32 series. The Austrian team lost the home game by as many as 30 points and had little hopes before the return leg in Badalona. The sensation never happened as Joventut cruised to another impressive victory and advanced to the next round of the competition. Gmunden nevertheless fought bravely and Matthias Mayer (206-C/F-81) quickly scored 6 points to put the visitors ahead 7:4. The teams then traded baskets throughout the first frame and Demond Mallet (186-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Mc Neese St.)'s jumper knotted it all at 20 after 10 minutes of action. Gmunden capitalized on offensive sloppiness from the hosts to limit them to 9 points in the second term. The visiting team grabbed a 32:29 advantage at the break. Garcia Aito Reneses decided to shake things up for his team with the introduction of Joventut's leader Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) into action after the main break. Fernandez did not appear on court in the first half but exploded with 20 points in just 8 minutes to carry the hosts up for good. He masterminded a 27:3 run for Joventut to pile up a 64:46 buffer heading into the fourth term. It was all done and both teams just cruised to the game's ending. Rudy Fernandez stepped up with 20 points to lead Joventut. Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, college: Penn St.) produced 13 points and 9 boards, while Pau Ribas (182-G-87) netted 12 points for the winners. Kevin Johnson (201-F, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Humboldt St.) answered with 16 points and 8 boards for Gmunden. Matthias Mayer chipped in 11 points in defeat. Joventut will next face Khimky in arguably the key heat of Top 16 round.

Joventut: Rudy Fernandez 20, Jan-Hendrik Jagla 13, Pau Ribas 12
Gmunden: Kevin Johnson 16, Matthias Mayer 11

BC Kyiv coasts into ULEB Cup Top 16 round -by Eurobasket News
BC Kyiv sealed their Top 16 birth yesterday with a comfortable 68:60 win over Telindus Oostende. Kyiv outfit entered the game with a 5-point buffer built in Belgium and seemed to be in full control throughout the game at the Sports Palace. The teams traded baskets early in the game before Chuck Davis (202-F-84, college: Alabama) scored 4 points in a 9:0 run from Oostende that put them in charge at 18:13 after 10 minutes of action. BC Kyiv never panicked and Marcus Faison (196-G-78, college: Siena) retained Kyiv's lead early in the second period. Oostende kept it close and later Sebastien Bellin (205-C-78, agency: Court Side, college: Oakland) connected from beyond the arc to put the visitors up by 4 points at 30:26. BC Kyiv had the last laugh in the quarter though as Marcus Faison notched 7 points to ignite a 10:1 rally and ensure a 36:31 advantage at the interval.
Oostende came out of the dressing room ready for battle of their lives and fired from all guns. Sam Van Rossom (188-G-86) buried 6 points to fuel an 8:0 run for the visitors as they grabbed a 39:36 lead. Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) masterminded an impressive run as he drained 9 point in a row to restore BC Kyiv's advantage. The teams continued to exchange buckets and Sam Van Rossom capped the frame with another successful jumper to give Oostende a 47:46 edge. The game remained close as they teams were all square at 58 with over 2 minutes left. Eugene Jeter (179-G-83, agency: CAA Sports, college: Portland) scored 4 straight free throws for BC Kyiv to claim the lead for good. BC Kyiv qualified for the Top 16 stage where they would face Polish Turow. Artur Drozdov finished with 17 points for BC Kyiv. Marko Maravic (201-F-79, agency: VTBM/SRBM) netted 11 points, while Josh Davis (203-C/F-80, college: Wyoming) and Marcus Faison contributed 10 points apiece in a winning case. Chuck Davis answered with 16 points and 11 boards for Belgian team. Chris McCray (195-G-84, college: Maryland) came up with 10 points in defeat.
Meawnhile Azovmash failed to complete the task of reaching Top 16 falling short in Zadar. Azovmash travelled to Croatia having a 2-point lead in store but it was erased by the hosts. Buford, Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) and Skutelnik kept the visitors hopeful in the first frame as they maintained a narrow lead. But it all went broke after the first intermission. Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) and Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) scored 8 points late in the frame to give Zadar a 35:30 advantage at halftime. Azovmash tried hard to stay in visibility for some time in the second half but soon Shammell Stallworth and Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) exploded with back-to-back trebles to open up a double-digit lead for the home team. Zadar masterfully kept Azovmash at distance for the reminder of the game and secured a 77:60 victory at the end. Juby Johnson accounted for 23 points to lead Zadar. Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) nailed 15 points and pulled down 11 boards for the winners. Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, college: Illinois) totaled 12 points and 15 boards for Azovmash. Panagiotis Liadelis and Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76, agency: Octagon, college: George Washington) dropped 12 points apiece in a losing clause.

Turow surpasses Nymburk in thriller -by Eurobasket News
Turow came back from behind and then secured a hard-fought victory against Nymburk to qualify for ULEB Cup Top 16 stage. After a 61:61 tie in Game 1 it was do or die for both teams yesterday. The teams traded baskets for some time in the opening frame before Ljubotina and Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) ignited an 8:2 run for the hosts to take a 17:12 lead. But Nymburk reacted immediately with 7 unanswered points to regain the advantage and capped the first frame with a 3-point edge 21:18. Petr Benda (203-F/C-82, agency: Court Side) and Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) continued to score at the start of the second frame putting Nymburk up by 7 points. But David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) fired from beyond the arc to trim the deficit. The game remained close but a successful offensive effort from David Logan allowed Turow to gain a 41:34 advantage at halftime. The hosts kept Nymburk for about two minutes early in the third stanza and accumulated an 8-point buffer. Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) broke the drought for the visitors with a three-pointer and then Blake Schilb (201-G-83, college: Loyola, IL) stepped up with a jumper to drag Czech outfit within 3 points from Turow. David Logan crowned the third frame with yet another treble to give the home team a 54:47 advantage. David Logan stretched his outstanding momentum in the fourth period when he nailed 6 straight points to open up a 60:47 lead for Turow. Dragisa Drobnjak soon extended the margin to 14 points but Nymburk refused to give up. Radoslav Rancik nailed 7 points in a row to shave the deficit a bit. Later Arthur Lee (185-G-77, college: Stanford), Radoslav Rancik and Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) revived the intrigue bringing the guests within 4 points at 64:68. Arthur Lee scored two free throws for a 66:68 game and when Kelati and Andres Rodriguez (182-G-81, college: American) missed their chances for Turow it was all in the hands of Monty Mack. However Nymburk's guard came up short on his last possession and sealed the win for Turow. David Logan fired 23 points to pace Turow. Dragisa Drobnjak added 17 points in a winning case. Michal Kremen (200-F-81) and Petr Benda answered with 14 points apiece for Nymburk. Turow will now face NC Kyiv in the Top 16 round.
Dynamo Moscow completed the task of entering the Top 16 round by downing Slask Wroclaw 92:83 at home. Having built a 7-point buffer before Moscow game Dynamo had little worries about an overall outcome of the series. Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) made sure Dynamo did not worry too much at home beating Slask. He came up with 26 points hitting 5/6 triples en route to a confident Dynamo's win. Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) provided 23 points, while Sergei Monya (204-F-83) accounted for 14 points in a winning effort. Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) answered with 29 points for Slask. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) provided 13 points in a loss.

KK Bosna gets stopped by Gran Canaria -by Eurobasket News
Gran Canaria - KK Bosna 89:69

KK Bosna hopes of qualifying round have been shattered in Spain. Bosnian outfit secured a 7-point win in Sarajevo and looked forward to securing the buffer in Las Palmas. But Gran Canaria proved their favorite status finalizing a stunning victory to eliminate KK Bosna. Edin Bavcic (210-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) kept it all bright for KK Bosna at the start of yesterday's encounter as he nailed 4 straight points for a 4:0 lead. However Marcus Norris (185-G-74, agency: SportsTalent, college: Ball St.) and Carl English (192-G-81, college: Hawaii) drained treys and fueled a 13:0 run from the hosts as they take a lead. Nik Caner-Medley (203-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Maryland) soon made it 18:7 for Gran Canaria, while Roberto Guerra (195-G-83) sealed the first frame outcome at 20:10. KK Bosna used 5 points from Lance Williams (206-C-80, college: De Paul) and Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) to cut the deficit to 9 points early in the second period. Gran Canaria dominated the reminder of the second stanza building a 38:22 cushion at sides change. Jim Moran (200-F/G-79, college: William & Mary) produced four points to stretch the gap to 20 points at the beginning of the third period. Gran Canaria never slowed down and soon widened the gap to 27 points. Sitapha Savane (202-F-78, college: Navy) converted a basket to mark a 30-point cushion for the hosts 60:30. KK Bosna still fought bravely as they reacted with a 12:4 run to trim the difference. Gran Canaria entered the fourth period up by 25 points and never looked back afterwards.
Kornel David (207-F-71) notched 23 points for the hosts. Carl English added 16 points, while Marcus Norris produced 13 points and 7 assists for the winning side. Lance Williams answered with 19 points and 7 boards for KK Bosna. Goran Ikonic banked 15 points in defeat. Gran Canaria outrebounded the visitors 40:24 and forced those to 14 turnovers.

Gran Canaria: Kornel David 23, Carl English 16, Marcus Norris 13
KK Bosna: Lance Williams 19, Goran Ikonic 15

Hemofarm STADA and Crvena Zvezda in 1/8 finals ! -by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda succeeded not only to keep plus 10 which they earned in Belgrade but to beat Benetton in Treviso 83-82. At the end of the third period the hosts had a nice lead 67:53 while at the middle of the last quarter, after Soragna's 3-pointer, Benetton extended lead to 72-57 and it seemed that Italian team will make a comfortable win. But USA PG Omar Cook and Tadija Dragicevic didn't think so. After Dragicevic's lay-up Zvezda came closer on minus 10 and then Cook step up burring consecutive 3-pointers and later making 8-8 from the FT line what was more than enough for the ULEB Cup TOP 16. Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) paced the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds while clutch player of the game Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) netted 23 points. Benetton got double-double from Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington), who added 21 points and 13 rebounds . Zvezda's head coach Stevan Karadzic after the game was extremely happy and some of his words were: 'It was a real war on the court. I want to congratulate my players and especially Cook, who was real hero of the game.'

After easy win in Vrsac, Hemofarm STADA had to give a lot of effort to keep plus 26 in Podgorica, where Buducnost at the end won 73-78. Namely, thanks to Dragojlovic, Otasevic and Bakic Montenegrin team made 72-57 at the beggining of the last quarter and they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. From that moment Vukosavljevic and Marshall came on the scene destroying every hope of the hosts that they can reach 1/8 finals. Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88) had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in Buducnost. Bojan Bakic (197-G-83, agency: Beo Basket) followed him with 15 points. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) scored 24 points while center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) 'Joe' collected 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals for Hemofarm STADA.


Benetton Tamoil - Crvena Zvezda 82-83
(16-24,26-24,23-5,17-30)

Benetton: Menhas-Bonsu 21 (13 rebs), John 19, Gaines 12 (5 rebs)
Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 24 (7 rebs), Cook 23, Markovic 12 (6 rebs)


Buducnost - Hemofarm STADA 78-73
(22-20,22-16,20-16,14-21)

Buducnost: Dasic 17 (5 rebs, 5 st), Bakic 15, Gordic 14, Otasevic 12 (4 st)
Hemofarm STADA: Marshall 24, Vukosavljevic 23 (4 rebs, 4 st)

Khimky, Dynamo and Unics are through to Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Three Russian squads made it to the next round of the ULEB Cup winning their respective battles in the Top 32 round. In the meantine the Russian vanguard lost one team as Triumph failed to outscore Artland Dragons on aggregate score and got eliminated from the competition. The Dragons had a 6-point buffer before the second leg game and entered the game pretty confidently. They were up at the first intermission 24:21 and never surrendered the lead at halftime 39:37. Triumph finally surged ahead in the third stanza. Later Mire Chatman (187-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: UTPA) hit from downtown to ignite a run that saw the hosts grab a 68:61 lead midway through the final period. Artland Dragons however quickly responded with a 9:2 rally to tie the scoreline at 70. Kristaps Valters (188-G-81) scored three points for the home team to give them an 82:77 advantage late in the game but the Dragons found the way to survive. Prewitt sealed an 80:82 loss for the Dragons, which actually meant a big-time victory for them. Fedor Dmitriev (205-F-84) and Ognjen Askrabic (207-C/F-79) sank 14 points apiece for Triumph. Kristaps Valters and Terrell Lyday (190-G-79, college: BYU) provided 13 points each in a winning case for the hosts. Adam Chubb (207-F/C-81, college: Pennsylvania) produced game-high 30 points and 8 boards for Artland Dragons. The Dragons will take on another Russian team Unics in Top 16 round.
Unics travelled to Turkey having a comfortable 26-point cushion before the game against local Turk Telekom. Turkish team started the game aggressively and claimed a 25:19 lead after one quarter. Chris Williams (199-F/G-80, college: Virginia) continued to mount pressure on the visitors with his impressive offensive performance. The margin grew to 12 points at the break. Chris Williams and Lang extended Turk Telekom's lead to 16 points early in the third period. But Unics finally woke up and Tariq Kirksay (199-F-79, college: Iona) netted 5 points in a 13:4 run that allowed Unics to take a sigh of relief at 52:57. Soon Unics denied the deficit and surged ahead. Turk Telekom managed to pull away a win but it was just nothing but a moral gratification for them. Chris Williams paced the winners with 20 points and 6 boards. Tariq Kirksay was once again impressive for Unics with 26 points, 5 boards and 4 assists. Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency: Beo Basket) and Virgil Stanescu (207-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances, college: S.Alabama) scored 17 points apiece in defeat.
Dynamo Moscow completed the task by downing Slask Wroclaw 92:83 at home. Having built a 7-point buffer before Moscow game Dynamo had little worries about an overall outcome of the series. Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) made sure Dynamo did not worry too much at home beating Slask. He came up with 26 points hitting 5/6 triples en route to a confident Dynamo's win. Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) provided 23 points, while Sergei Monya (204-F-83) accounted for 14 points in a winning effort. Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) answered with 29 points for Slask. Dynamo will now take on Lukoil Academic in the next round of action.
Khimky also qualified to the Top 16 round with two overwhelming victories against Koeln 99ers. Yesterday Khimky dominated the game from the start and finalized a 96:69 win to advance to the next round where they will clash with Joventut in a highly-anticipated battle. Maciej Lampe (210-C-85, agency: Edge Sports) banked 20 points for Khimky. Anton Ponkrashov (200-G-86) added 15 points, 8 assists and 7 boards for the winners. Milko Bjelica (207-C-84, agency: Beo Basket) responded with 22 points for the 99ers.

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URUGUAY

Flamengo and Libertad advanced to quarter finals -by Hector Lopez
Marcelinho Machado (200-F/G-75, agency: Interperformances) scored 34 points, including five thre point shots, leading Flamengo to beat Trouville 106-83 to win group B of the South American Leagu with a perfect record of 3-0. Libertad de Sunchales was second after beating 130-54 Millonario from Bolivia in the last day of the tournament played in Montevideo. Sunchales was 2/1Trouville 1/2 and Millonarioos 0/3. With this results Flamengo and Libertad will advance to quarter finals. Marcelinho was also the leader scorer and selected as the MVP, with 24 ppg.
FLAMENGO 106 -Marcelinho 34, Helio 9, Wagner 0, Fernando 20, Fred 14, Duda 8, Maicom 1, Marcellus 5, Coloneze 1, Alirio 14
TROUVILLE 83 - Rivera 21, Izuibejeres 21, Perez 9, Borges 12, Aguilera 2, Bouzout 0, Zimmerman 16, Thomas 2
- - -
LIBERTAD 130 Dominguez 8, Landoni 1, Giordana 2, Moldu 14, Benitez 7, Muller 29, Pelussi 9, Ginobili 15, Saglietti 29, Battle 16
MILLONARIOS 54 Meyer 0, Ichazo 2, Montellano 3, Espinoza 2, Torrez 8, Triver 9, Abratanski 15, A. Espana 4, Martinez 3, Mendoza 8.

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VENEZUELA

Nembhard: i feel great with Gaiteros -by Antonio Gomez
Gaiteros del Zulia superstar Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72, agency: Duran International, college: Weber St.) joined this week the team. He said that the 2008 season will be more interesting than the others because the arrival of Gigantes de Guayana and Deportivo Tachira, two new franchises.

'We are prepared to face the others teams. I'm ready to play. I'm in good conditions. We have a tremendous team to win the championship. I feel great', said Nembhard yesterday at the Gaiteros official presentation in Maracaibo.

Nembhard also speak about the new calendar. 'It will be a long season. We have to be ready to play 54 games'.

Miguel Marriaga says present -by Antonio Gomez
The novel has culminated. Miguel Angel Marriaga (207-C-84) will join today Gaiteros del Zulia at the Pedro Elias Belisario Aponte Arena in Maracaibo to get the instructions of the coach Jorge Arrieta.

'We have a deal with Miguel. He will be on the thursday morning training session at the Belisario Arena. In Gaiteros we are very happy to bring him back', told Paul Romero, team's general manager, to Diario Panorama.

'The organization really wants to see Marriaga in play. Because of that, Gaiteros set a new deal with him'.

Ready to go! -by Yelitza La Torre
Everything is all set to begin the 2008 professional basketball league of Venezuela.
Yesterday, team owners and general managers, got together with the media representatives in the Caroni Hotel of Caracas.
As everybody knows, the LPB got expanded adding two new professional organizations; this fact moved the schedule until August the 6th. This year, the LPB scheduled 312 games in 18 weeks and 200 games will be on TV.



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Women News

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BRAZIL - Women

Catanduva and Ourihnos are leveled after two games -by Eurobasket News
The CNBF Final series got under way in Ourihnos. The local favorites Ourihnos took on Catanduva in the best-of-series. Game 1 turned out to be a real thriller as Catanduva tallied a skillful second half comeback effort but still fell just short of victory at the end. The hosts entered the game quite aggressively and soon claimed a 26:21 lead. The pressure mounted for the visitors in the second quarter as Iziane Castro (183-G/F-82) and Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) paced the home. Ourihnos stretched the lead to as many as 13 points at the interval. However Catanduva did not say die and started to pave their way back after the break. Karla da Costa (173-G-78) was productive offensively, while Fabiana Oliveira (181-F/C-79) was deadly from beyond the arc to trim the deficit to 8 points after 30 minutes of action. Catanduva continued to roll impressively but Ourihnos survived in the crunch time. The hosts were almost perfect from free throw line and secured an important victory in the first game of the Final series. Iziane Castro topscored for the home team with 15 points. Chuca Ferreira contributed 14 points and 7 boards, while Lisdeivi Pompa (193-C-74) totaled 12 points and 15 boards for the winners. Karla da Costa replied with 22 points for Catanduva. Karina Jacob (185-F-85) tallied 13 points and 6 boards in a loss.
But Catanduva did not wait for too long to restore the status quo. Two days later Catanduva tied the series with an 81:77 victory. Karla da Costa and Ariadna Felipe (179-G-83) combined efforts to score 41 points and ensure the winning outcome for Catanduva. This time it were the visitors who got to a better start of the game. They maintained a 10-point cushion at the interval 48:38 and did not allow Ourihnos to perform any sort of comeback. Karla da Costa netted 21 points, while Ariadna Felipe accounted for 20 more en route to Catanduva's impressive victory. The visitors also limited Iziane Castro to just 13 points. Karen Gustavo (177-F-84) nailed 15 points in defeat.
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday in Catanduva.

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CZECH REP. - Women

Ros Casares outlast Gambrinus in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Ros Casares - Gambrinus 71:63

Spanish powerhouse Ros Casares got to a successful start of the Euroleague quarterfinal series against Gambrinus winning Game 1 in Valencia. The battle proved to be a real scorcher with neither side able to clear off till the last minutes. The teams traded baskets early on before Katie Douglas (183-G/F-79, college: Purdue) scored 5 straight points and gave Ros Casares a 14:7 advantage. Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) and Jana Vesela (194-F-83) cut it to 5 points and later Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) dragged Czech team within 2 points 16:18 at the end of the first frame. Hamchetou Maiga scored quick 4 points to put Gambrinus up in the very beginning of the second term. Katie Douglas and Delisha Milton-Jones (186-F-74, college: Florida) responded with 8 points in a row for the hosts and Ros Casares built a 27:20 buffer. Petra Kulichova (198-C-84), Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) and Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) kept Gambrinus within a striking distance and Ros Casares finished the first half leading by only 2 points 34:32. Beres netted 4 points and Hamchetou Maiga added 2 more to tip off the second half. The lead changed hands for 6 times throughout the third period and Ros Casares appeared on top 54:51 after 30 minutes of action. Delisha Milton-Jones, Katie Douglas and Laia Palau (178-G/F-79) notched 6 consecutive points to make it a 64:55 for Ros Casares midway though the final period. Zuzana Zirkova and Jana Vesela reacted with 5 points in a row to keep the hopes alive for the visitors. However Katie Douglas nailed 5 points and Elena Tornikidou (185-F-65) added two more to keep Gambrinus at bay.
Delisha Milton-Jones ended up with game-high 26 points to pace Ros Casares. Katie Douglas contributed 23 points and Elena Tornikidou dropped 8 more for the winners. Hamchetou Maiga responded with 13 points and 11 boards for Czech champions. Zuzana Zirkova scored 13 points, while Eva Viteckova netted 12 points in defeat. Gambrinus outrebounded the hosts 39:36 but committed 21 turnovers and sank only 62% from charity stripe in a losing effort.

Ros Casares: Delisha Milton-Jones 26, Katie Douglas 23, Elena Tornikidou 8
Gambrinus: Hamchetou Maiga 13+11 boards, Zuzana Zirkova 13, Eva Viteckova 12

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EUROLEAGUE (W) - Women

Spartak Moscow Region thrashes Dynamo in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Spartak MR - Dynamo 96:67

The Euroleague quarterfinal stage enjoys two Russian derbies. One of them tipped off in Vidnoje yesterday with Spartak taking on Dynamo. The defending Euroleague champions Spartak proved their ambitions for this edition of the tournament with a high-flying victory over the arch-rivals Dynamo Moscow. Spartak entered the game in a storming manner as Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) scored 6 unanswered points to put the hosts up. Tina Thompson (188-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) immediately followed it with her 5 straight points to give Spartak an 11:0 lead at the start. Dynamo however was never intimidated by the start as Nuria Martinez (176-G-84) responded with two impressive trebles and Simona Augustus (185-G-84, college: LSU) added a jumper to cut the margin to just 3 points at 8:11. Diana Taurasi (182-G-82, college: Connecticut) and Jackson converted jump shots and Sue Bird (175-G-80, college: Connecticut) notched a trey for Spartak to go up 18:10. Nuria Martinez was implacable from downtown to keep Dynamo rolling. The teams exchanged baskets late in the first frame and Spartak held to a 24:19 lead. But Dubravka Dacic (201-C-85, agency: Interperformances) and Ieva Kublina (193-C-82, college: Virginia Tech) scored quick 6 points to open the second frame and draw teams at 24. Diana Taurasi and Bird teamed up for straight treys as the hosts cleared off to a 34:28 distance minutes later. Tina Thompson was deadly from charity stripe and Lauren Jackson scored 5 points as the home side opened up a double-digit lead midway through the period. Marina Karpunina (180-F-84), Lauren Jackson and Diana Taurasi stretched it to 49:31 with less than 2 minutes to go in the half. Lauren Jackson completed her impressive 19-point first half tally to seal the outcome at 51:33.
Tina Thompson scored 6 points and Lauren Jackson dropped yet another treble to put Spartak ahead by 25 points. Lauren Jackson was merely unstoppable as she soon contributed 5 straight points and Tina Thompson accompanied her with a three-pointer for a massive 74:44 advantage midway through the third stanza. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) and Marina Karpunina continued to mount pressure on the visitors and the margin grew to 31 points at the final intermission. Natalia Hejkova gave some rest for Spartak key performers in the fourth period but never allowed Dynamo to revive any sort of intrigue. The visitors obviously lacked their charismatic leader Anete Jekabsone-Zogota who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Lauren Jackson stunned Dynamo almost singlehandedly notching game-high 29 points, 6 boards and 2 assists for Spartak. Tina Thompson provided sufficient backup with 16 points. Nuria Martinez answered with 20 points hitting 6/9 three-pointers. Simona Augustus scored 19 points in a losing effort.

Spartak MR: Lauren Jackson 29, Tina Thompson 16, Irina Osipova (196-C-81) 9, Diana Taurasi 9
Dynamo: Nuria Martinez 20, Simona Augustus 19

Quarterfinal stage. First games -by Eurobasket News

Spanish powerhouse Ros Casares got to a successful start of the Euroleague quarterfinal series against Gambrinus winning Game 1 in Valencia. The battle proved to be a real scorcher with neither side able to clear off till the last minutes. The teams traded baskets early on before Katie Douglas (183-G/F-79, college: Purdue) scored 5 straight points and gave Ros Casares a 14:7 advantage. Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) and Jana Vesela (194-F-83) cut it to 5 points and later Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) dragged Czech team within 2 points 16:18 at the end of the first frame. Hamchetou Maiga scored quick 4 points to put Gambrinus up in the very beginning of the second term. Katie Douglas and Delisha Milton-Jones (186-F-74, college: Florida) responded with 8 points in a row for the hosts and Ros Casares built a 27:20 buffer. Petra Kulichova (198-C-84), Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) and Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) kept Gambrinus within a striking distance and Ros Casares finished the first half leading by only 2 points 34:32. Beres netted 4 points and Hamchetou Maiga added 2 more to tip off the second half. The lead changed hands for 6 times throughout the third period and Ros Casares appeared on top 54:51 after 30 minutes of action. Delisha Milton-Jones, Katie Douglas and Laia Palau (178-G/F-79) notched 6 consecutive points to make it a 64:55 for Ros Casares midway though the final period. Zuzana Zirkova and Jana Vesela reacted with 5 points in a row to keep the hopes alive for the visitors. However Katie Douglas nailed 5 points and Elena Tornikidou (185-F-65) added two more to keep Gambrinus at bay.
Delisha Milton-Jones ended up with game-high 26 points to pace Ros Casares. Katie Douglas contributed 23 points and Elena Tornikidou dropped 8 more for the winners. Hamchetou Maiga responded with 13 points and 11 boards for Czech champions. Zuzana Zirkova scored 13 points, while Eva Viteckova netted 12 points in defeat. Gambrinus outrebounded the hosts 39:36 but committed 21 turnovers and sank only 62% from charity stripe in a losing effort.

French Bourges Basket met little resistance en route to a solid victory over visiting Fenerbahce to open the Euroleague quarterfinal series. Sonja Kireta (198-C-76) scored quick 6 points for the hosts early in the game and Bourges grabbed a 13:7 lead. Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) hit from beyond the arc and Sonja Kireta added two more points to her scoring haul as the hosts stretched the gap to as many as 9 points 20:11. Nevriye Yilmaz (195-C-80) answered with 4 points in a row to cut the margin but Florence Lepron (182-G-85) completed a three-point play and Emmeline Ndongue (194-F-83) capped the frame with a jump shot to give Bourges a 25:15 lead. Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Tammy Sutton-Brown (193-C-78, college: Rutgers) kept Fenerbahce close early in the second quarter. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) and Belinda Snell (182-F-81, agency: LBM Management) however soon opened 12-point buffer, while back-to-back treys from Belinda Snell and Sonja Petrovic (189-F-89) stretched it to 16 points. Cappie Pondexter finalized the first half with 4 points in a row and the teams went into the dressing room with Turkish team trailing by 10.
Esmeral Tuncluer (175-G-80) scored 6 points at the start of the second half to erase the deficit to only 5 points. Emmeline Ndongue reacted with 4 straight points and Sonja Petrovic fired one from the outside to ice Fenerbahce efforts. Endene Miyem accounted for the last 6 Bourges points in the frame and allowed the hosts to enjoy a 64:54 lead before the final period. Belinda Snell and Sonja Kireta combined for 7 more points at the start of the fourth quarter and Bourges Basket ran away for good. Sonja Kireta led 5 Bourges players to score in double figures with 19 points and 6 boards. Endene Miyem added 16 points, while Belinda Snell notched 14 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for the winning side. Cappie Pondexter answered with 23 points for Fenerbahce. Nevriye Yilmaz posted 16 points in a losing case. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday.

The Euroleague quarterfinal stage enjoys two Russian derbies. One of them tipped off in Vidnoje yesterday with Spartak taking on Dynamo. The defending Euroleague champions Spartak proved their ambitions for this edition of the tournament with a high-flying victory over the arch-rivals Dynamo Moscow. Spartak entered the game in a storming manner as Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) scored 6 unanswered points to put the hosts up. Tina Thompson (188-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) immediately followed it with her 5 straight points to give Spartak an 11:0 lead at the start. Dynamo however was never intimidated by the start as Nuria Martinez (176-G-84) responded with two impressive trebles and Simona Augustus (185-G-84, college: LSU) added a jumper to cut the margin to just 3 points at 8:11. Diana Taurasi (182-G-82, college: Connecticut) and Jackson converted jump shots and Sue Bird (175-G-80, college: Connecticut) notched a trey for Spartak to go up 18:10. Nuria Martinez was implacable from downtown to keep Dynamo rolling. The teams exchanged baskets late in the first frame and Spartak held to a 24:19 lead. But Dubravka Dacic (201-C-85, agency: Interperformances) and Ieva Kublina (193-C-82, college: Virginia Tech) scored quick 6 points to open the second frame and draw teams at 24. Diana Taurasi and Bird teamed up for straight treys as the hosts cleared off to a 34:28 distance minutes later. Tina Thompson was deadly from charity stripe and Lauren Jackson scored 5 points as the home side opened up a double-digit lead midway through the period. Marina Karpunina (180-F-84), Lauren Jackson and Diana Taurasi stretched it to 49:31 with less than 2 minutes to go in the half. Lauren Jackson completed her impressive 19-point first half tally to seal the outcome at 51:33.
Tina Thompson scored 6 points and Lauren Jackson dropped yet another treble to put Spartak ahead by 25 points. Lauren Jackson was merely unstoppable as she soon contributed 5 straight points and Tina Thompson accompanied her with a three-pointer for a massive 74:44 advantage midway through the third stanza. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) and Marina Karpunina continued to mount pressure on the visitors and the margin grew to 31 points at the final intermission. Natalia Hejkova gave some rest for Spartak key performers in the fourth period but never allowed Dynamo to revive any sort of intrigue. The visitors obviously lacked their charismatic leader Anete Jekabsone-Zogota who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Lauren Jackson stunned Dynamo almost singlehandedly notching game-high 29 points, 6 boards and 2 assists for Spartak. Tina Thompson provided sufficient backup with 16 points. Nuria Martinez answered with 20 points hitting 6/9 three-pointers. Simona Augustus scored 19 points in a losing effort.

UMMC opened the quarterfinal stage of Euroleague with an outstanding victory against previously undefeated CSKA. Moscow powerhouse was absolutely spotless in any kind of competitions this season but their impressive winning run came to an end. UMMC came back from behind to handle CSKA and put themselves on the brink of the Final Four. The teams kept it close early in the game. UMMC kept in front for some time but Nicole Powell (188-G/F-82, college: Stanford) drilled a three-pointer to put CSKA up by 3 with just over a minute to go in the first frame. Asjha Jones (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) capped the quarter with a jump shot to make it 22:23 at the end of the period. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) converted two free throws and Becky Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) fired from downtown for CSKA to take up a 30:24 lead early in the second stanza. Penny Taylor (185-F-81) and Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) trimmed the difference and Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) hit from beyond the arc to return the advantage to UMMC. The lead changed hands thrice before Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) sealed it at 44:43 for CSKA at halftime. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) opened the third term with a trey and Edwige Lawson added three points to give the hosts a 6-point cushion. But Penny Taylor fired with 6 points for the visitors and Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) connected from downtown to shave it back to a single point late in the third quarter. CSKA withheld all the efforts from UMMC and remained atop 60:59 after 30 minutes. Not for too long though. Deanna Nolan (180-G/F-79, college: Georgia), Natalia Vodopyanova (190-F-81), Penny Taylor and Asjha Jones combined for 8 unanswered points at the beginning of the final period and made it 67:60 for UMMC. Amaya Valdemoro quickly responded with a three-pointer for the hosts but Penny Taylor continued to reign in the court with two more points from charity stripe. Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) and Ann Wauters carried CSKA within 3 points but just to see Sandrine Gruda hit a jump shot and restore a 5-point buffer. Sandrine Gruda and Kristi Harrower extended the margin to 6 points shortly after. Caroline Aubert (168-G-80, college: Colorado) sank two free throws and UMMC appeared up by 8 points with 32 seconds left in regulation. Becky Hammon sparked a hope for the hosts with a trey but it was well-matched by Bibrzycka. Finally Penny Taylor crowned the game with two more free throws and ensured the winning outcome for UMMC. The Australian point guard scored posted 18 points to lead UMMC. Sandrine Gruda and Asjha Jones netted 15 points apiece for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro provided 17 points and 9 boards for CSKA. Ann Wauters added 16 points and 11 boards in defeat. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in Ekaterinburg.



UMMC hands CSKA the first loss in the season -by Eurobasket News
CSKA - UMMC 74:81

UMMC opened the quarterfinal stage of Euroleague with an outstanding victory against previously undefeated CSKA. Moscow powerhouse was absolutely spotless in any kind of competitions this season but their impressive winning run came to an end. UMMC came back from behind to handle CSKA and put themselves on the brink of the Final Four. The teams kept it close early in the game. UMMC kept in front for some time but Nicole Powell (188-G/F-82, college: Stanford) drilled a three-pointer to put CSKA up by 3 with just over a minute to go in the first frame. Asjha Jones (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) capped the quarter with a jump shot to make it 22:23 at the end of the period. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) converted two free throws and Becky Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) fired from downtown for CSKA to take up a 30:24 lead early in the second stanza. Penny Taylor (185-F-81) and Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) trimmed the difference and Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) hit from beyond the arc to return the advantage to UMMC. The lead changed hands thrice before Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) sealed it at 44:43 for CSKA at halftime. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) opened the third term with a trey and Edwige Lawson added three points to give the hosts a 6-point cushion. But Penny Taylor fired with 6 points for the visitors and Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) connected from downtown to shave it back to a single point late in the third quarter. CSKA withheld all the efforts from UMMC and remained atop 60:59 after 30 minutes. Not for too long though. Deanna Nolan (180-G/F-79, college: Georgia), Natalia Vodopyanova (190-F-81), Penny Taylor and Asjha Jones combined for 8 unanswered points at the beginning of the final period and made it 67:60 for UMMC. Amaya Valdemoro quickly responded with a three-pointer for the hosts but Penny Taylor continued to reign in the court with two more points from charity stripe. Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) and Ann Wauters carried CSKA within 3 points but just to see Sandrine Gruda hit a jump shot and restore a 5-point buffer. Sandrine Gruda and Kristi Harrower extended the margin to 6 points shortly after. Caroline Aubert (168-G-80, college: Colorado) sank two free throws and UMMC appeared up by 8 points with 32 seconds left in regulation. Becky Hammon sparked a hope for the hosts with a trey but it was well-matched by Bibrzycka. Finally Penny Taylor crowned the game with two more free throws and ensured the winning outcome for UMMC. The Australian point guard scored posted 18 points to lead UMMC. Sandrine Gruda and Asjha Jones netted 15 points apiece for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro provided 17 points and 9 boards for CSKA. Ann Wauters added 16 points and 11 boards in defeat. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in Ekaterinburg.

CSKA: Amaya Valdemoro 17, Ann Wauters 16+11 boards
UMMC: Penny Taylor 18, Sandrine Gruda 15, Asjha Jones 15+10 boards

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FRANCE - Women

Bourges Basket dispatch Fenerbahce in France -by Eurobasket News
Bourges Basket - Fenerbahce 85:69

French Bourges Basket met little resistance en route to a solid victory over visiting Fenerbahce to open the Euroleague quarterfinal series. Sonja Kireta (198-C-76) scored quick 6 points for the hosts early in the game and Bourges grabbed a 13:7 lead. Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) hit from beyond the arc and Sonja Kireta added two more points to her scoring haul as the hosts stretched the gap to as many as 9 points 20:11. Nevriye Yilmaz (195-C-80) answered with 4 points in a row to cut the margin but Florence Lepron (182-G-85) completed a three-point play and Emmeline Ndongue (194-F-83) capped the frame with a jump shot to give Bourges a 25:15 lead. Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Tammy Sutton-Brown (193-C-78, college: Rutgers) kept Fenerbahce close early in the second quarter. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) and Belinda Snell (182-F-81, agency: LBM Management) however soon opened 12-point buffer, while back-to-back treys from Belinda Snell and Sonja Petrovic (189-F-89) stretched it to 16 points. Cappie Pondexter finalized the first half with 4 points in a row and the teams went into the dressing room with Turkish team trailing by 10.
Esmeral Tuncluer (175-G-80) scored 6 points at the start of the second half to erase the deficit to only 5 points. Emmeline Ndongue reacted with 4 straight points and Sonja Petrovic fired one from the outside to ice Fenerbahce efforts. Endene Miyem accounted for the last 6 Bourges points in the frame and allowed the hosts to enjoy a 64:54 lead before the final period. Belinda Snell and Sonja Kireta combined for 7 more points at the start of the fourth quarter and Bourges Basket ran away for good. Sonja Kireta led 5 Bourges players to score in double figures with 19 points and 6 boards. Endene Miyem added 16 points, while Belinda Snell notched 14 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for the winning side. Cappie Pondexter answered with 23 points for Fenerbahce. Nevriye Yilmaz posted 16 points in a losing case. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday.

Bourges Basket: Sonja Kireta 19, Endene Miyem 16, Belinda Snell 14
Fenerbahce: Cappie Pondexter 23, Nevriye Yilmaz 16

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HUNGARY - Women

Cup Final Four in Pecs -by Adam Patonay

Yesterday was the bid for the Hungarian Women Final Four and the draw for the semi-final. The Cup Final will be in Pecs beetwen 22-23 of March 2008. MKB Euroleasing will play against Szolnok and Mizo Pecs against Zala Volan. Most probably the two Euroleague team will meet on the final and play for the title.

HUNGARIAN WOMEN CUP FINAL FOUR
22-23. March 2008. Pecs
Szolnoki NKK VS. MKB Euroleasing Sopron

MiZo Pecs 2010 VS. ZTE-Zala Volan



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ISRAEL - Women

Round 20th leaders -by Gil Goshen

Day Leaders
POINTS

1. T. Booye 37.0
2. C. Jinks 32.0
3. E. Curry 28.0

REBOUNDS

1. S. Gortman 15.0
2. T. Booye 14.0
3. C. Jinks 11.0


ASSISTS

1. C. Jinks 9.0
2. T. Wright 6.0
3. A. Goldberg 2.0

EFFICIENCY
.
1. C. Jinks 37.0
2. T. Booye 37.0
3. E. Curry 30.0




Round 20th Results -by Gil Goshen

In round 20 of the women's league Raanana Hertzeliya got a convincing win over Ramat Hasharon, Ramla looked great in a 28-point win at Ashdod and Ramat Hen held on for a win in Holon. In the lower playoffs: Hapoel Tel Aviv won at Tel Kabir.

Holon 70 - Ramat Hen 74


For Ramat Hen:
Arminitie Price 23 pts 10 rb.
Edwina Brown 22 pts
Taj McWilliams Franklin 12 pts
Sharon Zeevi & Lena Mustafina 2 pts each

For Holon:
Ivory Latta 27 pts (24 in 2nd half)
La'Tangela Atkinson 21 pts
DeTrina White 10 pts 11 rb.( another double double...).
Shiran Zairy & Hana Haleli 5 pts each
Lin Golan 2 pts

Ashdod 73 - Ramla 101

For Ramla:
Jackie Johnson 21 pts
Shay Doron 18 pts
Sherill Baker 15 pts
Michelle Snow 14 pts
Laine Selwyn & Katia Abramzon 10 pts each
Brasheeda Elohim 4 pts
Tali Noy 1 pts

For Ashdod:
Sheri Sam 23 pts
Brandi McCain & Ayana Walker 17 pts each
Ortal Oren 8 pts
Karin Agassi 4 pts
Bat El Lazmi & Michal Epstein 2 pts each

Raanana Hertzeliya 71 - Electra Ramat Hasharon 56
.

For Raanana Hertzeliya:
Mistie Williams 22 pts 10 rb.
Tanisha Wright 16 pts , 7 rb, 6 ast.
Ornit Shwartz 13 pts
Katia Levitzky & Abiola Wabara 6 pts each
Neda Djruic 5 pts
Chen Nusel 3 pts

For Ramat Hasharon:
Jia Perkins 19 pts
Monique Coker 16 pts
Dada Vilipic & Tatyana Troina 8 pts each
Limor Mizrachi 5 pts

Lower playoffs:
Hapoel Tel Aviv 107 - Tel Kabir 95
For Hapoel:
Tamara Bowie 37 pts, 14 rebs
Edneisha Curry 28 pts
Shira Haelyon 18 pts
Shachar Alterman 17 pts
Liran Buchris 7 pts

For Tel Kabir:
Constance Jinks 32 pts
Shaun Gortman 20 pts
Michelle Woods 13 pts
Anat Goldberg 10 pts
Yael Cherkov 9 pts
Shiri Porat & Adi Kindler 4 pts each
Michal Miron 3 pts











Mistie Williams (191-C-83, college: Duke)

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LATVIA - Women

Lasma Jekabsone signs for Cesis -by Gunars Gailitis
Phard Napoli continues to reduce the roster selling the Bosman players that can't play together in italian league: Lasma Jekabsone (191-C-85, college: Florida Intern.) after Euroleague experience had only few occasion to play and so the player decided to look for another oppurtunity for the rest of the season.

Her new team is BK Cesis. Jekabsone played only few months in Latvia with TTT Riga after her experience with Florida Intern.

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LEBANON - Women

Lebanese Cup Competition 2007-2008 -by Raffi Kassabian
The Lebanese Basketball Federation distributed the schedule of the Lebanese Cup Competition for the season 2007-2008. 11 teams participate in this season's competition 7 from first division, 3 from second division and 1 from third division. The draw that was made in the absence of participating clubs' representatives will see, with no surprise, Riyadi Beirut play against Homenetmen Antelias in the semi final round for the third consecutive year given that both clubs win their quarter final games. The start of the cup competition will also end the three weeks break the teams had with no reason, knowing that in the regular season teams played three games in one week...

Schedule

1st round
Wednesday 27/2/2008
Blue Stars(1st div) - Mouttahed(2nd div) 65-59

Thursday 28/2/2008 Sagesse Jdeideh court
Anibal Zahle (1st div) vs Antranik Sinelfil (2nd div) 18:00
Homenetmen Beirut (1st div) vs La Toure Antoura (3rd div) 20:00



Quarter final 1
Sunday 2/3/2008 Sagesse Jdeideh 20:00
Antranik Beirut vs St. Georges Zalka

Quarter final 2
Sunday 2/3/2008 Demirjian Center 20:00
Champville vs Blue Stars

Quarter final 3
Sunday 2/3/2008 Demirjian Center 18:00
Riyadi Beirut vs Anibal Zahle or Antranik Sinelfil

Quarter final 4
Sunday 2/3/2008 Sagesse Jdeideh 18:00
Homenetmen Antelias vs Homenetmen Beirut or La Toure Antoura 20:00




Semi final 1
Tuesday 4/3/2008 Sagesse Jdeideh 21:00
winner of quarter final 1 vs winner of quarter final 2

Semi final 2
Tuesday 4/3/2008 Champville 20:30
winner of quarter final 3 vs winner of quarter final 4




Final
Saturday 8/3/2008 Fouad Chehab Court 15:00
winner of semi final 1 vs winner of semi final 2

Intresting Cup competition for this season -by Asia-Basket Lebanon
The Lebanese Women's Cup this season if there will be no surprises will have a big confrontation in the semi Final between Riyadi and Homentmen - Antelias .The two teams meet for the 3rd year due that they are ranked second and third in last season championship, as for the other semi final it will join Antranik to Champville due that Antranik finished first and Champville fourth last season. The format of this season was established by the Lebanese Basketball Federation competition committee this season for men and women competitions.
The regular season finished on February 16th , and the cup was scheduled earlier but due to the political situation in the country it was wiser to postpone its start to have a more calm situation .
The final four will see two semi final series 1st :Antranik vs Champville , 2nd : Riyadi vs Homentmen - Antelias .

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RUSSIA - Women

Spartak Moscow Region thrashes Dynamo in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Spartak MR - Dynamo 96:67

The Euroleague quarterfinal stage enjoys two Russian derbies. One of them tipped off in Vidnoje yesterday with Spartak taking on Dynamo. The defending Euroleague champions Spartak proved their ambitions for this edition of the tournament with a high-flying victory over the arch-rivals Dynamo Moscow. Spartak entered the game in a storming manner as Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) scored 6 unanswered points to put the hosts up. Tina Thompson (188-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) immediately followed it with her 5 straight points to give Spartak an 11:0 lead at the start. Dynamo however was never intimidated by the start as Nuria Martinez (176-G-84) responded with two impressive trebles and Simona Augustus (185-G-84, college: LSU) added a jumper to cut the margin to just 3 points at 8:11. Diana Taurasi (182-G-82, college: Connecticut) and Jackson converted jump shots and Sue Bird (175-G-80, college: Connecticut) notched a trey for Spartak to go up 18:10. Nuria Martinez was implacable from downtown to keep Dynamo rolling. The teams exchanged baskets late in the first frame and Spartak held to a 24:19 lead. But Dubravka Dacic (201-C-85, agency: Interperformances) and Ieva Kublina (193-C-82, college: Virginia Tech) scored quick 6 points to open the second frame and draw teams at 24. Diana Taurasi and Bird teamed up for straight treys as the hosts cleared off to a 34:28 distance minutes later. Tina Thompson was deadly from charity stripe and Lauren Jackson scored 5 points as the home side opened up a double-digit lead midway through the period. Marina Karpunina (180-F-84), Lauren Jackson and Diana Taurasi stretched it to 49:31 with less than 2 minutes to go in the half. Lauren Jackson completed her impressive 19-point first half tally to seal the outcome at 51:33.
Tina Thompson scored 6 points and Lauren Jackson dropped yet another treble to put Spartak ahead by 25 points. Lauren Jackson was merely unstoppable as she soon contributed 5 straight points and Tina Thompson accompanied her with a three-pointer for a massive 74:44 advantage midway through the third stanza. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) and Marina Karpunina continued to mount pressure on the visitors and the margin grew to 31 points at the final intermission. Natalia Hejkova gave some rest for Spartak key performers in the fourth period but never allowed Dynamo to revive any sort of intrigue. The visitors obviously lacked their charismatic leader Anete Jekabsone-Zogota who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Lauren Jackson stunned Dynamo almost singlehandedly notching game-high 29 points, 6 boards and 2 assists for Spartak. Tina Thompson provided sufficient backup with 16 points. Nuria Martinez answered with 20 points hitting 6/9 three-pointers. Simona Augustus scored 19 points in a losing effort.

Spartak MR: Lauren Jackson 29, Tina Thompson 16, Irina Osipova (196-C-81) 9, Diana Taurasi 9
Dynamo: Nuria Martinez 20, Simona Augustus 19

UMMC hands CSKA the first loss in the season -by Eurobasket News
CSKA - UMMC 74:81

UMMC opened the quarterfinal stage of Euroleague with an outstanding victory against previously undefeated CSKA. Moscow powerhouse was absolutely spotless in any kind of competitions this season but their impressive winning run came to an end. UMMC came back from behind to handle CSKA and put themselves on the brink of the Final Four. The teams kept it close early in the game. UMMC kept in front for some time but Nicole Powell (188-G/F-82, college: Stanford) drilled a three-pointer to put CSKA up by 3 with just over a minute to go in the first frame. Asjha Jones (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) capped the quarter with a jump shot to make it 22:23 at the end of the period. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) converted two free throws and Becky Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) fired from downtown for CSKA to take up a 30:24 lead early in the second stanza. Penny Taylor (185-F-81) and Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) trimmed the difference and Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) hit from beyond the arc to return the advantage to UMMC. The lead changed hands thrice before Edwige Lawson (167-G-79) sealed it at 44:43 for CSKA at halftime. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) opened the third term with a trey and Edwige Lawson added three points to give the hosts a 6-point cushion. But Penny Taylor fired with 6 points for the visitors and Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) connected from downtown to shave it back to a single point late in the third quarter. CSKA withheld all the efforts from UMMC and remained atop 60:59 after 30 minutes. Not for too long though. Deanna Nolan (180-G/F-79, college: Georgia), Natalia Vodopyanova (190-F-81), Penny Taylor and Asjha Jones combined for 8 unanswered points at the beginning of the final period and made it 67:60 for UMMC. Amaya Valdemoro quickly responded with a three-pointer for the hosts but Penny Taylor continued to reign in the court with two more points from charity stripe. Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) and Ann Wauters carried CSKA within 3 points but just to see Sandrine Gruda hit a jump shot and restore a 5-point buffer. Sandrine Gruda and Kristi Harrower extended the margin to 6 points shortly after. Caroline Aubert (168-G-80, college: Colorado) sank two free throws and UMMC appeared up by 8 points with 32 seconds left in regulation. Becky Hammon sparked a hope for the hosts with a trey but it was well-matched by Bibrzycka. Finally Penny Taylor crowned the game with two more free throws and ensured the winning outcome for UMMC. The Australian point guard scored posted 18 points to lead UMMC. Sandrine Gruda and Asjha Jones netted 15 points apiece for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro provided 17 points and 9 boards for CSKA. Ann Wauters added 16 points and 11 boards in defeat. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in Ekaterinburg.

CSKA: Amaya Valdemoro 17, Ann Wauters 16+11 boards
UMMC: Penny Taylor 18, Sandrine Gruda 15, Asjha Jones 15+10 boards

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SPAIN - Women

Round 17:San Jose Leon was surprised by Rivas Futura (70-62) -by Ivan Villar
Not many surprises in quiet round after great Queen's Cup of Sevilla.Olesa survived winning Celta Vigo at home without Tina Lelas.They lost first quarter by 8-18 but put ahead in score after fantastic 3rd quarter of 26-11.Lecoe Willingham repeated good performance (15 p-11 reb) but her teammate Olga Podkovalnikova completed her best game with Olesa's shirt,20 points and 11 rebounds.Maja Miljovic (13 p-8 received faults) and Razza Mujanovic (19 p-19 reb) leaded galician team but coudn't take to Vigo new victory.Perfumerias Avenida isn't in great shape and won to Arranz Burgos by 8 points only.Bad Queen's Cup wasn't coincidence,Jose Ignacio Hernandez's team is still looking for key of good game.Anyway Anna Montanana keeps on her numbers,18 points and 10 rebounds (although she had 10 turnovers) and Tracy Reid supported her with 12 points and 10 rebounds.Paola Ferrari scored 17 points for Tito Sobrin's team,obviously the player from Paraguay can show her level better in Burgos than Rivas.In spite of this Arranz Burgos begins to loose chances to climb positions.Gran Canaria too is in troubles.They are still placing low position because lost at home against EBE-Promociones.Team coached by Jordi Fernandez continues in right path,leaded by Silvia Morales (17 points-7 received faults) and Sancho Lyttle (14 p-15 reb).Taru Tuukkanen and Roneeka Hodges had very bad day with horrible percentages (5/28 throws both) and only Rosi Sanchez shone with 21 points.Extremadura and Cadi played a final and home team took important win.Badajoz had decisive triangle formed by Amra Dapo (19 p-23 ef.),Kelly Da Silva (19 p-20 ef.) and Mandisa Stevenson (18 p-11 reb).Victor Lapena's team still hasn't found regular line.Its best player was Cristina Sousa who scored 10 points and made 4 steals in 19 minutes.San Jose Leon arrived Rivas's court with excellent shape after great image in Sevilla's Cup.But home team surprised them when made partial of 19-6 in 3rd quarter.Arantxa Novo made great defense over MVP Liron Cohen and her team got decisive win.Cathy Joens (15 p-8 as.),Jelena Dubljevic (12 p-19 ef.) and Nicole Antibe (20 p-21 ef) played excellent game.Allison Feaster kept on great line of Queen's Cup scoring 19 points.Filter Mann Zaragoza was trashed by Ros Casares in La Fonteta Arena.This game was a practice for valencian team who had again in Katie Douglas its best player (17 points-7/7 in throws-29 ef) in 18 minutes only.Shooting guard is in great shape and maybe candidate for MVP of season.Paola Ferrari (178-G/F-85)

Ros Casares outlast Gambrinus in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Ros Casares - Gambrinus 71:63

Spanish powerhouse Ros Casares got to a successful start of the Euroleague quarterfinal series against Gambrinus winning Game 1 in Valencia. The battle proved to be a real scorcher with neither side able to clear off till the last minutes. The teams traded baskets early on before Katie Douglas (183-G/F-79, college: Purdue) scored 5 straight points and gave Ros Casares a 14:7 advantage. Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) and Jana Vesela (194-F-83) cut it to 5 points and later Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) dragged Czech team within 2 points 16:18 at the end of the first frame. Hamchetou Maiga scored quick 4 points to put Gambrinus up in the very beginning of the second term. Katie Douglas and Delisha Milton-Jones (186-F-74, college: Florida) responded with 8 points in a row for the hosts and Ros Casares built a 27:20 buffer. Petra Kulichova (198-C-84), Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) and Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) kept Gambrinus within a striking distance and Ros Casares finished the first half leading by only 2 points 34:32. Beres netted 4 points and Hamchetou Maiga added 2 more to tip off the second half. The lead changed hands for 6 times throughout the third period and Ros Casares appeared on top 54:51 after 30 minutes of action. Delisha Milton-Jones, Katie Douglas and Laia Palau (178-G/F-79) notched 6 consecutive points to make it a 64:55 for Ros Casares midway though the final period. Zuzana Zirkova and Jana Vesela reacted with 5 points in a row to keep the hopes alive for the visitors. However Katie Douglas nailed 5 points and Elena Tornikidou (185-F-65) added two more to keep Gambrinus at bay.
Delisha Milton-Jones ended up with game-high 26 points to pace Ros Casares. Katie Douglas contributed 23 points and Elena Tornikidou dropped 8 more for the winners. Hamchetou Maiga responded with 13 points and 11 boards for Czech champions. Zuzana Zirkova scored 13 points, while Eva Viteckova netted 12 points in defeat. Gambrinus outrebounded the hosts 39:36 but committed 21 turnovers and sank only 62% from charity stripe in a losing effort.

Ros Casares: Delisha Milton-Jones 26, Katie Douglas 23, Elena Tornikidou 8
Gambrinus: Hamchetou Maiga 13+11 boards, Zuzana Zirkova 13, Eva Viteckova 12

Arranz Burgos bets by Iciss Tillis -by Ivan Villar
American player Iciss Iciss Tillis (194-F-81, college: Duke) will replace Christi Thomas in Burgos.Team is fighting to avoid last positions of clasification and bets for Iciss Tillis.She was going to play in Hondarribia Irun this season but there were differences between club and player and she goes to play in TTT Riga.She finished Euroleague's path of her last team averaging 15,9 points and 8,9 rebounds.She'll debut at home next saturday against Celta Vigo.

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TURKEY - Women

Bourges Basket dispatch Fenerbahce in France -by Eurobasket News
Bourges Basket - Fenerbahce 85:69

French Bourges Basket met little resistance en route to a solid victory over visiting Fenerbahce to open the Euroleague quarterfinal series. Sonja Kireta (198-C-76) scored quick 6 points for the hosts early in the game and Bourges grabbed a 13:7 lead. Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) hit from beyond the arc and Sonja Kireta added two more points to her scoring haul as the hosts stretched the gap to as many as 9 points 20:11. Nevriye Yilmaz (195-C-80) answered with 4 points in a row to cut the margin but Florence Lepron (182-G-85) completed a three-point play and Emmeline Ndongue (194-F-83) capped the frame with a jump shot to give Bourges a 25:15 lead. Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Tammy Sutton-Brown (193-C-78, college: Rutgers) kept Fenerbahce close early in the second quarter. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) and Belinda Snell (182-F-81, agency: LBM Management) however soon opened 12-point buffer, while back-to-back treys from Belinda Snell and Sonja Petrovic (189-F-89) stretched it to 16 points. Cappie Pondexter finalized the first half with 4 points in a row and the teams went into the dressing room with Turkish team trailing by 10.
Esmeral Tuncluer (175-G-80) scored 6 points at the start of the second half to erase the deficit to only 5 points. Emmeline Ndongue reacted with 4 straight points and Sonja Petrovic fired one from the outside to ice Fenerbahce efforts. Endene Miyem accounted for the last 6 Bourges points in the frame and allowed the hosts to enjoy a 64:54 lead before the final period. Belinda Snell and Sonja Kireta combined for 7 more points at the start of the fourth quarter and Bourges Basket ran away for good. Sonja Kireta led 5 Bourges players to score in double figures with 19 points and 6 boards. Endene Miyem added 16 points, while Belinda Snell notched 14 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for the winning side. Cappie Pondexter answered with 23 points for Fenerbahce. Nevriye Yilmaz posted 16 points in a losing case. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday.

Bourges Basket: Sonja Kireta 19, Endene Miyem 16, Belinda Snell 14
Fenerbahce: Cappie Pondexter 23, Nevriye Yilmaz 16

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U.KINGDOM - Women

Hatters with top clash but fall to Solent -by Dave Ryan
Rhondda Rebels and City of Sheffield Hatters remained locked at the top of the Division One after they both split their weekend games.
Hatters defeated Rebels 86-72 on Sunday, but it was their 67-64 home loss against Solent Suns the previous day which was the major shock of the weekend. It was the first defeat for Hatter against anyone other than Rhondda since the 2003/4 season, with Suns producing a strong second period to win the game.
Led the 23 Stephanie Gandy points, Hatters were 18-12 up at the first break, but a 22-10 second period put the visitors into a 34-28 lead at half-time. That lead was extended to 52-42 going into the final break, and although Hatters won the fourth quarter 22-15, Suns held on for a famous victory. Recent signing Joann Overstreet led the Suns with 20 points, while Caroline Turner added 18 and Lohneiss 10. Sarah Naylor scored 17 for Hatters, with Lisa Hutchinson chipping in with 11.
The top two met in the Steel City the following day, and Gandy's 34 points proved to be the difference between the teams as Hatters leveled things up at the top of the table. Hatters shaded a high-scoring first perido 26-25, but the teams went into the break level at 46.
The game changed in the opening two minutes of the second half as five fouls were called in under a two minute spells on Rebels' Americans Kirby Copeland (178-G-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Virginia Tech) and LaNedra Brown that undoubtedly had an impact on the outcome of the game.
Brown who was only on one foul in the first half quickly saw that change as she was called for three fouls in a matter of seconds and player-coach Andrea Congreaves was forced to take her off and before the Rebels could regroup guard and leading scorer Copeland was fouled out of the game to leave the Rebels reeling with still 18 minutes remaining.
Hatters went into the final break 65-59 and put the game beyond Rebels' reach with a 21-13 fourth quarter. Copeland led the Welsh side with 22 points and Brown added 17. Timola and Harriet Yea each added nine for Rhondda while sisters Sarah and Helen Naylor combined for 26 points.
Rebels general manager Andrew Tynan blasted the referees after the game: 'You expect referees to make mistakes but what happened in Sheffield was beyond acceptable, they should never be allowed to effect the result of a game and should be held accountable, they spoilt the game as a spectacle and everyone who was there could see it, we will be writing to England Basketball with video evidence although we are not expecting the result to be changed.'
Rebels and Hatters will meet in Wales on March 16, with the destination of the title likely to be decided that day.
With Sheffield losing on Saturday, Rhondda looked to have put themselves in pole position for the title with a 102-67 drubbing of UWIC Archers on Saturday. Led by 24 Brown points, the visitors raced into a 29-16 first period lead before extending their advantage to 55-38 at half-time. A 23-14 third period ended the game as a contest before Rebels won the final quarter 24-15 to record their third victory of the season against their local rivals. Copeland (22) and Congreaves (19) completed the top scoring for Rhondda, while Tracy Hopgood (17), Steph Collins (14) and Zekite (10) led the scoring for Rhondda.

Northumbria go third -by Dave Ryan
Team Northumbria took sole possession of third place in women's Division One as they defeated Northampton Wildcats 92-82.
Northumbria point guard Jaye Colbert made her intentions known from the start as she opened the scoring for the home team with a long range three it would be the first of her 31 points. The Wildcats immediately answered with a basket from Great Britain international Kate Butters, and with seven minutes to play Butters scored again giving her team the lead for the first time in the game. They would maintain the lead until with a minute to play Noelia Cacheiro hit a short jumper in the key two more free throws from Northumbria's Loui Hall put the home side up at the end of the first period 26-24. a tight second quarter saw Northumbria add a point to the lead as they went into the locker room 47-44 ahead
England under-18 and Nottingham centre Hannah Shaw (192-F-90) opened the third quarter with a strong move in the post which brought Nottingham within one of the home side. Colbert immediately stepped up again starting another Northumbria run which put them up 55-46. The run would be crucial as the home side maintained it through out the rest of the quarter and went into the final break 67-58 ahead.
In the fourth quarter with Loui Hall adding 13 of her 29 points Northumbria maintained their lead and Leanne Chandler's team could only get within seven points as Northumbria improved to 10-6. Nottingham are a win behind, but have two games in hand.
'Nottingham missed not having American Jill Glessner (who missed the game with a broken foot) she has been a key for them all season and would definitely have caused us match up problems said Northumbria coach Deirdre Hayes.
'Considering Leanne's and my thoughts on defence this was not a game to watch for that. We were in the same predicament when we played them last time you score 82 points you would expect to win. I am really proud of the players we are doing everything we can within our control to maintain third place.'
Chandler still has hopes of snatching third place from the north east team: 'We know at this stage of the season how important every win is. Northumbria is in a very similar battle as us which made it into a great game. We just need to make sure we get the wins where I know we can from the rest of our fixtures and gain that important home court advantage'
London Towers' produced one of their best displays of the season, but still slipped to their 14th straight loss as they went down 75-64 at Manchester Mystics. The home side led 22-20 at the first break and extended that lead to 40-35 at half-time. The third period proved to be key as they outscored the visitors 18-14 to go into the final break 58-49 ahead, and they won the fourth quarter 17-15 to move up to fifth in the table.
Claydon led all scoring with 22 for the hosts, with Cahill adding 13 and Bardsley 12. Durojaye led Towers with 20, while Wanstall was the only other London player in double figures with 17
Sevenoaks completed a good day for teams with the suffix 'Suns' as they won 82-74 at London Heathrow Acers - their first Division One win against any team other than Towers. Led by 18 Cristal Turner points, the Knt side led 19-15 at the first break before a 21-12 second period put them in charge. A 27-19 third quarter saw the game wrapped up, and despite an Acers comeback the visitors held on for their third victory of the campaign. Arek Deng added points 15 points with Nicki Avery scoring 14 for the Suns. Patricia Da Silva led Acers with 23 while her sister Luci Da Silva added 17

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL. - Women

Western Doves win third consecutive City Title. -by David Edole
Western 57, Poly 37
The Doves ran away from the opening tip in the championship game, defeating the Engineers for their third straight city title.

The Doves (20-3) never trailed and led 18-6 after the first quarter and 35-9 at halftime. They used a 1-2-2 press defense that forced Poly into turnovers and gave Western easy transition baskets. The Engineers (17-5) scored only nine points in the first half and didn't make a field goal in the second quarter.

'They were intense and came ready to play,' Western coach Tiffany Silver said of her team. 'The plan was to use the bigger court to our advantage defensively, use our speed to get steals, and that's what we did.'

Poly opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run and stayed close by getting to the foul line (17-for-33), but the halftime deficit was too much. Akeema Richards did not have a stellar game but managed five points, six assits and four boards. Ashle Craig led Western with 14 points, and Keirah Hicks chipped in 13. Poly's Cynthia Johnson had 11 points.

Park U won thier final game of regular season -by David Edole

Park University ended their regular season on a high note on Tuesday night with a 78-74 win over Philander Smith College. The Pirates had two double-doubles and forced the Panthers to commit 14 turnovers in the win. Jenicia Stephens had seven points, four boards, one assist and one steal in her final regular season game. Park University improves to 14-14 overall with the win over Philander Smith.

The Pirates and the Panthers appeared to be evenly matched in the first half, taking turns with the lead. A six point surge instigated by Ashley Birch would put the Pirates up by five with 14:18 left to play in the first half. Park was able to retain the lead for the rest of the first half despite the persistent Panthers. A three pointer by Katrena Richard with 3:34 left would give Park a nine point lead, 29-20, their biggest of the night.

Philander Smith guard Miesha Williams was able to keep the game close with 19 first half points. Park University took a three-point lead, 34-31 headed into the locker room.

An aggressive second half would truly test Park. The Pirates were able to sustain a slight lead until the seven minute mark, when a Jaszmen Steele layup but Philander Smith up 55-54. A Stephens free throw tied the game at 6:58, but the Panthers kept their offense rolling, countering ever Park basket.

An Amanda Green layup at 4:49 put the Pirates up, 60-59 for good. The frustrated Panther squad had no choice but to foul as the clock ticked down. Patience and free throws put the Pirates over the top, 78-74 on senior night.

Next on the Pirates schedule is the Independent Region Tournament, held in Orangeburg, S. C. on March 7-9. The bracket for the women's Independent Region Tournament will be announced on Sunday, March 2.

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VENEZUELA - Women

Super Mirna -by Yelitza La Torre
Mirna Marajo's numbers on February 27's game were 16 points, 1 assist, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, to help Dowling College to defeat its similar NYIT.
Dowling College went to the locker room with the scoreboard on their favor 38-26. Dowling College continued to dominate as they opened the second half with a 6-0 run, Thanks to three pointers basket from Mitchell Yawn, and a three point play from Nikkeia Daniels. Mirna Araujo (183-F-87) made a two point's basket for Dowling to lead the game by 20 with 15:00 minutes left to play. Dowling was able to control the basketball and run the clock down for the remainder of the game. The final score was 80-59 to keep Dowling College‘s playoff hopes alive.
Venezuela outstanding basketball player Mirna Araujo (183-F-87) is having a terrific basketball season with The Golden Lions.

Good job Madre!!