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.