EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/1/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Vermont adds Barley -by Gianni Pascucci
The Vermont Frost Heaves announced the signing of Tyrone Barley (6'1''-G-81, college: St.Joseph's) on thursday. With his addition, the Frost Heaves try to react to the major losses of Terrance Greene (6'4''-G/F-81, college: Nevada), out most likely for the year with an ACL injury, and Dwayne Lee (6'0''-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: St.Joseph's), out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury. Barley is expecte to be yet in uniform for the upcoming home-and-away series with the Atlanta Vision.

Manchester and Vermont again winning. But.... -by Gianni Pascucci
After dominating their first meeting in the Bahamas 138-91, the Manchester Millrats swept the Bahama All-Pro Show, winning the second game 148-100. In this same week, the Vermont Frost Heaves defeated the Montreal Royal 92-82 on the road, despite the loss of three important players due to injuries. The supremacy of these two teams in the 2007-08 edition of the league is clear, but it is questionable if we can talk again of a professional league at this point of the season. Consider this, please: between February 24 and February 29 (only three weeks before the end of the ABA regular season) only 16 of the scheduled 45 games have been played; all the other ones have been cancelled, and more of the half of the games scheduled till March 19, the last day of the regular season, have been yet cancelled the same. The risk in the ABA is that Mr. Newman will not be able to find enough teams to fill the 2008 playoff grid when it will be the time. Of course, the solution could be a reduced tournment with only few teams (for example a 'Final Six' with Manchester, Vermont, the Chinese team, San Diego, Orange County and a sixth team chosen at random between the few yet breathing at the end of March), but the point is that, in our opinion, the league needs of an immediate, drastic U-turn, to leave the 'parody league' environment in which it has fallen in last years and to rebuild a sort of reliability for fans, players, coaches, professional operators.

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ARGENTINA

Liga A: Latest transactions -by Facundo Iatzky

Quilmes mar del plata released Antonio Reynolds (200-F-77, college: Rhode Island) (13.4 pts 8.6 rebs 2.5 as in 36 games). Antonio started in a good level but then had some injuries and could not show his best skills. His replacement is Harold Arceneaux (198-F-77, college: Weber St.) who comes from Mexico.

Boca Juniors released Jamal Robinson (196-F/G-73, agency: Interperformances, college: Virginia) (5.4 pts 2.9 reb in 16 games) and they signed Antonio Reynolds. He probably will not stay in the team for the rest of the season due to his injuries but at least will play this weekend. Boca also loaned Federico Aguerre (203-F/C-88) to La union Formosa (TNA) for the rest of the season. They also released Juan Sartorelli (190-G-83) because Raymundo Legaria (178-G-80) revovered of his injury and will start to play with the team . They had released Cheick YaYa Dia previously.

Andres Landoni (204-C-90) was signed by Libertad Sunchales. The same team had released Ryan Carroll.

Sionista parana released Maurice Riddick


Estudiantes Bahia Blanca signed panamenian Antonio Garcia (203-F/C-76, college: Ky Wesleyan)



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BAHRAIN

MUHARRAQ DOWN NUWAIDRAT -by Yousef Ahmed

MUHARRAQ poured it in from long distance to post a well-deserved 101-71 blowout over Nuwaidrat last night in the Bahrain Basketball League.

The victors connected on a scintillating 14 three-pointers in just 31 attempts in the game. They secured their 11th win of the year after 16 tries, as they strengthened their hold of the number three spot for the Golden Square semifinal round.

Four Muharraq players finished with 20 points or more in the contest. American professional Rah-Shaun Roberts led the way with a game-high 23.

The win was a much-needed result for their team, who earlier this week suffered a demoralising defeat to rivals Al Hala.

'We needed this badly,' head coach John Wojtak told the GDN. 'In our last game, we were embarrassed.

'But today our guys did well to come together and overcome our disappointment. We did everything we could to win. We tried a few new things and they paid off.

Veteran forward Abdulmajeed Shahram torched the nets with seven three-pointers, including one just before the final buzzer that sealed the 30-point victory.

Muharraq burst out of the gates and were already ahead by 25 points, 44-19, midway through the second quarter.

And after Nuwaidrat cut the deficit to 13 midway through the final period, Roberts and guard Mohammed Hassan buried successive triples to extend the lead once more (80-61) and virtually seal the win.

Shahram, Hassan and point guard Mohammed Abdulmajeed each finished with 21 points. Houston had 22 points while court general Hussain Taqi finished with 21 for Nuwaidrat, who dropped to a 9-7 win-loss record.

In yesterday's other game, Jamal Holden scored 34 points to lead defending champions Al Ahli to an 84-71 win over Al Ettihad. Ahli retained sole possession of first place with their 15th win.

League action continues today with Al Najma playing Isa Town and Al Hala facing Bahrain Club. Tomorrow, Manama take on Sitra in the game of the week.

SOURCE: GDN

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BALTIC LEAGUE

Challenge Cup: Final Four semifinals -by Eurobasket News
VEF Riga and Nevezis won their semifinal games to meet each other in the Final of Challenge Cup. In the Latvian battle VEF Riga beat Liepajas Lauvas, while Lithuanian overtime thriller saw Nevezis outscoring Techasas.
VEF Riga overcame Liepajas Lauvas 94:79 to solve the task in the second half. Liepajas Lauvas started better and led in the opening tip. Moreover the latter had 5 points advantage at the half as Mareks Jurevicus (198-F-85) gave his team 37:42. VEF Riga woke up later in the game and won the next two quarters. Evgeni Kolesnikov led the winners with 24 points and 8 rebounds. Sheleketo nailed 21, while Jurijs Aleksejevs (201-F-85) collected 17 points and 7 rebounds. Mareks Jurevicus top-scored with 27 points in the losing effort.
Nevezis and Techasas could not find out the winner during the four quarters. An outstanding performance from both Lithuanian squads was seen only by 100 fans. Techasas won the opening quarter 18:29 and enjoyed 20;25 in the second. It gave them 38:54 when Stasaitis made a jump-shot. Nevezis came back to the game after 24:11 in the third period. Sakinis was glad to tie the game in the beginning of the fourth and Aidas Viskontas (185-G-86) made the score even after the fourth quarter. With 14:8 in overtime Nevezis advanced to the Final. Aidas Viskontas paced the winners with 25 points. Benas Veikalas (193-G-83, college: Metro St.) nailed 19 and Williams had 17. Chris Hill (178-G-83, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) finished the night with 21 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.

VEF Riga - Liepajas Lauvas 94-79 (22-22; 15-20; 26-17; 31-20)
VEF Riga: Evgeni Kolesnikov (194-G-85) 24+8reb, Sheleketo 21, Jurijs Aleksejevs 17+7reb, Edgars Jeromanovs (186-G-86) 12+8reb, Gulbis 10
Liepajas Lauvas: Mareks Jurevicus 27, Hamilton 11+8reb, Cipruss 10

Nevezis - Techasas 96-90 OT (18-29; 20-25; 24-11; 20-17; 14-8)
Nevezis: Aidas Viskontas 25, Benas Veikalas 19, Stankus 15, Sakinis 12
Techasas: Chris Hill 21+10 rebs, Williams 17, Paulus Staskunas (200-F-74) 13, Mindaugas Budzinauskas (198-G-73) 13+13reb, Stasaitis 10

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BELIZE

Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs With 10-1 record in U-26 Tournament!!! -by David Magana
Last night at the Civic Center in Belize City the regular season continued featuring twp exciting games. In the firt match, Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs tore to pieces Complex Bombers by a score of 106 - 46 and moving to a 10 - 1 record.
Top Scorers
Bze Bank - Greg Rudon (180-G) 32 pts / 5 rebounds / 2 assist / 4 steals
Densmore 'Denz' Edwards 18 pts / 11 rebounds / 7 assist / 1 block / 6 steals
Complex - Ronald Rivers (183-G-84) 14 pts / 10 rebounds / 3 assist / 1 steal
Troy 'Toby' Williams 10 pts / 3 rebounds / 2 assist / 3 steals
In the second game, This was a see/saw battle throughout with a different team leading at the end of every quarter. Lake I boyz pulled it out in the end and made sure they were leading at the end of the most important quarter - the 4th. In the end, Lake I Boyz defeated the Future by a score of 62 - 56.
Lake I - Ashton 'Koolie' Edwards 29 pts (4-3's) / 5 rebounds / 1 assist / 10 steals (different form of dbl/dbl)
Tyrone Edwards (186-G, college: Hillsdale) 12 pts / 8 rebounds / 3 assist / 1 steal
Future - Leroy Louriano 21 pts / 2 rebounds / 1 block / 3 steals
Winston 'Air Jun' Pratt 18 pts / 10 rebounds / 1 block / 1 steal (traditional dbl/dbl)

Present Standings:
1. Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs 10 W 1 L 21 pts - Clinched playoff spot
2. Lake I Boyz 9 W 3 L 21 pts
3. The Future 8 W 4 L 20 pts
4. Mesop. Guardian Bombers 8 W 4 L 20 pts
5. UB Black Jaguars 8 W 3 L 19 pts

Due to the concert this weekend all games have been moved to next week, making it an exciting week to the end of the regular season with four (4) teams battling for three (3) positions remaining. Making the majority of next weeks games playoff caliber.

NEXT WEEK SCHEDULE:

Monday 03 March 6:30 pm at Civic Center
Game 1 - UB Black Jaguars (8-3) vs Complex Bombers (2-10) - Complex can play the part of spoilers
Game 2 - Belmopan Tuff e Nuff (3-9) vs Belize Bank Bulldogs (10-1) - Belmopan can make the playoff match ups more interesting
Game 3 - Mesop. Guardian Bombers (8-3) vs Lake I Boyz (9-3) - battle for a playoff position

Tuesday 04 March 7:30 pm at UB Stadium (Belmopan)
Game 1 - UB Black Jaguars (8-3) vs Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs (10-1) - possible playoff match up

Thursday 06 March 7:30 pm at UB Stadium (Belmopan)
Game 1 - UB Black Jaguars (8-3) vs The Future (8-4) - battle for a playoff position

Friday 07 March 6:30 pm at Civic Center
Game 1 - Belmopan Tuff e Nuff (3-9) vs Complex Bombers (2-10)
Game 2 - Mesop. Guardian Bombers (8-4) vs The Future (8-4) - battle for a playoff position
Game 3 - Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs (10-1) vs Lake I Boyz (9-3) - possible playoff match up

Diamonds and SHJC/BNE Harpies Pull Victories in BECOL Tournament!!! -by David Magana
Last Saturday night at the Falcon Field in San Ignacio the BECOL Tournament continued with three games played. In the first match, Young Stars defeated Cayo Ballers by 53 - 26 in a U-20 match. For the winning team, Regis Morris scored 12 points and 5 steals while Abel Simpson - 9 points and 4 assists. For the losing team, Shimeon Simpson scored 12 points and Brandon Teck - 8 points & 8 boards.
In the second match, The Belize Bank Diamonds gave a lesson to the Spartans whipping them by a score of 87 - 34. From beginning to end, Diamonds led the quarters in almost all categories. At the end, Lester Cadle (188-G-80) finished with a double double, 26 points, 10 boards & 4 steals while Stanley Flowers - 13 points, 6 rebounds and had 5 steals for the Diamonds. For the Spartans, Regis Morris scored 8 points.
In the last game of the night, Sacred Heart Junior College/BNE Harpy Eagles defeated Maratown Patriots by a score of 63 - 46. From the first quarter the Harpies went up by 10 points and kept the lead till the end. The third quarter was close due to the many turnovers given by the Hapries which the Patriots failed to convert nevertheless got the closest by 7 points but Halil Alcoser scoring two back to back three pointers put the game in the freezer for the Harpies. In the last quarter, the Patriots were overcame by unsportsman-like conduct getting back to back technicals and as a result several players fouled out. In the end, the Patriots fell by 17 points and the Harpies are now a perfect 2 - 0. For SHJC/BNE, Mervin Castillo (-C) had a double double, 13 points and 13 rebounds, Lucas Wordsworth (188-F) - 13 points and Halil Alcoser - 10 points.

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BULGARIA

Bulgarian All Star Game: Two teams -by Vladi Lazarova

Bulgarian HDI All Star Game this season will be held on 8th March in Samokov. Here are the players of two teams - 'Ledenika' and 'Toyota'. You can vote for Starting line-ups at www.allstar2008.info.

LEDENIKA
Playmakers
Willie Deane (Lukoil Akademik)
Asen Velikov (Levski)
Shooting guards
Alexander Gruev (Rilski sportist)
Riste Stefanov (Lukoil Akademik)
Ludmil Hadjisotirov (CSKA)
Forwards
Stanislav Slaveykov (Levski)
Dwayne Morton (Balkan)
Hristo Nikolov (CSKA)
Power forwards
Lavell Payne (CSKA)
Nenad Canak (Lukoil Akademik)
Hrisimir Dimitrov (Spartak Pleven)
Centers
Tencho Banev (Lukoil Akademik)
Sasa Topcov (Spartak Pleven)

Coaches
Jeljko Lukajic (Lukoil Akademik)
Georgi Mladenov (Balkan)

ТОYOTA
Playmakers
Todd Gallowey (Cherno more)
Yulian Radionov (Levski)
Shooting guards
Larry O'Bannon (Lukoil Akademik)
Chavdar Kostov (Lukoil Akademik)
Ivan Lilov (Balkan)
Stanislav Govedarov (Yambol)
Forwards
Bryce Sheldon (Cherno more)
Todor Stoykov (Lukoil Akademik)
Power forwards
Pero Antic (Lukoil Akademik)
Georgi Davidov (CSKA)
Centers
Stefan Georgiev (Levski)
Nikolay Varbanov (Levski)
Augustinas Vitasс (Cherno more)

Coaches
Lubomir Minchev (Levski)
Rosen Barchovski (CSKA)



Boyko Mladenov will make his debut against Olimpija on Sunday -by Valentin Anguelov
The Bulgarian Boyko Mladenov (212-C/F-81, agency: Interperformances) will make his first appearance for KK Split in the next game from the Adriatic League in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, Sunday at noon, 13:00 Bulgarian time. Their opponent is going to be Olimpija, who are currently occupying the third place and are aiming at a higher position before the end of the regular stage of this championship. With only four rounds to go, KK Split doesn't stand a great chance to be one of the teams to ensure a spot in the League's Playoffs.

Mladenov arrived in Split last night and tomorrow is leaving for Ljubljana with the team. The best player for the Croatians Marlon Garnett, drops out of the group for the match due to an ankle injury he received during one of the recent practices. The same goes for Hrvoje Peric who will miss the game because of an illness. However, Deyan Ivanov, the other Bulgarian in the team is going. He gives a continuously good performance with 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game. He hasn't missed a game for KK Split this season.

Pini Gershon is coming for All Star Game -by Vladi Lazarova

The head coach of Bulgarian Men's National team Pini Gershon will be a special guest of this season HDI All Star Game, which will be held on 8th March in the new basketball arena in Samokov. The news, which were published in 'Tema Sport' daily sports newspaper a week ago, today were confirmed by the Organization committee. 56-years old legend will arrive in Sofia a day before the show. This will be the first visit of Israeli authority in the home land of his grandfather, after he signed a contract with Bulgarian basketball federation on 10th December lasy year. For the first time 3 times European champion with Maccabi Tel Aviv will watch live the best players from the country, who he will inivite to play for him in this summer Euro 2009 qualifications. Pini will leave Sofia at 9th March, but will come back in the end of the same month, when he will be at the standings again in the gym in Samokov, but for the National Cup tournament.




CSKA a tough rival for Lukoil, loses in the last five minutes -by Valentin Anguelov
CSKA lost its home game against Lukoil with 82-94. Despite having only one and 'a half' of their three American players against the super favourite, CSKA received well-deserved admirations by their fans as well as by the impartial spectators by making the game as hard as possible for the champions and maintaining the intrigue till the end of the game. Mike Henderson's injury put him out of the court for the rest of the season while Lavell Payne's called in question his participation in the game. This, however, didn't stop their team give a great performance and threaten Lukoil's 25th win in a row. They, on the other hand, showed that they need to play seriously enough just for five minute to win a game from the national championship.

Lukoil started rather casually allowing CSKA to lead 7-0, before they score their first basket (a three-pointer by Riste Stefanov). For CSKA an impressive start made Hristo Nikolov with a slam and a three-pointer and Georgi Davidov with three baskets in the starting four minutes. The team even managed to keep an eleven-point lead for more than a minute, something not many teams will be proud of after the end of the season. Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances), on the other hand, was still the well known scoring machine (8 points in the first quarter) and with the offensive contribution of their other tall player, Nenad Canak, the champions were able to reduce CSKA's lead to 5 points at the end of the first quarter (20-15).

At the start of the second quarter CSKA were still leading but after 12 minutes of play Lukoil finally tied the score 22-22 and after that took the lead 26-28. Then the injured Lavell Payne appeared for CSKA but no substitutions from Rosen Barchovski could change the inevitable ending from this moment on. At 28-31 a foul plus a technical violation were called against Ludmil Hadjisotirov . Larry O'Bannon was perfect from the free-throw line and after a field goal by Antic and the first of two three-pointers made by Riste Stefanov the guests were already ahead by 12 points after 9 unanswered points in less than a minute. The second-three pointer by Stefanov gave his team a lead of 14 points (31-45) but then CSKA answered with some good offensive plays by Josh Washington and Sergei Tsvetkov. At the end of the second quarter Pero Antic decided to follow Hadjisotirov's example and after a personal foul against him was also whistled for a technical. That allowed CSKA to get back into the game and they were trailing by only 2 points at the half (43-45).

At the beginning of the second half Krum Doychinov scored for a tie and from this moment on the game went point for point disappointingly for Lukoil. The only exception was a brief moment when Lukoil were leading by 7 points (48-55) but that was quickly compensated by their opponents and the third quarter finished with only a 3-point lead (66-69).

The last quarter started with the same repeating scenario and inspired by the efforts of the injured Lavell Payne CSKA continued to fight. That lasted until 5 minutes before the end of the game when Zeljko Lukaic's players decided to finally show their real class and Lukoil made an 11-0 run in three minutes (75-90). The final score was 94-82.

For CSKA Lavell Payne scored 16 points and gathered 6 rebounds in 21 minutes of play. Josh Washington added 21 but the star was Hristo Nikolov, who made a unique game with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists (only 2 points short of a triple-double). For Lukoil Antic made his routine double-double scoring 28 points and collecting 11 rebounds, while Canak and Stefanov added 18 and 17 points for their team's success.

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CAPE VERDE

“Betinho” changes Cantabria for Breogan -by Pedro Gomes
The Cape Verdean born, naturalized Portuguese forward, Joao Gomes (199-F-85) is the most recent reinforcement of Breogan, fourth place team in the LEB Gold Spanish league. 'Betinho' leaves Cantabria, which is at the bottom of the league table, to join a team that is fighting to move up to the ACB league, considered to be the best European league.

Breogan came to an agreement with Cantabria to acquire the Cape Verdean born player. The 23 year old player joined, immediately, his new team, and could suit up this Friday against Galiza.

Contracted to supplant the absence of the injured US player, Zach Morley, 'Betinho' is described, on Breogan site, as an 'important reinforcement 'and 'one of the most promising values of the European basketball '.

Betinho made the usual medical tests and was presented yesterday, Thursday, by President Raul Lopez and Coach Paco Garcia; receiving the team jerseys with the number he loves to play with, 15.

Breogan occupies, currently, the fourth place of the classification, with 14 victories and 7 defeats, behind Bruesa, CAI Saragoca, and Alicante, all with 16 wins, and 5 losses.

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CHINA

China National Team Roster - Updated -by Robert Wang
CBA anounced the new China National team roster today, here is the roster:
Head Coach : JONAS KAZLAUSKAS
Assist Coach: Guo shi Qiang (Liao Ning),Gong Xiao Bin (Shan dong), Sun Jun (Ji Lin), Nelson (NBA-Dallas),Al (Lithuania),
Players: Wang Zhi zhi (Ba yi), Li Nan (Ba yi), Wang Lei (Ba yi), Yi Jian Lian (Guang Dong), Du Feng (Guang Dong), Zhu Fang yu (Guang Dong), , Wang Shi Peng (Guang Dong), Liu Xiao Yu (Guang Dong), Chen Jiang Hua (Guang Dong), Zhou Peng (Guang Dong), Yao Ming (Shang Hai), Liu Wei (Shang Hai), Xu Yong (Shang Hai), Li Xiao Xu (Liao Ning), Zhang Qing Peng (Liao Ning), Dinh Jin Hui (Zhe Jiang), Zhang Kai (Dong guan), Sun Yue (Ao Shen).
The new team will be assembled in Hai Nan province (San Ya city) on March 8th, March 12th - 15th Military traing camp, return bei jing on March 16th.




Few Surprises in National Team Selection -by Arthur Volbert
There were few suprises in the selection of the 18-man national team for the Beijing Olympics. The most significant omission from the team was Mo Ke, who had played on the last four national teams. But Mo had an awful season this year and so did not make the cut.

Bateer and Tang Zhengdong, two slow but massive centers who have excelled in the CBA, did not make the squad. Coach Jonas Kauslauskas likely felt that they were too immobile to be effective against international competition despite their success against CBA-caliber players. Zhang Songtao, another massive center who was on the 2006 World Championship team, was also left off the Olympic squad.

Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi can play center if Yao Ming does not recover in from his injury. Zhang Kai, like Yi and Wang, can play both center and power forward. Du Feng (206-C/F-81) Ding Jinhui and Li Xiaoxu are more mobile power forwards. Du and Ding can also play some at small forward. If Yao does not recover in time for the Olympics the Chinese team is likely to feature mobility. If Yao does come back, he needs mobile big men to surround him.

Li Nan made the 18-man cut and could make the team for his veteran leadership. But my guess is if Yao returns in time Li will be passed over for the young and athletic budding superstar, Xu Yong. If Yao does not return, Li will make the squad even though he has lost a half-step.

Yang Ming and Gong Songlin, two previous favorites of coach Kauslauskas, did not make the team. Both have lost something because of prior injuries and are injury-prone. Lu Xiaoming and Hu Xuefeng are too small to succeed internationally at point guard and their CBA experience does not prepare them to be heady point guards in international competition.

Zhang Qingpeng, like Chen Jianghua, is more of a small combo guard than a point guard. Zhang's only chance to make the team is if Chen gets hurt again. Xu Yong gets the nod over Wang Lei at reserve small forward because Wang is very inconsistent and likes to chuck up the ball even when he isn't hitting. Chen gets the last slot on the team as instant offense off the bench since there is no other player in China at the moment who can do the things Chen can do. He makes a good backcourt tandem with 6-9 Sun Yue as their strengths tend to make up for their partner's deficiencies.

My predictions for the twelve-man team at the Olympics:

C Yao Ming
PF Yi Jianlian
SF Zhu Fangyu
SG Wang Shipeng
PG Liu Wei

Reserves
PF/C Wang Zhizhi
PF/C Zhang Kai
PF/SF Du Feng
SF Xu Yong
PG/SG/SF Sun Yue
PG Liu Xiaoyu
PG/SG Chen Jianghua

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CUBA

LSB Statistics. Jemmott always Best Scorer -by Alessandro Fontana
POINTS:
Allens Jemmott (Matanzas) 24.4
Geoffrey Silvestre (Ciego de Avila) 22.0
Henry Simon (Guantanamo) 21.1
Andy Boffill (Villa Clara) 20.4
Damian Del toro (Santiago de Cuba) 19.1
REBOUNDS
Geoffrey Silvestre (Ciego de Avila) 6.7
Yoel Carta (Villa Clara) 6.3
Eliezer Lima (Capitalinos) 6.1
Henry Simon (Guantanamo) 6.1
Eddy Echevarria (Santiago de Cuba) 5.8
ASSISTS
Manuel Area (Santiago de Cuba) 4.2
Alexei Mestre (Camaguey) 3.6
Michael guerra (Ciego de Avila) 2.8
Alejandro Arcia (Villa Clara) 2.4
Yorman Polas (Camaguey) 2.3
STEALS
Danys Torriente (Matanzas) 4.6
Manuel Area (Santiago de Cuba) 4.1
Michael Guerra (Ciego de Avila) 4.0
Yorman Polas (Camaguey) 3.9
BLOCKS
Leonel Batista (Camaguey) 1.3
Grimay Chacon (Metropolitanos) 1,2
A. Fontana

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CYPRUS

An Interview with Rakis Karagiannis -by Chris Mammides

Eurobasket.com made an exclusive interview with Rakis Karagiannis (190-G-78, college: Lynn), the Cypriot player who rejuvenated this season in the B' Division league with Anagennisi Yermasogeias jersey. His team is currently at the top of the league and the top favorite team to play in the A1 the season 2008-2009.

Eurobasket: After 12 years in the Cyprus and American courts, and your experiences with AEL, Keravnos and Apollon team, what is your opinion about Cyprus basketball in general? Have you seen any progress these 12 years, other than the arrival of dozens Bosman players from all over Europe?
Rakis: Yes, I believe there is a progress by Cypriot players and Cypriot coaches. Also, having International basketball events in Cyprus has really helped our league's name to be heard around Europe. However, there is still much to improve in order to bring back the fans of the game.

Eurobasket: Can you briefly describe me the differences or similarities (if any) of the American college basketball (being in Lynn University)
Rakis: Well besides different basketball rules I believe that the coaching style is totally different in the United States making their game much faster and exciting.

Eurobasket: What is your opinion about referee's level in Cyprus? Are they well educated in basketball? Do they have the physical strength? Can they call in other European courts? Are they to be trust?
Rakis: I think Cypriot referees improved in recent years. They need much more support from coaches and players during the games. I am sure they have the physical strength and some of them could even referee abroad. Personally, I trust that they call a fair game.

Eurobasket: What is your opinion about the level of teams such us AEL and Keravnos do they represent the Cyprus reality or they are just two presidents who loves the game and invest in their teams?
Rakis: Keravnos and Ael represented Cyprus more than well in Europe. I believe these two teams put Cyprus on the basketball map. Both presidents love the game and invested very much for their teams to succeed.

Eurobasket: What is your opinion about the Cyprus Basketball Federation? Do they work with a target/dream? Are they organized enough? Do they know the subject?
Rakis: There is an improvement but I wish our federation could take more examples by other European or even American basketball federations.

Eurobasket: What is to be done in order to increase the level and interest in Cyprus?
Rakis: The basketball level has been increased in Cyprus but it would be good to see more Cypriot players involved seriously in the First division league. With more Cypriot players being involved I believe the league would become more interesting as it was back in the 90's.

Eurobasket: Why the courts are empty? Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, Makabi Tel Aviv, Aris etc traveled in Cyprus for the International tournaments and the courts were empty. Why? Do you thing basketball is recognizable in Cyprus?
Rakis: I believe games should become more entertaining to attract fans. However, that is still difficult to happen because some other type of spectators is keeping away these fans of the game. As far as the big tournaments, low attendance could be because of bad location, bad timing or bad advertising.

Eurobasket: What is the reason of your decision to play in a second division team?
Rakis: I work as a full time employee and nowadays it is really hard to follow the demands of a 1st division basketball team. (Double practices, traveling). In the 2nd division the practice schedule is much more flexible for me, even though the level and the antagonism in the team is quite high.

Eurobasket: How do you describe the level of the 2nd division in compare to the 1st?
Rakis: Obviously there is a big gap because most players in 1st division are fully professional. I believe the 1st division has a much better quality and higher level of basketball, not to mention much more professional basketball facilities, in terms of Cypriot quality though, our team has a crama of very good and experienced players.

Eurobasket: What are your plans and your expectations for the season 2007-2008?
Rakis: My plan for this year is to help my team as much as I can. My expectations are that we should take all teams seriously and finish at the top of the league by the end of the season.
Eurobasket: Thanks a lot and wish all the best to you and your new team, Anagennisi Yermasogeias.

(It is worth mentioned that Rakis Karagiannis is among the top performers in the Cyprus B' league and among the reasons why his team is at the top of the league the first 17 weeks and figuring in the top of the league)




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D-LEAGUE

Stampede Take Down D-Fenders in Matchup of Top Teams -by Surujh Roopnarine
Idaho Stampede (93) at Los Angeles D-Fenders (90)
A driving lay-up by Randy Livingston (6'4''-G-75, college: LSU) with 47 seconds left in regulation was the difference as the Idaho Stampede escaped Los Angeles with a 93-90 victory. The first place Stampede improved to 26-8 while the D-Fenders fall to 22-11. The matchup of the D-League's elite lived up to its billing as there were four ties and nine lead changes in the final quarter. Randy Livingston led all scorers with a game high 27 points while Sean Banks (6'8''-F-85, agency: Edge Sports, college: Memphis) collected 24 points for LA.
STAMPEDE: Randy Livingston (27p+7rb+8as+5to), Luke Jackson (17p), Lance Allred (11p+9rb), Ernest Scott (14p)
D-FENDERS: Sean Banks (24p), Brian Chase (18p+8rb), Stephane Lasme (11p+10rb+6bs), Jelani McCoy (10p+9rb)

Tulsa 66ers (112) at Albuquerque Thunderbirds (103)
The visiting 66ers took advantage of a 36 point explosion from Mike Hall (6'8''-F-84, college: George Washington) along with sold team shooting (52.6% FG) to comeback and defeat the host Thunderbirds. Hall, who has spent time with Washington in the NBA last season, was 12-25 from the floor and a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe on his way to the game high 36 points and 14 rebounds.
Down five at halftime, Tulsa outscored Albuquerque by seven in the third and then held on to the lead in the fourth. Kevin Pittsnogle (6'11''-C-84, college: W.Virginia) scored a team high 25 for the Thunderbirds, including 6-11 from the behind the arc.
66ERS: Mike Hall (36p+14rb+7as), David Noel (23p+8rb+5to), Adam Harrington (19p), Jeremy Kelly (10p)
T-BIRDS: Kevin Pittsnogle (25p+6rb), Jamaal Thomas (16p+7rb+8as), Josh Gross (16p), Majic Dorsey (10p+6as)

Nichols Re-Assigned to Iowa -by Surujh Roopnarine
The Chicago Bulls have re-assigned rookie guard Demetris Nichols (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) to their D-League affiliate Iowa Energy. Nichols was last on assignment between December 18th and January 7th.
A prolific scorer from Syracuse, Nichols appeared in nine games during his first assignment, averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 36.9 minutes.

Player Movement
Colorado: Signed Luke Anderson (6'6''-G/F-82, college: Minn.St.-Mankato) to fill the roster spot of Brian Greene who has left the team. Anderson began the season overseas before joining Rio Grande Valley in January.
Los Angeles: Re-acquired Abdoulaye N'Diaye and waived Brian Morrison.
Ft. Wayne: Signed Rob Griffin (6'6''-F/G-78, college: Iowa). The former Iowa swingman was an All-Star in the CBA during the 2006-07 season and began this season in Lithuania.
Albuquerque: Signed former N.C. State standout Julius Hodge (6'7''-G-83, college: N.Carolina St.). Originally the 20th selection of the 2005 NBA Draft by Denver, Hodge has played parts of the last two seasons in the D-League.

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EL SALVADOR

Nacionales ready to play -by Gianni Pascucci
The team that will represent El Salvador in Liga Centroamericana 2008 is named 'Nacionales de El Salvador', and has been formed by El Salvador Basketball Federation (FESABAL) expressely to compete in his brand new competition. The team will play in Group B, and wil start the competition at home, meeting Hondurean team Icevic. Nacionales is a selection of the best players from the teams Cosmos, Denver and UTEC, led on the court by Mario Flores (183-G-85) and coached by Ricardo Renderos and Pablo Gavidia . The import players of the team will be Panamanian Alejandro Cajar (190-G/F-78) and Daniel King (203-F-87), the other players should be Chester Davis (187-G/F-77), Eduardo Aguilar (176-G-86), Jorge Loucel (186-F-90), Oscar Tobar (195-F/C-75), Carlos Alas (181-G-79), Enrique Edwin Lopez (183-G/F-85), Eduardo Garcia (185-G/F-88), Julio Estrada (186-G/F-78) and Carlos Espinal (175-G-76).

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EUROLEAGUE

Exciting Week 3 of Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Week 3 of top 16 came to an end with two players tying for the best individual performance in the round. CSKA lost in Spain and real was upset in Israel. Tau Ceramica and Montepaschi Siena remain undefeated and improved to 3-0.
Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) of Panathinaikos and Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) of Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv shared MVP honours. Diamantidis had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Panathinaikos in a 75:84 loss from Montepaschi Siena. Morris had 16 points and 15 rebounds in Maccabi's home win against Real Madrid.
CSKA Moscow lost to Unicaja 67:72 that climbed back to the fight for a spot in the Quarterfinal Playoffs. Daniel Santiago (216-C-76, college: N.Mexico) scored 20 points and Haislip added 10 points. Jiri Welsch (200-F-80) finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds for Unicaja, while Siskauskas paced CSKA with 12.
Real was upset by Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv that shot to the top Group F with a 94:75 win. As it was mentioned Terence Morris had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Felipe Reyes led Madrid with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Louis Bullock (186-G-76, college: Michigan) scored 15.
Tau Ceramica is 3-0 now thrashing Aris TT Bank 69:87 in Greece. Sergi Vidal and Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances) paced the winners each with 16 points. Bracey Wright had 24 points for Aris.
Montepaschi took also 3-0 record after a 84:75 home win over defending champion Panathinaikos. Bootsy Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) led the winners with 23 points, while Terrell McIntyre added 13.

First win of Partizan Igokea in TOP 16 and reactions after the game ! -by Dragan Jankovski
Partizan Igokea grabbed the first win in Euroleague TOP 16 beating Turkish Efes Pilsen 78-65 at the front of almost 7.000 people in Belgrade's hall Pionir. Efes wasn't capable to resist Partizan mostly because their 4 key players Drew Nicholas, Loren Woods, Andre Hutson and Rashad Wright refused to flight to Serbia because of security concerns despite assurances of safety from host city and the club. Like usually, atmosphere in Pionir was amazing and without any incident. More over the Turkish team, especially David Blatt , Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.), Kenny Gregory (197-G/F-78, college: Kansas) and Ermal Kurtoglu (207-C-80, agency: Beo Basket), got a huge ovation when they show up on the floor. Partizan dominated in the paint in the first half having 11 rebounds more than Efes which outcomed with plus 11 on the half time. At the beginning of the last quarter Partizan extended lead to 62-47 what was enough for the comfortable win. Without above mentioned players Efes doesn't have a power to be an equal rival.
Center Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) was unstoppable in the paint collecting 20 points and 6 rebounds having very good 12-10 for 2FG. USA PG Milton Palacio (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.) followed him with 14 points and 4 assists. On the other side Kenny Gregory added 19 points and 5 rebounds while Ermal Kurtoglu had 13 points and 4 rebounds.

Press conference after the game was very interesting as Partizan's head coach Dusko Vujosevic thanked a lot to the fans, Efes Pilsen, Euroleague and the Turkish ambassador in Belgrade. He also stated that Belgrade was always friendly host to everobody and no one who comes with sports motive doesn't have anything to worry about. Vujosevic finished the conference with words: 'This game was a test and we showed we are more than capable to organize big events in this situation. We showed it is possible and no one who doesn't want to come in Belgrade because of security reasons is in deep delusion'.

Highly respected coach David Blatt after the game said: 'Partizan was better tonight and deserved to win. I want to congratulate Partizan's fans because of fantastic hospitality. It doesn't surprise me because I know that basketball is in heart of Serbian people. Players who showed up today hadn't any doubt to travel or not. My opinion about the players who didn't want to travel because of the security reasons is that it is totally unacceptable. Sport should be a bridge between chaos and normality and here wasn't any kind of chaos. Second, these guys eat together, work very hard and bleed together. They leaved the other guys alone on the battle field tonight.'


Partizan Igokea - Efes Pilsen 78-65
(19-20,20-8,13-15,26-22)

Partizan Igokea: Pekovic 20 (6 rebs), Palacio 14 (4 as), Kecman 9 (4 as)
Efes Pilsen: Gregory 19 (5 rebs), Kuqo 13 (4 rebs), Penn 13

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Torpan Pojat signed new American players -by Rauno Hurmalainen
Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) has now four American players on the roster. Guards Josh Gonner (188-G-82, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: S.Carolina) and Tyson Patterson (175-G-78, college: Appalachian St.) continue, F Takais Brown (203-F, college: SE Illinois JC) and G James Allen (196-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Montevallo) will be the new names and faces on Team roster. Allen comes from Estonia, where he has played two seasons on BC Kalev and BC Rakvere rosters. Brown comes from United States of America, where he was the leading scorer at U. of Georgia as a Jr (2006-07, 14,2 ppg), but was dismissed from Georgia basketball team as a Sr for violation of team policies. Brown then visited shortly in Puerto Rico and will be in Finland this Saturday.

KORISLIIGA: Honka and ToPo lost points -by Rauno Hurmalainen
Finnish Basketball Association has made decisions and changed two results today: JAN 12, Team Componenta (Karkkila) - Honka (Espoo) 58-65. Because Monte Cummings (193-G-76, college: Florida St.) (Honka) got caught using cannabis, the game new result is 20-0. JAN 30, Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) - Kataja (Joensuu) 101-67. Because Jerald Fields (201-F-82, agency: Edge Sports, college: E.Tenn.St.) (Torpan Pojat) got caught using cannabis, the game new result is 0-20.

KORISLIIGA: Akeem Scott scored 45 pts -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 36: Three contests tonight. American G Akeem Scott (186-G-83, college: High Point) playing his first game on Honka (Espoo) roster vs his Team Korihait (Uusikaupunki) from last season. While Petteri Koponen was still sick, Scott got much playing time and was so grateful: 45 pts (1 - 8/10, 2 - 7/10, 3 - 7/10)! Jukka Matinen (203-F-78) added 27 pts and 11 rbs. Petteri Koponen and Kimmo Muurinen (Honka) DNP. YMCA Lappeenranta crushed Kauhajoki 111-70 and KTP (Kotka) defeated Kataja (Joensuu) by one 85-84.

Korihait - Honka 88-100 (45-49) (Darius Glover 21, Glenn Stokes 18 - Akeem Scott 45, Jukka Matinen 27/11).

YMCA LPR - Kauhajoki 111-70 (56-33) (Adrian Henning 30, Petri Virtanen 20 - Cedric McGowan 23, Eric Washington 12).

KTP - Kataja 85-84 (36-43) (Steve Smith 23, Jermaine Spivey 17 - Louis Hinnant 24, Andre Foreman 20).



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FRANCE

Round 20 Round up -by Sean Davis
Chalon 58 - 82 ASVEL

ASVEL had no problem bouncing back from last week's home loss with a
24pt rout over Chalon. ASVEL has been shaky on the road this season
playing in a lot of close games, but had no trouble traveling to
Chalon winning 82 - 58. Chalon got beat down from the start to
finish managing to only score 9pts in the second quarter. ASVEL had
contributions up and down the roster with 5 players scoring in double
digits and every player that touched the court scored. Uche
Nsonwu-Amadi led the way with 21pts while shooting 9 of 14 from the
field along with grabbing 8rebs. Laurent Foirest (197-F-73) had a solid all
around game with 10pts, 5rebs, 3steals, and 5ast. Chalon's Bryan
Bracey was the only player score in double figures while 17pts on 6 of
8 shooting from the field.

Round 20 Predications -by Sean Davis

Round 20 Predications

Chalon 79 - 87 ASVEL..............ASVEL Looks to bounce back from their tough home loss to Pau

Pau-Orthez 92 - 80 Nancy..........Graves needs to take over again for a chance to defeat Nancy

Orleans 84 - 70 Clermont............Clermont has been dreadful of late

Strasbourg 82 - 68 Paris..................Strasbourg has been extremely hot and Paris has been extremely cold

Le Havre 70 - 72 Le Mans...........Game of the Week!

Dijon 87 - 84 Roanne......Dijon looks to keep their hot streak alive by beating another tough opponent

Hyeres-Toulon 84 - 75 Cholet.......Cholet is the hottest team in the LNB

Gravelines 75 - 71 Vichy...........Gavelines looks for a home upset to stay away from the bottom 3



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FYR MACEDONIA

Round-up of Round 24 in the First league -by Todor Chalovski
League leaders Feni Industri beat Fersped Rabotnicki 61:52 to stay top of the First Macedonian league. This is the 11th straight win for Feni Industri, and fifthr straight league defeat for Fersped Rabotnicki - their greatest losing streak in club history in domestic competition for more that 15 years.
Donald Cole lead the scoring with 14 points, while Dimitar Mirakovski and Ognen Stojanovski were only Fersped Rabotnicki players with double figure scores - scoring modest 10 points each.

MZT FON Univerzitet beat Vardar Osiguruvanje 101:93 thanks to a late charge. This is the fifth win in the last 6 matches for Marjan Lazovski team. Lazovski is a former Vardar Osiguruvanje coah, leading that team to two championship finals, one National Cup, and two more cup finals.

Srdjan Zivkovic was game's top scorer with 29 points, Muhamed Thaci and Slobodan Agoc added 22 each.

Dime Tasovski had an outstanding game, scoring 32 points and leading Strumica 2005 to a 94:76 win at Swisslion Pelister.

Amak SP won easily away to outsiders Karpos Sokoli 2000 89:72

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GERMANY

Giraffes add young German Guard -by Moritz Korff
TV Langen (2. Bundesliga Pro A) added the 19-year-old Guard Nick Goeller (186-G-88) to the roster. The German comes from BG Ober-Ramstadt and averaged 17.1 points in 17 games of this current season. Goeller spent two years in the US and played High School-basketball for the Southland Academy, before moving back to Germany in 2007. He has previously worked with Langen-Headcoach Frankie Ignjatovic who served on the same position in Ober-Ramstadt until 2005.

1. Bundesliga: Last signings of the season -by Moritz Korff
The Koeln 99ers (1. Bundesliga) officially confirmed the signing of Roy Booker (191-G-83, college: SE Missouri St.) today and also announced the arrival of a second newcomer just in time as the transfer period came to an end yesterday. Brian Greene (204-F-81, college: Colorado St.) will join the 99ers for the rest of this current season. The 26-year-old Forward owns a lot of experience in European basketball and played for teams in Poland, Belgium, France and Turkey since he finished his collegiate career in 2003. During the 2006-2007 season Greene scored 16.0 points per contest for French side Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne and grabbed 4.9 rebounds, while being named a 2007 Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Honorable Mention. After a short stint at Galatasaray Istanbul earlier this campaign, Greene returned to the USA and made the roster of the Colorado 14ers. He averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 boards in 22 games of the NBA D-League.

Meanwhile, local newspaper Volksfreund published today that also TBB Trier (1. Bundesliga) has brought in a fresh player: 32-year-old veteran Marshall Phillips (196-F-75, agency: Court Side, college: Appalachian St.) who spent most of his career as a pro in Mexico and US-Minor Leagues (USBL, CBA, NBDL). In 2002 Phillips made the NBDL All-Defensive Team while being a member of Roanoke Dazzle and received All-Star honors in the Venezuelan LPB, Mexican LNBP and the CBA (2005 and 2008). In the 2006-2007 season Phillips appereared in 35 games of the Belgian first division and averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game for Passe Partout Basket Groot Leuven. Since November 07 he was suiting up for CBA-team Minot Skyrockets.

Tim Ohlbrecht stays in Bamberg one more year -by Moritz Korff
Tim Ohlbrecht (211-C/F-88) has signed a new contract that runs through the 2008-2009 season with the Brose Baskets Bamberg (1. Bundesliga). The 19-year-old Center is posting 3.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg in Bundesliga-action this season and also attracted the interest of other teams by his Euroleague-performances (13 appearances: 3.3ppg, 2.5rpg). The 2006-2007 Eurobasket.com All-Bundesliga Newcomer of the Year is considered as one of the most talented young German players and already attended the training camp of the German Men's National Team last year.

Paderborn makes deal with John Bynum -by Moritz Korff
John Bynum (191-G-78, college: Metro St.) returns to Germany and will strengthen the roster of 1. Bundesliga-side digibu Baskets Paderborn. Bynum turned 30 years old only some days ago. He parted with USC Heidelberg (2. Bundesliga Pro A) in January due to injury trouble with his shoulder. During the past two seasons he suited up for Eisbaeren Bremerhaven, averaged 5.5 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 31 games of the 2006-2007 campaign.

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GREECE

Transfer news -by Chris Mammides

A1

Tre Kelley (183-G-85, college: S.Carolina) is the news player to replace Mamadou N'Diaye (212-C-75, college: Auburn) in Panellinios Athens. Coach Elias Zouros selected a player who will be helping Grundy in the guard position.
Robert Maras (216-C-78) and Egaleo will split ways right after the game against Rethymno in Crete. The German giant has a good offer from the Spanish LEB league. The two parties are splitting on a very proffesional way.

Haris Markopoulos and AEL 1964 split ways, the new head coach of AEL 1964, Giorgos Kalafatakis will have as a new assistant coach Grigoris Giasaris
After Olympiakos (which made the deal three weeks ago) Panathinaikos agreed to financial terms with EUROSPORT 2 Channel. With this agreement over 30 million families in 43 countries will get the chance to watch (taped) games of the triple crowner in the Greek league - home games.


A2

The new head coach of Iraklis Thessalonikis will be Ilias Konstantinidis, the brother of Christos Konstantinidis who was the head coach of Iraklis last October.


B' Division

Antonis Baxevanis is the new head coach of Ermis Lagkada, the ex Makedonikos is head coach will be replacing the Head Coach Giannis Karadimos



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GUATEMALA

Metropolitan League near to start -by Gianni Pascucci
The tipoff of the 2008 edition of the Metropolitan League is scheduled for tomorrow, March 2. The league, however, is again without a President, because the election of Walfred Corado has been challenged by an opposing group, and no Executive Committee is in charge at the moment. It is probable that a new election will be held, for sure the ranking of the league will be very different, the reigning champions of Elite Sport will point on a group of young players, not so experienced, and are not expected to battle fo the title.

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HONDURAS

Nacional de Ingenieros withdraw from Liga Centroamericana -by Gianni Pascucci
At the last time, Hondurean team Nacional de Ingenieros - Tegucigalpa, that is also the reigning champion of the Central America Championship for Clubs, decided not to participate to the first edition of CentroAmerican League, due to organizing problems. The Liga is now made of two Groups of three teams, and its format is easier than announced: the first two teams of each group will advance to the Final Four competition, scheduled for mid-April.

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HUNGARY

Cup 1/4 Final: ASE won away -by Tamas Deri
The team of ASE had one easy victory in teh first game in Kecskemet and made a great step into the Finala Four. The rematch will be played on the 5th of March in Paks.

UNIVER-KECSKEMET-ATOMERŐMŰ SE 60-75
(10-11, 16-23, 18-24, 16-17)
Kecskemet, Att.: 600, Referees Bodnar, Hegedűs, Csősz
KECSKEMET: Sigurdarson 7/3, Blair 14, Horvath A. 6/6, Szabo Zs., Fiegi 11/3, Jefferson Antonio (207-F/C-83) 19, Toth P., Vida 2, Csorvasi 1, Halmai, Coach: Zsoldos Andras
ATOMERŐMŰ: Zalan Meszaros (190-G-74) 19/6, Murry 8, Kiss Zs. 13/6, Horvath Z. 12, Robert Gulyas (213-C-74) 16, Panta, Stevenson 3, Toroman, Brooks 4, Coach: Sabali Balazs

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IBL

Racers return three time IBL All-Star Sherick Simpson -by Trask Frost
Elgin, IL— The Elgin Racers have announced that Sherick Simpson (6'6''-G/F-75, college: Ft.Hays State) is returning to the team for the 2008 season. Simpson, a 6'6' forward, is a three time IBL All-Star and was the league's ninth leading scorer last year averaging 25.2 points per game.

Simpson played his college ball at Fort Hays State in Kansas, and was instrumental in leading that team to 49 consecutive victories and the 1996 National Championship. Fort Hays State is the last undefeated D2 national champion and that win streak is the fourth longest in NCAA history. Simpson was named the MVP of that 1996 national tournament and his team compiled a 63-2 record over the course of two years

Elgin Racers President/Head Coach, Michael Murphy - 'The Racers organization is thrilled that Sherick will be competing for us again this year. His experience and clutch play when the game is on the line are invaluable. He has been a winner his entire career and will be a key contributor as we defend our Midwest Division title and chase the overall IBL championship.'

The Racers kick off their 2008 season on Friday, April 4 with a road trip to Indiana to take on the Gary Steelheads. The Racers' home opener is versus the Holland Blast on Saturday, May 10. For more information, contact the Racers at (847) 337-9529 or visit www.elginracers.com.

Steelies pick up former Jayhawk, Blue Demon -by Trask Frost
Gary, IN—The Gary Steelheads have announced that versatile guard Marlon London (6'5''-G-80, agency: Tank Sports, college: De Paul) has come aboard for the Steelheads' inaugural season in the International Basketball League.

The 6'5' London had a stellar prep career at St. Joseph High School (Westchester), and was recruited by Roy Williams to play at Kansas University. London played two seasons for the Jayhawks before transferring to DePaul University to finish out his college career.

Steelheads' Head Coach Rob Spon - 'Marlon is a terrific pick up for our team because he is a great talent with local ties. His versatility makes him particularly valuable, as he can play the one, two or three spot effectively.'

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

Holland Blast returning Dominick Melton, 2007 IBL All Star, from Germany! -by Lucius Jones
One of the most versatile frontcourt pieces in the IBL,Dominick Melton (6'6''-F, college: Wisc.-Parkside) has finally caught on over water and is making the most of it.

Coming out of Wisc.-Parkside, Dominick Melton was an unheralded player with an intense,versatile style of play. Equally effective at all frontcourt positions, Melton came into the IBL and made a name for himself immediately with 27ppg 13rpg in Akron Energy. After sliding over to Holland, Dominick gained momentum every year and further improved his game to the point that he was a 2007 IBL All Star .

Finally Dominick Melton was able to latch on with a solid franchise in Germany called TuS Bramsche. He has had several good games already,highlighted by a 22point,20rebound outburst recently.

Expect big things from the Holland Blast this season as they return their nucleus and have also made some quality acquisitions.

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 including mainstay contributers Dominick Melton (6'6''-F, college: Wisc.-Parkside) (2007 All Star) and Duane Bosma (6'9''-C, college: Hope (MI)).

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.

Frank Phillips (6'4''-F/G-84, college: Findlay (OH)) - All American on Nationally ranked Findlay. 4yr starter who is apt at 2/3/4. Defensive stopper.
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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ITALY

Last market news -by Gianni Pascucci
Virtus La Fortezza Bologna agreed to loan Fabio Di Bella (187-G-78) to Armani Jeans Milano, replacing him with the addition of Dimitri Lauwers (187-G-79), from Legea Scafati. After welcoming Pietro Aradori (192-G-88), from Milano, Lottomatica Roma agreed to loan Simone Bagnoli (206-F/C-81) to Edimes Pavia (Lega 2) till the end of the current season. In Lega 2, Prima Veroli announced the signing of Guido Meini (188-G-79), from Edimes Pavia. Banco di Sardegna Sassari and Massimo Guerra (192-G-69) agreed to part ways. Emanuele Rossi (208-C-82) moved from Fastweb Casale Monferrato to Treviglio (Serie B1). Cristiano Grappasonni (205-F/C-72) Left Pepsi Caserta and should have joined Edimes Pavia, but this team wasn' t able to register him in time before the transfers deadline, in consequence he should ink soon with a Serie B1 team.

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JORDAN

Arab Clubs Championship Draw (Amman, Jordan April 24 - May 6) -by Mohammed Malas

The Arab Clubs Championship's draw was held in Cairo, Egypt yesterday.......Jordan will be the hosts of this edition of the tournament which will begin in 24th of april and resumes until 6th of may.


- Group A: Zain(JOR), Qatar SC (QAT) An Nasr (UAE), Al Tilal(YEM)

- Group B: Al Ittihad (KSA), Fas (MOR), Al Wehda (SYR), De LA Salle (PAL)

- Group C: Orthodox (JOR), Sporting Al Riyadi (LEB), Al Kahraba (IRQ), Al Manama (BHR)
- Group D: Kuwait SC (KUW), Sagesse(LEB), Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY), As Seeb (OMA)



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LATVIA

SEB Baltic Legue Challenge Cup "Final Four" -by Gunars Gailitis
SEB Baltic Legue Challenge Cup 'Final Four' in Riga

Semifinals

VEF Riga - Liepajas Lauvas 94-79 (22-22; 15-20; 26-17; 31-20)

Evgeni Kolesnikov (194-G-85) 24+8reb, Sheleketo 21, Aleksejevs 17+7reb, Jeromanovs 12+8reb, Gulbis 10; Jurevicus 27, Hamilton 11+8reb, Cipruss 10

Nevezis - Techasas 96-90 (18-29; 20-25; 24-11; 20-17; 14-8)

Viskontas 25, Veikalas 19, Stankus 15, Sakinis 12; Hill 21, Williams 17, Staskunas 13, Budzinauskas 13+13reb, Stasaitis 10

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LEBANON

Great Round 8 -by Asia-Basket Lebanon
In the 8th round of the Lebanese league , 3 big games were awaiting the Basketball Fans, the first big game joined Feytroun to Blue Stars , the game saw a dominance from Feytroun and they managed to have a 13 point lead during the game , the experience of Blue Stars made them come back to the game and to win in the end of the score of 77-76.

In another game Riyadi maintained its unbeaten record and cruised to an easy 8th consecutive win for this season against Anibal on the score of 95-61.

In the second big game Champville was hosting Antranik , the two teams met in the first round and Champville had a great game by wining it 86-84 after trailing most of the time Antranik .In this game the revenge was the title Antranik started the game focused to score the second win of the season and they imposed their game and led as much as 15 points in the game , in the 4th quarter Champville made the come back and managed to take the lead by 4 points but the persistence of the guest team secured them the game on the score of 77-73.

In the last big game of this round the big battle announced of this year between Sagesse and Moutahed had its second round. This game saw the return of Brian Feghali to action in the Lebanese League after 1 season off , the game was a very tense and full of excitement and intensity throughout the 40 minutes , the lead was exchanged so many times between the two teams , in the end Darren Kelly and Brian managed to seal the game with a very important win 73-70 that gave them the second place in the standing .



Feytroun - Blue Stars: 76-77

Best Scorers:

Feytroun: Aaaron Haynes (20pts)

Blue Stars: Jihad Murr (18pts)



Moutahed - Sagesse: 73-70

Best Scorers:

Moutahed : Darren Kelly (26pts)

Sagesse: Kevin Johnson (22pts)



Champville -Antranik: 77-73

Best Scorers:

Champville: Jarred Merrill (30pts)

Antranik: Nadim Souaid (25pts)



Riyadi - Anibal : 95-61

Best Scorers:

Riyadi: Damon King (22pts)

Anibal: Ronald Alexander (29pts)

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MEXICO

LNBP Finals: Advantage Halcones? -by Justin Brink
Mexicali and Xalapa, the two best that Mexican hoops has to offer. Can the Soles make history or will the Halcones put a feather in their cap, in what has been one of their most successful regular season campaigns, with a 2007 LNBP Championship? Thanks to the LNBP we're gonna help you break it down. Mexicali comes in at 33-14 and a recent Northern Conference sweep of Santos last round. Xalapa has lead the league overall all season long, they are 41-7 and have faced little resistance in the post season. Mexicali had the upper hand this season's series taking three games out of five from Xalapa in regular season match ups. However, regular season match ups and records mean little now as the history will have little to do with how the near LNBP future will unfold. Click here for more LNBP Finals break down.

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NBA

LA Clippers waive Sam Cassell -by Eurobasket News
The Los Angeles Clippers waived veteran guard Sam Cassell (6'3''-G-69, college: Florida St.) yesterday enabling him to join a different team. The 39-year-old point guard averages 12.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.8 boards per game this season but was haunted by numerous injuries throughout it. Sam Cassell missed the last for games for the Clippers with a sprained wrist and more than 40 games in the last two seasons in Los Angeles. The Boston Celtics are an obvious and most likely next haven for Sam Cassell. The Celtics have been reportedly interested in his services throughout the season. Sam Cassell previously denied any contacts with Boston franchise but the recent actions are aiming at his possible joining the team. The veteran guard was not happy with the results of the Clippers in the season and was eager to finish his career on a high note. If he inks with the Celtics he will duet with his former teammate Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) as they played for the Minnesota T-Wolves since 2003 through 2005.
Meanwhile the action continued yesterday with the New Jersey Nets overwhelming the Milwaukee Bucks 120:106 at home court. Devin Harris (6'3''-G-83, college: Wisconsin) finally debuted for the Nets after being acquired from the Mavericks in a Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) deal. And the debut was a superb one. A 25-year-old point guard came off the bench to topscore for the Nets with 21 points in nearly 21 minutes. He accompanied the haul with 5 assists, a block and a steal in the 26th win for New Jersey in the season. Bostjan Nachbar (6'10''-G/F-80, agency: Interperformances) was also impressive scoring all his 13 points in the fourth frame to ensure the winning outcome for the hosts. Michael Redd (6'6''-G-79, college: Ohio St.) answered with 33 points, while Andrew Bogut (7'0''-F/C-84, college: Utah) finished with 22 points and 15 boards for Milwaukee.
At the same time Jason Kidd was not able to help his Dallas to edge the San Antonio Spurs in the Western favorites clash. The San Antonio bruised the Mavs 97:94 for the 7th straight win. They also snapped the Mavs' three-game winning run and cleared off them in the Southwest Division. Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was huge with 31 points and 15 boards in a win. He also sank two key free throws with 34 seconds left in regulation to give the Spurs a decisive 96:94 lead. Emanuel Ginobili (6'6''-G-77, agency: Interperformances) nailed 17 points, while Michael Finley (6'7''-G-73, college: Wisconsin) notched 16 for the winners. Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) answered with 28 points for the Mavericks. Jason Kidd ended up netting 7 points and dishing out 10 assists for the night.

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NCAA

UCLA stays on top of Pac-10 -by Eurobasket News
UCLA swooped past Arizona State 70:49 yesterday to improve to 13-2 record atop of the Pac-10 conference. Centre Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88) came up with 18 points and 12 boards to pace the Bruins as they posted the 9th win in the last 10 encounters. The Sun Devils kept it close in the opening moments as the scoreline was tied at 11 with 13 minutes gone. But the Bruins quickly adjusted their outside shooting and it paid off as they built a 29:18 lead at the interval. UCLA never surrendered the lead after the break outmuscling the hosts under the rims with 34:20 dominance on boards. Darren Collison (6'0''-G-87) and Josh Shipp (6'5''-G/F-86) provided 17 points apiece for the winners. James Harden (6'5''-G-89) and Rihards Kuksiks (6'6''-F-88) answered with 11 point each in defeat. It was the 8th loss in the last 11 games for the Arizona State.
UCLA stayed one win away from Pac-10 second-best Stanford. The Cardinal maintained the winning tempo with a hard-fought 82:79 success against Washington. It was an extra close game though Stanford were up throughout the whole contest. They got to an 11:3 run to open the encounter and held on in front for the reminder of the first half. But the Huskies kept the hosts at a striking distance. Justin Dentmon (5'11''-G) scored a jumper to cut the deficit to only 4 points with 13 seconds left in regulation. Mitch Johnson (6'1''-G) responded with a free throw but Ryan Appleby (6'2''-G-84) knocked down a trey to make it 79:81 with 7 seconds to go. Taj Finger (6'8''-F-86) converted one more free throw for the Cardinal and the Huskies did not have enough time to save the day. Brook Lopez (7'0''-F) paced the Cardinal with 21 points and 7 boards. Anthony Goods (6'3''-G) contributed 16 points for Stanford as they remained with chances of claiming the Conference title. It can become a reality when they travel to UCLA next week. Jon Brockman (6'7''-F-87) tallied 20 points and 14 boards for the Huskies as they slipped to 15-14 record.

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PALESTINE

De la Salle Representative of Palestine In The Arab Clubs Championship 21 -by Karim Schahin
De la Salle represents Palestine for the second time in the Arab Clubs Championship (21), which will take place in Amman-Jordan from 23, April untill 6, May. The draw was held in Cairo. The result was:

Group 1: Zain(Jordan), Qatar SC (Qatar) An Nasr (UAE), Al Tilal (Yemen)
Group 2: Al Ittihad (KSA), Fas (Morocco), Al Wehda (Syria), De LA Salle (Palestine)
Group 3: Orthodoxi (Jordan), Sporting Al Riyadi (Lebanon), Al Kahraba (Iraq), Al Manama (Bahrain)
Group 4: Kuwait SC (Kuwait), Sagesse(Lebanon), Al Ittihad Alexandria (Egypt), As Seeb (Oman)


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PHILIPPINES

PBA Philippine Cup Finals - Giants Force Game 7 -by Lorenzo Gahol
PBA Philippine Cup Finals - Giants Force Game 7
Purefoods TJ Giants 89 - Sta. Lucia Realtors 81: The Giants played steadier in the closing minutes to hold off the Realtors and bring the series into a deciding Game 7. James Yap (190-F/G-82) exploded in the fourth period to lead Purefoods' assault, including two crucial three-pointers that staved off a minor run by Sta. Lucia. Yap finished with a total of 30 points, making up for lost time after he was suspended in Game 5 due to a flagrant foul. His return boosted his teammates' morale in Game 6 as they played tougher defense to spoil the Realtors' bid to finish the series. J. Bagulaya (02/27/08)

PBA Philippine Cup Finals - Realtors Regain Advantage
Purefoods TJ Giants 88 - Sta. Lucia Realtors 76: The Realtors regained the upper hand in Game 5 of their best-of-seven showdown against the Giants at the Araneta Coliseum. The game was close in the first half until Sta. Lucia's defense shut down their opponents and limited them to just 11 points in the third quarter. Purefoods was without key player James Yap, who was serving a suspension for a foul on Joseph Yeo in Game 3. Yap and Yeo will return to the hardcourt for their respective teams in Game 6. Kelly Williams led the Realtors with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Kerby Raymundo shouldered the scoring chores for Purefoods with 20 markers. J. Malig (02/24/08)

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PUERTO RICO

BSN News and Results. -by Alessandro Fontana
Carmelo Lee will not be in Puerto Rico before the end of march. 'Our Boricua' will stay in South Korea and play for Daegu becuase He prolonged his contract with the team till 23rd March. After that period He will come back in Puerto Rico to play with his team Conquistadores de Guaynabo.
Tonight Conquistadores de Guaynabo will play against Cariduros de Fajardo. Omar Quintero, one of the new players of Fajardo can not play.
Peter John Ramos will play also this BSN 2008 with his past team Criollos de Caguas. The center should play already tonight with his team against Guayama.
Yesterday Santurce won against Arecibo= 85-74. MVP of the game was Larry Ayuso (18pts).
BOX SCORE:
Santurce= Ayuso 18, Ray Dalmau 12 (6rebs+6assts), Falcon 10, Rivas 10, Traylor 10, O. Santiago 8, R. Dalmau 4, Narvaez 4, E. Santiago 3, Watson 3, Melendez 2, Berdiel 0
Arecibo= White 23, Figueroa 19 (16 rebs), Hatton 14, R. Cruz 8, Rivera 5, Rosario 3, Rosa 2, Cortes 0, Ricardo 0, Rivera 0 .
A. Fontana

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ROMANIA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Round 19 -by Bogdan Bocaniala
Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca - CSS BC Ramnicu Valcea 88- 73
Guest team started very good an surprised Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca with lot's of 3 points shots (Silviu Lupusavei (184-G-81) 23 points 7X3 ).
That helped Valcea to be ahead Cluj by the break time 33-42.
Break time was good for Cluj how started to play something different in defence after break and win this game 88-73.

Gaz Metan Medias - BC Targoviste Bucuresti 86- 68
BCMUS Arges Pitesti - CS Rapid Neoset Bucuresti 81- 90
BC Tirgu Mures - CSU Cuadripol Brasov 127- 79

CSU Ploiesti - CSU Atlassib Sibiu 89- 90
Big surprise in Ploiesti were Asesoft lost first game after lot's of years in championship-home.
The players that made this victory possible were:
CSU Ploiesti - De Angelo 28 points, 15 rebounds,Rashard Griffith (212-C-74, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wisconsin) 14,Arvydas Cepulis (195-G-79) 12, Reggie Elliott (196-G-73, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Mercer) 11,Bojan Obradovic (206-F/C-77, agency: Beo Basket) 10,Levente Szijarto (192-G/F-83) 8.
CSU Atlassib Sibiu - Jason Smith (197-F-77, college: Mississippi) 24 points, 11 rebounds, Darnell Clavon (188-G-72, college: Chaminade) 21, William Hatcher (188-G-84, agency: LimeLight, college: Miami, OH) 20, Keith Triplett