EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/31/2008

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Men News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Play-off quarterfinals: Hemofarm STADA and Zadar advanced to Final 4 -by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA beat Buducnost 75-69 for the 4th time this season in Vrsac winning the play-off quarterfinal series 2-1. Hemofarm showed better performance in the first half as the orange team had 28-18 in 18th minute. After Pavkovic's 3-pointer, Hemofarm extended lead to plus 14 with 3 minutes remaining. At the end Buducnost once again showed its toughness and with strong defense succeeded to come closer on 66-61 but Joksimovic, Pakvovic and Marshall were successful from the FT line and didn't let visitors to make a surprise. Center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) paced the winners collecting 15 points and 7 rebounds. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) followed him with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Nemanja Gordic (195-G-88) scored 20 points for Buducnost.

It seems that Zadar and FMP are not able to play a game without thriller finish. Once again luckier team was Zadar, who made victory over Panthers 74-73 thanks to two FTs and a steal by Brewer. Namely, Zadar went into the last minute of the game with 72-69 after what Protic scored 2 FTs while on the other side Barac missed two times. At FMP's next possession Labovic made a lay-up for minimum lead 72-73. But then Brewer stepped up, first with two free throws and later he stole the ball from PG Protic. Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) led his team to win with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) had 21 points and 6 rebounds in FMP.

Union Olimpija totally smashed Crvena Zvezda in Ljubljana 88-60 so the third game will be decisive which team will join Partizan Igokea, Hemofarm STADA and Zadar on Adriatic league Final 4. Since the beginning Olimpija played much better making plus 7 after first ten minutes. On the half time it already was 47-23 for the hosts and it was obvious that Zvezda is not able to give a bigger effort until the end. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart), who had 16 points and 4 rebounds, and Ronell Taylor (196-G-82, college: UAB), who finished the game with 15 points and 5 rebounds, were the best for the winners. Zvezda got the most from Bosnian hot prospect Elmedin Kikanovic (210-C-88, agency: Beo Basket), who had very good night netting 16 points.


Hemofarm STADA - Buducnost 75-69
(13-9,21-18,20-16,21-26)

Hemofarm: Vukosavljevic 15 (7 rebs), Marshall 14 (5 rebs), Pavkovic 11 (6 as)
Buducnost: Gordic 20, Otasevic 11 (5 rebs, 4 st)


Zadar - FMP 74-73
(22-15,17-17,17-26,18-15)

Zadar: Brewer 23 (8 rebs), Gecevski 17 (5 rebs), Johnson 15 (5 rebs)
FMP: Erceg 21 (6 rebs), Protic 20 (8 as)


Union Olimpija - Crvena Zvezda 88-60
(22-15,25-8,19-18,22-19)

Olimpija: Bailey 16 (4 rebs), Taylor 15 (5 rebs), Milic 14 (7 rebs), Rizvic 12 (6 rebs)
Zvezda: Kikanovic 16, Dragicevic 8 (4 rebs), Raicevic 8

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ARGENTINA

U18, 6th place to Argentina -by Ana Soifer
Argentina end in the 6th place in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament played in Germany.
The Argentinean players falls against Canada by 80 to 54, and couldn't get the 5th place that was for the Canadian team.
Canada had the control of the hold game from the beginning ended the first half by 32 to 20.
The second half wasn't different for the Argentinean team making they finish the tournament. The best player of the game was the Canadian Mangisto Arop with 30 pts and 17 rebounds, for Argentina were Andres Landoni (204-C/F-90) with 12 pts and Facundo Campazzo (180-G-91) with 10.

CANADA 80-ARGENTINA 54
Canada: Ty Nurse 2, Rob Gagliardi 24, Mangisto Arop 30, Murphy Burnatowski 2, Michael Allison (x) 6; Simon Bibeau 2, Nicolas Langley 2, Ludovic Tshimpanga 6, Roger Dugas 5, Jesse Feith 0 and Robert Dewar 1. DT: Gregory Francis.
Argentina: Santiago Scala (186-G-91) 7, Mateo Gaynor (198-G-90) 8, Juan Levrino (188-G-90) 7, Pablo Orlietti 5, Federico Glinberg 0; Andres Landoni 12, Facundo Campazzo 10, Ezequiel Manzanares 1, Fabian Ramirez Barrios 4, Maximiliano Martin 0, Emanuel Sayal 0 and Matias Ruger 0. DT: Enrique Tolcachier .

Greece got the championship beating Turkey by 96 to 82, and for the third place was for Australia who was better than United State b y 87 to 67.
GRECIA 96-TURQUIA 82 (Final)
Grecia: Konstantinos Papanikolaou 27, Konstantinos Sloukas 20, Epameinonds Papantoniu 2, Evangelos Mantzaris 15, Ioannis Karathanassis 2, Leonidas Kasselakis 2, Ioannis Roussis 0, Dimitrios Arapis 0, Giorgios Georgakis 0, Vladimir Giankovits 11, Nikolaos Pappas 17 and Andreas Koukoulas 0. DT: Nikos Kerameas.
Turquia: Deniz Kiligli (x) 17, Melih Mahmutelu 29, Can Mutaf 0, Erolcan Cinko 5, Furkan Aldemir 0, Ibrahim Yildirim 2, Volkan Incekara 12, Eneas Kanter 13 y Erdinc Balto 4. DT: Genc Milli.

LSB, Argentina and Brazil for the semi final -by Ana Soifer
This coming week will start the semi final for the South American league 2008.
Teams from Brazil and Argentina will decide who will be the champion this year.
The games should be under these rules, Boca Jrs. And Universo are the guests teams, so they will play in their gym first this coming week, one game, and then will go to the local's cities, Regatas and Flamengo, to play 1 or 2 games depends on the results.
So Boca Juniors from Argentina will play against the Brazilian team Flamengo; this series will start in Buenos Aires on Thursday and on Wednesday in Brazil will play Universo BRB against Regatas from Corrientes.
Regatas (corrientes): Alejandro Montecchia (180-G-72, agency: Interperformances), Agustin Carabajal, Javier Martinez, Juan Manuel Rivero, Alejandro Montecchia (180-G-72, agency: Interperformances) Ramzee Stanton, Roberto Lopez (199-F/C-76), Chuckie Robinson, Milton Temute y Sergio Zacarias. D.T: Silvio Santander

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BAHRAIN

Gritty Muharraq book final berth -by Yousef Ahmed


UNDERDOGS Muharraq dethroned defending champions Al Ahli last night with a resounding 86-76 win that booked their berth in the Bahrain Basketball League championship series.

The victors had an all-around team effort in the game, as they closed out their Golden Square semifinal phase with an unexpected sweep over their highly favoured rivals.

Point guard Mohammed Abdulmajeed poured in 19 points, including three triples, to lead all Muharraq scorers. American professional Rah Shaun Roberts contributed 17 and star forward Mohammed Hassan added 15.

Muharraq will now face Manama in the best-of-three finals, which tip off on Wednesday at the Umm Al Hassam sports complex. The opener has been pushed forward from its original date after both semifinal series lasted only the minimum two games.

Manama secured their sweep over Sitra on Saturday.

'I think that with this win we have proved that Muharraq is back as a power in basketball,' assistant coach Ahmed Najat told the GDN last night after the game. 'Two years we have been out of the finals, and now we're back.

'I am sure it will be a very difficult series for both of us. Manama are a very tough team, but we are hungry for a title and we will focus on preparing ourselves well.'

After a see-saw opening half, young guard Maytham Jameel put Ahli ahead 64-63 at the end of the third with a running bank shot that just beat the quarter buzzer.

But that would be their last advantage of the game, as Muharraq used a decisive run early in the fourth quarter to turn the one-point deficit into leads as big as 11 points.

The winners clamped down defensively and masterfully held Ahli scoreless in the first five-and-a-half minutes of the period to take a 69-64 lead.

Ahmed Malallah gave Ahli its first field goal of the quarter with just over four minutes to play on a top-of-the-key three-pointer to get back to within two, 67-69.

But Hassan connected on five successive free throws over the next three possessions to extend Muharraq's lead once more to seven, 74-67, with only two minutes left in the game.

Roberts then virtually sealed the win in style with a breakaway tomahawk slam dunk on the ensuing play that trailing Ahli defender Sadeq Mahdi could do nothing to stop.

The towering centre later extended the lead to double digits, 77-67, when he was fouled after collecting an offensive rebound from a missed Abdulmajeed three-pointer.

Veteran Abdulmajeed Shahram then gave Muharraq their 11-point edge on another free throw with a minute left.

Ahli, however, would not die easily, and they mounted a late but short-lived comeback in the closing minutes. They were able to get back to within six points, 76-82, after Jameel made one of his two three-pointers.

But Roberts sealed the win on a lay-up on the ensuing play, and forward Yasser Bu Naffour pegged the final score with another two free-throws at the end of the game.

'It was very tight,' said Najat, who plays a key role on the Muharraq bench behind American head coach John Wojtak . 'Both teams were nervous in the fourth, but we were able to create some opportunities and our players took advantage of them.'

The finals series is set to be a rematch of this year's one-off Bahrain Basketball Cup final in January, which Manama won 85-75.

After Wednesday's opener, the finals' second game will be played on April 7. The third, if needed, is scheduled for the 10th.


SOURCE: GDN By PATRICK SALOMON

US basketball coach for Bahrain team -by Yousef Ahmed


AMERICAN basketball coach Jamie Angeli is close to being signed as Bahrain's men's national team head coach, it has emerged, writes PATRICK SALOMON.

Sources at the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) confirmed this yesterday, saying that the final arrangements for signing Angeli are being made, including getting approval from the General Organisation from Youth and Sports (Goys).

Angeli was a former assistant coach for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins men's basketball team which plays Division 'I' basketball in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He recently spent three years coaching Al Rayyan Basketball Club in Qatar.

Bahrain's national team has been without a head coach for the past seven months, following the departure of Salman Ramdhan who returned tohis former club Manama. The Bahraini coach left his post after four years leading the nationals.

A source also told the GDN last night that Goys are currently weighing the financial commitment needed in signing a coach of Angeli's calibre. The 46-year-old has nearly 30 years' experience in the sport.

He started coaching Rayyan in 2004, and spearheaded the Qatari team to an impressive 97 wins in 110 games. Under his guidance, they clinched a record three successive league titles between 2005 and last year.

He also ran an annual summer basketball camps in the US which were very popular in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, attracting more than 17,000 participants over its 20 years.





SOURCE GDN



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BARBADOS

Williams, Cavs down Bulls to improve to 4-2 -by Justin Marville
Even with the absence of superstars Andrew Alleyne, Jeremy Gill and Kelvin Patterson the league's oldest rivalry continues to be its most gruelling.

Spurred on by a stellar defensive effort in the third and fourth quarters, pre-season favourites Station Hill Cavaliers broke out of a 38 all half-time deadlock by holding the Clapham Bulls to just 26 second half points on their way to a convincing 76-64 victory when the Sprite/BOA Premier League resumed at the Barbados Community College on Saturday.

Failing to break free of their historic rivals in a riveting, back and forth first half, last season's league finalists made a concerted effort to protect the ball on offence early in the third quarter to keep the Bulls out of their favoured transition game in hopes that a slower half court game would cause problems for the Clapham side.

It would indeed as swingman Halley Franklyn appeared to be the lone effective option in the Bulls half court offence with Station Hill denying any room on the interior for forwards Alvin Padmore and Mark Foster to operate, resulting in Clapham scoring just eight points in the first six minutes of the period.

Though not particularly fluid at the other end of the floor, the Cavs still managed to take advantage of their opponents' offensive woes by capitalising on the Bulls' ordinary perimeter defence through the outside shooting of national point guard Corey Williams.

Obviously believing that they had to pay no attention to their poor defensive rotation along the perimeter as the sharp shooting Jason Smith watched from the Cavs bench in foul trouble, the Bulls quickly found out the error in their ways with the diminutive Williams knocking down a pair of treys to lead a parade of perimeter jumpers from Station Hill.

Guards Errol Pollard and Corey Howard each added a three pointer of their own as the Cavaliers went a scorching four of six from behind the arc in the third quarter to open up a seven point advantage, 60-53, heading into the fourth.

The Cavs swiftly stretched that lead to double digits, 65-55, in the early exchanges of the ensuing period as Franklyn fouled out within minutes of the game's resumption after Williams connected on yet another triple to start the fourth.

With Station Hill continuing to make life difficult down low for Padmore and Foster, veteran shooting guard Ryan Leacock would attempt to take on Station Hill's defence single-handedly but failed miserably, going a woeful one of eight from the floor in the quarter before he too fouled out midway through the fourth.

By that time the Cavs were in full cruise control despite missing nine free throw attempts in the fourth as Clapham's subsequent full court press only managed to put the Station Hill players at the line instead of forcing the intended turnovers.

Williams led the way with a game high 17 points and got useful contributions of 10 points from both Howard and Pollard. For the Bulls, Franklyn and Leacock each scored 15 points while Padmore finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.

A BABA season high and career best 37 points from Sagicor Tridents shooting guard Keefe Birkett helped the school boys overcome a disastrous nine point performance in the first quarter to come away with a hard fought 86-76 triumph over winless Weekend Nation Nico Deacons Fastbreaks in the night's first game.

National forward/centre Akeem Marsh chipped in with 18 pints and 11 boards while swingman Henry Richards top scored for Deacons with 30 points.

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BOSNIA

Standings - BIH League
D1 Standings
1. Bosna S. 19-3
2. Sloboda Dita 18-5
3. Igokea 16-7
4. Grude 14-8
5. Slavija 12-11
6. Borac Nektar 12-11
7. Zrinjski MC 11-12
8. Hercegovac 10-13
9. Posusje 10-14
10. Zenica Celik 9-14
11. Leotar 8-15
12. Capljina 8-15
13. Vogosca 2-21
Will join on later stage:
1. Siroki -


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BRAZIL

Joinville, Minas, CETAF/Garoto, Universo and Flamengo won in Nacional Masculino 2008.- -by Ed Goodman
Ciser/Univlle/Joinville defeated Iguazu 102-58 best scorer by the winners was Williams 22 Points. Pitagoras Minas won over FTC EAD 92-70 best scorer Soro 26 Points. Cetaf obtained a victory over Inesul Londrina 74-60 overstanding Jefferson with 24 Points. Universo won over Uberlandia UTC 87-80 the best was Valtinho 19 Points. and Flamengo Petrobras defeated Univates Bira 111-76 and the score rof the game was Marcelinho 20 Points.

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BULGARIA

Levski fired their two coaches -by Vladi Lazarova
Few days after the end of the National Cup tournament in 'Arena Samokov' Levski fired their head coach Lubomir Minchev and his assistant Stoyan Bojankov. For the shocking news first informed the official site of the club - www.levskibasket.com.
The statement of 'The Blue' board says to the fans and all basketball supporters and media that the reason for this parting is 'dissension in the frame of reference for the development and progress of the Men's team' between two specialists and the management of the club.
'For me this decision is not a surprise, if for you it is. I don't want to comment anything right now', said Minchev in front of the press.
Levski finished third and won the bronze medals in Samokov. This was the biggest surprise in the tournament, because 'The Blues' have been considered for 100% sure finalist and at winner of silver, like one year ago in Pernik, when they played against Lukoil at the final.
36-years old Minchev became a head coach two seasons ago, when he was assistant exactly of Bojankov. After that the officials of the club announced that Bojankov is the new sports director in Levski, but he continued to sit on the bench and take part of team practices.
Relationship between Boajnkov and Minchev is like between teacher and a student. Bojankov was coaching Minchev in Levski when he still was a player.
Their remove is coming in very dangerous moment - in the middle of the second part of the regular season. 'The Blues' are second in Prr A, after 'The Students'. The name of the new head coach will be clear tomorrow.
Minchev is one of the biggest Bulgarian young prospects in coaching. Less than a month ago he was chosen to be assistant in Men's National team personaly from Israeli legendary head coach and three times European champion with Maccabi Pini Gershon.

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CHILE

Standings - LIBSUR
LIBSUR Standings
Zone A
1. Dep.Lautaro 1-0
2. Dep.Valdiva 1-0
3. Prov.Osorno 1-0
4. Dep.Castro 0-1
5. Dep.Ancud 0-1
6. Prov.Llanq. 0-1
Zone B
1. U.Los Lagos 1-0
2. Dep.Imperial 1-0
3. Dep.P.Varas 1-0
4. Las Animas 0-1
5. U.Arturo Prat 0-1
6. Dep.Carahue 0-1


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CYPRUS

Standings - Division A
Division A Standings
1. Keravnos 17-1
2. APOEL 15-3
3. AEL 14-4
4. Etha 9-9
5. Omonia 8-10
6. AEK 6-12
7. Apollon 6-12
8. ENAD 4-14
9. Achilleas K. 2-16


Cypriot basketball teams ready for the tough Greek competition -by Nemanja Bjedov
The Cypriot powerhouses Proteas EKA AEL and Keravnos Strovolos stated that they are ready to join the Greek top league A1 at the meeting between club presidents and several other basketball officials which was recently held in Limassol.

This was the general conclusion of the meeting; but the parties involved also realized that what needs to be done now is to actually convince the Greeks that their joining will also be beneficial to the league organizers themselves.

The team presidents, despite disagreements about which team should be the first to join both agreed that steps for the actual entry into the Greek league should be taken.

Panayiotis Trisokkas, the president of the players union, was in favor of the move but he also raised an issue that Cypriot players should be considered as Diaspora Greeks and not as Bosman players if such an action takes place.

Proteas EKA AEL's president, Michael Loizides, listed the advantages and the disadvantages of such a move. The opening of the Cypriot market to Greece is one of the major advantages, adding to this, the possibility of raising the interests of young Cypriots in basketball was another advantage according to Loizides. The main disadvantage is the decreasing quality of the local championship. However, Keravnos Strovolos' president Paris Papaellinas suggested that affiliation teams could be created to replace Proteas EKA AEL and Keravnos Strovolos in the local league if these two end up playing in Greece. With such a move the quality of the local championship could be sustained at a certain quality level.

In the meantime Proteas EKA AEL will travel to Greece to face AEK Athens in a friendly game which is a part of the preparations for the FIBA EuroCup Final Four due to be held late in April in Limassol. On the other side, Keravnos Strovolos has to focus on the second game of the playoff finals best-of-five series against Aspis APOEL. The Strovolos team won the series opener 83-70 and now plays away to APOEL which is deprived of their original home court at Lefkotheo due to crowd trouble and will play as host at the home court of Ydra Asphalsitiki ENAD in Ayios Domethios.

SOURCE: CyBasketball.com

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CZECH REPUBLIC

Nymburk winning the Czech Cup -by Ondra Simecek
Final Four of Czech Cup was played this weekend. CEZ Basketball Nymburk confirmed their power again led by 21 pts of Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) and won the Cup in the final game against Prostejov. The final standings are following:

1.CEZ Basketball Nymburk
2.BK Prostějov
3.BK Pardubice
4.NH Ostrava

Results semifinals:

BK Pardubice - BK Prostějov 82:90

CEZ Basketball Nymburk - NH Ostrava 93:75

Results finals:

3rd place: BK Pardubice - NH Ostrava 78:69

Finals: BK Prostějov - CEZ Basketball Nymburk 68:80

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

GUG already in playoffs -by Oscar Peralta
Felipe Lopez (197-G/F-74, college: St.John's) is taking GUG to new hieghts, with 4 games left in the tournament he has already helped them punch a ticket to the playoffs. This is the first time GUG has made the playoff in the last couple of years and the first time they hold the first place in recent memory. Lopez is averaging 20.17 in 6 games and is the teams best scorer. The next game will be vs the defending champion Sameji who currently hold the 3rd place in the overall standing.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Honka, Kouvot and Torpan Pojat rolling -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Play-off-games, Game 2: Three games tonight. The home court advantage helped a little bit Korihait (Uusikaupunki) and possibly Tarmo (Porvoo),
but Honka (Espoo), Kouvot (Kouvola) and Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) are rolling on. Honka, Kouvot and Torpan Pojat leading 2-0. After Tuesday, April 1, these three teams might be ready for the second round of the play-off-games? Pyrinto (Tampere) and YMCA Lappeenranta will meet tomorrow in TV-game.

YMCA Lahti - Honka 72-85 (35-40) (Davont Jackson 16, Ed Williams 15, Ville Makalainen 13 - Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) 21, Kimmo Muurinen 16/10, Akeem Scott 15).

Korihait - Kouvot 67-71 (28-36) (Bojan Sarcevic 17, Glenn Stokes 15, Darius Glover 14 - Corey Smith (196-G/F, agency: Warren Sports, college: Vanderbilt) 23/12, Jukka Kataja 14, Wayne Bernard 14).

Tarmo - Torpan Pojat 75-87 (36-38) (Tony Bennett 22, Travis Leech 19/11, Mark McCarroll 16 - Tyson Patterson (175-G-78, college: Appalachian St.) 29, Takais Brown 17, Elias Kajander 16).



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FRANCE

Pro B - Round 27 : Bourg, the big leader ! -by Maxime Lory
Bourg (1)* 99-68 Nanterre (2)
Rouen (2) 85-68 Saint-Quentin (14)
Boulazac (10) 51-67 Limoges (4)
Nantes (4) 64-69 Poitiers (4)
Aix-Maurienne (7) 109-85 Reims (18)
Saint-Etienne (8) 77-78 Brest (13)
Quimper (9) 80-88 Besancon (11)
Saint-Vallier (17) 91-79 Evreux (12)
Chalons (15) 86-77 Le Portel (16)

Rashaun Freeman (206-C/F-84, college: Massachusetts) is the MVP of the week with a top ranking of 33. He scored 25p and grabbed 11rbs.
What a game for Bourg ! They beated the second 99 to 68 with 5 players in double figures !
After his deafeat, Nanterre is now third with Poitiers and Limoges which win this week at road.
With Reims, Who will go in NM1 ? It's very tigh between Chalons, Le Portel and St-Vallier.
Congratulations to Loic Akono, the french guard of Brest scored a 3 pointer at the buzzer to give the victory to the Etendart.

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GEORGIA

Shermadini started workouts with Joe Abunassar in Los Angeles www.shermadini.com -by Levan Mikeladze
Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) began his first day of training with Athletes Performance at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday. When he arrived at Athletes Performance, he was greeted by the whole staff of trainers. Following the greetings, Giorgi had to sit down and fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire was to determine Giorgi's knowledge of training and nutrition to help shape his training routine. The training routine would consist of conditioning, nutrition, weight training, and basketball training. After he filled out the questionnaire, a trainer took all of Giorgi's measurements. Please find some of the measurements below:

Ø Weight: 238lbs.
Ø Height: 7'1' / 216cm
Ø Body Fat: 4.9%

Giorgi took a running test which measured his strength and stamina. Giorgi did extremely well on this test. Out of all the athletes that train with Athletes Performance (soccer, tennis, basketball, football players, etc.), Giorgi had a top five score. He had one of the best scores all-time.

Following his test, Giorgi worked out with Joe Abunassar on the basketball court. He work out for approximately 1 hour, doing running hook shots, jump shots (mid-range, and NBA 3-Point), post moves, and perimeter moves. He did very well in all of the drills, especially for arriving the day before from a 23 hour flight. Joe Abunassar's analysis was the Giorgi was an elite basketball player. For a player his height and who started learning basketball fundamentals just 3 years ago, he is very skilled and a super athlete. He has mastered the most difficult part of basketball and after weight training and diet, Giorgi will be an even better player and one of the top players in the draft.

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GERMANY

Bundesliga Game Day 25: Weekend Results March 29-30th! -by Michael Taylor

Bundesliga Game Day 26 saw ALBA Berlin separate from Artland and Leverkusen atop the standings as Berlin earned a road win in Jena while brose Baskets Bamberg bounced back from their midweek German Cup loss at Artland with a win over the Dragons Saturday night. Meanwhile, in the race against relegation, LTi Giessen 46ers earned an important road win in Paderborn.

Thursday March 27th

ALBA Berlin 89 Science City Jena 64
Julius Jenkins drilled a perfect 6 for 6 from three in scoring 27pt leading ALBA Berlin to a big 89-64 road win over Science City Jena Thursday night in Jena. Aleksander Nadjfeji added 18pt 6reb and Goran Nikolic chipped in 14pt for Berlin. Head Coach Luka Pavicevic and his men went right to work taking a 22-14 lead after 1Q and holding a 40-24 lead at half. ALBA stretched their cushion to 70-44 after 3. Berlin shot 53% from the floor and drilled 11 of 22 threes while distributing an impressive 26ast. Jena shot 41% and only 4 of 20 threes. Jason Miller topscored for Jena with 20pt 7reb while Ali Seggelke and Ajmal Basit added 13pt apiece. ALBA is now alone at the top of the Bundesliga at 21-6 while Jena remains at the bottom at 4-22.

Saturday March 29th
brose Baskets Bamberg 73 Artland Drgons 57
Predrag Suput scored 19pt on 6 of 9 shooting with a perfect 3 of 3 from three to lead brose Baskets Bamberg to an impressive 73-57 home win over Artland Dragons Saturday night at JAKO Arena. Not only a rematch of last seasons Bundesliga final, the game was a rematch of Wednesdays German Cup Elite Eight matchup in Artland which saw the Dragons win big. Behind Suput and 13pt 9reb from Ademola Okulaja, Bamberg bounced back. Bamberg opened with a 19-13 1Q and a 17-12 2nd to take a 36-25 halftime lead. Artland battled back in the 3Q outscoring the hosts 17-12 cutting the deficit to 48-42 heading into the 4th. But Bambergs 25-15 stretch sealed the win. Head Coach Dirk Bauermann and his men held Artland to 28% floor shooting including 3 for 20 (15%) from three along with outrebounding the Dragons 39-29 in the win. Bamberg shot 48% from the field. Artland was led by John Goldsberry's 14pt with 12pt apiece from Adam Chubb and Terrance Thomas. The Dragons played without scoring F Leon Rodgers. Bamberg improves to 18-8 while Artland dips to 19-7.

Deutsche Bank Skyliners 96 EnBW Ludwigsburg 87 OT
All Star F Derrick Allen exploded for 37pt in leading Deutsche Bank Skyliners to an exciting 96-87 OT win over EnBW Ludwigsburg Saturday night at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt. PG Pascal Roller was a perfect 4 for 4 from three to add 17pt to the Skyliner win. Frankfurt opened with a 21-18 1Q but Ludwigsburg had the better of play in Q2 outscoring Frankfurt 24-12 to earn a 42-33 halftime lead. Ludwigsburg added a point to their lead in the 3Q and took a 60-50 lead into the 4th. Skyliners cameback to tie the game at 70 and force the OT. During OT, Head Coach Murat Didin and the Skyliners earned the win. Both teams shot 47% but Skyliners hit 9 of 18 threes to Ludwigsburgs 7 of 28 and Frankfurt drilled 31 of 40 FT (77%) to Ludwigsburgs 16 of 21 (76%). Heiko Schaffartzik led Ludwigsburg with 22pt while Ronald Ross added 20pt 5ast. Ludwigsburg played without All Star guard Brandon Woudstra in the game. Frankfurt ups their record to 16-11 while Ludwigsburg falls to 12-14.

LTi Giessen 46ers 90 digibu Baskets Paderborn 82
LTi Giessen 46ers took an important 90-82 road win over digibu Baskets Paderborn Saturday evening in Paderborn. The victory puts Giessen 2 games ahead of Trier in the race against relegation. Five 46ers reached double figures as Obie Trotter and Michael Umeh shared leading scorer honors with 19pt apiece. Veteran Danny Lewis sank 4 of 5 threes to score 16pt, Bill Philips totaled 14pt and Gerit Terdenge 13pt in the win. The 46ers jumped to a 23-20 1Q lead but Paderborn stormed back with a 26-16 2Q to take a 46-39 lead at half. Head Coach Thorsten Liebenath and his team pulled within one at 65-64 heading into the 4th and the 46ers captured the important road win. Giessen shot 56% from the floor and made 11 of 20 threes (55%) along with outrebounding Paderborn 35-21 and dishing out 19ast. Paderborn shot 50% but made only 6 of 23 (26%) from three. Giessen also hit 91% FT (21-23) while Paderborn sank 12 of 16 (75%) from the foul line. Tim Black topscored for Paderborn with 21pt while Steve Esterkamp added 13 and Nathan Peavy 12. With the key win, Giessen improves to 7-19 while Paderborn drops to 11-16. .

ratiopharm Ulm 79 TBB Trier 64
ratiopharm Ulm outscored Trier 47-26 in the second half to earn a 79-64 road win at Trier Arena Saturday night. Trier started strong taking a 19-18 1Q lead and a 38-32 advantage at half. Ulm responded in the 3Q outscoring the hosts 26-15 to take a 58-53 lead. Dru Joyce led Ulm with 17pt 5ast while Jeff Gibbs added 16pt 9reb and Sean Finn 15pt in the win. Sebastian Betz buried a perfect 3 of 3 from three and sparked Ulm's second half attack with 11pt off the bench. Ulm made 18 of 25 FT (72%) compared to Trier's 11 of 24 FT (45%). Ulm also took care of the ball with only 6 turnovers to Trier's 14. Ulm won their 4th straight game improving to 13-14 while Trier slipped to 5-21.

Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 88 BG74 Gottingen 68
Ewe Baskets Oldenburg scored 34pt in the 3Q to break the game open in beating BG74 Gottingen 88-68 Saturday night at Ewe Arena in Oldenburg. After opening the game 21-12, Oldenburg held a 39-28 lead at half before breaking the game open with the 34pt 3Q. Head Coach Predrag Krunic and his team stretched their lead to 73-44 after 3. Branimir Longin topscored with 19pt followed by 16pt 9ast from Jason Gardner. F Jasmin Perkovic posted a 15pt 10reb double double and Oldenburg received 10pt apiece from Rickey Paulding and Jasmin Pekovic. Willie Jenkins led Gottingen with 16pt while Ben Jacobsen added 13pt and Darren Brooks 12. Oldenburg won their 7th straight game to improve to 17-10 while Gottingen fell to 11-16

Sunday March 30

Bayer Leverkusen 92 Walter Tigers Tubingen 77

Bayer Leverkusen put 5 players in double figures and shot 54% from the floor in their 92-77 home win over Walter Tigers Tubingen Sunday afternoon at historic Wilhelm Dopatka Halle in Leverkusen. Brant Bailey topscored with 20pt on 4 of 5 three point shooting while Eric Taylor added 18pt 10reb double double, Tyron McCoy totaled 16pt and Brendan Winters 14 in the win. On the road Tubingen ran to a 25-18 1Q advantage before Leverkusen responded to take a 43-42 halftime lead. Head Coach Achim Kuczmann and his men outscored the Tigers 20-15 in the third and 29-20 in the 4th to seal the win. Rasko Katic led the Tigers with 21pt 8reb followed by Patrick Sparks 19pt and 12pt 7reb from AJ Moye. Leverkusen upped their record to 20-6 while Tubingen fell to 7-19.


Telekom Baskets Bonn 82 NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 70

Ronald Burrell and John Bowler scored 21pt apiece in guiding Telekom Baskets Bonn to an 82-70 home win over NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig Sunday at Hardtberghalle in Bonn. Head Coach Michael Koch and his team built a 20-11 lead after 1Q and extended it to 40-26 at half. After leading by as many as 19 in the 3Q, Bonn saw Braunschweig cut the margin with a comeback. The Phantoms outscored Bonn 26-19 in the 3rd but Bonn kept the control as Braunschweig came no closer than 61-56 in the early 4Q. Domonic Jones and Kyle Visser scored 16pt apiece for Braunschweig. Bonn shot 51% to Braunschweig's 48% and the Phantoms suffered 24 turnovers. Telekom Bonn improved to 17-9 while Braunschweig evened at 13-13.


Eisbaren Bremerhaven 98 Koln 99ers 90

Nate Funk exploded for 30pt on 5 of 7 three point shooting leading Eisbaren Bremerhaven to a key 98-90 home victory over Koln 99ers Sunday in Bremerhaven. Bremerhaven jumped to a 29-20 lead after 1Q and held a 54-47 halftime lead. Koln trimmed the deficit with a 22-16 3Q before Bremerhaven outscored Koln 28-21 down the stretch in the 4Q. C Matt Haryasz posted 18pt 8reb, Anthony Tolliver 15pt 10reb, Zygimantas Jonusas 15pt and Tony Bobbitt 13pt 7stls in the win. Head Coach Sarunas Sakalauskas and his team shot 57% from the floor, buried 28 of 39 from the foul line (71%) and outrebounded Koln 35-18. Milko Bjelica scored 29pt and Brian Greene added 24pt for Koln. The 99ers drilled 15 of 27 threes (55%) in their strong effort. Both teams records evened at 13-13.



2. Bundesliga Pro B: Highlights of Gameday 27 -by Moritz Korff
Play of the Day: DeMario Grier (183-G, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Pfeiffer) - Wolfenbuettel: 51 pts, 14/24 FG, 8/15 3P, 15/16 FT, 5 rbs, 1 as

Points: DeMario Grier - Wolfenbuettel: 51

Rebounds: Andreas Hornig (212-C-80, agency: LimeLight, college: Murray St.) - Kirchheim: 17

Assists: Dustin Pfeifer (173-G-83, college: Findlay (OH)) - Herten and Torvoris Baker (201-F-83, college: Detroit Mercy) - Herten: 11 apiece

Steals: Gordon Scott (195-G/F-76, college: Idaho) - Kirchheim: 6

Blocked Shots: Andreas Hornig - Kirchheim: 4

Check out all stats and scores on the official website of the 2. Bundesliga: click

2. Bundesliga Pro A: Highlights of Gameday 27 -by Moritz Korff
Play of the Day: Brandon Gary (202-F-83, college: Hutchinson JC) - Karlsruhe: 23 pts, 9/18 FG, 2/3 3P, 3/4 FT, 21 rbs, 3 bs, 2 as

Points: Jean Francois (197-F-80, agency: AMI, college: Georgia Southern) - Cuxhaven: 42

Rebounds: Brandon Gary - Karlsruhe: 21

Assists: Johannes Tesfaldet (188-G-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) - Noerdlingen: 9

Steals: Gary Hamilton (208-F/C-84, college: Miami, FL) - Lich: 5

Blocked Shots: Thomas Fairley (206-F/C-82, college: Lamar) - Chemnitz: 3

Check out all stats and scores on the official website of the 2. Bundesliga: click

*****************************************************
GREECE

Stats Leaders - A2
A2 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Fotiou, Sporting 18.2
2 Kaklamanos, Trik,16.9
3 Liakopoulos, Pagr, 16
4 Totsios, Irakl, 16
5 Despos, MENT 16
5 Moulakis, Xanthi 16
6 Mandic, MENT 15.5
7 Tomaras, Halkida 15
8 Totsios, Iraklis 15
Rebounds Per Game
1 Despos, MENT 8.82
2 Koutroulias, Ilys. 8.43
3 Symeonid. Irakl, 8.37
4 Petrodimop, Dafni 7.64
5 Bucci, Peristeri 7.09
6 Moutran, Sporting 6.95
7 Perakis, Sporting 6.91
Assists Per Game
1 Karidas, MENT 5.41
2 Moshovitis, Perist. 4.52
3 Liakopoulos, Pagr. 4.25
4 Kantartz, Halkida 4.00
5 Kekelis, Ionikos 3.65
Steals Per Game
1 Karidas, MENT 2.64
2 Tomaras, Halkida 1.9
3 Bucci, Peristeri 1.73
Blocks Per Game
Trybanski, Peristeri 1.50
Psathas, Halkida 1.09
Koutroulias, Ilysiak 1.05
Papanikol. Ilysiak.1.05
2FGP
1 Despos, MENT 68%
2 Pashalis, Ionikos 64%
3 Harismidis, Trikala 63%
3FGP
1 Fountas, Trikala 49%
2 Apostolop, Iraklis 48%
3 Panagiot, Panorama 48%
Free Throws
1 Daniel, Iraklis 87%
2 Bucci, Peristeri 85%
3 Mandic, MENT 85%
Ranking
Harismidis, Trikala 0.598
Anagnost, I.C.B.S. 0.577
Paschalis, Lamia 0.567
Papanikolaou, Ilisiakos 0.555
Koutroulias, Ilisiakos 0.554


Standings - A1
A1 Standings
1. Panathin. 20-2
2. Olympiak. 19-3
3. Aris 14-8
4. Panellinios 13-9
5. Panionios 12-10
6. Egaleo 11-11
7. AEK 10-12
8. AEL 10-12
9. Maroussi 10-12
10. Olimpia L. 9-13
11. Rethimno 8-14
12. PAOK 8-14
13. Kolossos 7-15
14. Olimpiada P. 3-19


Second Division: Week 23 - Results and Scorers -by Chris Mammides
Makedonikos - Komotini 90-84
Quarter: 23-21, 38-42, 58-65, 90-84
Makedonikos's top scorers: Pete Kathopoulis (180-G, college: St.Joseph's) 24, Tanakidis 15, Kogias 11 and Samourelis 10
Komotini's top scorers: Dinas 21 and Souflias 11

Olympiakos Volou - Near East 86-98
Quarter: 21-28, 43-52, 60-77, 86-98
Olympiakos Volou top scorers: Nanis 25, Tsolis 17, Giannis Tsourelis (185-G-81) 18 and Politis 17
Near East top scorers: Rigas Papargilopoulos (202-F-86) 27, Christos Gavanopoulos (198-G-85) 17, Andreas Sizopoulos (189-G-83) 14.

Goumenisa - Lavrio 83-80
Quarter: 24-23, 46-37, 68-64, 83-80
Goumenisas's top scorers: Antoniadis 19, Matenidis 16, Darakis and Klepkos 13 each.
Lavrio's top scorers: Psileas 28 and Giannakopoulos 21

KAOD - Anagennisi/Floga 84-77
Quarter: 22-16, 48-37, 52-60, 84-77
KAOD's Top scorers: Kyriakos Papadopoulos (199-F-74) 21, Maslarinos 14, Bourdanos 11 and Filiousis 11
Anagennisi/Floga's top scorers: Spiropoulos 16, Rozolis 13 and Zarogiannis 12

Doukas - Ermis Lagkada 56-75
Quarter: 17-27, 29-47, 45-58, 56-75
Doukas's top scorers: Apostolos Matzioris (201-F-84) 21
Ermis's top scorers: Dimitriadis 21, Troulialis 13 and Siolios 11.

Ikaros Kallitheas - Aigio 91-83
Quarter: 20-22, 42-38, 67-60, 91-83
Ikaros's top scorers: Katoufas 18, Martzos 14, Georgiou 14 and Emmanouilidis 21
Aigio's top scorers: Tirlas 26, Christoforos Stavroulakis (202-F-82) 18 and Prokos 11.

Ikaroi Serron - Alimos 101-69
Quarter: 22-17, 54-43, 81-52, 101-69
Ikaroi Serron top scorers: Asimakis 39, Sdrakas 18, Georgantzas and Topouzis 11 each.
Alimos's top scorers: Anthis 17, Tsougarakis 25 and St. Vrinas 13

Milonas - Amyntas 81-88
Quarter: 20-22, 43-40, 62-60, 81-88.
Milonas's top scorers: Vlavianos 19, Kiritsis 15, Kalaitzakis 14 and Karababas 13
Amyntas's top scorers: Samothrakis 25, Zoupas 13 and Barbas 11

Top scorers after 23 weeks:
Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74) of Aigio 493 points
Nick Psileas (200-F-80) of Lavrio 418 points
Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) of Olympiakos Volou 399 points (in 21 games)
Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81) of Olympiakos Volou 387 points (in 22 games)
Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80) of Aigio 376 points
Kostas Dinas (189-G/F-80) of Komotini 323 points
Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-G-79) of Ikaroi Serron 322 points
Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77) of KAOD 316 points
Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81) of Makedonikos 303 points
Sotiris Katoufas (206-F-79) of Ikaros Kallitheas 303 points
Nicos Papakonstantinou (182-G-84) of Ermis Lagkada 292 points (in 21 games)
Tasos Dimitriadis (201-C-82) of Ermis Lagkada 287 points
Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82) of Lavrio 267 points
Theologos Vlavianos (196-G-86) of Milonas 265 points
Tassos Baggi (187-G-75) of Goumenissa 262 points
Nikos Michalos (192-G-77) of Near East 249 points
Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80) of Anagennisi / Floga 246 points
Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72) of Alimos 219 points (in 22 games)
Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77) of Doukas 222 points
Dimitris Karatzios (202-F-78) of Doukas 194 points (in 18 games)
Achilleas Klepkos (206-C-78) of goumenisa 201 points (in 22 games)

B' Division: Week 24 - Results and Scorers -by Chris Mammides

Week 24: Near East is going to seal the first ticket to A2 next week (if wins) mathematically. The next two positions will be played untill the last game as there are at least 5 teams for the two positions.

The results were:


Alimos - Olympiakos Volou 96-79
Quarters: 22-19, 41-36, 67-48, 96-79.
Top Scorers:
Alimos: Anthis 20, Tsolakis 24, Tsougarakis 18 and Vrynas 10
Olympiakos Volou: Nanis 24, Tsolis 17, Politis 14 and Tsourelis 12

Anagennisi / Floga - Goumenisa 90-63
Quarters: 28-17, 52-31, 76-49 and 90-63.
Top Scorers:
Anagennisi / Floga: Pittakas 16, Thymnios 10, Spiropoulos 18 and Zarogiannis 12.
Goumenisa: Bagi 9, Matenidis 10 and Gotsos 12.

Ermis Lagkada - KAOD 70-62
Quarters: 20-19, 36-32, 53-46, 70-62.
Top Scorers:
Ermis: Troulialis 15, Dimitriadis 14 and Paritsis 10
KAOD:: Bourdanos 15, Daliaris 22 and Maslarinos 12

Aigio - Doukas 86-69
Quarters: 21-14, 40-27, 61-46, 86-69.
Aigio: Prokos 10, Tirlas 14, Mandalakis 16 and Stavroulakis 15.
Doukas: Mantzioris 19 and Petrakis 13

Near East - Milonas 90-72
Quarters: 23-13, 44-26, 64-45 and 90-72.
Top Scorers:
Near East: Giorgos Papoulidis (206-C-79) 14, Papargiropoulos 12 and Sizopoulos 16.
Milonas: Vlavianos 16, Bikas 12.

Amyntas - Makedonikos 76-62
Quarters: 28-18, 43-35, 56-49 and 76-62.
Top Scorers:
Amyntas: Samothrakis 17, Zoupas 14, Vogiatzis 13.
Makedonikos: Kathopoulis 11 and Giannis Mitsakis (181-G-81) 20

Komotini - Ikaros Kallitheas 75-73 in OT (64-64)
Quarters: 21-8, 37-36, 50-44, 64-64, 75-73 OT.
Top Scorers:
Komoptini: Giannis Mouzakitis (182-G-83) 27 and Koutsovasilis 16
Ikaros Kallitheas: Martzos 14, Katoufas 12.

Lavrio - Ikaroi Serron 96-92
Quarters: 18-17, 42-38, 66-56, 96-92.
Top Scorers:
Lavrio: Darko Rallis (180-G-78) 21, Giannakopoulos 18, Psileas 24 and Kousoulas 13.
Ikaroi Serron: Sdrakas 31, Pappoudas 20 and Topouzis 19.

Top scorers after 24 weeks:
Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74) of Aigio 503 points
Nick Psileas (200-F-80) of Lavrio 442 points
Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) of Olympiakos Volou 423 points (in 22 games)
Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81) of Olympiakos Volou 404 points (in 23 games)
Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80) of Aigio 390 points
Kostas Dinas (189-G/F-80) of Komotini 332 points
Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-G-79) of Ikaroi Serron 325 points
Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77) of KAOD 318 points
Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81) of Makedonikos 312 points
Sotiris Katoufas (206-F-79) of Ikaros Kallitheas 315 points
Nicos Papakonstantinou (182-G-84) of Ermis Lagkada 300 points (in 22 games)
Tasos Dimitriadis (201-C-82) of Ermis Lagkada 302 points
Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82) of Lavrio 285 points
Theologos Vlavianos (196-G-86) of Milonas 281 points
Tassos Baggi (187-G-75) of Goumenissa 269 points
Nikos Michalos (192-G-77) of Near East 249 points (in 23 games)
Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80) of Anagennisi / Floga 253 points
Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72) of Alimos 219 points (in 22 games)
Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77) of Doukas 228 points
Dimitris Karatzios (202-F-78) of Doukas 203 points (in 18 games)
Achilleas Klepkos (206-C-78) of Goumenisa 209 points (in 22 games)



*****************************************************
IBL

Explosion Bounce Back -by Jason Clark
Snohomish County Explosion bounce back and return to their winning ways at home on Saturday March 29th with a 123-109 tune up of the Tacoma Jazz.

The Jazz offense was shut down by the Explosion with many of their 109 points coming after the game was out of reach. Team defense for the Explosion was led by Lockdown Defender Kyle Keyes (6'2''-G-78, college: Montana) who routinely shuts down his match up with cat quickness. Keyes continues to perform on both ends of the court with a line of 17 points and 5 assist while going 2-3 from behind the arc. Keyes is shooting 50% from 3pt range and 60% from the field on the season while still perfect from the free throw line at 100% as he continues his offensive efficiency.
New additions to the Explosion Jermaine Blackburn (6'7''-G/F-83, college: Boise St.) and Jamie Booker each dropped 21 points for the explosion. Booker scored all of his points from behind the arc as he was unconscious connecting on 7 of 13 three point shots. Jermaine Blackburn proves to be an offensive machine as he scored 53 points for the Explosion in their 2 games this weekend.
Alex Adediran (6'8''-F/G-82, college: Binghamton) led the way for the Jazz with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

IBL Week in review -by Jeffrey Duncan
-It was a week of firsts in the IBL. Snohomish County lost back to back
games for the first time in team history. The first Japanese team is
set to join the IBL in 2009. The Nippon Tornados will be based out of
the USBA in Blue River, Oregon, just outside of Eugene. Nippon will
play the majority of their games with the NW Cluster of teams.
Currently, the China Shanxi Kylins are based in the USBA. The first
head coach in LA Lightning history was announced. Ron Quarterman will
be pacing the sidelines for LA this season. Quarterman has experience
coaching in the ABA and Pierce College.



-SnoCo lost to Bellingham 115-108 March 22nd in the latest grudge match
between these two rivals who are only about 60 miles apart. There is
definitely no love between these teams. Hey, what's wrong with a little
healthy hate! General Manager Brad Sturlaugson of the Snohomish County
Basketball team announced today that the IBL League Commissioner will be
reviewing the game film of the March 22nd game with the Bellingham Slam.
'I will be sending Commissioner Mikal Duilio the game film and he will
be reviewing it for discrepancies involving one referee in particular
with calls made during the game', stated Sturlaugson. Ryan Diggs paced
the Slam with 20 points, and Paul Hafford added 19. Donald Watts was the
game's top scorer, finishing with 26 points for the Explosion. Jamal
Miller, starting point guard for the Explosion was tossed in the first
half after an altercation. Loss number two came at the hands of the
much improved Vancouver Volcanoes March 28th. Vancouver came out on top
128-120 in a foul plagued game at Clark College in Vancouver, WA.
Donald Watts was not in uniform for the Explosion who didn't seem in
tune defensively the whole game. Porter Troupe topped the Volcanoes
with 30 points and also grabbed 9 boards. Kevin 'Pip' Bloodsaw also had
a great outing with 29 points and seven boards. Newcomer Jermaine
Blackburn showed he will be a player to watch this season, finishing
with a game-high 35 points in his first action for the Explosion.



-The Holland Blast is off to a 3-0 start this season with impressive wins
over Windy City, Gary and Grand Rapids. March 28th at the Holland Civic
Center the Holland Blast topped the 140 mark for the second consecutive
game in defeating the Gary Steelheads 147-136 IBL All-star Jared Bledsoe
had a monster night for the Blast, recording an impressive double-double
with 35 points and 22 rebounds-both game-highs. Dennis Springs and
David Williams also finished with double-doubles for the Blast. Springs
had 28 points and 11 boards, while Williams scored 11 points and snagged
10 rebounds. Aaron Spears led the Steelheads with 22 points. March
29th Holland defeated Grand Rapids 13-126. Dennis Springs led the Blast
with 34 points in the victory, and Jared Bledsoe contributed 34 points.
Former Blast player Terrance Shaw was the game's top scorer, pouring in
39 points in the loss. Holland may be a challenger to Elkhart, Battle
Creek and Gary in the East.



-On March 28th a much improved Windy City team put a damper on the Grand
Rapids Flight's home opener by defeating the Flight 119-108 in front of
1,500 fans at the DeltaPlex Arena. Barry Bradford led five Soldier
players in double figures with a game-high 31 points. DeMarcus Bolden
pitched in 21 points in the win. Kenny Langhorne's 27 points led the
way for Grand Rapids. Windy City is 3-3 so far this season, far cry
from their 0-18 campaign a year ago.



-The two time defending IBL champs Elkhart Express are off to a 2-0 start
this season with victories over Gary, 125-117, and Windy City, 120-115.
The corp. of last season's team has been leading the way for Elkhart.
Tim Pledger, Ced Moodie and Coleco Buie are putting up big numbers so
far. Newcomers Michael Brownlee and Chris Charles are adapting nicely
to the Express and giving the team a big lift. Brownlee averaged about
26 points a game last year for Marysville.



-Grand Rapids has struggled out of the gate. After a couple easy wins
over the USA All-stars, the Flight has dropped two in a row. Grand
Rapids dropped a 119-108 decision to Windy City then lost to the high
flying Holland Blast 139-126. The flight has talent so look for them
to turn things around. Micah Lancaster, Kenny Langhorn and Terrance
Shaw are all having nice seasons so far. Sun Ming Ming has not joined
the Flight yet.



-The Vancouver Volcanoes are proving they are for real. Back to back
victories over two of the strongest teams in the west, Bellingham and
SnoCo, show Vancouver is ready to challenge for the west title. The
Volcanoes avenged a March 15 loss versus the Explosion with Friday's
128-120 win at Clark College. Porter Troupe topped the Volcanoes with
30 points and grabbed 9 boards. Kevin 'Pip' Bloodsaw also had a great
outing with 29 points and seven rebounds. In the victory over
Bellingham on March 29th, seven Volcanoes were in double figures lead by
Kevin Bloodsaw's 22 points. Kevin Tyner and Jake Carlisle chipped in 21
apiece. Vancouver is off to a 4-1 start and leads the west division.



-Bellingham is off to a bit of an uneven start to the 2008 season. They
split with SnoCo, beat Tacoma, and lost to Vancouver. The Slam has a
lot of talent so look for them to be in the mix in the playoff race out
west.



-Tacoma has only played two league games so far, losses to Bellingham and
SnoCo, so it's hard to get a gauge on them so far. Tacoma beat the USA
All-stars earlier in the year. So far Dontay Harris and Alex Adediran
are leading the way for Tacoma.

*****************************************************
IRELAND

The Tigers won Superleague Championship 2008 -by Eurobasket
Abrakebabra Tigers - DART Killester 66-62 (29-38) (K Donaghy 21, M Quirke 20, J Teahan 7 - M Bonaparte 16, J Behan 14, A Dahi 13)

Abrakebabra Tigers duo, Kieran Donaghy (198-G/F-83) and Michael Quirke (198-C-80), were in buoyant mood after their side claimed this season's Nivea For Men's SuperLeague title with a 66-62 win over DART Killester at UL's Sports Arena on Sunday.
'I'm delighted with our team effort today, we really proved that we wanted this win more than anything and everyone out there played with real determination,' said Tigers hero Kieran Donaghy.
'I was worried in the beginning because when we lost Chris Jordan (193-G-82, college: Sam Houston St.) to foul trouble it looked like a repeat of the National Cup Final all over again but everybody gave their all with Gerard Myles (188-F-88) and Micheal Quirke taking control of the game in the closing stages and when it mattered most.'
Meanwhile, Tigers captain and worthy MVP recipient, Michael Quirke said: 'It was a team effort that gave us the win and when it counted in the fourth quarter, all our guys were hungrier for the win.'
'We have had some tough times this season and we are delighted to win particularly after losing the cup earlier in the season.
John Tehan (185-G-71) opened the scoring for Tigers, with a big three, indicating their intentions of reclaiming some silverware this season after losing out in the Cup in January. DART took time to settle with Tralee playing strong defence to contain the big hitters in Killester's Michael Bounaparte and Arnoud Dahi. Michael Goj set the scoreboard rolling for Killester and a big three from Bonaparte saw it five all half way through the quarter. Dahi found his range and added six for Killester with Micheal Quirke playing a captain's role, strong under the boards and penetrating in the offence with six points in the first quarter which saw Tigers trail by one, 20-21.
A big three from Kieran Donaghy at the start of the second put Tralee ahead, 23-21 but they struggled under the pressure of the Killester press and Killester continued to punish any mistakes with a superb display of outside shooting from the Dubliners, in a quarter that saw John Beehan, Michael Goj and Bonaparte combine to score four big three pointers to put Killester ahead by ten, with three minutes to play until the half-time whistle, 25-35. Free throws from Paddy Kelly added two for Killester, with baskets from Donaghy and Teehan reducing the lead to seven, 29-37, with two minutes remaining. A foul by Donaghy sent Bonaparte to the line, converting one from two and they held a nine point lead going to the dressing rooms.
Micheal Quirke opened the second half for Tralee with a two but Dahi and Bonaparte worked well together to further extend Killester's lead to 11 points, 34-45. A big three from Quirke with six minutes remaining brought Tralee back in the game but a technical call on Chris Jordan sent Beehan to the free throw line for two and the additional possession saw Killester push ahead 37-49. A basket from Teehan and two big three's from Gerard Myles and Donaghy, saw Killester's lead reduced to four with three minutes to go. Bonaparte and Donaghy each converted one from two to maintain the four point difference going into the final minute of the quarter but a big three from John Beehan just before the buzzer saw Tralee enter into the final quarter trailing by six, 47-53.
A three from Quirke, narrowed the gap in the opening minute and a big rebound from Pete Strobl (205-F-77, college: Niagara), saw Tralee set up another two points from Quirke to bring it down to a one-point game, 52-53. A strong drive by Donaghy tied the game 54 all with eight minutes still to play in the quarter. Gerard Myles, had a fantastic game for Tralee and his two points in the sixth minute saw Tigers take the lead for the first time in the game, 58-56. Coach Mark Keenan called a time-out to regroup his side and Killester pressed for the remainder of the quarter. A fifth foul by Dahi, saw him leave the game with just over two minutes remaining and Quirke converted one to maintain the two point advantage. Bonaparte followed up with a three for Killester but Quirke again was instrumental with another two points and an intentional foul by Bonaparte sent Donaghy to the line to convert both and retain possession with 1:30 to go, 65-62. A pass from Donaghy travelled the length of the court to find Chris Myles under the Killester basket and a big check from Paddy Kelly sent Myles to the free throw line to claim the Nivea for Men's SuperLeague Trophy and Champions title on a score line of 66-62.

MVP: Michael Quirke (Abrakebabra Tigers)
Courtesy of Basketballireland

Eurobasket.com All-Irish Superleague Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Quirke


Bonaparte


Todd


Dahi


Gamble
Player of the Year: Michael Quirke (198-C-80) of Tigers
Guard of the Year: Terrence Todd (183-G) of UCC Demons
Forward of the Year: Michael Bonaparte (196-F-82) of Killester
Center of the Year: Michael Quirke of Tigers
Bosman Player of the Year: Pete Strobl (205-F-77) of Ballina
Import Player of the Year: Michael Bonaparte of Killester
Domestic Player of the Year: Michael Quirke of Tigers
Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Hilleary (202-C) of St.Pauls
Coach of the Year: Mark Bernsen of Tigers

1st Team
Michael Quirke of Tigers
Michael Bonaparte of Killester
Terrence Todd of UCC Demons
Arnaud Dahi (202-F-83) of Killester
Kenneth Gamble (201-F-75) of DCU Saints

2nd Team
Levi Levine (198-F-82) of UCC Demons
Carl Hadley (193-F) of Tigers
Mathew Gorman (203-C-84) of Neptune
Brian Nieman (198-G/F-84) of Ulster
Pete Strobl of Ballina

3rd Team
Jonathan Reed (183-G-81) of Hoops
David Ryan (201-F-84) of UCD Marian
Lawrence Summers (175-G-83) of Ballina
Matt Hilleary of St.Pauls
Kiah Thomas (193-G-83) of Limerick

Honorable Mention
Jim Clement (198-F-83) of UCD Marian
Michael DeCorso (192-G/F-85) of Neptune
Nick Covington (188-G-85) of St.Pauls
Adrian Gross (201-C-85) of Ulster
Patrick Kelly (191-F-80) of Killester
Ian O'Boyle (191-G-84) of Hoops
Kieran Donaghy (198-G/F-83) of Tigers
Kevin Foley (193-G/F-83) of UCD Marian
Kieran O'Brien (203-F/C-82) of Neptune
Eoin O'Brien (183-G-77) of St.Pauls
Paris Katsimpas (183-G-84) of Tigers
Matthew Clement (201-F) of Belfast Star

All-Domestic Players Team
Michael Quirke of Tigers
Patrick Kelly of Killester
Ian O'Boyle of Hoops
Kieran Donaghy of Tigers
Kevin Foley of UCD Marian

All-Imports Team
Carl Hadley of Tigers
Michael Bonaparte of Killester
Arnaud Dahi of Killester
Terrence Todd of UCC Demons
Kenneth Gamble of DCU Saints

Larranga wins, Moran loses -by Mariano Galindo
Former Real Madrid player James Larranaga scored 10 points in the Pepsi Caserta's triumph over Banco Seregna (96-74) Irish player, who a few days ago announced his presence in the next Irish National team's matches that are going to play this summer, remains being one of the best players in Pepsi Caserta, which is second in the Legadue table.

Spains brings bad news for us. Kalise Gran Canaria lost against Tau Ceramica (81-69) and still is out of play off positions. Moran played 22:55 minutes and scored 3 points. Pete Mickeal, with a good performance that includes 15 points and 6 rebounds, was the MVP of the game.


*****************************************************
ISRAEL

Ramat Gan and Brown part ways -by Yarone Arbel
Ironi Ramat Gan will finish this season without one of their foreigners - Robert Brown (195-F-80, college: Buffalo). The springy forward returned in mid-season to the team he helped survive in the league in the past season, and showed his arsenal this season as well, but an incident with coach Rubi Balinko resulted a divorce. Ramat Gan played against Maccabi Tel Aviv on the road on Thursday night. At some point in the game coach Balinko called a time out, during which an argument erupted between him and Brown. The played was sent to the locker room until the end of the game, and after a few days of talks the two sides decided to part ways.

*****************************************************
ITALY

Standings - B1
B1 Standings
Group A
1. Venezia 17-6
2. Casalpuster. 17-6
3. Lumezzane 15-8
4. Forli 15-8
5. Ticino 14-9
6. Fidenza 12-11
7. Omegna 12-11
8. Vigevano 12-11
9. Treviglio 11-12
10. Ozzano 10-13
11. Asti 7-15
12. Vado Ligure 6-16
13. Modena 6-17
14. Riva del Garda 6-17
Group B
1. Siena Virtus 17-6
2. Brindisi 17-6
3. Trapani 17-6
4. Osimo 16-7
5. Latina 14-9
6. S.Antimo 13-10
7. Matera 12-11
8. Ferentino 11-12
9. Fossombrone 10-13
10. Potenza 9-14
11. Patti 9-14
12. Firenze 7-16
13. Gragnano 6-17
14. Porto Torres 3-20


*****************************************************
JORDAN

TeamUnity agency publishes a new website through the net... -by Mohammed Malas
TeamUnity, A pure Jordanian agency owned by ex-Arena and Al Wihdat coach Gheith Najjar and US based Hend Abu Farie, Has now a website on the net under the address http://www.teamunity.org ...

Many well known players signed contracts to be represented in middle east by TeamUnity such as Randy Livingston (193-G-75, college: LSU), Mark Strickland (208-F/C-70, college: Temple), B.J. Puckett (206-F-83, college: Clayton St.), Adam Spanich (200-F/G-76, agency: Duran International, college: USC), Antonio Wyche (193-F-77, college: Notre Dame) and others.....The agency has a team which usually participate in Long Beach Summer league in the United States and they will be back again this summer.....Previously they were part of Southern California Summer League,

The agency is looking to be more developed in future to increase their vision to include the whole middle east soon as big efforts are being made to make this goal come through soon....

We hope the best for this agency....GoodLuck

*****************************************************
LATVIA

Baltic League 1.play-off round -by Gunars Gailitis

Baltic League 1.play-off round

ASK Riga - Nevezis (LTU) 96-71 ( 35-11, 21-21, 17-18, 23-21), in sum 148-125

Curtis Millage (185-G-81, college: Arizona St.) 20, Broyles 15, Valters 11, Bramlett 11+10reb, Sanders 10; Gintaras Leonavicius (194-G-83) 17, Stankus 16, Butkevicius 13+11reb

BK Ventspils - Kalev/Cramo 68-83 (13-25, 21-29, 20-13, 14-16), in sum 123-153


Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80, college: S.Florida) 18, Akingbala 16+11reb, McNamara 11; Mateo Kedzo (207-F/C-84) 20, Reed 19+7reb, Scott 15, Frier 12


Barons/LMT - VEF Riga 70-62 (18-13, 13-18, 20-14, 19-17 ), in sum 147-129


Kaspars Berzins (211-F/C-85, agency: FCM) 13, Adomaitis 12, Skele 11; Evgeni Kolesnikov (194-G-85) 13, Zakis 12, Gailitis 11



LBL standings
LBL Standings
Division I
1. Barons/LMT 11-2
2. BK Ventsp. 11-2
3. Valmiera 11-8
4. VEF Riga 10-9
5. ASK Riga 9-2
6. Liep.Lauvas 9-10
7. Bum./ASK 3-17
8. Keizarmezs 2-16
Division II
1. Zemgale 26-5
2. Ventspils au. 24-7
3. RNS-D/Livani 20-12
4. ASK/Juniors 20-12
5. Jurmala 14-17
6. LU/Ridzene 13-18
7. Roja 12-20
8. Saldus 7-25
9. Cesis/Remarks 6-26


Stats Leaders
LBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Ozols (Jurmala) 21.5
Kanbergs (VA) 20.0
Berkis (Zemgale) 17.8
Rudzitis (Bum.) 17.6
Mizis (LU/Ridz.) 17.6
Rebounds Per Game
Stimac (Valmiera) 11.3
Ed.Eglitis (LU/Ridz.) 8.8
Neilands (Roja) 8.4
Licitis (Saldus) 8.4
Alexander (Barons) 8.1,
Assists Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 7.3
Tiss (Saldus) 4.5
Buskevics (ASK) 4.4
Olivero (Valmiera) 4.0
Raiskums (Zem.) 4.0
Steals Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 3.2
Millage (ASK) 2.6
Skele (Barons) 2.5
Blocks Per Game
J.Rozitis (ASK/Jun.) 2.7
D.Rozitis (Cesis) 2.4
Rich (Liepaja) 2.4
Ranking
Stimac (Valmiera) 21.7
Kanbergs (VA) 20.9
Raiskums (Zemgale) 20.2


*****************************************************
LEBANON

Standings - Division A
Div.A Standings
1. Al Riyadi 13-0
2. Moutahed 10-3
3. Sagesse 9-4
4. Blue Stars 6-7
5. Antranik 5-8
6. Champville 4-9
7. Feytroun 4-9
8. Anibal 1-12


*****************************************************
LUXEMBOURG

Black Star wins vs. Soleuvre!!! Former Black Star Coach Terence Stansbury and Soleuvre relegated to National 2!!! Black Star stays with T71 in DBBL!!! BBC Nitia also relegated! -by Alex Meyers
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Black Star Mersch - AS Soleuvre 66-65

It was a very important weekend for AS Soleuvre and Black Star Mersch. Playing without American import Scott Hazelton(suspended), Black Star rose to the occasion to win by 1 point 66-65, relegating Soleuvre to National 2 and will remain in the DBBL for 2008-09.

Patrick Arbaut led Black Star with 20 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
Julien Hublart and Daniel Norell added 16 and 15 points. Sean Hampton put in a solid double-double performance for the losing squad with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Christian Weisen added 13 and Pitt Koster 12 for Soleuvre. Black Star Mersch will finish up the season this weekend hosting T-71 on Saturday, April 5 at 8:30pm. BBC Nitia will host AS Soleuvre in the last game day of the season for the poule maintian teams.

Black Star: 25 field goals, 4 three pointers, 26 rebounds, 10 for 22 free throws, 12 fouls and 9 turnovers.
P. Arbaut 20, Norell 15, Hublart 16, Hansen 4, Muepa 8, also Y. Arbaut 3, Dulovic and Mutombo.
Soleuvre: 25 field goals, 5 three pointers, 38 rebounds, 10 for 15 free throws, 16 fouls and 6 turnovers.
Hampton 25, Koster 12, Hemmen, Weisen 13, Loesch 2, also Berthle 4, Controguerra 1 and Mersch 8.


Score by quarters: 1st Q 19-12, Halftime 33-37, 3rd Q 48-52, Final 66-65

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MONTENEGRO

Standings - 1A
1A Standings
Superleague
1. Lovcen 0-0
2. Niksic 0-0
3. Buducnost 0-0
4. Mogren 0-0
5. Danilovgrad 0-0
6. ABS Primorje 0-0
Play-Out
1. Ulcijn 3-0
2. Jedinstvo 2-0
3. Mornar Bar 1-1
4. Rudar 1-2
5. Primorje-M. 1-2
6. Kotor 0-3


MNT 1A Play-out 3.Round : Primorje-Rudar 74-79,Ulcinj-Kotor 77-73 -by Dragan Scepanovic
In first two game of Montenegrin 1A Play-Out League Pimorje lose against Rudar Pljevlja 74-79 (28-27,18-16,15-25,13-11) and in city of Ulcinj Basketball Club Ulcinj win in game against BC Kotor 77-73 (22-11,18-20,19-16,18-26).In team of Primorje best was Mihajlovic with 16 points,in team of Rudrar best was Dzogaz with 23 points and Mirko Vukajlovic (198-G-80) with 21 points,in team of Ulcinj best was Srdjan Djuric with 21 points,in team of Kotor best was Dzudovic with 15 points and 6 asist.

*****************************************************
MOROCCO

Day 16 Results -by Nour Amri
The biggest win was for IRT who travelled to Casablanca and came away with a hugely important 72-74 victory. The game was finely poised going into the last ten minutes but the visitors produced a great final period to take the win, taking advantage of some generous Motopenza defence with senegalese power forward Papis Diouf claiming 21 points while Marouane Kechrid scored 15 hitting three from outside in money time. It was a measured and controlled performance by IRT who looked after the ball and held their nerve to finish on Amine Barazi's buzzer shot. First win for IRT's new coach Nizar Mesbahi who said that self-confidence and team spirit are slowly getting back to his squad.

The biggest shock perhaps of the week was FUS winning MAS by 94-86. It was a truly inspirational win for the team that has struggled all season and can breathe oxygen again with this victory. Bangoura Mourlaye (23 points, 14 rebounds) was the man of the game as FUS took advantage of slack MAS defence.

It was a similar story in Casablanca where the home team TSC won WAC who still did not recover from his last week devastating Cup loss versus RCA. WAC's coach Driss Ghissassi was sacked in the beginning of the week and Raduan Haddany was appointed head coach. Inconsistent TSC team picked up an unexpected 65-55 win.

The other results of the day saw ASS edge past MET 58-72 and KAC crushing CMC 81-53.

Standings - Men
D1 Standings
1. IRT 14-2
2. MAS 12-4
3. RCA 12-4
4. ASS 12-4
5. WAC 11-5
6. KAC 6-10
7. FUS 5-11
8. TSC 4-12
9. CMC 3-13
10. MET 1-15


*****************************************************
NBA

Standings
NBA Standings
1. Boston C. 57-15
2. Detroit P. 52-21
3. San Antonio S. 50-23
4. N.Orleans H. 49-22
5. Houston R. 49-23
6. Los Angeles L. 49-24
7. Phoenix S. 49-24
8. Utah J. 48-25
9. Orlando M. 47-27
10. Dallas M. 45-27
11. Denver N. 45-28
12. Golden St. 44-28
13. Cleveland C. 40-33
14. Washington W. 38-34
15. Portland T.B. 38-36
16. Toronto R. 37-35
17. Philadelphia 37-36
18. Atlanta H. 32-40
19. Sacramento K. 32-40
20. New Jersey N. 31-43
21. Indiana P. 30-43
22. Chicago B. 29-44
23. Charlotte B. 28-45
24. Milwaukee B. 24-48
25. Los Angeles C. 22-51
26. New York K. 20-52
27. Memphis G. 19-54
28. Minnesota T. 18-53
29. Seattle S. 17-56
30. Miami H. 13-59


Denver posts vital win over Golden State -by Eurobasket News
The Denver Nuggets returned into playoff picture with a 119:112 home win over Golden State. The hosts overcame an injury-stricken performance from Allen Iverson (6'1''-G-75, college: Georgetown) to upset the Warriors and leapfrog them into the 8th spot in the West. Allen Iverson hit his broken right ring finger early in the game and it influenced his further game. He sank just 4/20 from the field to finish with 14 points and 8 assists for the Nuggets. Denver received a major boost from Kenyon Martin (6'8''-F/C-77, college: Cincinnati) as he produced season-high 30 points to go along with 11 boards and 2 blocks. Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) contributed 25 points and J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85) scored 20 points despite going on 1/9 from downtown. Baron Davis (6'2''-G-79, agency: Life Sports, college: UCLA) answered with 28 points and 7 assists for the Warriors. But the star point guard known for his ability to sink money shots missed two important three-pointers in the final minute sealing the victory for the home side. Stephen Jackson (6'8''-F-78, college: Butler County CC) delivered 25 points and 5 boards in defeat. Denver moved a half-game ahead of the Warriors in the West. The Nuggets also just half-game shy of the 7th-ranked Dallas in the ladder. Golden State will host Dallas in another intriguing matchup on Sunday.
The Phoenix Suns gradually find the right attitude and Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72, college: LSU) works hard to fit hundred percent into the lineup. It worked pretty well yesterday when the Suns outgunned the New Jersey Nets 110:104 in East Rutherford. Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) usually topscored for Phoenix with 33 points and 15 boards and the Suns tied the Lakers atop the Pacific Division. Leandrinho Barbosa (6'3''-G-82) provided 21 points, while Shaquille O'Neal added 17 points and 7 boards for the winners. Vince Carter (6'5''-G-77, college: N.Carolina) canned 30 points for the struggling Nets. They lost their second in a row and appeared two games behind Atlanta in the race for the 8th spot in the East. New Jersey tried to bounce back from an 11-point deficit before the fourth term. They cut the margin to 5 points with less than a minute to go. But Shaquille O'Neal dropped two free throws and the Suns got away for good.

*****************************************************
NCAA1

North Carolina and UCLA make it to Final Four -by Eurobasket News
The North Carolina Tar Heels beat Louisville in the East Regional final to reach the Final Four stage of the NCAA championship. Tyler Hansbrough (6'9''-F-85) was once again the leading figure for the Tar Heels as he tallied 28 points and 13 boards to pace the nation's #1 title favorite to the win. He was named the Regional MVP after the game and was 100% worth it. North Carolina now heads to San Antonio to face the winner of Davidson vs. Kansas fight. It's quite an improvement after the last year's loss in the Elite Eight round to Georgetown.
North Carolina looked better in the first half and deservedly accumulated a 12-point lead at the interval. But the Cardinals struck back early in the second half to claw their way back into contest. They denied the deficit and tied the score at 59 midway through the half. But the Tar Heels survived. Ty Lawson (5'11''-G-87) hit a trey and Tyler Hansbrough followed Earl Clark (6'8''-G/F-88)'s bucket with a jumper to keep North Carolina up 73:66 with just over 2 minutes remaining. Tyler Hansbrough then completed another two-point play and stretched the margin to 9 points with just over a minute left. The Tar Heels then stayed alert and held on to the winning outcome. Ty Lawson and Danny Green (6'5''-G/F-87) contributed 11 points, while Wayne Ellington (6'4''-G-87) finished with 13 points for the winners. Jerry Smith (6'1''-G-87) chipped in 17 points for Louisville. Terrence Williams (6'6''-F-87) added 14 points in a loss.
Meanwhile UCLA ensured their 18th overall and third straight trip to NCAA Final Four. The Bruins relied on junior Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88), who notched 19 points and 10 boards to secure the Bruins handle Xavier 76:57 yesterday. Kevin Love was voted as the West Regional MVP after the game. UCLA now awaits the result of Memphis against Texas clash to get to know their semifinal opponent. The Bruins piled up a 9-point lead at halftime and then cleared off for good with a 14:0 run early in the second half. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6'7''-G/F-88) contributed 13 points and 13 boards, while Darren Collison (6'0''-G-87) canned 19 points for UCLA. Derrick Brown (6'7''-F-87) led Xavier with 13 points. Josh Duncan (6'9''-F-86) nailed 11 points for the Musketeers.

USA U18 team finishes fourth in Germany -by Eurobasket News
USA U18 national team completed their Albert Schweitzer Tournament campaign in the fourth place. USA youngsters reached the semifinal stage overcoming one of the tournament's favorites Spain 102:101 in arguably the most dramatic encounters at the tournament. USA overcame a 10-point first term deficit to come out on top at the end. Irving Walker (5'10''-G) stepped up with game-high 32 points, 9 assists and 8 boards to lead USA. Travis Releford (6'5''-G) added 30 points for the winners.
However the 4th win turned out to be the last one for North American team at the competition. In the semifinal USA Juniors faced Turkey. The game was real scorcher with the teams keeping it close for the most of the action. Turkish team built a 2-point lead at halftime and was able to stretch it to 8 points before the final stanza. But USA players did not say die as they cut the deficit to minimum late in regulation but the European side survived claiming the Final birth. Irving Walker once again topscored for USA with 30 points. Travis Releford secured 17 points and 7 boards, while Cashmere Wright (6'2''-G) provided 13 points in defeat.
USA then played against Australian counterparts for the Bronze medals. The Emus managed to hold the main offensive threat for USA Irving Walker to only 10 points and 6 assists and it was the key to success. Aussies celebrated a confident 87:67 victory leaving USA at the fourth spot. Jeffree Withey (7'1''-C) paced North American team with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Wally Judge (6'8''-F) added 15 points and 10 boards in a losing effort.

*****************************************************
NEW ZEALAND

Waikato improves to 4-0 -by Eurobasket News
The Waikato Pistons continued to march undefeated through the NBL season. The fourth win came in the battle against the Harbour Heat. It was once again the import duo of Jason Crowe (193-G-76, agency: Court Side, college: Cal.St. Northridge) and Brian Wethers (194-F/G-80, college: California) that doomed Waikato's opponents. American guards teamed up for 58 points and Waikato coasted to the 4th consecutive victory. The Pistons looked too good for the Heat at the North Shore Events Centre. They opened up a 16-point cushion at the interval. The gap was widened to as many as 20 points in the third period and the Pistons' reserves appeared on court in the final period. Brian Wethers topscored with 32 points and 11 boards for the Pistons. Jason Crowe contributed 26 points, while Puke Lenden (195-G-80) finished with 8 in winning clause. Daryl Cartwright (201-F-77) answered with 19 points and 9 boards for Harbour. Oscar Forman (205-G/F-82) had 17 points and 12 boards in the second loss for the Heat.
Meanwhile the Wellington Saints eased past the Otago Nuggets 90:67 in the curtain-dropping game of Round 5. The Saints dominated the game at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington. They never trailed en route to a 90:67 win and improved to 4-3 record. Otago dropped their 6th straight despite game-high 26 points from Lemar Gayle (198-F-79, college: CSU Bakersfield). Troy McLean (194-G-79) paced the hosts with 22 points. Arthur Trousdell (203-F/C-81, college: Cameron) and Marquis Webb (197-G/F-84, agency: Octagon, college: Rutgers) notched 20 points apiece for the winning side.
The defensing champions Nelson Giants ensured their second win as they handled Auckland 93:91 in overtime. Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in extra period. American import led the Giants with 27 points. Christopher Daniel (197-G/F-85) tallied 23 points, 7 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Casey Frank (203-F-77, college: N.Arizona) posted game-high 28 points for the Stars. Larry Bratcher (197-G-75, college: Fayetteville St.) secured 23 points and 9 boards in defeat.

Standings Men
NBL Standings
1. Waikato 4-0
2. Nelson 4-2
3. Auckland 4-2
4. Wellington 4-3
5. Taranaki 4-3
6. Harbour Heat 3-2
7. G&H Hawks 2-2
8. Manawatu 1-3
9. Canterbury 1-4
10. Otago 0-6


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NORWAY

Aliens back on top -by Kaare Vangen

Asker Aliens are the new BLNO champions. Today they beat Harstad Vikings for the third straight time to get a 3-0 win in the finals. This is Asker Aliens' fourth title in five finals. And all titles have come with 3-0 victories. Harstad is still the only team to win over Aliens in the finals after they came back from 0-2 in 2006.

Harstad scored the first basket and had a kind of initiative in a match that seemed close until the third minute in the second period. Aliens then put on a 20-2 run. Vikings came back for a short while in the end of the period. Bjorn Risshall (200-F/C-76, college: Modesto JC) made the first basket in the beginning of the third period and Vikings were only 9 points down. Mustafa Mahnin (182-G-80) and Asker Aliens responded immeditately and the lead was never less than 8 points for the rest of the match.

Asker had a very balanced score and got points from all nine players who were on the court. Mustafa Mahnin was man of the match for Aliens and led his team on the court and in scoring in a brilliant way with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. He seems to be on a level that can bring him to new challenges outside Norway if he wants. A nice thing for Asker is that young players like Stian Mjøs and Christian Hinsch have had very good performances in clutch time. Harstad once again missed Jeff Rogers who was out with an ankle injury he got in the first final. Bjorn Risshall has stepped up and was the leader of his team but it didn't help enough. Harstad only got points from their starting players.


Asker Aliens - Harstad Vikings 91-77 (17-17, 26-14, 21-24, 27-22), Asker wins BLNO championship 3-0

Attendance: 910 in Vollenhallen

Asker: Mustafa Mahnin 25, Ronny Karlsen 18, Stian Mjøs 14, Brett Olsson 12, Lars Jæger Torkildsen 9, Christian Hinsch 6, Jeremy VanKlompenburg 4, Jannik Tuffel 2, Espen Stien 1

Harstad: Bjorn Risshall 25, Mario Woodsen 21, Thomas Vangen 13, Fredrik Knutsen 9, Robertas Bitinas 9



*****************************************************
NPBL

Standings
NPBL Standings


Changes in Hawks roster too -by Gianni Pascucci
Just before the last Round of games, the Hudson Valley Hawks made some huge changes in their attempt for a repeat NPBL Championship. The team' s recent struggles have prompted the front office to let go of head coach Dean Smith, as well as assistant coach Arthur Felder. The Hawks filled the vacant head coaching position by promoting assistant coach Adam Spencer to fill the spot. Current assistant Sam Sanders is serving as Coach Spencer's head assistant coach currently, however the Hawks are looking to add two more assistant coaches by the middle of this coming week. Two new players were also added to the roster, Justin Skipwith (-G-83, college: Post) and Jonathan Thorpe (6-5-F)

Week 4 results -by Gianni Pascucci

The last NPBL round was again disappointing for reigning champins Hudson Valley Hawks: they took on the Maryland BayRaiders on the road, and despite their recent roster changes they felt again. The BayRayders won 124-121 with Darnell Sneed (6'2''-G-70, college: Charleston So.) and Antonio Manns (6'0''-G-69, college: Wyoming) leading their team to victory with 27 points a piece. The Hawks top performers were Willie Coleman (6'0''-G-84) with 34 points and 8 assists and Amseshem Foluke-Henderson (6'6''-G/F-84, college: New Paltz St.) who had 20 pts and went a perfect 9 for 9 from the field. The Hawks received some help offensively from new player Justin Skipwith (-G-83, college: Post) who scored 17 pts. Thanks to this win, the BayRayders reach the NY Strikeforce at the top of the table, undefeated. In the other game of week 4, The Elmira Bulldogs used a strong glass control to defeat, 139-134 the Westchester Monarchs. The true difference maker was the bulldogs newest player Kevin Ross (6'8''-F-79, college: Cleveland St.). Kevin picked up an amazing 25 rebounds on the glass to go along with 15 points. Joining him on the boards was MacKenzie Clark (6'9''-C-83, college: Auburn-Montgomery) who finished the game with 17 rbs, 24 pts and 10 blocks (trpple double) as the two big men combined for 42 rebounds!!! Darwin Young (6'2''-G-85, college: Buffalo) added 21 pts, 9 rebs and 6 assists. But the main scorer was David Ruffin (6'4''-G/F-84, college: Hartford), the NPBL's leading scorer and best player so far this season, who ended the game with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. The Monarchs were led by Telron Spell (6'4''-G/F-82, college: Bridgeport) who finished with 34 points.



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PBL

Rochester wins title -by Gianni Pascucci
The Rochester RazorSharks clearly defeated the Arkansas Impact 142-112 in the Premier Basketball League's first Championship Game. With this win, the RazorSharks doubled the triumph in 2006, when they won the ABA title. It is the second championship title for the team in the past three years and their 45th consecutive win at home. The game was led till the beginning by the Sharks, who pointed on ther size and dominated under the board. Keith Friel (6'4''-G-77, college: Virginia) scored a season-high 35 points, sinking 7 of 14 3-pointers. He was named the game's MVP. Marlin Johnson (6'4''-F-75, college: Monroe CC) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for Rochester.

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PORTUGAL

Standings - UZO Liga
UZO Liga Standings
1. Ovarense 17-3
2. Porto Ferpinta 16-4
3. Vagos 10-10
4. CAB 9-11
5. Belenenses 8-12
6. Ginasio 8-12
7. Lusitania 7-13
8. Barreirense 5-15


Standings - Proliga
Proliga Standings
1. Benfica 24-2
2. Vitoria 24-2
3. Queluz 19-7
4. Illiabum 18-7
5. Fisica 16-10
6. Academica 15-11
7. Esgueira 13-13
8. Seixal 11-15
9. Sampaense 11-15
10. Sangalhos 11-15
11. Angra 11-16
12. Atletico 9-17
13. Galitos FC 7-19
14. Maia 6-21
15. Aguiar 0-25


Proliga round 28 -by Luis Rocha
Important round, the 2 best teams (both playing far better them all the others at least for the time being...) Benfica and Vitoria played at Lisboa. Vitoria won fair and square 77-69, and made Benfica look like an easy team to beat, impressive. Vitoria managec to be with 20 points in the lead, but Benfica made a good come back shorten things up, and keeping the lead in Proliga because won by 9 at Guimaraes. Without Miguel Minhava (197-G-83) and Leroy Watkins (202-C-76, agency: Interperformances, college: Illinois St.) Benfica looks to weak, Vitoria has solved better the depart of Nuno Pedroso (187-G-79). Queluz won at Sampaense 71-69 in a very important game, they couldn't loose to kept Illiabum at close sight. The rest was business as usual, just a remark to highlight Seixal-Atletico, a good game between two old clubs with great basketball tradition, Seixal won 75-72. Marcel Momplaisir (205-C-81, college: Rhode Island) of Fisica, with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks and Victor Akinyanju (201-C-84, college: Quinnipiac) of Angra, with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals and 5 blocks were the round MVP's.

Liga UZO round 21 -by Luis Rocha
Last regular season round. With the exception of Barreirense all the teams would have something to fight for, lookimg for the best position to enter the playoff. Lusitania going trough a bad period of time lost heavily to Belenenses 63-84, Belenenses for his turn is getting better again. Barreirense with a lousy regular season won over Ginasio 82-79. The Barreiro team has solutions to solve their problems and be a tough contender in the playoffs, but they surely need to be more competitive and consistents. CAB with many physical problems in their roster made a very good game and managed to won 97-86 over a tired and unmotivated Vagos. Finally Ovarense took advantage of their deeper roster against Porto. They won 75-69, and when it comes to rest players Ovarense has without any doubt more solutions to use. Jose Costa (187-G-73) playing for CAB was the MVP of the week with 31 points, 6assists and 5 steals.

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PUERTO RICO

Captains lose 4th game in a row -by Luis Ramirez
The Arecibo Captains lost against the Fajardo Cariduros 85-79 for their 4th loss in a row. In fact the Cariduros have beaten the Arecibo Captains in two consecutive games. The game started out with Fajardo dominating the 1st quarter 24-18. The Captains got their offense going in the 2nd quarter and regained the lead to close out the 1st half 43-35. In the 2nd half things seem to be going the Captains way as they continued to build their lead and at the end of the 3rd quarter were leading 65-55. In the 4th quarter the Cariduros mounted a torrid defense and the Captains would only score 14 points in the quarter while the Cariduros would explode for 30 points to take the win. For Fajardo, Chris Jackson (208-C-81, college: N.Mexico St.) scored 19 points followed by Kevin Hamilton with 18 points. For Arecibo, Rodney White (206-F-80, college: Charlotte) scored 24 points followed by Bobby Joe Hatton with 15 points.

Over at Ponce, the Giants could not be stopped. They beat the Lions 92-85. The Giants took the lead in the 1st quarter 22-19 and were leading at the half 44-33. In the 2nd quarter it was more of the same as the Giants would continue hitting their 3 point shoots, while the Lions could not respond and their main gun Joel Jones Camacho was not hitting his long jumper. The Lions did manage to close the gap to just 3 points in the 4th quarter, but it was Angelo Reyes with a 3 pointer of his own that took the wind out of the Lions and they would not recuperate in the rest of the game. For Carolina, Filiberto Rivera (187-G-82, college: UTEP) scored 21 points followed by Angelo Reyes with 15 points. For Ponce, Gabriel Colon (200-G/F-84, agency: Next Level) scored 20 followed by Joel Jones with 18 points. It is important to mention that the Giants made 13 three pointers in the game, while Ponce would only respond with 5 of their own.

Standings - BSN
BSN Standings
Island
1. Arecibo 10-6
2. Ponce 8-7
3. Caguas 6-7
4. San German 5-9
5. Mayaguez 4-9
6. Guayama 4-10
Metro
1. Santurce 10-4
2. Guaynabo 9-5
3. Carolina 9-5
4. Fajardo 8-7
5. Humacao 6-7
6. Bayamon 6-9


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RUSSIA

Only 10 teams will participate on Russian Superleague 2009-2010 -by Max Brodsky
Russian Basketball Federation executives recently had a meeting. One of the main subject of this meeting was Russian Superleague future. They decided that there will be only 10 participante professional basketball clubs on 2009-10 basketball season.

Russian Basketball Federation also decided to ban from National and International competitions small forward of B.C. Khimki Pavel Gromiko who broke a valid contract with his team.

Look at this Georgian ! ! ! -by Max Brodsky

Republic of Georgia was always distinguished by many talented international players like: Vladimir Stepania (212-C-76), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83), Zaza Pachulia (212-C-84), Vladimir Boisa (209-F/C-81), Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86), Manuchar Markoishvili (196-G-86), Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) and etc.

Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) who was born in 1989 and started playing basketball just 3 years ago. This kid became very interesting after he was picked in Georgian National Team in August of 2006. He has participated in many international camps and tournaments and a lot of coaches, international scouts, agents started commenting on him.


For example Luciano Capicchioni who is a president of biggest international basketball management 'Interperformances' said: 'In my 30 years of experience in basketball business, I have never seen the talent like him.'


Anybody would think that Capicchioni was just kidding if there were not some other big time basketball coaches and scouts who were commenting on Shermadini. For example assistant coach of Atlanta Hawks Herb Brown (brother of Larry Brown) said following on Basketball Without Borders camp in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2006: 'I am impressed by his talent. If it was possible, I would take him in my team even now.'


Faruk Akagun who is international scout of Detroit Pistons and legendary Turkish coach (First coach of Efes Pilsen Istanbul) and life-coach of Mehmet Okur (210-C/F-79) mentioned: 'Giorgi is as good as 'Memo' (Mehmet Okur) was at that age.' while Rob Orellana famous Spanish coach who did a great job for pushing Pau Gasol in the NBA said: 'I am sure that Giorgi Shermadini will reach the level of Pau Gasol in near future.'


Giorgi Shermadini just started workouts with one of the most famous personal trainer Joe Abunassar in Los Angeles, CA who was training Kevin Garnett (208-F-76), Chauncey Billups (191-G-76, college: Colorado), Baron Davis (187-G-79, agency: Life Sports, college: UCLA), Vince Carter (196-G-77, college: N.Carolina), Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) and etc. Shermadini is preparing for NBA Draft 2008 and the sayings from American coaches was very surprising especially from coaches who are coaching Giorgi Shermadini's rivals on upcoming NBA Draft. For example coach of Roy Hibbert (218-C-86) Dwayne Bryant said following on Giorgi Shermadini: 'I think Shermadini is a damn good player. I coached Roy Hibbert the 7'2' kid that's at Georgetown. I played at Georgetown with Alonzo Mourning (209-C-70, college: Georgetown) and Dikembe Mutombo (218-C-66, college: Georgetown) and he is as good right now as any of those guys. Giorgi is very skilled and I think he would be a perfect fit for the style of play at Georgetown University.'


Young Georgian player who started basketball just 3 years ago has very big chance to become 5th Georgian player picked on NBA Draft. He has his Official Website where his Biography, Stats, Videos, Photos are available for everybody at: www.shermadini.com



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SERBIA

Play-off quarterfinals: Hemofarm STADA and Zadar advanced to Final 4 -by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA beat Buducnost 75-69 for the 4th time this season in Vrsac winning the play-off quarterfinal series 2-1. Hemofarm showed better performance in the first half as the orange team had 28-18 in 18th minute. After Pavkovic's 3-pointer, Hemofarm extended lead to plus 14 with 3 minutes remaining. At the end Buducnost once again showed its toughness and with strong defense succeeded to come closer on 66-61 but Joksimovic, Pakvovic and Marshall were successful from the FT line and didn't let visitors to make a surprise. Center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) paced the winners collecting 15 points and 7 rebounds. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) followed him with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Nemanja Gordic (195-G-88) scored 20 points for Buducnost.

It seems that Zadar and FMP are not able to play a game without thriller finish. Once again luckier team was Zadar, who made victory over Panthers 74-73 thanks to two FTs and a steal by Brewer. Namely, Zadar went into the last minute of the game with 72-69 after what Protic scored 2 FTs while on the other side Barac missed two times. At FMP's next possession Labovic made a lay-up for minimum lead 72-73. But then Brewer stepped up, first with two free throws and later he stole the ball from PG Protic. Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) led his team to win with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) had 21 points and 6 rebounds in FMP.

Union Olimpija totally smashed Crvena Zvezda in Ljubljana 88-60 so the third game will be decisive which team will join Partizan Igokea, Hemofarm STADA and Zadar on Adriatic league Final 4. Since the beginning Olimpija played much better making plus 7 after first ten minutes. On the half time it already was 47-23 for the hosts and it was obvious that Zvezda is not able to give a bigger effort until the end. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart), who had 16 points and 4 rebounds, and Ronell Taylor (196-G-82, college: UAB), who finished the game with 15 points and 5 rebounds, were the best for the winners. Zvezda got the most from Bosnian hot prospect Elmedin Kikanovic (210-C-88, agency: Beo Basket), who had very good night netting 16 points.


Hemofarm STADA - Buducnost 75-69
(13-9,21-18,20-16,21-26)

Hemofarm: Vukosavljevic 15 (7 rebs), Marshall 14 (5 rebs), Pavkovic 11 (6 as)
Buducnost: Gordic 20, Otasevic 11 (5 rebs, 4 st)


Zadar - FMP 74-73
(22-15,17-17,17-26,18-15)

Zadar: Brewer 23 (8 rebs), Gecevski 17 (5 rebs), Johnson 15 (5 rebs)
FMP: Erceg 21 (6 rebs), Protic 20 (8 as)


Union Olimpija - Crvena Zvezda 88-60
(22-15,25-8,19-18,22-19)

Olimpija: Bailey 16 (4 rebs), Taylor 15 (5 rebs), Milic 14 (7 rebs), Rizvic 12 (6 rebs)
Zvezda: Kikanovic 16, Dragicevic 8 (4 rebs), Raicevic 8

Standings - A Liga
A League Standings
1. Swisslion Tak. 17-5
2. Vizura 14-8
3. Borac 14-8
4. Radnicki 034 13-9
5. Mega AM 12-10
6. Sloga 12-10
7. Novi Sad 11-11
8. Masinac 10-12
9. Zdravlje 9-13
10. Napredak 9-13
11. Radnicki NS 9-13
12. Ergonom 2-20
13. Vojvodina -
14. FMP -
15. Hemofarm -
16. Crvena Zv. -
17. Partizan -


Serbian A league 2007/2008 is finished ! -by Dragan Jankovski
Serbian A league ended last week-end. Swisslions Takovo, Vizura and Borac advanced to the Superleague and joined Partizan Igokea, Crvena Zvezda, Hemofarm STADA, FMP and Vojvodina Srbijagas in the battle for the championship title! Zdravlje Actavis and Ergonom are relegated and they will play next season in Serbian B league.

Except of the mach Borac - Ergonom 101-65 other games didn't have a competition pressure because everything else was already known. MVP of the last round with index value 35 is hot prospect of Mega Aqua Monta Uros Nikolic (207-F-87), who collected 28 points and 10 rebounds in win over Radnicki 034 Group. Second MVP of the round is Stefan Majstorovic (199-F-85) of Ergonom while Goran Martinic (187-G-87) of Novi Sad is on the third place.


Final standings of Serbian A league 2007/2008

1 Swisslions Takovo 17-5
2 Vizura 14-8
3 Borac 14-8
--------------------------------
4 Radnicki 034 Group 13-9
5 Mega Aqua Monta 12-10
6 Sloga 12-10
7 Novi Sad Panonska Banka 11-11
8 Masinac 10-12
9 Radnicki Invest Inzenjering 9-13
10 Napredak Rubin 9-13
---------------------------------
11 Zdravlje Actavis 9-13
12 Ergonom 2-20


Last round:

Zdravlje Actavis - Vizura 87-71
(23-18,26-21,15-25,23-7)

Zdravlje: Lucic 19 (9 rebs), Jereminov 18, Marojevic 16 (10 rebs)
Vizura: Buric Dejan 14 (7 rebs), Avlijas 14 (6 rebs), Balmazovic 11


Swisslions Takovo - Napredak Rubin 92-78
(22-22,23-12,31-23,16-21)

Swisslions: Vlaskovic 15, Mladenovic 14 (5 rebs), Jovanovic 13 (6 rebs)
Napredak: Markovic 29 (6 rebs), Gojnic 15, Milicevic 14 (6 rebs)


Sloga - Masinac 72-70
(16-21,21-21,15-17,20-11)

Sloga: Popovic 19, Dasic Jugoslav 17 (5 rebs), Grubisic 14 (11 rebs)
Masinac: Habus 15, Mirkovic 14 (9 rebs), Rakic 12 (6 rebs, 5 as)


Borac - Ergonom 101-65
(25-13,26-17,20-25,30-10)

Borac: Zocevic 24, Markovic 18 (4 rebs), Ilic 16 (8 rebs)
Ergonom: Majstorovic 25 (8 rebs), Mikic 21 (6 rebs)


Mega Aqua Monta - Radnicki 034 Group 91-83
(24-22,23-26,19-15,25-20)

Mega AM: Nikolic 28 (10 rebs), Stojacic 17, Katnic 16 (7 as)
Radnicki: Milosevic 18, Janjusevic 14, Draskovic 12 (8 rebs)

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SLOVENIA

Games of The UPC Telemach League on March 29th -by Jan Flac
In the 5th round of The League For The Existence Kraski Zidar Sezana won against Rogla Zrece with 88:77 (20:16, 28:14, 20:18, 20:29). Excellent Mitar Trivunovic (196-G-77) scored 26 points; Pavlovski added 12, Rozman 11, Mocnik 13 and Sekulic 13 points for Sezana. Sivka's 12 Remus's 20, Cigoja's 12, Grkovic's 25 were not enough for the surprise. Rogla's chances to stay in the UPC Telemach League next season, are now even lower.

Zagorje KD Financna tocka took advantage of the home court and won against Alpos Sentjur with 76:70 (15:20, 17:19, 20:12, 11:12, 13:7) in the overtime. Though, Sentjur still stays on the top of the list of The League For The Existence with the advantage of one win. Scorers for Zagorje were Dimnik with 14, Savkovic with 18, Delalic with 15 and Goodrich with 17 points. Kostomaj added 13, Nedeljkovic 11, Misiraca 11 and Stevenson 12 for Sentjur.

In the 2nd round of The League For The Champion, Zlatorog Lasko lost against Helios Domzale with 77:96 (17:25, 20:22, 19:19, 21:30). Masic achieved 21, Harris 19 and Mason 10 points for Lasko. For Helios Mance added 14, Troha 23, Ingram 20 and Mocnik 12 points. Helios was better opponent through the whole game.

Elektra Esotech lost against Krka with 63:70 (17:17, 20:24, 12:15, 14:14). For the home team Kunc added 10, Vrecko 12 and Bubnic 18 points. Scorers for the guest team were, Sorrentine with 17, Marcelic with 22, Balazic with 15 and Mihailovic with 9 points.

TCG Mercator lost against Geoplin Slovan with 89:99 (22:21, 22:24, 15:35, 30:19). Ljubenovic (13 pts, 10 eff), Erzen (12 pts, 8 eff), Julevic (10 pts, 12 eff) and Cubela (27 pts, 19 eff) were most efficient players of TCG Mercator. For Slovan six players achieved 10 or more points: Clemons 13, Klobucar 10, Novak 13, Johnson 20, Modric 10, Jokic 12.

Krka, Helios and Slovan are now all with 3 wins on the top of the list of The UPC Telemach League.

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SOUTH KOREA

Samsung Squeeze Past LG Sakers By 3 -by Rick Ross

In the second game of the KBL Play-Off's Samsung Thunder 3rd Seed
Came away with a 3 pt victory over 6th seeded LG Sakers in their best of
3 Series in Seoul 94-91, Terrance Leather Terrence (206-C-81, college: S.Florida) lead Samsung with 24 pts 11 rebs for the Win,
Warner Calvin (201-F/C-80, college: Jacksonville) Lead all Scores with 38 pts and Blankson Odartey (201-F/G-82, agency:

Naiditch Entertainment, college: UNLV) added 21 pts and 11 rebs
For LG Sakers.

KT&G move to SK Knights Home Monday With 1 game up in the best of 3 series.....!
LG Sakers will host Samsung in Changwon Tue April 1st......!



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SWEDEN

Swedish U18 team completes their travel to Germany -by Eurobasket News
Swedish U18 finished the prestigious Albert Schweitzer tournament yesterday. The last game did not bring much positive emotions for Sweden as they lost the battle for the 7th spot to Spain. However on the whole Swedish youngsters left the tourney hopeful as they performed some impressive basketball during the week's action in Manheim. The last encounter for Sweden in the competition started optimistically as they grabbed a 28:25 lead after 20 minutes of action. But it was a different Spanish team on the court after the long intermission. Spaniards thumped their opponents and rolled to an impressive 75:46 win at the end. Alexander Lindqvist (202-G-91) scored 17 points and pulled down 6 boards to lead Sweden. Andreas Person (188-G-91) and Omar Zaghden (204-F/C-90) came up with 8 points apiece in a losing case. Swedish team shot only 28% from the field and committed 22 turnovers.

Solna ties the series against Oresundskraft -by Eurobasket News
Solna made a decisive push in the final stanza to overwhelm Oresundsktaft 87:82 away from home and tied the quarterfinal series at 1-1. The Vikings overcame a sizzling performance from Herman Favors (173-G-84, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Georgia St.) and an early deficit to pull away with a vital victory. The hosts held on a 23:22 lead in the starting stanza and was not about to give it up easily. The Vikings nevertheless managed to surge ahead in the second period and arrived to halftime leading by 4 points. Oresundskraft kept it close throughout the third stanza trimming the deficit by one point. It gradually came up to the final seconds in this one but Solna survived due to some big shots from Rudy Mbemba (181-G-87) and Lesli Myrthil (200-F-77, college: Wagner). Rudy Mbemba provided 23 points, while Brandon McKnight (188-G-83, college: Purdue) added 19 for the Vikings. Lesli Myrthil had 13 points for the winning side. The home team answered with game-high 29 points from Herman Favors. Jens Stalhandske (190-G/F-78) and Anders Ronndahl (201-F-77) netted 12 points apiece in a loss. Game 3 is scheduled for April 1.
Meanwhile Sodertalje broke free in their matchup against 08 Stockholm. The Kings came from behind in the fourth period to upset 08 on the road 91:89 and jumped to 2-0 lead in the series. Sodertalje were up by 7 points after 10 minutes of action but 08 got back on track in the next two quarters. The hosts outscored the opponents 49:41 and entered the final term leading by a single point. But Sodertalje grabbed a narrow win at the end and stepped closer to the semifinal stage. Greg Dilligard (203-F-85, agency: Warren Sports) topscored with 18 points for the Kings. Jonathan Skjoldebrand (203-C/F-83, agency: Arik Krayn Services) chipped in 16 points and Rickard Eriksson notched 13 for the winners. Jeremiah Johnson (183-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Niagara) replied with 25 points for 08 Stockholm. Nashid Beard (208-F-82, college: Lamar) dropped 19 in a loss.

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SWITZERLAND

Vacallo wins Swiss Cup -by Eurobasket News
Lugano Tigers - Vacallo Basket 65:76

Vacallo received a major boost for their season as they triumphed in the Swiss Cup. Vacallo outpaced Lugano in the title decider to raise the Cup. The game started somehow shockingly for the Tigers as they lost one of their leaders Duane Erwin (206-F-82, college: Memphis). He fell awkwardly under the rim and was taken to hospital for examination. Without their leading rebounder Lugano needed to deal with a big hole in their defensive schemes. It did not quite work out well in the opening stanza as Vacallo ran away to a 24:9 distance. The Tigers gradually adjusted to the game and started to return to life in the second period. They outscored their opponents 22:19 and drove to the long break trailing by 12 points. But Vacallo were not about to give this one up. They came off the dressing room firing from all guns and quickly stretched the buffer. Lugano suddenly struggled offensively and managed just 12 points in the frame. It was enough for Vacallo to accumulate a 19-point lead heading into the fourth term. It turned out to be an unassailable margin for Lugano. They cut the gap to 11 points but never got any closer and suffered a defeat at the end. Martin Mihajlovic (208-C-81) scored 23 points to pace Vacallo. Ricky Gibson (191-G-84, college: Stillman) nailed 15 points in a winning case. Zainoul Bah (186-G-84) answered with 21 points for Lugano. Derek Stockalper (196-G/F-84, college: Cal Poly - SLO) contributed 13 points in defeat. The Tigers outrebounded the winners 33:25 and shot 40% from the field. Vacallo converted 53% from the field and forced 15 turnovers.

Lugano: Zainoul Bah 21, Derek Stockalper 13
Vacallo: Martin Mihajlovic 23, Ricky Gibson 15, Nikola Dacevic (205-G/F-79, agency: Interperformances) 13

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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

Duncan should be considered for Most Improved Player Award -by David Edole
Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News

Seated courtside at AT&T Center two hours before tipoff of the Spurs-Nets game March 2, Nets boss Rod Thorn watched Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) draining one practice free throw after another and mused: 'How come Tim has so much trouble making his free throws in the game?'

Informed that in the six games since the All-Star break Duncan had made more than 80 percent of his foul shots, Thorn arched his eyebrows and whistled.

'Are you kidding me?' he said. 'Well, if Tim Duncan makes 80 percent of his foul shots, it's all over for the rest of us.'

The Spurs have played 16 more games since Thorn's observation, and Duncan has not cooled off from the line. In 22 games since the All-Star break, Duncan has made 124 of 154 free throws, 80.5 percent, raising his percentage for the season to 73.8.

Did Duncan visit Marie Leveaux's voodoo shop over All-Star Weekend in The Big Easy and have a spell cast on his free-throw stroke?

Duncan would prefer not to talk about his free-throw shooing at all, but he has noticed that teams aren't fouling him as much as they once did when it was a smarter alternative than letting him shoot his array of shots in the low post.

'We always wanted our guys to foul him late in games, rather than let him shoot,' Thorn said, 'but if he's going to make 80 percent, you can't do that.'

I'm not sure what has changed for Duncan at the foul line, but I do know how serious he has been about correcting the only serious flaw in a Hall of Fame skill set.

In fact, I believe Duncan merits consideration for this season's Most Improved Player Award, for that very reason.

Ordinarily, perennial All-Stars aren't given a moment's thought when it comes time to vote for the MIP Award, and for good reason. If you are a perennial All-Star, and especially if you've been the No. 1 overall draft pick, you're already supposed to be good.

The MIP Award is for journeymen and fringe players who have to work harder on their games than those blessed with natural talent.

What has happened, though, is that the MIP Award now seems to have more to do with circumstance than hard work. Tracy McGrady won it in 2000-01 because the Raptors traded him to Orlando, where his playing time ballooned and he became the Magic's primary scorer. Boris Diaw won in 2005-06 after the Hawks, who had given up on him, traded him to a Phoenix Suns team where his skills perfectly meshed with Mike D'Antoni's system and Steve Nash's passing.

Did they, or any of several other winners whose performance benefited from added playing time, truly improve their games?

'All they did was get more minutes, so their stats went up,' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, not specifically about McGrady or Diaw, but about many previous MIP Award winners.

We media voters like to have quantifiable criteria. That is why Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu, who is on pace to have career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists, is probably going to win the award this season. The Eastern Conference coaches should have put him on the All-Star team, but didn't, and he's a good guy who works hard on his game, too.

Turkoglu's improvement isn't related to getting more minutes, but his circumstances certainly changed. He benefited when the Magic landed Rashard Lewis over the summer and replaced Brian Hill on the bench with Stan Van Gundy. Now he gets more open looks and more opportunity to create.

Nevertheless, I will have no problem with his winning the award. He has made the most of his increased opportunities.

Duncan's improvement, though, is just as significant. He is on pace to increase his free throw percentage from 63.7 percent to 73 or 74 percent. It's an improvement so dramatic that the Spurs have been able to adjust how they play in crunch time, and that is huge. No longer are they reluctant to run the offense through Duncan when the game is on the line for fear the opponent will opt to foul him, as Thorn said always was part of the Nets' game plan.

'It helps that he gets the ball a lot more down the stretch because he can make a free throw,' Popovich said. 'He has confidence in it. He's done a good job.'

Popovich said teams don't yet seem to understand how much better Duncan has become on the line.

'Don't tell them,' he said.

Sorry, Pop. Besides, I think they would have figured it out on their own before the playoffs begin.



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Women News

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Tracy Gahan signs with the Connecticut Sun -by Eurobasket News
The Adelaide Lightning MVP Tracy Gahan (183-G-80) just signed a training camp contract with the WNBA side Connecticut Sun. She will join Erin Phillips (173-G-85) and Jessica Foley (182-G-83, college: Duke) on the Suns' roster. Tracy Gahan was drafted in the third round in 2002 by the New York Liberty. However the team axed her before the season started and Tracy Gahan pursued career in Europe and in Australia since then. She spent the last two seasons with the Lightning. She averaged 13 points, 9 boards and 2.7 assists per game in the last season. Her career stats with the Lightning come up to 12.7 points, 8.8 boards and 2 assists. She is Iowa State University graduate. There she scored 14.9 points and collected 7.6 boards in her senior year.

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BELARUS - Women

Berezina and Olimpia ended their campaigns winless -by Eurobasket News
The semifinal stage held in Vilnius and Cesis came to an end today. Four teams qualified for the Final Four stage of the BWBL. Cesis secured their third win in Pool B and finished the pool play atop the ladder. They bruised Berezina 76:58 today behind 22 points from Jessica Moore (191-C-82, college: Connecticut). Lasma Jekabsone produced 14 points for the winners. Aksana Dauharukava (184-F-73) and Anzhela Duboiskaya (185-F-73) responded with 22 points apiece for Berezina. Belorussian team ended their semifinal campaign winless. Olimpia lost the last game to Laisve 52:78 as Tatiana Lihtarovich (176-G-88) nailed 19 points and made 8 rebounds.

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BWBL - Women

Final Four tickets booked in BWBL -by Eurobasket News
The semifinal stage held in Vilnius and Cesis came to an end today. Four teams qualified for the Final Four stage of the BWBL. The third day of the semifinal round carried on the only intrigue. It was the storyline for TTT Riga vs. Arvi clash as they fought for the second available spot in Pool B. But the games itself did not quite live up to all expectations. TTT Riga thrashed their opponents to complete the Final Four picture. A perfect defensive effort from the Riga's outfit limited Arvi to just 35 points as TTT coasted to a 66:35 victory. TTT Riga held Arvi to 17 points in the first half and accumulated a 32:17 lead at the interval. Arvi outscored TTT in the third stanza but only to cut the deficit by a single point. Riga raised the tempo in the fourth quarter and easily sealed the winning outcome at the end. LaTanya White (170-G-82, college: Mississippi St.) scored 13 points to pace TTT. Elizaveta Kityzina (194-C-80) and Aija Brumermane (191-C-86) provided 10 points apiece for the winners. Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) dropped 11 points in a losing case.
Cesis secured their third win in Pool B and finished the pool play atop the ladder. They bruised Berezina 76:58 today behind 22 points from Jessica Moore (191-C-82, college: Connecticut). Lasma Jekabsone (191-C-85, college: Florida Intern.) produced 14 points for the winners. Aksana Dauharukava (184-F-73) and Anzhela Duboiskaya (185-F-73) responded with 22 points apiece for Berezina. Belarusian team ended their semifinal campaign winless.
TEO Vilnius and Tim-Scuf clashed in the battle of Group A leaders today. TEO overwhelmed Ukrainian side 74:56 to ensure their top spot in the pool play. The second term proved decisive as the hosts outgunned Tim-Scuf 21:5 in it. Ukrainian team never recovered in the second half and lost finished in the second spot. Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) scored 16 points for TEO. Jurgita Streimikyte (191-F-72) nailed 16 points and Kristin Haynie (175-G-83, college: Michigan St.) added 13 for Vilnius side. Yelena Savina (186-F-84) led Tim-Scuf with 17 points. Inna Yegorova (173-G-82) contributed 12 points in a losing effort.

Standings
BWBL Standings
Group A
1. TEO Vilnius 3-0
2. Tim-Scuf 2-1
3. Laisve 1-2
4. Olimpia 0-3
Group B
1. Cesis 3-0
2. TTT Riga 2-1
3. Arvi 1-2
4. Berezina 0-3


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CYPRUS - Women

Standings - women
A1 Standings
1. AEL 14-0
2. Keravnos 12-2
3. Anagennises 8-6
4. Achilleas 8-6
5. Etha 4-10
6. ENAD 4-10
7. Apoel 3-11


AEL beat very difficult Keravnos Strovolou and is now leading 2-1 -by Chris Mammides
The Limasol champion, AEL got some difficulties in the third game against Konstantinos Filippopoulos's Keravnos Strovolou but finaly lead the series with 66-63. It is more than obvious that the Greek-Cypriot Head Coach gave the needed spirit to the girls of Keravnos Strovolou and they bacame tough and very pasionate untill the last second of their game. Tonight they made a great comeback as they 'slept' in the first quarter by scoring only 8 points, the first quarter (or actually the first half) seemed to be the most crucial one as Linos Gavriel girls took an early lead of 16 points, 24-8 which actually kept them untill the end. Supermarket Demos Keravnos tried and gave their best shot in the next thirty minutes but the initial difference was really great adn even though players such us Antonia Makri (174-G-79), Mirjana Velisavljevic (187-C-78) and Pavlina Charalambidou (186-F/C-81) tried their best, they simply couldn't cover the initial shock in Melford Arena.
Kalia Papadopoulou (166-G-80) and Biljana Pavicevic (191-F-80) were the top performers and top scorers for AEL with 18 and 17 points followed by Ancuta Stoenescu (171-G-80) with 11 and Eleni Theodorou (170-G-85) with 14. On the other hand Konstantinos Filippopoulos's Keravnos had as a top scorer and perforemr the ex AEL player Antonia Makri with 19 points followed by the newcomer Serbian Mirjana Velisavljevic with 16 and Pavlina Charalambidou with 10, Michaela Vezenkova (191-F-84, college: NC-Wilmington) added 8 points
The quarters were: 24-8, 43-27, 56-43, 66-63
The next game will take place in Strovolos next Wednesday in case Keravnos win there will be a fifth game in Melford Arena otherwise, AEL will celebrate its second consecutive title.

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CZECH REPUBLIC - Women

Standings - ZBL (W)
ZBL Standings
A1
1. Gambrinus 24-0
2. USK Praha 20-4
3. Karlovy Vary 12-12
4. Valosun B. 12-12
A2
1. Trutnov 17-10
2. Sparta Praha 16-11
3. Hradec Kralove 15-12
4. Strakonice 7-20
5. Tabor 5-22
6. Usti n/Labem 1-26


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GREECE - Women

A1 Womens Stats Leaders
A1 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 QUAYIE (Aias) 20.3
2 REEVES (Meg) 18.1
2 MURPHY(Apolon) 18.1
3 DAVIS (Apolon) 17.1
5 TIERNY (Sport) 16.8
6 QUIGLEY (Siem) 15.86
7 QUEENAN (Pan) 15.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 TIERNY SPO 81
2 REEVES ALE 69
3 CHRISTOFORAKI 59
4 CARVER AST 58
5 DAVIS APO 58
Assists Per Game
1 GOUZINI ATH 38
2 WILLIAMS ALE 34
3 KARABATZAKI 24
4 KALENTZOU 24
5 DELI PANIONIOS 22
Steals Per Game
1 WILLIAMS Kim 28
2 HAGIYA IRAKLIS 19
3 QUAYE AIAS 18
4 MURPHY APO 17
5 PAPADIMOU 14
Blocks Per Game
1 BIBIRI IRAKLIS 10
2 NERO ATHINAIKOS 6
3 KATOPODI IRAKLIS 5
4 NIKOLAIDOU PAN 5
5 KERR ARIS 4
2FGP
1 QUIGLEY SIE 41
2 NERO ATH 40
3 REEVES ALE 37
3FGP
1 KOCH SPORTING 19
2 SCOTT ESP 17
3 DELI PANIONIOS 15
4 MURPHY APOLLON 14
Free Throws
1 THORN PANION 95%
2 KALENTZOU ESP 89%
3 KALTSIDOU ESP 89%


Standings - Women
A1 Standings
1. Esperides 20-4
2. Panionios 19-5
3. Athinaikos 16-8
4. Panathin. 15-9
5. Kastoria 14-10
6. Apollon 14-10
7. Aris H. 14-10
8. M.Aleksandros 12-12
9. Sporting 12-12
10. Paghiakos 10-14
11. Siemens 10-14
12. Asteras 7-17
13. Iraklis 3-21
14. Aias Evosmou 2-22


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IRELAND - Women

Stats Leaders Superleague
Superleague Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Nieman, Ulster 31.2
2 Hadley, Tigers 28.5
3 Kelly, Star 27.9
4 Gamble, Saints 25.9
5 Clement, Star 25.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 Clement, Star 17.5
2 Gamble, Saints 17.0
3 Gross, Ulster 16.1
4 Quirke, Tigers 14.4
5 Hilleary, St.Pauls 14.3
Assists Per Game
1 Summers, Ballina 9.4
2 Reed, Hoops 9.3
3 O'Brien, St.Pauls 9.1
4 Donnelly, Saints 5.9
5 Donnelly, Saints 5.7
Steals Per Game
1 Summers, Ballina 5.1
2 O'Brien, St.Pauls 3.6
3 Hadley, Tigers 3.1
Blocks Per Game
1 Hilleary, St.Pauls 3.4
2 Donaghy, Tigers 2.4
3 Clement, Star 2.4
2FGP
1 Madsen, Saints 75.0
2 Gamble, Saints 69.3
3 Freeman, Ballina 67.1
3FGP
1 Coughlan, Dem. 56.9
2 Clement, Marian 54.9
3 Ryan, Marian 54.9
Free Throws
1 O'Meara, Ballina 86.7
2 Teahan, Tigers 86.4
3 Fitzpatrick, Nep. 84.4


Hotel Cork is the champion! -by Eurobasket News
Hotel Cork - DCU Mercy 67:56

Hotel Cork crowned the amazing season with a confident win over DCU Mercy in the championship game today. Hotel Cork entered the game against their archrivals with the only loss in the season. The upset belonged to DCU Mercy and now Dublin outfit needed another one to triumph in the season. But this time Hotel Cork ensured they were not toying around and rolled to a victory. Marie Breen (-G) and Jennifer Strong (183-F-84, college: Dayton) came up with 6 points apiece in the first period and Hotel Cork opened up a 20:11 lead. Defense prevailed in the second term with neither side able to take over. But Cork team managed to hold their opponents to only 7 points in the term and led 28:18 at the interval.
Lindsay Peat (170-G-80) came up with two massive trebles early in the third stanza and DCU Mercy cut the gap to 4 points. But Mary Fox (180-G-83) and Niamh Dwyer (176-G-82, college: Monmouth) immediately answered with 4 straight points for Hotel Cork and restored a safe distance. The teams traded buckets through the rest of the frame and Hotel Cork came out on top 44:36. Sarah Hughes (178-G-82) and Helena Kelly dragged DCU Mercy within 3 points early in the fourth. But then it was a high-time for Cork to deliver. Niamh Dwyer and Becky Woods exploded with back-to-back treys. Michelle Fahy (-82) and Jennifer Strong added a couple of more baskets and Team Montonette jumped to a double-digit lead. DCU Mercy never recovered late in the game and lost the battle.
Niamh Dwyer topscored with 21 points for Hotel Cork. Michelle Fahy contributed 16 points, while Jennifer Strong had 14 in a win. Michelle Fahy was also named the tournament's MVP after the game. Mary Fox dropped 15 points and Lindsay Peat finished with 10 in defeat.

Hotel Cork: Niamh Dwyer 21, Michelle Fahy 16, Jennifer Strong 14
DCU Mercy: Mary Fox 15, Lindsay Peat 10

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ITALY - Women

Standings A1 (W)
A1 Standings
1. Taranto 23-3
2. Schio 21-5
3. Venezia 20-6
4. Napoli 18-8
5. Parma 14-12
6. Priolo 13-13
7. Faenza 12-14
8. La Spezia 12-14
9. Comense 11-15
10. Viterbo 10-16
11. Pozzuoli 10-16
12. Roma 8-18
13. Ribera 6-20
14. Montigarda 4-22


Standings A2 Women -by Massimo Finizio
A2 Standings
Group A
1. San Giovanni 20-4
2. Marghera 20-4
3. Bologna 19-5
4. Crema 17-7
5. Reggio Emilia 15-9
6. Udine 15-9
7. Cavezzo 15-9
8. Broni 13-11
9. San Bonifacio 11-13
10. Firenze 8-16
11. Cervia 8-16
12. Val Di Taro 7-17
13. Bolzano 7-17
14. Muggia 6-18
15. Carugate 6-18
16. Ivrea 5-19
Group B
1. Ancona 20-4
2. Pontedera 20-4
3. Chieti 17-7
4. Siena 15-9
5. Livorno 15-9
6. Umbertide 14-10
7. Rende 14-10
8. S.Elpidio 14-10
9. Cagliari CUS 11-13
10. Alcamo 10-14
11. Cagliari Ic. 10-14
12. Battipaglia 9-15
13. Napoli 8-16
14. Alghero 7-17
15. Palestrina 4-20
16. Valdarno 4-20


Stats Leaders - Women
A1 regular season Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Brunson Taranto 18.8
2 Holland-Corn Nap18.8
3 Dixon Pozz. 18.1
4 Maslowski Vit., 17.0
5 Machanguana 16.0
Rebounds Per Game
1 Brunson Taranto 13.2
2 Smith Viterbo 10.1
3 Grima Pozzuoli 9.9
4 Machanguana Rm 8.6
5 Pascalau Priolo 7.7
Assists Per Game
1 Eric Faenza 3.5
2 Moro Schio 2.8
3 Zampella Como 2.6
4 Slavcheva Como 2.5
5 Sauret Taranto 2.4
Steals Per Game
1 Holland-Corn, Nap. 4.2
2 Macchi, Schio 3.6
3 Andrade, Venezia 3.2
4 Johnson, Venezia 3.1
5 Newton, La Sp. 3.0
2FGP
1 Cirov Pozzuoli 65.0
2 Ngoyisa Schio 62.6
3 Holland-Corn, NA. 59.9
3FGP
1 Moro, Schio 46.9
2 Duffy, Ribera 46.5
3 Grima, Pozzuoli 44.1
Free Throws
1 Duffy, Ribera 92.8
2 Holland-Corn, NA 84.7
3 Lawless Mont. 84.7
4 Macchi Schio 82.7


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JAPAN - Women

Oga determined to play for WNBA's Mercury -by Eurobasket News
Asked if she has confidence in her command of the English language, Yuko Oga (170-G-82) replied in her signature fashion. She laughed, and then she answered the question. 'I was in America for a year when I was a child and know the pronunciation of the people over there, and I can converse to some degree' said Oga, who announced at a news conference on Wednesday that she was invited by the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury to their preseason training camp next month. 'I certainly don't have any problem in basketball English. So if I only learn some jokes, I'll be perfect. I'm now memorizing some jokes.'
The 25-year-old Oga, who lived in Los Angeles for a year when she was a young elementary school student, is widely recognized as one of the best female players in Japan. She joined the JOMO Sunflowers in 2001 and has helped the team win four WJBL and three All-Japan Tournament titles since then. Oga was named the WJBL's 2007-08 regular-season MVP. She helped the Sunflowers reach the WJBL Finals, losing the series in five games to the Fujitsu Red Wave. She is also a member of the Japan national team and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Although Oga was officially informed about the invitation from the Mercury after the Finals, she learned she would have the chance to test herself in the United States in January, when the Mercury's new head coach, Corey Gaines, a former NBA player who takes over for Paul Westhead this season, visited Japan and told Oga's club about the invitation for the tryout. If Oga becomes a WNBA player, she will be the second Japanese to play in the league. Mikiko Hagiwara was the first, having played for the Sacramento Monarchs and Mercury in 1997 and '98.
Coming back from mourning the loss suffered in the WJBL Finals, Oga was pleased about the news. Yet she didn't call this a 'dream come true,' because she has always set high objectives in her career. 'I'm glad that I can challenge the WNBA, which has been my goal, rather than my dream,' said the point guard, who led the league in assists (7.07 per game) and steals (2.39) and was fourth in scoring (15.6) this past season. 'But I don't want to only end up challenging it, but also want to make the league and play well as a point guard there.' Oga is scheduled to go to the United States early next month before the Mercury tryout gets under way on April 19. The 2008 season tips off on May 17.
A 170-cm speedster, Oga knows it won't be easy to crack the roster. And the quality of the game is a bit different from that in Japan. Yet she still believes that she can make a strong impression on the coaches. And technically, Oga said she is confident that she will be able to show what others don't really have in the United States. 'First off, since I'm a point guard, I want to show I can be attentive to surrounding players, as a thing that Americans don't have,' Oga revealed, speaking before nearly 100 reporters. 'Americans tend to rely on individual skills and it's said that they don't really pass the ball. So contrastively I'm going to feed passes to them and I think I can give some freshness in the league with it.'
Oga, a native of Yamagata Prefecture, was a star player at Nagoya's Ohka Gakuen High School, a perennial powerhouse for girls hoops. In those days, she was a shooting guard and a fierce scorer, capitalizing on her phenomenal shooting skills. But after joining the WJBL, JOMO coach Tomohide Utsumi moved her to the commander position, and Oga would eventually realize the profundity of playmaking. Utsumi said he knew that she would be able to manage the role. 'She was given a scoring role in high school, though, I thought we had to grow her as a point guard that she would eventually represent Japan in the future,' he said of Oga. Oga said she watched games of the Mercury live last May. Her impression was that the team applied a run-and-gun style, using three guards on the floor. She thinks she's got a not-so-tiny shot at making the roster if the team's style hasn't changed. Oga considers Mercury point guard Diana Taurasi (182-G-82, college: Connecticut) her 'rival,' but wants to help the talented ex-UConn star excel. A JOMO spokesman said that both the company and team will support Oga and her challenge in the United States as much as possible. Oga became the first professional player in Japan's women's basketball history last August and has a contract with the company. But JOMO will release her from it if she becomes a WNBA player. Utsumi said that Oga is truly a gifted basketball player. But he wants her to pursue a higher goal: play in the WNBA and become a more complete player. 'I want her to use players around her and make shots at a high percentage,' said Utsumi. 'Lately, including in the NBA, even point guards make shots at high percentages. She has to absorb shooting ability like that.' Oga, who said her first basketball game experience was when she was taken to a Los Angeles Lakers game at the Great Western Forum and from then on she fell in love with the sport, is returning to the nation where her basketball jones began. And even though her stage may be different, Oga's cheerful persona will remains as it's always been.
Courtesy of: www.japantimes.co.jp

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LATVIA - Women

Cesis un TTT Riga go to Baltic Final Four -by Gunars Gailitis
Baltic Woman`s Basketball League

Semi-final round, Group B in Cesis

Day 3

TTT Riga - Arvi (LTU) 66-35 (16-8; 16-9; 12-13; 22-5)

White 13, Kityzina 10+8reb, Brumermane 10; Rinkeviciute 11

SK Cesis - Berezina-RCOR (BLR) 76-58 (24-15; 17-16; 18-13; 17-14)

Jessica Moore (191-C-82, college: Connecticut) 22, Jekabsone 14; Dauharukava 22, Duboiskaya 22

Final standings
1. SK Cesis 3-0 Q
2. TTT Riga 2-1 Q
3. Arvi 1-2
4. Berezina 0-4

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LEBANON - Women

Antranik Beirut - Homenetmen Antelias 1-0 -by Raffi Kassabian
Antranik Beirut won the first game of the final series of the lebanese league against Homenetmen Antelias with the final score 71-64. The game that was played in Antranik's court saw the presence of a very big number of fans specially Homenetmen fans who saw their team lead at the end of the first quarter with the score 20-17. In the second quarter Homenetmen extended the lead to 8 points but couldn't keep it as Antranik players not only reduced the difference but also managed to have an eight point difference at the end of the second quarter 39-31. In the third quarter Antranik scored 18 points and Homenetmen scored 15 and the quarter ended 57-46. In the fourth quarter Homenetmen Antelias players did everything to win the game but the 18 points scored in this quarter were not enough as Antranik scored 14 points and ended the first game with a win 71-64. The game referees were Fawzi Achkouti, Rabah Njeim, and Dany El Hawa who all did an excellent job. The second game of the final series will be played on Monday 31st of March 2008 in Homenetmen's court at 8:00 p.m. On the other hand, the first game of the 3rd place series was played between Riyadi Beirut and Champville and saw Champville win in Riyadi's court with the score 55-47.

Results - Final Series Game 1
Antranik Beirut - Homenetmen Antelias 71-64
Antranik Beirut: Shada Nasr 28, Tamara Khalil 12, Cherine Al Sharif 12, Nayla Alammeddine 11, Christell Chalouhi 6, Nisrine Dandan 2.
Homenetmen Antelias: Nathalie Sevajian 19, Sandra Najem 17, Alek Tabakian 9, Caroline Moufarej 6, Eliane Chalhoub 6, Tsoline Kazandjian 3, Sanan Markarian 2, Leila Fares 2.

Schedule - Final Series Game 2
Monday 31/3/2008 - Homenetmen's Court 20:00
Homenetmen Antelias vs Antranik Beirut

Antranik 1-0 in the Women's Final -by Asia-Basket Lebanon
Antranik - Beirut took the lead 1-0 in the Women's Final for this season after wining game 1 against Homentmen - Antelias on the score of 71-64.
Demidrjian Center saw the presence of big number of fans who cheered for their teams throughout all the minutes.
The game was full of intensity and excitement from its first minutes ,Homentmen - Antelias backed by a big number of fans started the game in a great way they led from the first minutes , the Two times Arab Champions couldn't answer back due of the quick foul problem of their star Shada Nasr and they were in chaos in this quarter, Homentmen led as much as 7 points during the first quarter through the great plays of Nathalie Sevajian (8points in this quarter), The score at the end of the first quarter was 17-20.
In the second quarter Shada Nasr took over the game and start scoring from everywhere (11points in this quarter) , she single handled the come back and made her team tie the game and take the lead at the half 39-31. On the other side Nathalie Sevajian continued to lead her team (7 points in this quarter).
In the 3rd quarter the same tempo continued with a dominance for the home team (Antranik ) who managed to impose its rhythm in this quarter to have a 15points to be reduced to 11 , the score at the end of the third was 57-46.
In the 4th quarter Sandra Najem from Homentmen - Antelias sounded the comeback and started to score from everywhere(11 points in this quarter) putting the pressure on Antranik's players who had to face the foul problems of their players , but Christelle Chalouhi secured the win for Antranik in the end with a couple of 3pointers made .

Best Performances :
Antranik - Beirut :Shada Nasr (28pts) ,Tamara Khalil (13pts),Nayla Alameddine (11),Cherine Cherif ( 12pts)
Homentmen - Antelias :Nathalie Sevajian (19pts) , Sandra Najem(16pts),Alik Tabakian(9pts)

Q1 : 17-20 Q2: 39-31 Q3: 57-46 Q4: 71-64

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LITHUANIA - Women

Arvi could not join TEO -by Eurobasket News
The third day of the semifinal round carried on the only intrigue. It was the storyline for TTT Riga against Arvi clash as they fought for the second available spot in Pool B. But the games itself did not quite live up to all expectations. TTT Riga thrashed their opponents to complete the Final Four picture. A perfect defensive effort from the Riga's outfit limited Arvi to just 35 points as TTT coasted to a 66:35 victory. TTT Riga held Arvi to 17 points in the first half and accumulated a 32:17 lead at the interval. Arvi outscored TTT in the third stanza but only to cut the deficit by a single point. Riga raised the tempo in the fourth quarter and easily sealed the winning outcome at the end. LaTanya White (170-G-82, college: Mississippi St.) scored 13 points to pace TTT. Elizaveta Kityzina (194-C-80) and Aija Brumermane provided 10 points apiece for the winners. Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) dropped 11 points in a losing case.
TEO overwhelmed Ukrainian Tim-Skuf 74:56 to ensure their top spot in the pool play. The second term proved decisive as the hosts outgunned Tim-Scuf 21:5 in it. Ukrainian team never recovered in the second half and lost finished in the second spot. Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) scored 16 points for TEO. Jurgita Streimikyte nailed 16 points and Kristin Haynie added 13 for Vilnius side. Yelena Savina (186-F-84) led Tim-Scuf with 17 points. Inna Yegorova contributed 12 points in a losing effort.

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MONTENEGRO - Women

MNT CUP Finlal-Four 2008 : Buducnost won -by Dragan Scepanovic
Woman basketball club Buducnost Podgorica win in Final game of MNT Cup 2008 against Basketball Club Jedinstvo form B.Polje 68-64 (21-12,16-16,17-17,14-19)
Buducnost Podgorica : Rasel 4, Milutinovic 8, Perunovic, Grnovic, Djurovic, Aleksic 14, Mihajlovic , Popovic 14, Perovicnovic 13, Draganic, Jovanovic, Perovic 15
Jedinstvo B.Polje : Knezevic 14, Bigovic 8 , Burdzovic, Vucinic 8, Ljujic, Gubreinic, Cvijovic, Jeknic 13, Jankovic 2, Velickovic, Maksimovic 19
MVP : Iva Perovanovic (190-C/F-83) (Buducnost Podgorica)
Best scorer : Bojana Vucinic (180-G-82) (Jedinstvo B.Polje) 35 points

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NCAA1 - Women

Chrystal Langhorne helps Maryland topple Vanderbilt -by Eurobasket News

The top-ranked Maryland got 28 points from senior centre Crystal Langhorne (6'2''-F/C-86) to upset Vanderbilt 80:66 in the Spokane Regional semis yesterday. The Terrapins will next take on Stanford in the Regional final on Monday. Maryland were playing a model defense in the first half holding Vanderbilt to 34% from the field and forcing them to 9 turnovers. It all worked out for the Terrapins well enough for a 44:29 lead at halftime. The Commodores struck back trimming the deficit to 12 points early in the second half but the Terrapins reacted immediately. They rallied on with an 18:8 run and cleared off for good in the game. Marissa Coleman (6'1''-G/F-87) secured 19 points, while Marah Strickland (6'0''-G) provided 13 points for the winners. Christina Wirth (6'1''-G/F-87) finished with 13 points and 8 boards for Vanderbilt. Stanford edged Pittsburgh 72:53 to enter the Elite Eight stage. Jayne Appel (6'4''-F/C-88) drained 22 points to pace the Cardinal. Stanford's leading scorer Candice Wiggins (5'11''-G-87) was held to just 14 points but received a sufficient help from her teammates. The Cardinal won their 21st consecutive game and would take on the top-seeded Maryland on Monday. It was the first Regional semifinal for Pittsburgh in the school history. Pittsburgh stayed close throughout the major part of the game. They trailed by a single point at the interval 28:29 but a three-minute pause without a field goal in the second half allowed Stanford to open up a double-digit lead which was just enough for the victory. Gold-Onwunde secured 15 points, while Pedersen came up with 12 points and 16 boards for the winning side. Shavonte Zellous (5'10''-G-86) answered with 22 points for Pittsburgh. Winn added 13 points in a losing effort.

Maryland - Vanderbilt 80:66
Maryland: Crystal Langhorne 28, Marissa Coleman 19
Vanderbilt: Christina Wirth 13

Stanford - Pittsburgh 72:53
Stanford: Jayne Appel 22, Gold-Onwunde 15
Pittsburgh: Shavonte Zellous 22

Oklahoma State - LSU 52:67
Oklahoma State: Andrea Riley (5'5''-G-88) 26
LSU: Erica White (5'3''-G-86) 18, Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85) 12+11 boards

North Carolina - Louisville 78:74
North Carolina: LaToya Pringle (6'3''-F/C) 27+11 boards, Cetera Degraffenreid (5'6''-G) 13
Louisville: Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-F-86) 35+13 boards, Candyce Bingham (6'0''-F-86, college: Xavier) 17+20 boards



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POLAND - Women

FGE Play-offs: Quarter-Finals - Game 3 -by Wojciech Strzebinczyk
INEA AZS Poznań - Wisła Can-Pack Krakow 71:89 (17:20, 23:26, 19:26, 12:17)
INEA AZS: Marlena Wdowczyk 15, Joanna Jarkowska 13, Monika Sibora 10, Joanna Lorek 9, Małgorzata Mycka 7, Reda Aleliunaite- Jankowska 6, Beata Krupska-Tyszkiewicz 5, Paulina Dąbkowska 5, Agata Rafałowicz 1, Olga Pacyńska 0, Anna Pamuła 0, Katarzyna Jarkowska 0.
Wisła: Kara Braxton 18, Anna DeForge 14, Candice Dupree 13, Ewelina Kobryn 13, Marta Fernandez 12, Natalia Trafimawa 6, Jelena Skerovic 5, Monika Krawiec 5, Anna Wielebnowska 3, Agnieszka Pałka 0, Paulina Gajdosz 0.

INEA AZS Poznań - Wisła Can-Pack Krakow 0:3


CCC Polkowice - PKM Duda PWSZ Leszno 60:50 (10:14, 22:14, 8:6, 20:16)
CCC: Petra Stampalija 17, Jennifer Lacy 9, Ilona Jasnowska 8, Anna Szycko 8, Veronika Bortelova 7, Ndeye Ndiaye 6, Justyna Jeziorna 3, Olga Masilione 2, Marta Gajewska 0.
PKM Duda: Daria Mieloszyńska 15, Agnieszka Makowska 11, Ryan Coleman 8, Agnieszka Budnik 6, Martyna Koc 4, Edyta Krysiewicz 3, Olga Żytomirska 3, Anna Talarczyk 0, Anna Krzywicka 0, Monika Siwczak 0.

CCC Polkowice - PKM Duda PWSZ Leszno 1:2


Utex ROW Rybnik - KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp. 54:60 (19:15, 10:24, 16:12, 9:9)
Utex ROW: Olena Proszczenko 19, Nikita Bell 10, Minja Siljegovic 9, Magdalena Skorek 5, Marquetta Dickens 5, Hollie Merideth 4, Edyta Błaszczak 2.
KSSSE AZS: Justyna Żurowska 14, Agnieszka Szott 11, Małgorzata Babicka 8, Agnieszka Kaczmarczyk 8, Aleksandra Chomac 7, Carrie Moore 5, Denaimou N'Garsanet 3, Katarzyna Czubak 2, Katarzyna Ristic 2, Barbara Kaszewska 0.

Utex ROW Rybnik - KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp. 0:3


ŁKS Siemens AGD Łodź - Lotos PKO BP Gdynia 55:70 (14:14, 12:17, 13:18, 16:21)
ŁKS: Katarzyna Kenig 13, Renata Oliveira 12, Sylwia Wlaźlak 10, Edyta Koryzna 8, Jennifer Humphrey 8, Dorota Sobczyk 4, Milena Owczarek 0;
Lotos: Jekaterina Snicyna 12, Marta Jujka 11, Slobodanka Maksimovic 10, Dominique Canty 10, Patrycja Gulak 9, Chamique Holdsclaw 8, Magdalena Leciejewska 4, Ganna Zarytska 3, Natalia Waligorska 3.

ŁKS Siemens AGD Łodź - Lotos PKO BP Gdynia 0:3

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SPAIN - Women

ACB Round 28 -by Paul Nilsen
Viva Fuenlabrada was the big news in round 28 of the ACB as the Madrid minnows pulled off a hugely important victory in Granada, overturning a ten point first half deficit to help their escape bid with an 82-86 success. Fuenla move up a place into a clutch of teams on 10 wins with Marko Tomas (200-G-85) the hero as he finished up with the highest valuation in the entire round with 37. His 25 points in a great shooting performance was the basis of a complete turnaround in the second half with the oranges once again using a road trip to pick up a win. Dylan Page also scored 25 points for Granada who remain just above the teams locked together.

The team taking Fuenlas position third from bottom is Valladolid whose alarming slide continues and at this stage it looks like it could be a slide into the LEB. They slumped 83-67 at Pamesa Valencia and Coach Imbroda will be horrified that now offensively they have faltered in addition to their usual defensive lapses. The visitors gave themselves a mountain to climb by scoring an embarrassing haul of just 25 in the first half to trail by 23 points. While they fought back in the third quarter, no doubt after an irate talking to by their coach, normal service was resumed in the final period. 26 point by Ruben Douglas doing the damage with Jospeh Gomis carrying a lone fight to Pamesa who themselves will be trying to cut out the errors even in such convincing wins. For 22 turnovers against better teams might have seen them punished.

Ricoh Manresa remain on ten wins just above the relegation spots after almost pulling off successive Catalan derby wins. Ultimately however they failed to follow up their shock win at Girona with another shock victory over Rudy Fernandez and DKV Joventut who squeezed out an 85-81 win. Trailing by 14 at the midway point, Manresa played superbly in the second half to rock their more illustrious opponents and with Toby Bailey and Rafa Martinez on top form, the rather nervy and scrappy game was in the balance until the final seconds. However with Rudy around, it often takes that little bit extra to overcome Badalona and he produced another virtuoso performance to save the day. On his way to a valuation of 36 he rustled up 26 points, 6 rebounds and four assists.

Cajasol are the final club on ten losses after they lost in a real relegation dogfight at MMT Estudiantes. They went down 103-91 in a tight game with a poor third quarter costing Manel Comas and his team in a result that keeps Estu just one win behind many clubs above them. 9,500 fans were at the Madrid Arena to cheer the home team on and they watched a real team performance as no fewer than six players scored 13 or more. Jasen Hernan was again impressive and while he fouled out along with Dormen Lorbek, they still had Florent Pietrus to carry the fight in the closing moments. The frenchman secured three vital blocks to go with his 16 point haul. For Seville, only Ignerski turned up and he top scored in Round 28, fittingly with 28 points.

After a recent revival, it now seems that bottom club Grupo Begar Leon are sinking into the LEB. They suddenly find themselves three wins away from safety after suffering successive losses crashing to a disappointing 61-82 home loss against Barcelona. The home team were outplayed from start to finish in this one, only Heshimu Evans doing the business with 20 points while Barca had Fran Vazquez and Gianluca Basile on song - both missed out on double-doubles by just one rebound. Coach Pascual and his team now look comfortable in fourth spot and with home advantage in the play-offs looking almost secured.

The race for the final play-off spot didn't take any major twists with Gran Canaria in ninth losing an failing to take advantage of Girona going down In Madrid while Bilbao finally won a game - against play-off rivals Unicaja.

Granca went down in Vitoria by 81-69, a massively disappointing display considering the home team were without two hugely influential players in Tiago Splitter and Igor Rakocevic. Granca's lack of prowess away from home seems to be their usual downfall and they will have to compliment their home form with a couple of away wins if they truly want to make the play-offs. They might have dominated the boards but they just didn't look after the ball and were appalling inside shooting an atrocious 35 percent. With Coach Spahija's side more economical, they were put to the sword by big man duo Pete Mickeal and Wil McDonald who combined for a total of 31 points as Tau remain in third place,

Real Madrid are still way out in front and looking dominant although they were not quite as comfortable against Girona as they would have liked. They rested Luis Bullock and his absence meant they couldn't quite get a big run on the visitors, eventually riding out 77-69 victors. A dominant first quarter of 24-13 was important because after that it was impressive by Girona who would just never quite go away. San Emeterio landing 19 points and Marc Gasol with 12. Their defence caused a sloppy Madrid performance who couldn't find any rhythm and committed 19 turnovers and mustered only 9 assists. 10 rebounds by Axel Hervelle the pick of an ordinary game.

Relief all round in Bilbao after their injury woes were put behind them with a pivotal win in the race for the play-offs against Unicaja. Malaga controlled the early stages but the home team got that much needed victory with a strong finish to the game to claim a 79-67 success. That 21-10 final period had the home supporters on their feet again after a miserable 2008. 22 points and four assists from point guard Huertas got them on their way while Boniface N'Dong scored 9 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in another under-par Unicaja display which has their fans nervously looking over their shoulders to Granca stealing their play-off spot.

Finally ViveMenorca will be happy to be firmly back in mid-table, not quite safe but a lot happier than a month ago. Their 87-79 success over terrible travellers Polaris World Murcia put them above their opponent in the classifications. Fiver players recorded double-figure scores with Mario Stojic top scoring with 17 points. Vrbica Stevanov claimed six assists while veteran Lou Roe scored 20 points for the toothless visitors.

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SWITZERLAND - Women

Neuchatel beats BBC to clinch Swiss Cup title -by Eurobasket News
Neuchatel - BBC 93:80

BC Neuchatel are crowned the Swiss Cup champions. They overcame their key rivals BBC Troistorrents at the Halle Ste-Croix. Neuchatel tipped off the game in an aggressive manner and quickly jumped to a comfortable lead. BBC could not limit their opponents' offense as it produced 31 points in the starting frame. Neuchatel piled up a 10-point lead heading into the second stanza. But BBC adjusted the defense and clawed their way back into contest. They cut the deficit by 5 points to trail 46:51 at the interval. BBC continued their impressive comeback effort in the third quarter. They kept on performing some stifling defense down the stretch and it resulted in a tie-game after three-quarter time 65:65. But the students broke free once again in the last stanza. Sophie Charlier (180-G-82, agency: LBM Management) paced them to impressive 28-point tally in the fourth quarter and Neuchatel cleared off for good in the dying minutes. She finished with team-high 25 points for Neuchatel. Cameo Hicks (178-G-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Washington) provided 21 points, while Caroline Turin (172-F-87) chipped in 19 for the winners. Lori Crisman (186-C/F-82, college: W.Michigan) responded with game-high 31 points for BBC. Andrea Depraz (186-F/C-74) secured 18 points in a losing effort. BBC had a massive advantage under the rim as they outrebounded Neuchatel 40:21 but they committed inexcusable 27 turnovers. Neuchatel sank solid 62% from the field, while BBC converted 51% of field goals.

Neuchatel: Sophie Charlier 25, Cameo Hicks 21, Caroline Turin 19
BBC: Lori Crisman 31, Andrea Depraz 18

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TURKEY - Women

TBBL - Regular season ended! -by Iva Ivanova

This week regular season in TBBL ended. At the opener of the last 22nd round of Turkish Women league Fenerbahce celebrated against Ceyhan Bld. 79-66 in the last game and hosts improved
to score 20-2 in regular season. In the last round Galatasaray and Besiktas Cola Turka losing in the last games. The new enrty of the season Eredemit ends with 0-22 games for the regular season, because of financial problems.

Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) is one of the best player in the regular season, and help her teams to improve that score in the domestic league.




There are teams in play-off round as bellow:

Fenerbahce - Burhaniye
Glatasaray - Ceyhan Bld.
Besiktas Cola Turka - Mersin
Pankup TED Kolej - Botas.





Standings - TBBL
TBBL Standings
1. Fenerbahce 20-2
2. Galatasaray 17-5
3. Besiktas 16-6
4. Botas 15-7
5. TED Kayseri 15-7
6. Mersin 13-9
7. Ceyhan 11-11
8. Burhaniye bld. 7-14
9. Migros 6-16
10. Cankaya 6-16
11. IUSK 4-17
12. Edremit 0-22


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UKRAINE - Women

Even with a loss Tim-Skuf advances to Final Four -by Eurobasket News
TEO Vilnius and Tim-Scuf clashed in the battle of Group A leaders today. TEO overwhelmed Ukrainian side 74:56 to ensure their top spot in the pool play. The second term proved decisive as the hosts outgunned Tim-Scuf 21:5 in it. Ukrainian team never recovered in the second half and lost finished in the second spot. Sandra Valuzyte scored 16 points for TEO. Jurgita Streimikyte (191-F-72) nailed 16 points and Kristin Haynie (175-G-83, college: Michigan St.) added 13 for Vilnius side. Yelena Savina (186-F-84) led Tim-Scuf with 17 points. Inna Yegorova (173-G-82) contributed 12 points in a losing effort.