Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/6/2008

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Men News

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ANGOLA

1º De Agosto Win Super Cup -by Carlos Pereira
1º de Agosto on Tuesday won the 16th edition of the 'Wladmiro Romero' Super Cup in basketball, by beating Petro Atletico by 71-69, a victory only achieved eight seconds before the end of the game, with a triple shot by Carlos Almeida.
In a balanced match in which the two teams could explore well the attack moves, 1º de Agosto, that was in disadvantage for most of the time, only made the draw at the last minute of the third quarter, at 53 points.
In the last period, 1º de Agosto led the score for the first time (55-53) and re-enlivened the game when it seemed to be in total control of Petro Atletico that was still keeping the same positive performance.
1º de Agosto's Olimpio Cipriano was the best scorer with 23 pints, followed by Petro's Carlos Morais.
With this triumph, 1º de Agosto have eight Super Cup titles.

Box score of the Super Cup -by Carlos Pereira
Super Cup Box scores:

Atletico Petroleos de Luanda: Eduardo Mingas (11), Luis Costa (0), Carlos Morais (22), Fernando Albano (0 ), Leonel Paulo ( 1 ), Francisco Horacio ( 3 ), Milton Barros (2 ), Victo de Carvalho (7), Joaquim Xavier ( 0 ), Domingos Bonifacio ( 3 ), Victor Muzadi ( 16 ).
Coach: Alberto de Carvalho 'Ginguba'.

1º de Agosto: Amando Costa ( 6 ), Marques Houtman ( 2 ), Olimpio Cipriano ( 23 ), Felizardo Ambrosio ( 4 ), Vladimir Ricardino ( 2 ), Francisco Jordao ( 2 ), Carlos Almeida ( 7 ), Miguel Lutonda (12 ), Rodrigo Mascarenhas ( 9 ), Hermenegildo Santos (0 ), Simao Joao ( 0 ).
Coach: Luis Magalhaes.

Final score Petro- 69 1ºAgosto- 71

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AUSTRALIA

Chris Anstey is the NBL MVP! -by Eurobasket News
The Melbourne Tigers' star centre Chris Anstey (213-C-75) was trumped the NBL MVP for the 2007/2008 season. He clinched the Andrew Gaze Trophy for the second time as he received the same honour in 2006. Chris Anstey accumulated 140 votes in the MVP poll and surpassed Brisbane's Ebi Ere (195-G/F-81, college: Oklahoma) with 124 votes. The third place was given to Perth's Shawn Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports, college: Arizona St.), while Adam Ballinger (205-F/C-79, college: Michigan St.) from Adelaide finished fourth.
Chris Anstey finished the NBL regular season averaging 21.7 points, 12 boards (the best result in NBL), 2.9 assists, 1.9 blocks (the best result in NBL) and 1.5 steals. He helped the Tigers to pile up a 22-8 record at the end of the regular season occupying the seconds spot in the ladder. The Tigers' centre also was awarded with a brand new Hummer automobile as a part of his prize. Chris Anstey will lead the Melbourne Tigers in the Grand Final series against the Sydney Kings starting today.

Sydney Kings thwart Melbourne in the Final series opener -by Eurobasket News
Sydney - Melbourne 95:74

The Sydney Kings got to a flying start of their Grand Final campaign thumping the Melbourne Tigers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre today. The Kings were coming off an exhausting series against the Perth Wildcats and it was the main problem for Brian Goorjian . The Tigers looked dominant at the start of the game and gradually began building a lead. David Barlow (205-F-83, college: Metro St.) fired three times from beyond the arc to set the tone for the visitors. Melbourne accumulated a 29:19 lead after 12 minutes of action and looked too good at the moment. Mark Worthington (202-F-83, college: Metro St.) however picked up the treble shooting frenzy and responded with a couple of long bombs early in the second term to keep the Kings rolling. Mark Worthington finalized a 21-points first half haul and allowed the hosts to surge ahead 50:49 at sides change. Chris Anstey (213-C-75) glued the Tigers' defense well as it turned out to be a key force for the visiting side in the third period. Melbourne regained the advantage and managed to cap three quarters with a 65:64 lead. Mark Worthington dunked the ball home to put the Kings back in the driving seat early in the fourth term. Just when everything implied a fiercely close battle at the closing stages Sydney ran away for good. Melbourne suddenly struggled to deal with the Kings' stifling defense and it cost them the game. Sydney mounted the pressure and outscored their opponents 31:9 in the fourth quarter to celebrate an overall victory. Mark Worthington was outstanding with 35 points and 7 boards for the hosts. Luke Kendall (193-G-81, college: Metro St.) delivered 13 points and 6 assists in a winning case. David Barlow notched 14 points and 6 boards in a loss. Chris Anstey was held to 12 points and 8 boards. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in Melbourne.

Sydney: Mark Worthington 35, Luke Kendall 13, Glen Saville (197-G/F-76) 11, Ian Crosswhite (212-F-82, college: Oregon) 11
Melbourne: David Barlow 14, Chris Anstey 12

Aussies making a big impact in NCAA Div1 -by Sohail Nasri
Patrick Mills scored 11 points and fellow Aussie carling Hughes scored 4 points to go with 3 steals off the bench.
Point guard Patrick Mills hard nosed defense was a big factor in 19 turnovers by Portland which lead to 22 points off those turnovers. Mills leads his team with 14.4 PPG , 3.5 APG and 1.4 spg which has helped the Gaels to be WCC's second seeded team in the regular season.

With the victory, the Gaels (25-5, 12-2) matched a school record for wins in a season, equaling the mark set by the 1988-89 and 2004-05 teams. Randy Bennett became the first coach to lead the Gaels to two 25-win season in the 100 year history of the program. Additionally, Saint Mary's tied a school record by posting a 12-2 record in WCC play. The only other team to post 12 conference wins was the 1988-89 squad.

Saint Mary's, which just fell from both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25, will enter the WCC Tournament after posting a second place finish in the WCC standings. Saint Mary's will have two byes and will open the tournament on Sunday in the semifinals.

In another match up Alex Maric and Nebraska University fell to no. 9 Texas University despite 17 points and 10 rebounds effort by Aussie Alex Maric. This game marked Maric's 10th double-double in the last 11 games. It was also Maric's 25th career double-double against a Big 12 team, giving him sole possession of the Big 12 career record for double-doubles in conference-only games.
The Huskers will be honoring center Aleks Maric as part of the Senior Day festivities before their last game of regular season when they host Colorado on Sunday, march 9. His stellar college career makes him one of the best Big 12 players in history.
Luke Nevill scored 19 points for the Utes in a win over Colorado State. Nevill has averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rebounds as junior as a starting center for university of Utah.

AJ Ogilvy and no. 18 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores lost to Arkansas 78-73. AJ had 20 points, 6 boards and 2 blocks in the loss. Vanderbilt (24-5, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) had won seven straight, including Tuesday night's victory over No. 1 Tennessee. Freshman AJ Ogilvy has averaged 16.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 1.5 blocks this season. His inside presence has helped the commodores to be a nationally ranked team all season.

Aaron Bruce and Baylor Bears (20-8 ) has also a successful season with 20 wins this season with three more games left in the season. In his final season with Baylor Bruce averages 9.2 ppg, 2 apg and 2 rpg.

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AUSTRIA

Wels presents Klette! -by Stefan Heinrich
There were a lot of rumors going around in the past couple of weeks and today the WBC Kraftwerk Wels officially announced the signing of Tilo Klette (205-C/F-77). Klette played already 2 seasons for Wels and after that he played one season for Kapfenberg before he moved to Japan, where he played the 06/07 and 07/08 season. This season he averaged 24 point and 10 rebound per game for the Panasonic Trians. Its unknown if he will play his first game on Saturday against Oberwart.

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BARBADOS

Bulls manage just 43 points; lose season opener to Sonics -by Justin Marville
One game into the season and Clapham is already finding out how hard life in the Sprite/BOA Premier League will be without Jeremy Gill.

Recently acquired forward Philip Harewood scored 12 of his 13 points in the third quarter to ignite a key 13-3 run as the Roll-A-Way Storm and Security Shutters St. John's Sonics turned a two point half-time lead into a 60-43 rout of the Solar Dynamics Clapham Bulls at the Wildey Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Having to play the entire year without Gill, the league's leading scorer for the past two seasons, the 2006 champs knew they would sorely miss the prolific national team playmaker but that would not be the only absence that hindered the community-based club on the night.

With forwards Gary Miller and Andre Jean-Pierre no longer donning the ‘orange and black', the Bulls were forced to use a very small line-up which resulted in St. John's frontcourt dominating the offensive glass from the opening tip.

2007 MVP, Jefferson Trotman got going early, scoring six quick points to open the affair but the Sonics struggled when their star player took an early rest, failing to capitalise on numerous second chance opportunities and foul trouble to opposing swingman Halley Franklyn.

Trailing 12-15 to start the ensuing period, the Bulls' stingy half court defence managed to keep them in the game as they held Trotman scoreless in the second quarter.

But they suffered terribly at the other end, muffing several scoring chances in transition while failing to execute in their half court sets with Franklyn watching from the side after picking up his third foul midway through the period.

However, the Sonics did not fare any better offensively in the quarter, merely taking a 23-21 half-time advantage as they failed to cope with Clapham's stifling half court defence led by Mark Foster's three second quarter blocked shots.

That all changed in the third quarter.

Harewood proved to be a matchup nightmare for the Bulls after the game's resumption, virtually scoring at will by using his speed advantage over Foster and Michael Woodroffe on his way to the rack while abusing the smaller Neil Leacock in the paint.

With St. John's merely leading 28-25 in the early minutes of the third quarter, the former Spartans forward sparked a subsequent 13-3 game breaking run to put the Sonics ahead 41-28 with just over two minutes to go in the period.

Clapham switched to a subsequent full court man-to-man defence in a futile attempt to get back in the game but they failed to create enough turnovers to cause the Sonics any problems while finding difficulty of their own in keeping Harewood and Dwayne Kellman off the offensive boards.

The Bulls would add just a further nine points in the fourth to complicate their misery as Trotman and fellow guard Terrance Roach duly put away the listless Clapham side at the other end of the floor.

Trotman finished with 13 points, Kellman added a further 12 while Leacock top scored for Clapham with 11 points.

In the night's first game, versatile forward Corey McDonald scored a game high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Playfair Warriors to a 79-53 victory over Weekend Nation Nico Deacons Fastbreaks.

Warriors guards David Smith and Kareem Farrell chipped in with 13 and 11 points respectively while Deacons swingman Henry Richards scored 23 for the Fastbreaks.

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BELIZE

The Big Three Win in U-26 Tournament!!! -by David Magana
Game 1
UB Black Jaguars 93 Complex Bombers 33
Top Scorers
UB - Ryan Zuniga 17 pts / 9 rebounds / 2 assist / 1 block / 2 steals
Jorett 'Curly' Jones 17 pts / 6 rebounds / 4 assist / 1 steal
Complex - Dalton 'Bash' Anderson 11 pts / 6 rebounds
Ronald Rivers (183-G-84) 9 pts / 10 rebounds / 3 assist

Game 2
Belize Bank Junior Bulldogs 79 Belmopan Tuff e Nuff 58
Top Scorers
Bze Bank - Greg Rudon (180-G) 16 pts / 6 rebounds / 4 steals
Darwin Leslie (191-F/G-81) 14 pts / 15 rebounds / 3 assist / 2 blocks / 3 steals
Tuff e Nuff - Jay Chavarria (191-F) 17 pts / 5 rebounds / 2 assist / 1 block / 3 steals
Rheton 'Dedo' Belisle 14 pts / 4 rebounds / 1 block / 1 steal

Game 3
Lake I Boyz 68 Mesop Guardian Bombers 63 - with the win Lake I Boyz clinched playoff spot
Top Scorers
Lake I - Ashton 'Koolie' Edwards 26 pts (6-3's) / 6 rebounds / 1 assist / 1 block
Tyrone Edwards (186-G, college: Hillsdale) 16 pts / 1 rebound / 6 assist / 1 block / 5 steals
Mesop - Leon Williams (203-F/C-86, college: Ohio) 18 pts / 14 rebounds / 2 assist / 2 blocks / 3 steals
Dwayne 'Kila' Davis 18 pts / 6 rebounds / 3 assist / 1 block / 5 steals

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BULGARIA

Levski rout CSKA -by Valentin Anguelov

After losing two consecutive games to CSKA, this time Levski was relentless and won the 'eternal' derby with 109-67. Disappointingly for the spectators in 'Triaditsa' hall, excluding Levski's fans, today's game wasn't a derby at all. The absence of CSKA's starting playmaker Mike Henderson was obvious. The team's plays were disorganised and Levski took full advantage of that.

The hosts made an excellent start with a 9-2 run. CSKA tried to change the course of the game but there wasn't anything they could do and after 10 minutes of play the score was 25-14 for Levski.

The second quarter started the same way and with interesting offensive combinations, good three-point shooting and oraganised defense Levski extended their lead to 20 points at the half (50-30).

During the break the praiseworthy initiative by Levski's executives to entertain the audience with a game between the children playing for the club was continued. The little players showed their skills and played with a lot of enthusiasm, making everyone in the hall happy.

After the start of the third quarter nothing changed and Levski was still the dominant team on the court. CSKA, on the other hand, seemed as if they have given up the game and made lots of childish mistakes. That way Levski led with the impressive 32-point advantage with ten minutes left in the game (83-51).

In the last quarter Lubomir Minchev put mostly his younger players on the court but they played exceptionally well and extended their team's lead to reach the incredible 42-point advantage at the end of the game, pleasing all of their fans.

With this game Levski secured its second place after the regular season, while CSKA are going to be fourth or fifth, eventually facing Lukoil Academic in the semi-finals.

Five of Levski's players finished the game with double figures. Stanislav Slaveykov was the best scorer for his team with 16 points and Rob Preston made a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

For CSKA, Krum Doychinov scored 22 points, which was more than anyone who played in this game.

FULL STATS FROM THE GAME LEVSKI - CSKA

by Svetlin Petrov - BulgarianBasket.com

Yambol with a home loss against Balkan -by Valentin Anguelov
Yambol lost its home game against the visiting Balkan Botevgrad. Lacking in ideas, the hosts couldn't stop the well-worked team from Botevgrad. Yambol started the game incredibly with 11 points in 2 minutes, from which 3 three-pointers. All that came after beautiful offensive plays. However, it wasn't long until the guests started to play their game and managed to cut Yambol's lead to only 2 points at the end of the first quarter (22-20).

From the start of the second quarter until almost the end of the game, there was only one team on the court - Balkan Botevgrad. Yambol's players played as if they were another team. They were undetermined and out of ideas in offense and played terribly in defense. The experienced team from Botevgrad took maximum advantage of the situation and after 3 minutes of play they were already leading in the result. In the middle of the second quarter Yambol's deficit reached 8 points and at the halftime they were losing by 15 (32-47).

After the halftime break Yambol's fans expected their team to come out and play a lot better but that didn't happen. They kept on playing the same way, making lots of mistakes organising their offense and not paying enough attention to defense. Govedarov, Skumatov and Reka weren't at their usual level and didn't pose a threat to the opponents. After gaining a comfortable lead that reached 20 points at a certain moment, Balkan started playing calmer and slowed down their offenses to gain time. The third quarter finished with a 16-point advantage for the guest (48-64).

Yambol's awakening happened 6 minutes before the end of the game. They started playing full-court press, stole lots of balls but weren't successful in the three-point shooting and the best they could do was to cut their deficit to 7 points for the final 73-80.

For Yambol Reka scored 16 points and for Balkan Boban Bilbija (207-F/C-83) had 16 and Morton added 14.

FULL STATS FROM THE GAME YAMBOL - BALKAN BOTEVGRAD

by Svetlin Petrov - BulgarianBasket.com

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CBA

194 points! How about that! -by Eurobasket News
The East Kentucky Miners broke the CBA scoring record last weekend. The Miners notched unbelievable 194 points against the Atlanta Krunk to overcome the previous record that stood at 183-points mark. The previous record was set by the Anchorage Northern Knights in 1979. The East Kentucky drained 58 points in the third term and later finalized sizzling scoring figures in a win. Mike Dean (6'2''-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Middle Tenn.St.) exploded with game-high 44 points for the Miners. Eight East Kentucky players scored in double digits. Josh Pace (6'6''-G/F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: Syracuse) provided 28 points, while James Jackson (5'10''-G-89) added 26 points and 20 boards for the winners. Jason McLeish (6'0''-G-80, agency: Rice and Rice, college: E.Kentucky) fed his teammates pretty well issuing as many as 16 assists. The Miners recorded 69% accuracy from the field and 91% from free throw line.
There were some transactions going on around the Association recently. The Albany Patroons signed Anthony Bruin (6'7''-F-84, college: Iona). The 24-year-old guard spent the last season playing for Iona. There he averaged 12 points, 6.3 boards and 1.4 boards in his senior year. The Patroons also waived Dajan Smith (6'7''-F-80, college: Lynn).
The Rio Grande Valley Silverados inked guard Kwan Johnson (6'5''-G-74, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: New Orleans). Kwan Johnson started the season in Argentina playing for Central Enterriano. Last season he played for Albany in the CBA scoring 18.1 points and pulling down 5.7 boards per appearance. The Silverados waived Nate Johnson (6'4''-G-81, college: Florida St.).
East Kentucky signed Daniel Price, college: Pikeville) and released Bryant Northern. The Minot Skyrockets opted for signing Kevin Johnson (6'8''-F-80, college: Charlotte).

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COSTA RICA

The new NL team is San Luis Gonzaga -by Gianni Pascucci
Otherwise than we published before, the town of Cartago will be represented in the 2008 edition of the Liga Nacional-First Division by the team named San Luis Gonzaga. This team, coached by Jorge Arguello , will make its debut on March 25, vs, Saprissa. San Luis will replace in the league line-up Seminario Fidelitas, in consequence, the total number of teams will remain 12. The Cartago province cames back in Costa Rican first division eigth years after that another team, named Cartago BC, competed in the 2000 edition of National League. Jose Carlos Barquero, Presidente of San Luis Gonzaga, stated to media that the team roster will be made of six players from Seminario Fidlitas, and six others from the Cartago province, the better known of whom should be Alejandro Grijalba (187-F-82). The coach assistant is Abel Garbanzo .

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CUBA

LSB Statistics, Allens Jemmott "el rey" of Cuba -by Alessandro Fontana
POINTS
Allens Jemmott (Matanzas) 24.6
Geoffry Silvestre (Ciego de Avila) 22.0
Henry Simon (Guantanamo) 21.7
Andy Boffil (Villa Clara) 20.6
Damian Del Toro (Santiago de Cuba) 20.6
REBOUNDS
Geoffry Silvestre (Ciego de Avila) 6.7
Yoel Carta (Villa Clara) 6.1
Elezer Lima (Capitalinos) 5.9
Henry Simon (Guantanamo) 5.9
Yoan Luis ( Ciego de Avila) 5.8
ASSISTS
Manuel Area (Santiago de Cuba) 4.3
Alexei Mestre (Camaguey) 3.5
Michael Guerra (Ciego de Avila) 2.7
Yorman Polas (Camaguey) 2.3
Alejandro Arcia (Villa Clara) 2.3
STEALS
Manuel Area (Santiago de Cuba) 4.9
Danys Torriente (Matanzas) 4.2
Allens Jemmott (Matanzas) 4.0
BLOCKS
Grimay Chacon (Metropolitanos) 1.5
Leonel Batista (Camaguey) 1.3
A. Fontana

Matanzas in the Semifinals and Cuban Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
LSB-Time in Cuba, Matanzas won two times against Villa Clara and with these victories, Matanzas is third and the Allens Jemmott's team is qualified for the LSB Semifinals 2008. Against Villa Clara, The MVP was Danys Torrientes. Capitalinos won against Guantanamo, two difficult games, Orestes Torres played a great second game with 17 points (6/11 2pts, 5/6 FT). Capitalinos is the first team of the League with a 24-4 standings.
Santiago de Cuba won the first game against Metropolitanos with a 'partidazo' of Caballero who scored 24 pts (10/17 2pts, 4/4 FT) and He catched 7 rebounds.
The Semifinals should be: Capitalinos- Guantanamo and Ciego de Avila-Matanzas.
LSB Results:
Villa Clara- Matanzas= 78-84 (VC= Boffill 36, Carta 15; M= Torriente 25, Albelo 18, Diaz 17)
Guantanamo- Capitalinos= 80-86 (G= Simon 29, Soria 16; C= Leguen 21, Garcia 18, Torres 10)
Metropolitanos- Santiago de Cuba = 102-103 (M= Borlot 24, Chacon 19; S= Caballero 24, Del Toro 23, Martinez 19)
Villa Clara- Matanzas= 82-108 (VC= Carta 16, Arrosarena 14; M= Torriente 19, Albelo 19, Dechapelle 15)
Guantanamo- Capitalinos= 86-87 (G= Simon 21, Elias 20; C= Torres 17, Garcia 14, Perez 11)
Metropolitanos- Santiago de Cuba= 88-75 (M= Muniz 21, Dube 13, Chacon 12; S= Del Toro 27, Garcia 13)

CUBAN ABROAD
In Puerto Rico, Roberto Carlos Herrera began the BSN very good. Atletico San German won against Guyama 103-100. Roberto Carlos Herrera played 26 minutes with 15 pts (4/4 2pts, 1/2 3pts 4/4 FT)+ 5rebs and 4 assts. San German has now a 3-0 standings and Herrera is scoring 7.3 ppg.
In Argentina, Obras was defeated by Boca 80-77. Lazaro Borrell scored 17 pts (7/12 2pts, 0/3 3pts, 3/4 FT) +13 rebs.
A. Fontana

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CZECH REP.

Another victory for Sadska -by Ondra Simecek
A big surprise happened in Sadska tonite when the home team beated Prostějov 107:87 led by Jason Smith (183-G-83, agency: Octagon, college: Al.-Huntsville) with 29 pts. Sadska had a very good start and was winning already in half time by 19 points. In the second half the Sadska team just continued in their great performace from the first half and was celebrating another victory over a higher positioned team in the league.
Geofin Novy Jicin won in Kolin 101-91. Visitors led throughout 40 minutes, maximum distance was 15 points. Home team kept good shooting threes of Sebek (4 hits), but their defence suffered many errors. Geofin demonstrated very good 3-point shooting, when they hited 12 from 22 attempts. Player of the game was Ondrej Soska with 23 points (2pts 11/9), Sarovic ended with 16 pts and Chapman with 15 points (3pts 4/4). Best shooters of Kolin were J.R. Harrison and Jason McCoy, both hiting 23 points. (message from Geofin by Radek Horak)
BK Decin went to Ostrava tonite where it is hard to win for every visuting team. Decin did not start very well and was losing after the first quarter 26:19. Since the second quarter Decin started decreasing the diference in the score and finally turned it on their side and won 72:81.
Other results: Liberec - Usti 106:79, Pardubice - Brno 74:61, Nymburk - USK 107:49

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DENMARK

Svendborg Rabbits triumph in Danish Cup -by Eurobasket News
Svendborg Rabbits - Horsens IC 98:68

Svendborg Rabbits triumphed in Danish Cup upsetting Horsens IC 98:68. In a fascinating game that however did not see an intrigue in it Rabbits proved that the team deserved a Cup more than the opponent. Jarrett Howell (188-G-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Arlington) led the winners with 19 points. Brayden Billbe (208-C-85, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: American) nailed 15, while Ivan Hoger (225-C-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) 14 and Martin Mariegaard (183-G-81) posted 14 each. Spencer Ross (181-G-81, college: Queens (NC)) struggled for the losing team providing 29 points.
The teams traded baskets early in the game but Horsens were lucky to take 7:8 advantage. Svendborg Rabbits pushed the tempo and took a 14:8 lead. The favorites continued to dominate and had 12 points deficit at the half. Svendborg Rabbits outscored Horsens IC 46:34 after the first 20 minutes of the game.
Svendborg Rabbits came out of the dressing room ready to play offensive game and played even better. The team battle of their lives and fired from all guns. Jarrett Howell was one of the leaders to fuel a 13-3 for the team to increase the deficit. The game was done already in the third quarter, but the teams enjoyed the last quarter as well. Svendborg Rabbits and Horsens IC had different tasks in the end as the latter tried to reduce the gap and the favorite desired to score 100. The last whistle saw 98:68 for Svendborg Rabbits that triumphed in the Cup.

Svendborg Rabbits:Jarrett Howell 19, Ivan Hoger 14, Brayden Billbe 15, Martin Mariegaard 14, Troels Halling (185-G-86) 11, Gary McIntyre (191-G-74) 7, Claus Magaard (194-G/F-86) 6, Danilo Fatic (191-G-77) 4 Niels Degn 2, Martin Steen (190-F-73) 2
Horsens IC:Spencer Ross 29, Ivan Miskovic (203-F/C-84, college: Alaska-Fairb.) 22, Peter Vester (193-F/C-76) 6, Arnel Dedic (193-G-76) 5, Troels Katholm (198-F-86) 2, Rene Andersen (180-G-72) 2

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D-LEAGUE

Last Night's D-League Results -by Surujh Roopnarine
Iowa Energy (115) at Albuquerque Thunderbirds (108)
ENERGY: Daequan Cook (6'5''-G-87, college: Ohio St.) (26p+7rb), Doug Thomas (16p+14rb), Courtney Sims (16p+5rb), Jeff Horner (13p+10as+5st)
T-BIRDS: Kevin Pittsnogle (6'11''-C-84, college: W.Virginia) (27p+5rb), Julius Hodge (19p+6rb+6as+5to), Dwight Brewington (16p+6rb), Jamaal Thomas (12p+9rb)

Sioux Falls Skyforce (99) at Ft. Wayne Mad Ants (115)
SKYFORCE: Carl Elliott (6'4''-G-83, college: George Washington) (27p+7rb+5to), Chris Alexander (9p+16rb), David Bailey (19p+8rb), Michael Joiner (17p+5rb)
MAD ANTS: Earl Calloway (6'3''-G-83, college: Indiana) (18p+6rb+11as+5st), Eric Smith (16p+10rb), Corey Minnifield (18p), Ron Howard (15p+6as)

Bakersfield Jam (110) at Dakota Wizards (113)
JAM: Mateen Cleaves (6'2''-G-77, college: Michigan St.) (26p+5rb+5as), Justin Reed (25p+9rb), Trey Johnson (25p+5rb+6as), Nick Lewis (12p+9rb)
WIZARDS: Rod Benson (6'10''-F/C-84, college: California) (24p+22rb+5to), Blake Ahearn (35p+6rb), Carlos Powell (15p+6as), Tony Gipson (13p+6rb)

Idaho Stampede (98) at Los Angeles D-Fenders (115)
STAMPEDE: Randy Livingston (6'4''-G-75, college: LSU) (20p+13as+6to), Mouhamed Sene (16p+15rb), Lance Allred (19p+6rb), Luke Jackson (11p)
D-FENDERS: Brian Chase (5'10''-G-81, college: Virginia Tech) (39p+6rb+6as), Errick Craven (14p+6rb+6as), Stephane Lasme (13p+7rb), Jelani McCoy (10p+6rb)

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EGYPT

Danny Johnson getting close to sign for Gezira -by Sherif Soliman
The blue stars MVP Danny Johnson is currently participating in Gezira practice he might show up in Saturdays game if the club finishes his contract . Danny played for the Blue stars (LEB) for three years .He played in 2005 against Gezira and scored 30 points.He is a very reliable point guard and he will help the team very much. Danny is very happy to come back to the middle east after playing in the ABA last season.Danny Johnson (190-G-76, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Charleston)

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EL SALVADOR

Zona Premier and Nacional: playoff results -by Jaime Arevalo
In Zona Premier, Cosmos-2 defeated Denver-2 51-50, tieing the series on 1-1, and the same happened to Santa Ana, winner over UFG 76-66. The decisive Game 3 of both the semifinals will be played tomorrow.
In Zona Nacional, San Marcos defeated again ITCA 79-72 for the final 2-0 in its series, and Delgadense forced ITEXSAL to the third game winning Game 2 64-56, but then felt to Delgadense in Game 3 and the Final Series of 'Zona Nacional' will be San Marcos-ITEXSAL, best of three games, to start on Tuesday 11.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Honka beat Torpan Pojat 83-80 -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 37: Honka (Espoo) caused Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) their ninth loss by defeating ToPo 83-80 in a close contest. Both Teams had
four players in double figures. American G Akeem Scott (186-G-83, college: High Point) led again Honka (21 pts). Petteri Koponen (193-G-88) added 18 pts. ToPo's newcomer Takais Brown (203-F, college: SE Illinois JC) scored 22 pts in his first game here in Finland. Pyrinto (Tampere) has played many better games than today. Visitor Tarmo (Porvoo) won the second half 27-47 and the contest 64-80. Mark McCarroll (208-F/C-80, agency: CAA Sports, college: Pittsburgh) led Tarmo with 26 pts and nine rbs. Kauhajoki defeated KTP (Kotka) 92-84 and YMCA Lappeenranta cut down Kouvot (Kouvola), which Team had won seven games in a row.

Honka - Torpan Pojat 83-80 (43-42) (Akeem Scott 21, Petteri Koponen 18 - Takais Brown 22, Josh Gonner 16).

Pyrinto - Tarmo 64-80 (37-33) (Antero Lehto 21, M.C.Mazique 11 - Mark McCarroll 26, Travis Leech 16).

Kauhajoki - KTP 92-84 (44-40) (Darryl Hudson 29/11, Eric Washington 26 - Jermaine Spivey 23, Steve Smith 18/11)

Kouvot - YMCA LPR 83-96 (47-42) (Wayne Bernard 24, Corey Smith 18 - Pasi Riihela 26/13, Adrian Henning 23).

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GAMBIA

Mahamoud Jabbi 6'7'' bright spot for Gambian Basketball -by Rolando Delabarrera
I wrote on a recent piece that none of the Gambian players stateside are doing well in College this year. Well, I was incorrect as I have uncovered Mahamoud Jabbie ,of the State University of New York at Oswego. The 6'7'' Gambian product is presently averaging 14ppg and 7.2 rpg and in the top 10 in NCAA3 blocks in the nation at 2.6. Oswego finshied the year at 20-7. Jabbi's family is from Serekunda and he came to the US in 1995. He started playing basketball seriously his sophomore year of High School. As a junior at Alfred Smith High ( Bronx), he averaged 21 ppg and upped the total as a senior to 28 ppg. He made honorable mention all city as a senior. The question one raises is; 'What is he doing at a D 3 ' ? He was a 6'4'' post player in high school and grew to 6'7'' and 180 lbs after graduation. Certainly good for Oswego as he was named third team all-conference this year as a sophomore. You can catch a glimpse of this power forward as I did on Youtube. This lefty has some bounce to his game.

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GEORGIA

Energy prevails in O.T., with Sanikidze-Stefanov duel... -by Levan Mikeladze

In this interesting match with many high leads and come backs, Energy found the way to get another win; it was hard fought in the over time. Their play is showing a lot of inconsistencies this season. They can never secure high leads they are having throughout the game. It happened this time too, with 13 point lead at the end of the 1st half, which melted in the first few minutes of the second half. Jovan Stefanov (208-F-83, college: Ill.-Chicago) lead the winning team with another double-double shooting almost perfect from the field (5:5 for 2pt. and 4:3 for 3pt.). Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86) is improving his shape showing that he will be ready for this year's NBA summer league (Viktor was drafted by San Antonio Spurs).

Dinamo 77:84 Energy

Dinamo: Viktor Sanikidze 25 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists; Archil Jgenti 12 points, 5 assists.
Energy: Jovan Stefanov 23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists; Besik Lezhava 18 points; Giorgi Gamqrelidze 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists.

BU leads his team to the FIBA EuroCup Final Four -by Levan Mikeladze
The guard of Georgian National Team, George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) scored 25 points, was the MVP of his Tartu Rock, as his team beat Russian side Ural Great in the decider of the FIBA Eurocup 1/4 final and went to the Final Four. The visitors were ahead 64:53 in the last minute of the third quarter, but thanks to a great performance from Tsintsadze, the hosts went ahead for good and never looked back. Georgian International finished the outing with a game high 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in 33 minutes. He was 10/10 on the free throw line.

Shermadini... 9 assists!!! www.shermadini.com -by Levan Mikeladze
In another close game TSU came on top. TSU had a lead throughout second half, but Maccabi came close to make this game a photo finish. Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) was again one assist away from a triple-double, yet his team lost again. This time he had a solid help from Korkotadze with 19 points. On the other hand, with this win, TSU is closer to secure second place before the start of the play-off. Great game for TSU had Shalva Khetsuriani (197-G/F-83) with 29 and Levan Tkeshelashvili (204-C-83) with 22 points.

Maccabi: G. Shermadini 38 points, 26 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 block shots; Z. Korkotadze 19 points, 4 assists
TSU: Sh. Khetsuriani 29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists; L. Tkeshelasvili 22 points, 8 rebounds

Avia wins, first triple double of the season recorded -by Levan Mikeladze
Avia was led again by their leader point-guard Konstantine Tugushi (193-G-84). He recorded this season's first triple-double. His firm play was the key to win again. 18 points 15 assists and 12 rebounds, Bravo Kote! He had a solid help from Irakli Khoshtaria (190-G-75) which led all the scorers with 23 points and regularly solid Tornike Niniashvili (202-C-82) with 17 points. Vita keeps playing good but at the end falls shy from the win. Giorgi Markhvashvili (190-G-85) was highest scorer for Vita with 20. He was helped by Davit Gvimradze (203-F-86) 17 and Mikheil Berishvili (205-F-87, agency: Naiditch Entertainment) with 14 points.

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GERMANY

Also Marius Nolte to stay in Paderborn -by Moritz Korff
Shortly after making a deal with Steve Esterkamp for the upcoming two seasons 1. Bundesliga-side Digibu Baskets Paderborn announced that also Marius Nolte is going to stay with the club. He will go into his 8th year with the Paderborn team. The former German A2-international made the Eurobasket.com Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team after the past campaign and was named the 2007 Athlete of the Year in the city of Paderborn. He is currently averaging 6.8 ppg and 4.6 rpg in the Bundesliga.

High scores in minor leagues -by Moritz Korff
A couple of days has already gone by since last weekend when these two American players provided fantastic numbers in Regionalliga-basketball. But it's never too late to point out magnificent performances like these: Rishawn Norwood (192-G, agency: Sports Plus International, college: San Antonio CC) hit 11 threes for Vegesacker TV (2. Regionalliga) in a 96:72 win over VfL Hameln on Saturday. He finished the game with 45 points totally.
Ricky Easterling (188-G-83, college: Bridgewater) had even more. The Guard of TV Saarlouis, that is in first place of the Regionalliga South-West North, put in 55 points when his team thrashed TG Hanau 115:80 on the road. Easterling is currently leading the league in Points per Game (33.2).

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GREECE

Bizoukas gets big, fat Greek invite -by Chris Mammides

Michael Bizoukas (185-G-90), who graduated from Munster last year and became the school's only Indiana All-Star last summer, was diagnosed with mononucleosis just before he arrived at DePaul last fall. He is now seeking a medical redshirt from the NCAA after playing in just five games and suffering a relapse.
Feeling better now, the star point guard's emotional lifted up, a couple of weeks ago while talking to his dad, Nick Michael Bizoukas. That's when Michael Bizoukas found out he'd been invited to try out for the FIBA U-20 Greek National team in Athens, Greece, this summer.
'I was totally shocked,' Michael Bizoukas said. 'I wasn't expecting that at all. I just wanted to get back to 100 percent and was only thinking about DePaul and not any other team. But it's a great honour and a blessing.'
The U-20 team will play in an international tournament later this summer in Latvia, and is the team that's sort of considered the stepping stone team to the Greek National team that plays in Olympic competition. Michael Bizoukas is an American citizen, and is 50 percent Greek.
Nick, his dad, is 100 percent Greek. Nick's parents -- and Michael's grandparents, Cleo and George Michael Bizoukas -- live in Highland. All are extremely proud of Michael's latest accomplishment, he said.
'My dad's really proud, but my grandfather is probably the most proud,' Michael Bizoukas said. 'He's really, really happy for me. I think he and my dad are going to go with me to the tryouts.'
That will be in June, and will be Michael Michael Bizoukas' first trip to Greece. He was supposed to go last summer with his grandparents, but had to cancel when he made the Indiana All-Star team. Now, another all-star team is letting him see what he missed.
Other notable college freshmen with Greek heritage who were invited include Ohio State's Kosta Koufos (213-F/C-89) , Florida's Nick Kalathis (200-G-89), Saint Joseph's Pat Kalathis (208-G/F-85) (Nick's older brother) and Furman Paladin's, Giorgos Brozos

'We're all extremely proud of him,' Munster head coach Mike Hackett said. 'It's a big honour just to be considered. And I think it's a big pick-me-up. He was real disappointed that he had to take a medical redshirt, so for him to be able to do this, it's exciting for him.'

By Brian Hedger Post-Tribune staff writer

AEK Athens signs another player -by Chris Mammides

A1
Darrel Lewis (192-G-76, college: Lincoln (MO)) is officially AEK's player. AEK Athens and Head Coach Agelou wanted to sign earlier on this year the successfull American (with European passport) but they couldn't untill today. Darrel played last seazon in Sporting and he was among the top performers in the A2, helping his team to win the first place and the promotion (which never happened due to fianncial reasons)

A2
Ionikos Lamias and Head Coach Branislav Prelevic split ways. After the latest negative results and the fact that there are fewer chances for possible promotion in the A1, Ionikos Lamias decided to split ways with the Greek-Serbian Coach.

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HOLLAND

Guido Grunheid undergo's meniscusoperation -by Eurobasket
The German international of Hanzevast Capitals Guido Grunheid, has to undergo a operation to his meniscus today in Germany. Center Guido Grunheid will be out of competition for approximately 6 weeks and can be back before the beginning of the play offs.
Spanish center Morales will soon be back in training after a very long injuredperiod.

MyGuide Amsterdam To Dutch Cup Finals -by Sanders Jackson

In a marquee matchup Tuesday night in the Sporthallen-Zuid between the two possible finalists MyGuide Amsterdam and West-Brabant Giants, MyGuide showed the reason why they are at the moment at the top of the class in the Dutch competition, with the team of Arik Shivek marching on to the Dutch Cup finals with a 95-90 victory. MyGuide won the matchup despite not having ace-in-the hole and Dutch international Peter Van Paassen

(210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) in service, got a big lift from reserve center Robert Krabbendam

(213-C-86, college: Virginia Tech), who did a good job on West-Brabant Giants' post threat Devonne Giles

(203-F-83, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Tech) in the 2nd half, drawing two charges on him and holding him to six points. Sheiku Kabba (188-G-79, college: Providence) picked up the scoring slack in van Paassen's absence, scoring 18 pts., including 4 of 6 three-pointers, with Sergerio Gipson

(193-G/F-80, agency: 540 Sports, college: Arkansas) adding 17 and Tamien Trent

(183-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) adding 16. West-Brabant Giants PG Patrick Pope

(183-G-81, college: St.Augustine) led all scorers with 27 pts. MyGuide also had a 39-23 bench scoring advantage.

FEB Results: Hanzevast Capitals Win In Weert; ZZ Leiden Remain In Playoff Race -by Sanders Jackson

Tuesday night in FEB action, Hanzevast Capitals and ZZ Leiden, both teams needing a win to remain in striking distance of their respective playoff positions, both got the job done, with Hanzevast making the return trip to Groningen seem a little shorter, winning over Upstairs Weert 96-90, and ZZ Leiden over Den Helder Seals.

Hanzevast overcame a 70-65 deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter to take control of the game in the 4th quarter, with good ball pressure and bench scoring, not to mention an excellent performance by Niels Meijer (204-F-80, agency: R.H.Consultancy) to win over struggling Upstairs Weert. Meijer had his best scoring output of the season, scoring a season-high 20 pts. Alton Mason (185-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Arizona St.) led Hanzevast with 21 pts. and 5 assists, with Kevin Melson (199-F-78, college: Wright St.) adding 16. Hanzevast's pressure defense forced Upstairs to cough up the ball 23 times, with a 29-10 bench scoring advantage. Upstairs PG Derek Coleman (180-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Robert Morris) led all scorers with 26 pts. Hanzevast are now 18-13 and move back into 5th place in the FEB, a half-game behind Matrixx Magixx before their Saturday matchup in the Martiniplaza, and only one game behind Eiffel Towers for 3rd place. Meanwhile, the freefall continues for Upstairs, who suffered its sixth straight loss and 10 of last 11.

In Leiden, it was like two wins for ZZ Leiden on Tuesday night, coupled with Upstairs Weert's loss, ZZ did what must be done to remain in the FEB playoff hunt, taking control of the game in the 4th quarter, winning over Den Helder Seals 87-82. Both Donald Wilson (193-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) and

Steve Ross (201-G/F-80, agency: Court Side, college: Santa Clara) led ZZ with 22 pts. each, with David Chiotti (206-F/C-84, agency: Court Side, college: N.Mexico) adding 20 pts. and 14 rebounds. Den Helder Seals, who shot 68.4% FG, were led by game-high scorer J.R. Duffey

(201-F/G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Niagara) with 31 pts. With the win, ZZ bumps Upstairs temporarily out of playoff position, with a 12-18 record.

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HUNGARY

Hungarian Cup: Falco got into the Final Four -by Tamas Deri
FALCO KC Szombathely lost by 10 points last night in Pecs, but as they won the first game by 13, got into the Final Four of the Hungarian Cup. It was a very good game between two hard fighting teams with some extra performances: Williams and Doyne scored over 30 points!
In the last seconds the home team had a chance to kick out Falco, but Nick Williams missed a three pointer some seconds before the end.

PVSK-EXPO CENTER PECS-FALCO KC-SZOMBATHELY 79-69
(15-17, 20-20, 22-16, 22-16)
Pecs, Att.: 2.500, Referees:
Hartyani, Benczur, Szilas
PECS: Jovanovic 7/3, Nick Williams (192-G-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Cincinnati) 32/9, Denes, Toth N., Bojan Lapov (211-C-68) 19/12, Aleksic 14, Kutasi, Grebenar 7, Czigler, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
FALCO: Kornel Varadi (198-G-87, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 11/9, Bam Doyne (193-G-84, college: Mississippi) 33/12, Draughan 10/3, Kazlauskas 6/3, Aliakseyeu 1, Will 3/3, Borszeki 5/3, Feigl, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic

Tonight will be played three more games in the cup:
POLAROID-LAMI-VED KORMEND - NYKK, 19:00 in Kormend
1st game won NYKK by 16 points

ATOMEROMU SE - UNIVER KSE, 18:00 in Paks
1st game won ASE by 15 points

PLANET-LEASING DOMBOVAR KC - ALBACOMP, 18:00 in Dombovar (Game one)

Hungarian Cup: ASE and Kormend in Final Four -by Tamas Deri
ASE could even win the home game and got into the Final Four of the Hungarian Cup. The first qarter was tied, in the second half the guests could dominate and lead by 5 points after 20 minutes.
In the second half the home team ruled the game and could beat Univer. Player of the game was Cedric Brooks, who scored 23 points and had 4 assists in 27 minutes on the court.

In Kormend the home team started the game very well, in the 7. minute they were leading by 16 points already. They had to beat NYKK at least by 17 to reach the Final Four, which was a very hard job for them. The players made excellent defense, could keep one of the best point guards of the league, Branko Savis on 0 point.
There were a lot of nice moments in the game: Henderson made some nice dunks, Ocitti scored a half-court three in the last second of the 3rd quarter, Thomas had nice layups and assists, Gergely Fodor made all his shoots!
With the help of the fanatics from Kormend the home team could won by amazing 24 points against NYKK and reached the Final Four. Player of the game was Jermaine Thomas, who was close to a tripple-double with 21 points, 11 fouls against and 7 assists.

In Dombovar was played the first game against Albacomp last night, the game got tied, so any team can win the rematch in Szekesfehervar will be the fourth team in the Cup Final.
Two minutes before the end Albacomp lead by 14 points, but the home team scored 4 three pointers in a row and could keep the chance to reach the Final Four.

ATOMERŐMŰ SE-UNIVER KECSKEMET 80-72
(20-20, 12-17, 28-17, 20-18)
Paks, Att.: 600, Referees: Bognar, Farkas, Marton
ATOMERŐMŰ: Meszaros Z. 6, Denis Toroman (190-G-82) 14/9, Kiss Zs. 8/3, Panta 6, Zoltan Horvath (207-F/C-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 15/6, Csaplar-Nagy E. 3/3, Cedric Brooks (185-G-80, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Pittsburg St.) 23/12, Stevenson 5, Coach: Sabali Balazs
KECSKEMET: Sigurdarson 9/9, Larry Blair (183-G-84, college: Liberty) 28/9, Horvath 7/3, Jefferson, Fiegi 10, Csorvasi 2, Halmai 8/6, Toth P., Lekli 6, Csabay 2, Coach: Zsoldos Andras

POLAROID-LAMI-VED-KÖRMEND-MARSO-VAGEP NYÍREGYHAZI KK 88-64
(28-13, 20-24, 21-14, 19-13)
Kormend, Att.: 2200, Referees: Foldhazi, Cziffra, Palla
KÖRMEND: Jermaine Thomas (187-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: La Salle) 21, Gergely Fodor (193-G-77, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents) 10/3, Ferencz 8/6, Stanley Ocitti (203-F/C-80, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Binghamton) 11/3, Vavra 11, McCants 6, Kenneth Henderson (201-F-82, college: Texas Arlington) 15/3, Trummer 6/6, Fodor, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic
NYKK: Savic, Gary Buchanan (191-G-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Villanova) 17/3, Mouton 16/9, Sitku 11, Helbich 10, Trepak 5/3, Siska 2, Krasznai 3/3, Coach: Deri Csaba

PLANET LEASING DOMBÓVAR KC-ALBACOMP 82-82
(20-18, 23-20, 17-30, 22-14)
Dombovar, Att.: 1000, Referees: dr. Valovics, Kiss L., Kapitany
DKC: Mike English (194-F/G-82, college: Mo.-Kansas City) 19, Mills 14/6, Deak 7/6, Marco Sanders (202-F-79, college: Point Park) 19, Wiley 13/9, Bodi 8/6, Molnar M., Balogh L. 3/3, Coach: Dzunic Branislav
ALBACOMP: Balazs Simon (188-G-80, agency: Court Side) 21/6, Bradford 11/9, Velibor Radovic (202-F/G-72, agency: Beo Basket) 19/6, Chad McClendon (199-F-73, college: Appalachian St.) 25/3, Boozer 2, Hanga, Bencze Z. 4, David G., Coach: Peresztegi-Nagy Akos

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IBL

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

The Holland Blast will begin their season at Orchardview Middle School in Muskegon Michigan on Sat, March 15th at 7pm versus the Hidden Gems All Stars. The Holland Blast roster for 2008 will feature the 1-2 punch of Dennis Springs (5'8''-G-82, college: Ferris St.) and Antonio Davis (6'6''-F-82, college: Urbana) among many talented others including mainstay contributers Dominick Melton (6'6''-F, college: Wisc.-Parkside) (2007 All Star) and Duane Bosma (6'9''-C, college: Hope (MI)).

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

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

Tyler Ousley (6'9''-F/C) - All American at Otterbien with bigtime pro potential. Can play any frontcourt position at his height.

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

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

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

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ICELAND

Breidablik Division 1 Champions. -by Siggi Hjorleifsson

Breidablik has won division 1 and will move directly up to Iceland Express league next season. After team beat Valur last night 64-62 it was clear.
Good coaching job from coach Einar Johannson .
Game was on the line in last second of the game but Runar Ingi Erlingsson made tho freethrow to secure the win.
Top scorers for Breidablik Nemanja Sovic 19. William Coley 15.Halldor Halldorsson scored 7 pts & 17 rebounds for Breidablik.

For Valur Rob Hodgson 12 Alexander Dungal 11. Team did not use Craig Walls well in this game.

Division 1 results. -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Haukar 76 KFI 72. Sveinn Sveinsson 17 pts for Haukar. Allan Sheppard 20 for KFI.

Reynir 91 KFI 77.Olafur Aron Ingvason 22 for Reynir. Bojan Popovic 26 + 21 rebs for KFI.
These two losses for KFI will probably take their chance away of making the play-offs.

Hottur 80. FSU 93. Everard Bartlett 35 + 11 rebs. Ben Hill 23 for Hottur. Saevar Sigmundsson 23. Ante Kapov 22 for FSU.
FSU in second place after this win.

Armann 107. Thor 73. Fridrik Hreinsson 19 for Armann. Gretar Erlendsson 17 for Thor.
Armann moving into play-offs place.

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JAMAICA

Cedarville wins AMC Tournament in dramatic fashion -by Leonard Whyte
Canton, OH (3-5-2008) - Cedarville University secured an automatic berth to next week's NAIA Division II National Tournament when, thanks to a dramatic last second shot, they upset No. 1 seed Malone College 84-83 last night in the championship game of the American Mideast Conference (AMC). Cedarville is making its fifth trip in the last six years to the tournament and is presently ranked No. 18. Sophomore forward, Ricardo Alliman, formerly of Calabar High School, continued his fine season and delivered 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while his partner, Christopher Walker, also scored 10 points.

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JORDAN

Arena rests on top of the Final Four -by Fadi Sabbah
Two days after their important win against Ortthodox Club, Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman Men kept on impressing fans and officials. The team lost in OT after leading most of the game against Arena Amman.
Arena Amman came back from 14 points behind in the second quarter and managed to close the gap gradually to tie the game 84-84 at the end of regular time. The two teams exchanged the lead in the extra five minutes and Arena held on to a dear win 108- 106 to lead the Final Four teams awaiting the game between Zain and Orthodox Club tomorrow.

Jordan Basketball Federation does not tolerate misconduct -by Fadi Sabbah

Action did not stop with the final whistle of the game between Zain and Orthodox Clubs on Tuesday, as a fight broke out in Zain Club locker room between Orthodox import player Kelly Wise (208-F-80, college: Memphis) and Zain Club player Moussa Al Awadi (190-G/F-85), and it was continued in the parking lot. The two players shoved and pushed during the game and exchanged words and elbows, but were stopped and warned by referees.

The Jordan Basketball Federation stopped the two players until the end of season -

Orthodox players Fadel Najjar and Ghazi Naber who joined in the locker room fight, were also stopped for three games each.
JBF's punishment was welcome by fans and officials who care for the game and its image.
The two teams will meet tomorrow without their punished players, and the team with the deeper bench should win.

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LATVIA

"Barons" go to "Final Four" -by Gunars Gailitis
Barons - KK Zagreb 96:91

KK Zagreb did not survive the third decisive game in the quarterfinal series against Barons and got eliminated from the competition. Croatian team travelled to Riga with the series tied at 1-1 and hoped to get the momentum going after a win at home. With a massive success at the local Croatian stage Zagreb was ready to fight for a wide European recognition. Zagreb recently clinched their first ever Croatian Cup title and were definitely on a high at the moment. But Barons withstood all the efforts from Zagreb to upset a supportive 8,500 home crowd in Riga. The game turned out to be a real thriller with the teams keeping it close throughout the whole encounter. The lead changed hands for 4 times in the opening 3 minutes before Barons trebles from Kaspars Berzins and Dainius Adomaitis to run away to a 6-point distance. Mario Dundovic immediately reacted with a trey of his own to keep Zagreb in visibility. Kaspars Berzins, Armands Skele (192-G-83) and Dainius Adomaitis ignited another rally for the hosts and built a 30:21 buffer but just to watch Zagreb responding with a 6:0 run to cap the first frame at 27:30. The teams kept on trading buckets in the second period and Mario Dundovic knocked down a triple to give the visiting side a 47:46 lead midway through the term. Armands Skele and Demetrius Alexander (retained the lead for Barons but Gordan Zadravec and Petar Babic banked 5 straight points for Zagreb and Croatian team enjoyed a 56:55 advantage at halftime.
Giedrius Gustas converted a bunch of free throws early in the third quarter as Barons once again surged ahead. Not for long though. Jakov Vladovic and Filip Basljan scored 4 in a row and Zagreb got hold of the advantage. The lead changed hands for 9 times throughout the third period with the tension filling up the air. The hosts were able to close the third frame on a 5:0 run to claim a 75:71 cushion. The home side maintained the lead in the fourth period and was up by 2 points with a minute to go in regulation. Armands Skele then hit a free throw to stretch the margin, while Jakov Vladovic committed a turnover to deny Zagreb a chance to tie the game. Dainius Adomaitis was deadly from charity stripe and finalized a winning outcome for Latvian team.
Armands Skele scored 20 points to lead Barons. Dainius Adomaitis netted 19 points and pulled down 6 boards in a winning case. Jakov Vladovic and Ante Tomic responded with 20 points apiece for Zagreb. Mario Dundovic knocked down 16 points in defeat. Barons will now face TU/Rock in the EuroCup semis.

Barons: Armands Skele 20, Dainius Adomaitis 19, Giedrius Gustas 15
Zagreb: Jakov Vladovic 20, Ante Tomic 20, Mario Dundovic 16

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LESOTHO

Lerotholi Polytechnic clinches the LBA regular season title -by Eurobasket News
Lerotholi Polytechnic team was impressive down the stretch and celebrated yet another triumph in the Lesotho Basketball Association regular season. They managed to pass their route spotless and claimed their second straight title. Lerotholi finalized the positive outcome against Leseli. Polytechnic squad overcame their opponents 42:41 to celebrate the title. The regular season champs now face a tough task of battling for the National crown in the Final Four competition. Last season they failed to deliver falling short to Rangers in the semis. But Lerotholi captain Ramatsoai Sothoane praised his team's effort and expressed a strong belief that Lerotholi would be able to achieve the highest possible tasks this season.
Meanwhile Rangers vice captain Motloli Mothepu believes that his teammates are capable of repeating the last season's surprise and downing the renowned favorites. Rangers are expected to travel to Botswana for a couple of friendlies as a part of the preparation for Final Four games.

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MEXICO

Soles Return Favor, Win Game 2 -by Justin Brink
After getting waxed in game one of the LNBP Finals, the Soles of Mexicali bounced back last night to win game two in Xalapa's house, 89-86 and tie the series at one game each. Dejuan Wheat controlled the offensive tempo for Mexicali who jumped out to a 9-0 lead on Xalapa in the first four minutes of what would be a back and forth battle all game long. Mexicali head coach Ivan Deniz 's strategy to rest most of his starters in the final period of the game one blowout paid dividends as the Soles looked fresh in the fourth quarter of game two dicing the Halcones press for 18 fast break points.Deniz opted to start Hugo Carillo in place of center and Sole captain, Horacio Llamas (211-C-73, agency: Interperformances), another decision which helped the Soles secure game two victory as Llamas tallied 15 points, two of them coming in the final seconds of the match to help squash any chance for a Xalapa miracle. Greg Lewis (198-F-78, college: Winthrop) was a 'hombre en llamas' pouring in 27 points and collecting 14 rebounds while teammates Richard Lopez (192-G-78, college: Cal.Baptist) and James Penny (198-F-76, college: TCU) tallied 16 apiece. For Xalapa, Michael Johnson (186-G) led the way with 24, Sam Bowie (198-F/G-75, college: SE Louisiana) had 17 and Jermaine Watson (193-G-81, college: Boston Coll.) notched 16. The series moves to Mexicali for games three, four and five which will be played on March 7th, 8th and 9th.for more on game two of the LNBP Finals.

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NBA

Tim Duncan shines as the Spurs post 10th win in a row -by Eurobasket News
The San Antonio Spurs gradually came up to the routine tempo of the season ending. Usually pretty sloppy at the start San Antonio goes galloping late in the season. They beat the visiting New Jersey Nets yesterday to post their 10th straight victory and improved to 42-17 record to occupy the top spot in the West. Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was impressive with 29 points and 12 boards for the Spurs. The outcome was built during an 18:1 run from the hosts that set things at 53:38 in the third period. The victory came despite a woeful shooting from the Spurs as they converted only 33% from the field. Emanuel Ginobili (6'6''-G-77, agency: Interperformances) accounted for 12 points, while Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) contributed 11 in a win. Vince Carter (6'5''-G-77, college: N.Carolina) notched 19 points and 9 boards for the Nets as they lost their second in a row.
The LA Lakers secured their second position in the West with a hard-fought win over the Sacramento Kings away from home. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) nailed 17 points in the fourth term to ignite the Lakers to the 12th win in the last 13 games. The Lakers superstar guard, who was recently awarded as the Player of the Month, netted 11 straight points to pace the visitors to the decisive lead late in the game. Kobe Bryant finished with 34 points in a 117:105 win that lifted the Lakers to 43-18 record. Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) provided a solid backup with 31 points and 10 boards for the winners. Ron Artest (6'7''-G-79, college: St.John's) answered with 23 points in the 33rd loss for Sacramento.
The Phoenix Suns halted their two-game losing skid with a 97:92 win over Portland. The Suns led all the way through the encounter but the Trail Blazers kept the intrigue alive. They trimmed the difference to just 2 points late in the fourth period. Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) scored two free throws to claim a decisive margin for the Suns. He produced 22 points and 7 boards to ensure the winning outcome for Phoenix. Steve Nash (6'3''-G-74, college: Santa Clara) added 19 points for the visitors. Brandon Roy (6'6''-G-84, college: Washington) paced the hosts with 25 points.

Dallas inks free agent Tyronn Lue -by Eurobasket News
The Dallas Mavericks agreed to terms of contract with a free agent Tyronn Lue (6'0''-G-77, college: Nebraska). The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 31-year-old point guard was sent to Sacramento in a Mike Bibby deal but never played for the Kings. He averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game in 33 games this season. Tyronn Lue won the NBA title with the LA Lakers in 2001.
The Detroit Pistons bolstered their squad with the addition of veteran Theo Ratliff (6'10''-F/C-73, college: Wyoming). The center that spent 13 seasons in the NBA was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. Theo Ratliff started his career in Motown in 1995. He played in just 10 games for the Timberwolves this season averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 boards per game. The 35-year-old centre can be available for the Pistons as soon as today against the Boston Celtics.
Sam Cassell (6'3''-G-69, college: Florida St.) finalized his deal with the Boston Celtics. He past the physical yesterday and signed a contact with the Celtics. However Sam Cassell would not play for his new team against the Detroit Pistons today. The veteran guard attends a funeral of a family member in Baltimore and is expected to don the Celtics jersey on Friday against the Bulls.
The NBA decided to reinstate Chris Andersen (6'11''-C-78, college: Blinn JC) after a two-year ban to play in the league. He was charged with violating the league's substance abuse policy. The 29-year-old forward is expected to join the Hornets prior to playoffs. His average stats come up to 5.1 points, 4.8 boards and 1.3 blocks per game.

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NEW ZEALAND

Renewed Taranaki opens season with win -by Eurobasket News
Taranaki - Wellington 98:80

The Taranaki Mountain Airs changed the name and their approach. The refurbished Tranaki outfit entered the season with a new name of Devon Dynamos and it worked well in the initial game. Taranaki hosted the Wellington Saints in New Plymouth and drove to a confident victory to set the winning tone for the season. The Dynamos got to a slightly better start and soon found themselves up by one point after the first frame. The hosts exploded in the second stanza mounting 38 points and building a 58:45 advantage at the halftime break. The Dynamos looked better down the stretch and maintained the lead throughout the third period. The things never got brighter for the Saints in the final term as Taranaki easily finalized the first success in the NBL season. Keith Salscheider (196-G/F-82, agency: Sports Plus International, college: San Diego Chr.) debuted in style for the Dynamos. American shooting guard launched 23 points to pace the home team. Former Tall Black Tony Rampton (213-C-76, college: Iowa St.) produced 21 points and 8 boards, while Link Abrams (198-F-73) contributed 19 points and 8 boards for the winners. Nick Horvath (209-F-81, college: Duke) answered with 24 points for Wellington. Troy McLean (195-G-79) had 20 points as the Saints lost their second out of three starting games.
Taranaki dominated the boards 52:34 and managed 50% from the field. Wellington converted 36% of field goals including just 23% from beyond the arc. The Dynamos stay at home to face the defending champions Nelson on Friday. Wellington will next play against the Nelson Giants on March 13.

Taranaki: Keith Salscheider 23, Tony Rampton 21+8 boards, Link Abrams 19
Wellington: Nick Horvath 24, Troy McLean 20

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NORWAY

First semifinals -by Eurobasket News
Harstad Vikings and Asker Aliens won their first semifinal games in BLNO. The teams won home games that held the spectators till the last seconds.
Harstad Vikings survived against Tromso Storm beating them 62 :59. The latter did not feel as if they played away from home and produced 12:17 in the opening quarter. Moreover the guests enjoyed 9 points advantage at the half as they won the second quarter 17:19. The things became better for the hosts in the second quarter after the third quarter win 17:13. The final period saw the back-to-back baskets, but Harstad Vikings pushed the tempo to clinch the first win. Jeff Rogers (185-G-73, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: W.Kentucky) nailed last 4 free throws for his team. He top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Fredrik Knutsen (194-F/G-78) netted 11, while Bjorn Risshall added 8. Hani Issalhi (187-G-84) ended up with 21 points in the losing effort.
Asker Aliens won another thriller of the first semifinals. The home team overcame Ulriken Eagles 85 : 83 to take the first victory. Asker Aliens opened the game with 22:17, but saved only 3 points deficit at the half. A 24:20 brought them some relax before the final stanza, but the last period was really tough. Mustafa Mahnin (182-G-80) made the core 77:77 to start the game from the beginning. The hosts created 8-0 run and it seemed there should not be any questions about the winners. Ulriken Eagles did not give up, however could reduce only to 85:83. Mustafa Mahnin led all the winners with 32 points. Ronny Karlsen (203-F-78, college: Independence CC) netted 24, whilst Torkildsen had 9. Calix Ndiaye finished the game with 26 points in defeat.

Harstad Vikings -Tromso Storm 62 :59 ( 12 -17 17 -19 17 -13 16 -10 )
Harstad Vikings:Jeff Rogers 21, Fredrik Knutsen 11, Bjorn Risshall 8
Tromso Storm:Hani Issalhi 21, Anthony Williams (203-F-83, agency: AMI, college: Cent.Florida) 13, Mike Campbell (193-F, college: St.Francis (IN)) 12+12 rebs

Asker Aliens -Ulriken Eagles 85 : 83 ( 22 -17 14 -16 24 -20 25 -30 )
Asker Aliens:Mustafa Mahnin 32, Ronny Karlsen 24, Torkildsen 9
Ulriken Eagles:Calix Ndiaye 26, Frank Nyborg (195-F-83) 14

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PHILIPPINES

Foreigners Ekwe, Udo could be ‘naturalized' to strengthen RP 5 -by Hector Santos
THE Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) is looking at foreign players who could reinforce the national team in international competitions.

And the primary object of the BAP-SBP's desire is San Beda's Samuel Ekwe (203-C), the six-foot-eight Nigerian who was heavily responsible for the Red Lions' back-to-back titles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2006 and 2007.

BAP-SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio told that Ekwe, and another Nigerian, six-foot-seven Kevin Emeka Udo, will backstop the Harbour Centre national squad in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Championship set from April 2 to 6 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

'In principle, okey na sa NCAA Management Committee and San Beda, but we're still formalizing it,' said Gregorio.

The Harbour Centre-backed national team is the defending champion of the Seaba tournament.

Gregorio said the BAP-SBP could also move further, and this is to make Ekwe a naturalized citizen, so much so that he could be eligible for major international competitions such as the Asian Games and Fiba tournaments.

'Why Ekwe? He's been here for a long time and he's a very good man. So, why not make him our naturalized player. Tutal dito naman siya nag-aaral, and I think he will be a big help to our national team,' said Gregorio.

Ekwe's stint at the Seaba tourney will be a test of sorts, Gregorio said, because the BAP-SBP wants to know the pulse of the people on the Nigerian's naturalization.

Ekwe, 25, will play his final year with San Beda in the coming NCAA season, while Udo is only playing in the league for the first time.

FIBA allows each country to field one naturalized player.

'This is something that the BAP-SBP wants to look into seriously. Tutal, pinapayagan naman ng Fiba ang pag-naturalize so, why not grab the opportunity,' said Gregorio. 'Let's see how the people will react on this.'

During the 1980s, the Ron Jacobs-coached national team had naturalized players—Jeff Moore, Chip England and Dennis Still—and were successful in their overseas stints.

The Habour Centre-RP team won the Seaba crown last year with Nigerian Julius Nwosu and Vidal Messiah as reinforcements.(Joel Orellana/BusinessMirror)

Sta. Lucia Boss Hails Wards' Chemistry -by Lorenzo Gahol

Miranda

Yeo

Espino

Williams

MANILA - Sta. Lucia Realty team manager Buddy Encarnado believes that he has found the right combination of players who will herald the Realtors' dominance in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). His wards bagged the PBA All-Filipino crown on Sunday after a seven-year title drought. The entry of former player Teodorico 'Boyet' Fernandez who was named head coach to mentor playmaker Dennis Miranda (180-G-82), guard Joseph Yeo (185-G-83), Fil-American rookie guard Ryan Reyes (186-G) of Santa Lucia Realty, forward Kelly Williams (196-F-82) of Santa Lucia Realty, seasoned cager Dennis Espino (203-C-73) of Santa Lucia Realty, and veteran center Marlou Aquino (205-C-72) spelled success for the team, Encarnado said. 'I guess the number one reason is the difficulty in finding the right combination. It's a question of the right players and at the same time the right coach,' he added. J. Malig

PBA Teams Start Search For Imports -by Lorenzo Gahol

MANILA - Various teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) have started their respective search for foreign reinforcements who will beef up the squads for the next conference. Alaska Aces coach Tim Cone revealed that he rejected three prospective imports because they were either injured or wanted more money. PBA imports are allowed to pocket up to USD 20,000 monthly salary aside from a PHP 85,000 monthly allowance for food, lodging, and transport. Air21 Express is expected to bring in Continental Basketball Association behemoth Steve Thomas (203-F-81, agency: Promotex, college: Middle Tenn.St.), while Talk 'N Text Phone Pals secured the services of former U.S. NCAA stalwart Aaron McGhee (202-F-79, college: Oklahoma). Ginebra Gin Kings coach Jong Uichico has yet to name the team's import for the PBA Fiesta Cup. J. Malig

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PUERTO RICO

Benson is the Man, Bayamon defeats Carolina and Boricuas Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
BSN-Time in Puerto Rico. Santurce won also against Guaynabo 92-81. Santurce has now a 4-0 standings and It is 'the team' of the BSN. MVP of the game was 'El jefe' Larry Ayuso. Ayuso is scoring for Santurce in these first 4 games 16.5 ppg and He is the best scorer of Cangrejeros.
Ponce signed Edgar Padilla and Los Leones won an important game against Arecibo. Ponce played as a team, with heart and a good 'team-play' so They could defeat Arecibo and Angel Figueroa (another 'partidazo' for Buster 28+11).
Mayaguez defeated Caguas, MVP was Keenan Jourdon with 14 pts+11rebs, to mention also the game of Edgar Moreno, a great trade for Indios, because He is not only a good scorer but He gave a lot of intensity in defense and He is a good 'steal-man'.
Bayamon won an incredible game against Carolina. Bayamon signed in this week two new players, Darnell Hinson from Humacao and David Anderson from Caguas. Hinson began good his adventure with Los Vaqueros (19 pts). MVP of the game was Lee Benson, the top scorer of this BSN 2008, He scored 33 pts and He catched 12 rebs. Benson is scoring 23.5 ppg+13.3 prg.
BSN BOXSCORES
SANTURCE-GUAYNABO= 92-81
S= Ayuso 16, Dalmau 16, Falcon 14, Berdiel 11 (8 rebs), Rivas 10, Traylor 8, Narvaez 6, E. Santiago 6, Melendez 5, O. Santiago 0
G= Escalera 21 (7 rebs), Sanchez 16, Sheppard 16, Wilson 14, Langhi 6, Simon 6, Ortiz 2, Padilla 0
ARECIBO-PONCE= 82-87
A= Figueroa 28 (11 rebs), Hatton 15, White 12, Cruz 10, Rivera 9, R. Rivera 4, Butler 2, Rosario 2, Rosa 0, Ricardo 0
P= Colon 17, Jones 16, Aubry 13, Thompson 12 (13 rebs), Latimer 8, Pagan 8, Curbelo 6, Martinez 5, Rosario 2, Colon 0, Padilla 0
CAGUAS-MAYAGUEZ= 56-59
C= Alamo 13, Melendez 10, Bryant 7, Konecky 6 (13 rebs), Ortiz 6, Garcia 6, Ramos 6, Ashby 2, Davila 0, Mc Sweeney 0
M= Jourdon 14 (11 rebs), Moreno 9, Williams 9, Zayas 8, Caballero 7, Jimenez 5, Sanders 5, Venzen 2, Caraballo 0
BAYAMON-CAROLINA= 102-101
B= Benson 33 (12 rebs), Hinson 19, Vega 18, Lopez 10, Western 6, Valenzuela 6, Franklin 6, Vallencia 4, A. Lopez 0, Anderson 0, Salgado 0
C= Rice 21 (9 rebs), Delk 19, Cruz 15, Rivera 13, Reyes 13, Carmona 10, Brown 4, Hiraldo 4, Villafane 2, Rosa 0
BORICUAS ABROAD
In Euroleague, Unicaja Malaga won against Barcelona. Daniel Santiago played 21 minutes with 11 pts (3/4 2pts, 5/6 FT) + 7 rebs.
A. Fontana

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RWANDA

National Heroes' Basketball Tournament to be held in Rwanda -by Eurobasket News
The sources reported that Rwandan powerhouse APR BC plans to organize an annual basketball tournament. The initial starting date for the tourney was shifted and the competition is expected to tip off next week. APR BC team is now gathering some more financing for the tournament and is about to finish with all the preparations till the upcoming week. The tournament's managers also reported that the format of this year's tourney was changed. First the local squads will fight for the spots in the next round before the invited clubs from around Africa join the championship. The invited teams include franchises from Kenya, Uganda, DR Congo and Burundi. The local teams are the reigning champs APR BC, Marines, CSK, Rwanda National University and some more.
Last year APR BC clinched the trophy edging Dynamo from Burundi in the final. Before it APR BC won against their arch-rivals Espoir 74:55 in the semis. It also became known that the Challengers Cup tournament is scheduled to tip off soon after the National Heroes' basketball event.

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SAINT KITTS

Wind Of Change blows Through Basketball -by Jay

Basseterre, St.Kitts (March 4th 2008):-The Wind of Change that has seemingly been blowing through the Caribbean has apparently reached the local sports organizations as two associations in the past 3 weeks have elected new leadership. During last month Juliette Hanley-Liburd was elected as the new president of the St.Kitts Amateur Netball Association. The St.Kitts Amateur Basketball Association did likewise on Tuesday evening when they elected SKABA Icon, James 'Barman' Hanley to his 8th term as president replacing outgoing president Glen Phillip.
Hanley who first served as President in 1982 ran unopposed as the much talked about run-off between Hanley, Vice President Garfeild Alexander and former Vice President Wallis Wilkin never materialized as Wilkin supported a motion that nominations be ceased after Hanley was nominated.
'I am truly humbled once again be elected as President of this Association,' said Hanley. 'My first order of business is to put basketball back at the pinnacle of local sports both in terms of popularity and standard through developing and closely policing a programme which is geared towards ensuring that teams are properly organized ,' the new President continued. The newly elected President went on to say 'The proper organization of teams and the proper development of a youth programme of a high standard will be the two ideals that I will pursue with much urgency.'
The General Meeting also included the Treasurers report as well as the discussion on the proposed start date of the 2008 league which has been tentatively set as April 6th.
James 'Barman' Hanley is synonymous with basketball in the federation of St.Kitts-Nevis. Many of the strides made by the sport, particularly during the 80's were as a result of his efforts. His team the Harmonites Hitters is easily the most successful club team in the region having won the local SKABA championship on 17 occasions as well as many OECS and Leeward Islands Club Titles.

Courtesy of stkittsbasketball.com

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SERBIA

Partizan Igokea looks for the win @ Montepaschi tonight -by Dragan Jankovski
Partizan Igokea will try to revenge defeat in Italy against Montepaschi Siena and to keep its hope for the next stage alive. Namely, Partizan will probably need to win two more games, one of those have to be against green PAO in the last round. Partizan's coach Vujosevic and the players hope that one of those could happen tonight. It would be an extremely tough job as Siena is unbeaten in TOP 16 yet and they totally dominate in Italian Serie A with 23 wins and only 2 defeats. It seems Siena is untouchable this season.

Partizan's head coach Dusko Vujosevic on a regular press conference about this game said: 'Siena possesses great quality. One of the reasons is that all players gives their maximum always and nobody looks to play only for statistics, like it is a usual thing when you have a lot of foreigners in the team. They made us to commit 29 turnovers in the first game in Italy. However, we will show up tonight with only one target - to win. I mean we have an obligation to give our maximum but we are not obligated to win. Tonight's victory could be a huge step forward!'

Partizan's hot prospect Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) about tonight's game said: 'We played one of our worst games in Siena what gives us a hope for tonight. They will look for the win as it will secure them the top position in group D. But on the other hand we also have ambitions. After victory against Efes Pilsen we became one of the candidates for the next stage. Tonight's game will be very tough but if we succeed to win we will be much closer to make our dreams true. I believe we are able to win, especially because we will have a fantastic support from our fans!'

Partizan will have to play without the captain and the specialist for the defensive tasks Petar Bozic who suffered a muscle injury.

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SOUTH KOREA

SK Win With A Bang-Dongbu Dominate & KTF Top Mobis -by Rick Ross
Bang Sung-Yun (197-F/G-83) wore a large brace on his left knee, and there were blank spaces by his name on the statistics sheets from the past few months.

But other than that, it was almost impossible to tell that Bang Sung-Yun was making a return from a serious injury.

Playing in his first Korean Basketball League (KBL) game since tearing a knee ligament in December,
the SK Knights' star forward appeared healthy, scoring 32 points in a 96-93 victory against the ET Land Black Slamer Tuesday at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul.

Bang drained 8 of 11 shots from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point territory. He also made 12 of his 15
free-throw attempts in addition to contributing six rebounds and six assists.

With his help, the Knights improved their record to 24-22 to overtake the Black Slamer (24-23) for sixth place in the league standings.
That's especially important because the top six teams qualify for the playoffs, which begin later this month.

Bang's comeback from the injury is the latest chapter in a three-year KBL career that has been hindered by a series of ailments and highlighted by a plethora of big shots.

The 25-year-old Yonsei University product's most recent injury occurred on Dec. 21 in a game against the KCC Egis. He was coming off a screen,
when he lost his balance, twisted his left knee and fell to the Jamsil Gymnasium court in pain. It was discovered that he had a torn
ligament that eventually caused him to sit out 21 games.

But when Bang returned to the lineup on Tuesday, he quickly regained the shooting touch that's made him one of this country's most explosive scorers.

Including that performance, he ranks third in the KBL in scoring this season, averaging 22.8 points per game
the most of any domestic player.

Bang, who played with the Roanoke Dazzle of the U.S. National Basketball Association's Development League
(D-League) before joining the KBL, has averaged more than 17 points in each of his three professional seasons in Korea,
despite missing games earlier in his career due to shoulder and ankle injuries.

Bang won the KBL Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and earned All-KBL honors last season. He is also a member of the South Korea national team.

By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter

Dongbu Promy 101-83 over Orions
KTF 88-80 over Mobis

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TANZANIA

Kili Super Cup titles go to Savio and JKT -by Carlos Pereira
By Faustine Feliciane

Savio have been crowned the new champions of the Kili Super Cup after beating Vijana 36-34 in the final match played at the Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam last Sunday.
The team trained by Dansy Makula led 24-15 until the breath. Mohamed Yusuph and George Tarimo scored 11 points each for Savio while top scorers for Vijana were Mohamed Ally `Dibo` and Robert Mugabi who scored 13 and seven points, respectively.
The newly-crowned champions were awarded 6.5m/- while Vijana received 3m/-. JKT were awarded 2m/- for finishing third.
Savio`s George Tarimo won titles of Most Valuable Player (MVP) and best defender. He got 500,000/- for winning both titles. Robert Mugabi of Vijana was awarded 200,000/- for being the best foreign player.
The best three point shooter was taken by Mohamed Yusuph of Savio who got 100,000/-.
In another development, JKT won women�s title after hitting Jeshi Stars 45-34 in another final match played on the same ground.
JKT got 500,000/- while Jeshi Stars received 300,000/-. Don Bosco finished third and they were awarded 200,000/-.

Basketball Champions Savio Set to Defend Crown -by Carlos Pereira
by Suleiman Jongo

Basketball title holders, Savio, are among seven teams that have confirmed to compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) that gets underway on March 26 at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga.
Savio that also won this year's Super Cup after outsmarting Vijana, will be travelling to Tanga with a full confidence of excelling.
Other teams that have also confirmed to compete in Tanga, according to Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) secretary general Lawrence Cheyo are JKT (both men and women), Lady Lioness and Jeshi Stars (women).
JKT are holders for women basketball.
Others are the Army Basketball Club (ABC-men), Oilers (men) and Police (women), Chui, Chang'ombe (all of Dar es Salaam), Mzinga, Bees, Dodoma Spurs (from Dodoma), Cheyo said the confirmation deadline for the teams has been set on Saturday.
The number of competing teams are projected to reach in excess of 20 from all over the country.
Other regions expected to field teams in the league include Arusha, Morogoro, Mbeya, Mwanza, Coast and hosts Tanga.
Should the basketball federation secure sponsorship in time, Cheyo said, the winners of the championship will be awarded trophies and cash prizes.

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TURKEY

Starts the countdown for Beko All Star 2008 -by Onur Decani
The 2008 edition of annualy orginizing Beko All Match will be played at March 23 , 2008 . The organization will be held in Istanbul , Abdi Ipekci Arena . The most important event of that night will be the All Star Match that will be played between the team of turksih players and the team of foreign players who play at Beko Basketball League. Also there will be several activities and other basketball competitions . The palyers that will parcipiate are not chosen yet , but we will be able to see that in the following days.

BEKO TBL: Week 22 -by Serdar Ortakuyu

In Week 22 of Turkish League the eyes witnessed more than a few tough match ups which will definitely effect the playoff and relegation fights. On Saturday CASA TED grabbed an extremely cruical victory over TTNET Beykoz in a game they took the lead early and never looked back as Jermaine Dearman (203-F-80, college: S.Illinois) rose to the challenge with a season high 22 points and 7 rebounds keeping his team somewhere between the relegation zone and play off bracket on a day Turk Telekom showed no mercy to Alpella on the road and stopped a two game losing streak in the league. Turk Telekom forward Chris Williams (199-F/G-80, college: Virginia) was not available but Erwin Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Alabama) and Kris Lang (211-F/C-79, agency: SportsTalent, college: N.Carolina) dominated the paint for the Ankara side with 34 points in total.

City rivals Antalya BSB and Kepez, two newcomers in TBL both snapped up wins this week again and surprisingly becoming a major force in the league since Antalya is on an eight game winning streak making the third place and Kepez is likely to take the last ticket for this season's playoffs. Another stunning result came from Darussafaka-Galatasaray Cafe Crown game on Saturday. Former Galatasaray Cafe Crown coach Halil Uner who was not able to join his Darussafaka due to medical reasons over the last two weeks, came back to shock the contenders and increased Darussafaka's record to 5-17 giving hope to the Greens who are trying to get away from the bottom. The hosts stormed to a 13-0 run in the first quarter and managed to stay in the game although Murat Rifat Kaya (190-G-84) responded to take the lead back. Despite a bad perimeter game Eric Chatfield nailed the money shots once again for his Darussafaka in another critical win.

On Sunday Besiktas Cola Turka had to defeat Efes Pilsen to keep the beermen away from the first place and they made it as expected against a limited Efes rotation missing 'the rebels' who refused to travel to Belgrad last week except Andre Hutson (202-F-79, college: Michigan St.) who has been forgiven by Efes the management. David Blatt's team fought well and stayed in the game till the last seconds but an extraordinary contribution by Mehmet Yagmur (188-G-87) and a 19-14 last quarter run sealed the deal for Ergin Ataman and his Besiktas Cola Turka who will start a possible playoff series 1-0 over Efes Pilsen since they defeated the Beermen twice in TBL. Former Efes Pilsen big guy Kaya Peker was there to provide the hustle and the muscle for his Besiktas Cola Turka in addition to his 22 points and 9 boards.

In the another critical match up on Sunday a shorthanded Pinar Karsiyaka losing their starting point guard Baris Ermis (194-G-85) to injury, hosted the defending champions Fenerbahce Ulker. The visitors controlled the game in the first half and looked comfortable although they were only up by 1. In the third things were much different compare the first half as Quinton Hosley and his company dominated the entire ten minutes for an incredible 22-4 run that broke Bogdan Tanjevic's heart and also determined the winning side. Hosley had a carrer game both in scoring and rebounding with a nothing but crazy 43 point&19 board effort. This victory tied Karsiyaka's record with Fenerbahce at 14-8. In the last game of Week 22 Oyak Renault found gold in Bandirma by defeating Banvit on the road. In a week their rivals Darussafaka and CASA TED won Oyak Renault had to came up with a road victory like this to take themselves up and push TTNET Beykoz to the bottom.

Best Five:
Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) of Darussafaka
Evren Buker (194-F-85) of Oyak Renault
Ricardo Marsh (203-F-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: ODU) of Antalya BSB
Quinton Hosley (198-G/F-84, college: Fresno St.) of Pinar Karsiyaka
Kaya Peker (207-C/F-80, agency: Court Side) of Besiktas Cola Turka

FB Ulker Controversially Lost To Aris -by Serdar Ortakuyu

In a Group E clash of the Euroleague Top 16 round Fenerbahce Ulker hosted Aris TT Bank in Istanbul at Abdi Ipekci Arena. It was a win or go home situation for the visitors as Fenerbahce Ulker was looking forward to improve its record to 3-1 which would probably send them to quarter finals at the end Top 16 round.

Aris started the game with a triple by Dimitris Tsaldaris (196-F-80) and rallied for a 22-15 run slowing down a highly motivated Fenerbahce Ulker playing in a packed arena. In the second quarter the hosts started taking advantage of a dynamic front court especially Omer Faruk Asik (211-C-86) in addition to Semih Erden (211-C-87) who cut the lead to two points before both teams leave for the locker room at the half. In the third Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) was there to keep his team ahead anytime Fenerbahce Ulker tried hard to break away and Massey's back to back baskets made it 50-45 for Aris. Omer Onan (194-G-78, agency: Interperformances) hit two cruical triples to take lead for Fenerbahce for the first time in the game while Reyshawn Terry (203-F-84, college: N.Carolina) brought his side back. Will Solomon (187-G-78, college: Clemson) followed Giorgos Kalaitzis (195-G-76) missed free throws with an and one to tie the score at 59. Darius Washington (188-G-85, college: Memphis) missed the three pointer and Omer Onan sent Jeremiah Massey to the free throw line in a rebound fight. Massey made the first but missed the second and Will Solomon missed a driving shot while Omer Faruk Asik tried to tip the ball in and meanwhile obviously hit by Vladimir Boisa (209-F/C-81, agency: World Sport Agency), tried the second chance but he was too late to score that one as the game came to an end.

Aris grabbed its first win in Group E to stay alive and kept Fenerbahce Ulker who will play a decisive game next week at Rytas, at 2-2. Jeremiah Massey was tough to handle once again and poured in 18 points and 8 rebounds in addition to 2 blocks. On the other hand Fenerbahce's promising center Omer Faruk Asik consoled the hosts with his 13 points, 11 boards and 5 blocks. After the game Fenerbahce Ulker coach Bogdan Tanjevic apologized to fans for the loss while Gordon Herbert went home with another road win in Istanbul.

Fenerbahce Ulker(59): James White 4, Will Solomon 13, Omer Onan 11, Rasim Basak 0, Semih Erden 9, Damir Mrsic 6, Gasper Vidmar 4, Oguz Savas 1, Tarence Kinsey 0, Omer Faruk Asik 13, Emir Preldzic 0
Aris TT Bank(60): Reyshawn Terry 8, Bracey Wright 12, Georgios Kalaitzis 0, Savvas Iliadis 0, Vladimir Boisa 5, Hanno Mottola 9, Jeremiah Massey 18, Lazaros Agadakos 0, Dimitris Tsaldaris 5, Darius Washington 3

(15-22, 32-34, 45-50, 59-60)

TB2L: Week 18 -by Serdar Ortakuyu

Week 18 featured many close games once again as favorites kept winning except Erdemir who lost to Ankara Basket on the road by one thanks to Burak Erol (195-F-88) who had an all around game with 15 points, 7 boards and 4 assists to mix up the leadership race in Group B. On the other hand Harun Erdenay (190-G-68)'s 26 points did not only keep his ITU at the top of Yesilyurt but also took his side one win closer to Erdemir in a week Aliaga secured their place at the top with an easy victory over Golcuk.

In Group A Tofas won harder than expected against Gazi Uni on the road while Sean Morgan Denison (210-F/C-85, agency: TASM, college: Santa Clara) led his team with another double double taking advantage of Vestel's loss at the hands of Usak. Pertevniyal was once again thankful to their skillful guard Lamar Butler (187-G-83, agency: Court Side, college: George Mason) who exploded with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to keep Izmir Bsb at the bottom.

Group A
FMV Isikspor - Eyup: 92-84
Izmir Bsb - Pertevniyal: 80-94

Cukurova Uni - Genc Banvit: 80-92
Usak - Vestel: 90-83

Gazi Uni - Tofas: 79-80

Akcakoca Poyraz - Orman: 77-78

Group B
Bursa Basketbol - Duzce Genclik: 84-87

Yesilyurt - TED Istanbul: 78-51
Ankara Basketbol - Erdemir: 77-76
Gelisim - ITU: 89-90
Canakkale - Anadolu Uni: 93-72

Golcuk - Aliaga: 83-118

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VENEZUELA

In the first place? Gaiteros -by Antonio Gomez
Three victories and counting…Gaiteros del Zulia caught the leadership of the Profesional Basketball League of Venezuela after defeat, last night, 113-82 to Gigantes de Guayana.

Gaiteros is still unbeatable after sweeping, last weekend, Guaros de Lara in two games series at the Pedro Elias Belisario Aponte Arena in Maracaibo. Zulia dominated the four quarters 31-26, 64-46, 90-71 and 113-82.

Miguel Angel Marriaga (207-C-84) was unstoppable with 24 points, Jamahr Warren (194-G/F-79, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Missouri So.) scored 22, Jean Carlos Espinoza 18 and Hernan Salcedo 11. Now the team will travel to Valencia, where it will face Trotamundos de Carabobo on sunday and monday at the Forun.

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Women News

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EUROLEAGUE (W) - Women

Valencia is ready for the last ticket to Final Four -by Eurobasket News
Tonight is the only game in Euroleague, but the game brings intrigue more than any others. Spanish powerhouse Ros Casares will meet the champion from the Czech Republic Gambrinus Brno for the last ticket to the Final Four.
The teams are now 1-1 in the quarterfinal stage and the win will give the team an advance.Ros Casares got to a successful start of the Euroleague quarterfinal series against Gambrinus winning Game 1 in Valencia. The battle proved to be a real scorcher with neither side able to clear off till the last minutes. The teams traded baskets early on before Katie Douglas (183-G/F-79, college: Purdue) scored 5 straight points and gave Ros Casares a 14:7 advantage. In the end again Katie Douglas nailed 5 points and Elena Tornikidou added two more to keep Gambrinus at bay. Delisha Milton-Jones (186-F-74, college: Florida) ended up with game-high 26 points to pace Ros Casares. Katie Douglas contributed 23 points and Elena Tornikidou dropped 8 more for the winners. Hamchetou Maiga responded with 13 points and 11 boards for Czech champions. Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) scored 13 points, while Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) netted 12 points in defeat.
In the second game Gambrinus Brno beat Ros Casares 65:55 and tied the series at 1-1. A second and a third quarters were productive for the hosts in the game. Hamchetou Maiga led the winners with 15 points. Zuzana Zirkova and Eva Viteckova supported her with 10 points apiece. Katie Douglas ended up with 22 points in the losing effort. The Spanish had their moments early on taking 5 points in the beginning of the second quarter. Eva Viteckova capped the spurt with a jump shot to make it 20:17 midway through the second quarter for the hosts. her lay-up later in the period saw 29:21 advantage of the home side. Vecerova closed the first half at 33:25 as the hosts won the second quarter 21:10. A 19:11 in the beginning of the second half gave Gambrinus the power that padded the advantage and had a 52:36 stranglehold by the end of the third quarter. Hamchetou Maiga opened up the final quarter with a lay-up, the lead ballooned to 54:36. Ros Casares replied with 2-12 and reduced the gap to 56:48. Katie Douglas cut the margin to 59:55 with less than 3 minutes to play. Gambrinus Brno did not hesitate and after 6-0 run finished the game having 65:55 victory. Machova's lay-up was the last in the game to give her team and the spectators a great success.

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ISRAEL - Women

Round 21th first team -by Gil Goshen

Tanisha Wright led Raanana Hertzelia to an important win in Ramla and earned this round's honor, and joining her on the first team is another Raanana Hertzelia player, two from Ramat Hen and Tatyana Troina and her amazing stat line.

Round MVP - Tanisha Wright agency Gil Goshen
A great game for Wright on both ends of the court led Raanana Hertzelia to a big win in Ramla. Wright made everyone around her better as usual and knew when to take responsibility with big shots in the forth. She won the match up against her main competitor for league MVP, and finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals.

Round 21 First Team

Armintie Price agency Gil Goshen - Another great game for Ramat Hen's track star on both ends of the court, with 20 points on 61% shooting and added nine rebounds in her team's playoff clinching win.

Tatyana Troina - 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7assists, 6 steals. Doesn't get much better than that.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin - Ramat Hen's efficient center made 10 of 12 shots en route to 21 points despite playing sick, and added 10 rebounds and good defense on Ayana Walker in the big win over Ashdod.

Mistie Williams agency Gil Goshen - Williams continues to regain her pre injury form with 19 points (7/9 FTs!) and strong defense on Michelle Snow in Raanana Hertzelia's win at Ramla.

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LEBANON - Women

Antranik Beirut vs Homenetmen Antelias in the Lebanese Cup Final -by Raffi Kassabian
Antranik Beirut will meet Homenetmen Antelias in the final of the lebanese cup competition, after the both clubs had big wins in the semi final round. Antranik Beirut had an easy game against Champville who played without two injured players and had the final win with the score 79-45. In the second semi final game, Homenetmen Antelias smashed Riyadi Beirut in a historic game that ended with 43 points difference 82-39. Homenetmen Antelias dominated the game completely and earned to be in the final of this competition in style. Here to note that, for the second consecutive year Antranik Beirut meets Homenetmen Antelias in the final of the lebanese cup competition knowing that in the last final Antranik Beirut won the competition after winning with the score 58-48.

Results - Semi final Round

Antranik Beirut - Champville 79-45

Riyadi Beirut - Homenetmen Antelias 39-82

Riyadi Beirut: Emma Eskidjian (-C-71) 12, Mayssa Fneish 10, Natalie Jbeily 6, Talar Margossian 5, Maya El Achkar (179-F-81) 4, Wadad Mougharbel 2.

Homenetmen Antelias: Sandra Najem (165-G-88) 26, Alek Tabakian (175-G-85) 18, Nathalie Sevajian (170-G-88) 16, Leila Fares 7, Tsoline Kazandjian 4, Mira Rizk 4, Sanan Markarian 3, Caroline Moufarej 2, Eliana Abou Jawdeh 2.

Schedule - Final
Saturday 8/3/2008 Fouad Chehab Court 15:00
Antranik Beirut vs Homenetmen Antelias

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TURKEY - Women

Saziye Karsli one more time in Italy -by Iva Ivanova
Player Saziye Karsli-Ivegin (185-F-82) have a chance to go back to Italy again next season. Last season Saziye could not show her potential in Italy in her team Montegarda Basket. She was unlucky in Italy, because she has health problem. After she come back to Turkey she start to play for Besiktas and she show one more time her big potential. Some Italian team`s interesting to signed her for next season .She say that she is part of Besiktas team and that she will thinking aboute all offers at the and of season.