Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/1/2008

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Men News

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ARAB CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day 7 - 21st Arab Clubs Championship (April 23 - May 5 Amman, Jordan) -by Mohammed Malas

* Group E:

Zain (JOR) 89 - Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut (LEB) 61 (Qs: 27-20, 46-28, 73-41 & 89-61)

# Best performance:
- Zain:
Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) (26 pts, 3 ast, 2 stl)
Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) (23 pts, 2 ast)
- Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut:
Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college: St.John's) (20 pts)
Sabah Khoury (196-G-82) (11 pts)

* Group F:

Orthodox (JOR) 89 - Al Nasr (LBA) 73 (Qs: 23-18, 46-32, 69-55 & 89-73)

# Best performance:
- Orthodox:
Wesam Sous (181-G-83) (20 pts, 5 ast, 3 stl)
Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) (20 pts)
Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) (18 pts, 11 reb)
- Al Nasr:
Abdelhalim Qa'wan (20 pts, 4 ast)
Khaled Mohammad (14 pts)

Al Kuwait SC (KUW) 97 - An Nasr (UAE) 94 (Qs: 21-23, 51-47, 71-67 & 97-94)

# Best performance:
- Al Kuwait SC:
Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) (37 pts, 4 ast, 6 stl)
Ahmad Al Mutairi (187-G-80) (21 pts)
- An Nasr:
Justin Murray (198-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Washington St.) (29 pts, 5 ast)
Qasem Mohammed (20 pts)

# Day 8 - 21st Arab Clubs Championship:

- Wednesday 30/4:
16:30 Al Kuwait SC - Al Nasr
18:30 Maghreb de Fes - Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut
20:30 Orthodox - An Nasr

Day 8 - 21st Arab Clubs Championship (April 23 - May 5 Amman, Jordan) -by Mohammed Malas
* Group E:

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB) 92 - Maghreb de Fes (MOR) 69 (Qs: 24-19, 41-40, 64-59 & 92-69)

# Best performance:
- Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut:
Ace Custis (202-F-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Virginia Tech) (30 pts, 11 reb)
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) (22 pts)
Ahmad Ismail (201-F-76) (13 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast)
- Maghreb de Fes:
Macktar M'Baye (185-G-84) (20 pts, 3 stl)
Alpha Traore (188-G-83) (19 pts)

* Group F:

Al Kuwait SC (KUW) 103 - Al Nasr (LBA) 77 (Qs: 18-16, 46-32, 78-52 & 103-77)

# Best performance:
- Al Kuwait SC:
Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) (34 pts, 5 stl)
Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) (22 pts, 15 reb)
- Al Nasr:
Khlaed Mohammad (18 pts, 8 reb)
Salem Za'toot (15 pts, 10 reb)

Orthodox (JOR) 100 - An Nasr (UAE) 84 (Qs: 27-21, 46-39, 73-61 & 100-84)

# Best performance:
- Orthodox:
Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) (25 pts)
Wesam Sous (181-G-83) (22 pts, 7 ast, 4 stl)
Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) (22 pts, 16 reb)
- An Nasr:
Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) (24 pts, 8 reb, 3 stl)
Amal McCaskill (211-F/C-73, agency: Huss Sport Agency, college: Marquette) (17 pts, 11 reb)
Talal Salem (16 pts)

# Day 9 - 21st Arab Clubs Championship:
- Thursday 1/5:
16:30 An Nasr - Al Nasr
18:30 Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut - Zain
20:30 Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut - Maghreb de Fes

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BOSNIA

Standings - BIH League

D1 Standings

League 8
1. Bosna S.	6-0
2. Siroki	5-1
3. Sloboda Dita	4-2
4. Igokea	4-2
5. Zrinjski MC	2-4
6. Slavija	2-4
7. Borac Nektar	1-5
8. Grude	0-6
Places 9-14
1. Posusje	10-14
2. Zenica Celik	10-14
3. Hercegovac	10-14
4. Leotar	9-15
5. Capljina	8-16
6. Vogosca	2-22

League 8, 6TH round - Siroki beat Igokea -by Elvir Halilovic

Results:
Zrinjski Mik Company Bosna ASA BH Telecom 54:84
Siroki Prima Pivo Igokea Partizan 82:75
Slavija Borac Nektar 65:72
Grude Sloboda Dita 78:82

Standings:
1. Bosna ASA BHT 6-0 488:385 +103 12 pts.
2. Siroki Prima Pivo 5-1 497:449 +48 11 pts.
3. Igokea Partizan 4-2 517:472 +45 10 pts.
4. Sloboda Dita 4-2 433:456 -23 10 pts.
5. Slavija 2-4 467:497 -30 8 pts.
6. Zrinjski MC 2-4 481:527 -46 8 pts.
7. Borac Nektar 1-5 426:451 -25 7 pts.
8. Grude 0-6 441:513 -72 6 pts.

Grude Sloboda Dita 78:82
(24:19, 17:22, 19:17, 18:24)
Grude, SD Bili Brig; Att.: 500; Ref.: Kralj, Coric; Hatibovic
GRUDE: Lovric 5, Vranjes, Djulabic, Alpeza, M. Gligora 16, L. Gligora 14, Jelcic, Vujcic 14, Bura 7, Lozancic 3, Zitko 16, Perajica 3
Coach: Predrag Mikulic
SLOBODA DITA: Halilovic, M. Milosevic 18, Halilbegovic, Albijanic 3, Persic, Tomovic 4, Tanasilovic 2, Matic 18, N. Milosevic 11, Jocovic 10, Ross 16
Coach: Senad Muminovic

Slavija - Borac Nektar 65:72
(21:19, 14:13, 10:16, 20:24)
Istocno Sarajevo, SD Slavija; Att.: 600; Ref.: Husaric, Babic, Okuka
Slavija: Gvozdenovic 6, Stanic 5, Tomasevic, Simeunovic, Mladenovic 18, D. Damjanovic, Vukovic 2, Malovic 2, Grubisic, Ivanovic, Demic 10, A. Damjanovic 22
Coach: Goran Sehovac
Borac Nektar: Atanackovic 10, Z. Jovanovic 8, Stupar, Rothbart 6, V. Jovanovic 2, Gemaljevic 6, Djurasovic 14, Frenklin 5, Popovic 15, Velimirovic 6, Paunovic, Ugrekhelidze
Coach: Milos Pejic

Siroki Prima pivo - Igokea Partizan 82:75
(14:22, 24:20, 26:18, 18:15)
Siroki Brijeg, SD Pecara; Att.: 1.200; Ref.: Zurapovic, Jovanic i Drmic
SIROKI PRIMA PIVO: Bubalo, Grays 14, Stemberger 20, Dijan, Zupic 10, Sola 13, Spralja 9, Naletilic, Susak, Fajardo 8, Bethel 4, Ezugwu 4
Coach: Ivan Velic
IGOKEA PARTIZAN: Tosic 4, Patterson 5, Bocka 16, Stazic 8, Djurica, Vucurovic 7, Cup, Wright, Lydeka 6, Stefanovic 16, Kovacevic 4, Allen 9
Coach: Zoran Sretenovic

Zrinjski Mik Company - Bosna ASA BHT 54:84
(11:22, 15:26, 9:17, 19:19)
Mostar, SD Bijeli brijeg; Att.: 800; Ref.: Obradovic, Sobot, Nozinovic
ZRINJSKI MC: Filipovic 7, Bisko, Norac 9, Petric 2, Dzidic 2, Simovic, Brecic 10, Vuckovi 7, Buhac, Sarenac 9, Planinic 4, Grbavac 4
Coach: Nedjeljko Zelenika
BOSNA ASA BHT: Jefferson 7, Sehovic 10, Tomovic 9, Panic 10, Bavcic 10, Djurasovic, Zimic 1, Bailey 6, Hajric 5, Pasalic 3, Jackson 6, Williams 17
Coach: Jurij Zdovc

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BRAZIL

National Masculino 2008 ending regular season.- -by Ed Goodman
The 2008 National Masculino is near to end the regular season and the first 8 teams will advance to quarters finals 1st vs 8th, 2nd vs 7th, 3th vs 6th, 4th vs 5th right we know the eight teams but the order in the table can change next week with the last games to complete the season. We will up date statistics of the regular season with every of the last games. The 8 teams are keeping in shape for the next round that is coming soon.

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CANADA

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns could not reignite the intrigue in the Western series -by Eurobasket News
Steve Nash (190-G-74, college: Santa Clara) and the Phoenix Suns could not reignite the intrigue in the Western series against San Antonio losing the vital battle in Texas yesterday. Once again the Phoenix Suns could not overcome the Spurs and had to leave the tournament before the Final. Tim Duncan was in form notching 29 points and 17 boards to lead the hosts to a 92:87 victory. Tony Parker continued with his sizzling performance scoring 31 points for the winners. Boris Diaw scored 22 points for the Suns. Amare Stoudemire was limited to 15 points and 11 boards in a loss. The home team was up by one in the final minute. Emanuel Ginobili scored just one free throw but Steve Nash could not handle the ball and Ginobili was sent to charity stripe again. He made both free throws and gave the Spurs a 91:87 advantage. Steve Nash could not connect on a saving triple and Tim Duncan sealed the winning outcome from free throw line. San Antonio will now take on the New Orleans in the Western conference semis.
Before that Phoenix sweetened the pill a bit after they thumped San Antonio 105:86 in Game 4 in Arizona. The Suns jumped to a 34:13 lead after the starting frame and kept the Spurs at bay for the rest of the encounter. Raja Bell topscored for the home team netting 27 points. Boris Diaw added 20 points, 10 boards and 8 assists for the winners. Steve Nash ended up with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 asists. Tony Parker paced the Spurs with 18 points.
In Game 3 Tony Parker scored career-high 41 points and the San Antonio Suns put Phoenix on the edge of elimination. The Spurs never looked like playing away from home cruising to a 115:99 victory at the US Airways Arena and grabbing a 3-0 lead in the series. Tim Duncan scored 23 points and pulled down 10 boards, while Emanuel Ginobili contributed 20 points as the Spurs never trailed en route to the third success. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 boards for the Suns but it hardly gladdened a sell-out crowd at the US Airway Center. The Spurs jumped to a 27:12 lead early in the game and never allowed the Suns closer than 13 points. Leandrinho Barbosa provided 20 points in defeat. Steve Nash had 7 points and 9 rebounds.
Meanwhile Kevin Jobity (207-F/C-74, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Niagara) collected 17 points and 11 rebounds in the game for his Orthodox from Jordan in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. Orthodox beat Al Kahraba Electricity from Iraq 92:81. The team from Jordan easily started the game taking 26:15 advantage. They increased to 57:30 at the half time and looked forward to finish the game. Al Kahraba Electricity had a very good last period to reduce only to 11 points. Rob Anderson led the winners with 33 points. Kelly Wise collected 19 points and 19 rebounds, while Kevin Jobity was third in the scoring list. Al Kahraba Electricity was paced by Malek Falah who posted 16 points.
Orthodox beat Al Nasr as the latter tasted the first loss in the tournament. Orthodox won almost every aspect of the game including the opening quarter. The hosts opened the game with 23:18 and the second quarter was the break in the game. Orthodox pushed the tempo and increased to 46:32 at the half time. Before the Final period it became clear that the team from Libya would not recover. Orthodox played their game supporting by the fans and enjoyed 69:55 after the three periods played. It was not a big deal to lead the game to 89:73 win in the final stanza.

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COLOMBIA

Colombians Abroad -by Victor Garcia

Hardy Asprilla key member of Marinos de Anzoategui, the Colombian forward become in the first defensive player of the Marionos, while averages 5,1 PPG, 2,2 RPG and 1,5 APG in 15 mins per game, Marinos is climbing in the standings and in the last 4 games Asprilla has averaged 9.25 PPG the last three games were victories of the Marinos over Gigantes and Guaros

Stalin Ortiz minutes in Air Avellino were reduced after the arrival of the new big men Marcus Campbell, that Avellino inked to strenght its frontline facing the playoffs.

Jean Otero and Freddy Asprilla officially signed National Letters of intention to play with the Florida Intenational University, both players are expected to take startng roles in the team coached by Sergio Roucco

National Tournament for U-23 men. -by Victor Garcia
San Andres Islas won in its home the 5th National Tournamen U-23, San Andrs defeated in the final Bogot 86 71, Joe Manuel Taylor (65 Forward) leaded the Champions in the final with 23 points and 8 rebounds, Gianlucca Bacci leaded Bogot with 24 points, and 4 steals.

Antioquia finished in the 3rd place defeating Bogot B.

Gianlucca Bacci was the best player of the tournament, averaging 24 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 SPG, Joe Manuel Taylor of San Andrs was the MVP of the final game.

The tournament show talented players like: Gianlucca Bacci (62 Guard) of Bogot, Joe Manuel (65 forward) and Michael Jackson (65 forward) from San Andrs, Divier Perez (67 forward), Lesbys Aguaslimpias (69 Center) and Adison Blandn(67 forward) from Antioquia,Oliver Mosquera (67 forward) from Choc, Farid Char (61 guard) from Cundinamarca.

Elite Cup in Medellin: -by Victor Garcia
The traditional Elite Cup in Medelln began, 6 men teams and 6 women teams are playing to be the champion of the Cup:
Bello, Universidad de Medellin, Universidad Cooperativa, Barbosa Cesde, Inder, Arrieros in both genders are the teams in the Cup, Young and veteran players are part of the teams, we will keep you updated about the Cup.
The Elite Cup will last until the last week of May, involving not juts teams from Medellin, but teams from all Antioquia

Liga de Bogota Supercopa: -by Victor Garcia
The new directives of the Liga de Bogot, Mr Luis Rojas, Mrs Yaneth Beltrn, and Mr Yesid Rivero and the members of the directive board are trying to rise the Basketball activity in Bogot, the Supercopa Bogotana is the most important event of the Liga, giving the oportunity to all its Clubs to show its work.
An unprecedent number of 32 men teams and 16 women teams are part of this big competition, each weekend the Basketball people fills the Liga de Bogotas court, with great enthusiasm.
After 5 legs, Club los Pinos, 3P, Club Rinos and Americana leads the mens first category, Cronoexpres A and Club Estrellas-Universidad Catolica leads in womens first category.
The B category in Men is leaded by Bucaros (from Bucaramanga), Universidad Libre, Codema and Seguros del Estado, Antilopes and Codema leads the women B category

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COSTA RICA

Standings - D1

NL Standings

1. Barva	7-0
2. Santa Cecilia	6-1
3. Limon	5-3
4. Liceo	4-1
5. San Luis Gonzaga	4-3
6. Escazu	4-3
7. Perez Zeledon	3-5
8. UCR	1-5
9. Goicoechea	1-7
10. Santa Ana	0-7

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EBA

The Maryland Suns Looking to Shine in EBA for 09 -by Justin Moore
The Maryland Suns a new team joining the EBA in 09 have been doing a series of exibition games this year in hope to gel togother for there EBA season next year.The Team has chosen its franchise players and they are Hugh Jones (6'3''-F-80) (6'3''-F-80) aka 'Baby shack' and Charles Thompson (5'10''-G-78) aka 'shakes' the 6'4 Jones known for his famous hops from the and 1 mix tape tour will be the front runner for the Suns and Thompson a 5'10 point guard will make a nice combo along with a strong core of guys. The Suns will bring a fast pace style of play to the court just like the Suns of the NBA. The Suns are playing there exibition games at Bishop McNamara High School in Prince Georges County, Maryland which is located just 15 minutes from The Alexandria Avengers which should be a great cross town rivalry for the EBA.

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EGYPT

Super League Standings

Superleague Standings

Group A
1. Gezira	9-0
2. Zamalek	6-3
3. Al Ittihad	5-4
4. Ahly	4-5
5. Sporting	3-6
6. Somouha	1-8
Group B
1. Gazco	0-0
2. Damenhor	0-0
3. Eastern Co.	0-0
4. Shorta-Police	0-0
5. Shams	0-0
6. Geish Army	0-0

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Jussi Kumpulainen stays in Uusikaupunki -by Rauno Hurmalainen
C Jussi Kumpulainen (204-F-76) (12,8 ppg - 8,6 rpg) has re-signed with Korihait (Uusikaupunki) and will play on Team's roster the next two seasons 2008-10. SG Heikki Saaristo (188-G/F-83) (8,6 ppg) will return 'back home' while he is leaving Pohjanmaa/Kauhajoki and playing on Korihait roster also the next two years 2008-10. Team Componenta (Karkkila) will have both F Sami Syrjala (197-F-81) (5,7 ppg - 2,3 rpg) and G Turo Lehtonen (187-G-86) (2,7 ppg - 1,3 rpg) on Team's roster also coming 2008-09 season.

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FRANCE

Standings - ProA

ProA Standings

1. Le Mans	21-7
2. Roanne	19-9
3. Nancy	19-9
4. ASVEL	19-9
5. Le Havre	18-10
6. Vichy	16-12
7. Hyeres-Toulon	15-13
8. Cholet	14-14
9. Dijon	12-16
10. Strasbourg	12-16
11. Pau	12-16
12. Chalon	12-16
13. Orleans	12-16
14. Gravelines	10-18
15. Paris-Levall.	9-19
16. Clermont	4-24

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FYR MACEDONIA

Standings - Division II

D2 Standings

1. Pop Sport S.	20-7
2. Torus	19-8
3. Ovce Pole	18-9
4. Centar S.	16-11
5. Goce Delchev	14-13
6. Plejmejker C.	11-12
7. Teteks	11-14
8. Kozuv	11-15
9. Negotino	11-15
10. Heraklea	8-17
11. ABA	4-21

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GUATEMALA

Standings

Liga Metropolitana Standings

1. Sat-Cybertech	5-0
2. Elite Sport	4-1
3. Leones de Marte	3-0
4. SLT	1-1
5. Lemans	1-1
6. USAC	0-0
7. Corpoevisa	0-1
8. Millonarios	0-1
9. R L	0-1
10. Zencas	0-1
11. URL	0-2
12. Estudiantes	0-2

Sat-Cybertech wins first duel between favorites against Elite Sport -by Victor Padilla
With a comfortable 95-81 over Elite Sport, runner-ups of last year's Finals at Liga Metro, Sat-Cybertech remained undefeated after 5 games in Torneo de Apertura 2008. During the first two quarters of the game, both teams alternated in taking the lead with their unique, yet different style of play. But the scoring at half time showed a practical tie (43-42 tie Elite Sport winning), leaving fans at the edge without knowing who would win this duel of favorites. However, Sat-Cybertech's strong run in the 3rd Quarter (good defense and lightening fast breaks), and their tempo handling of the 4th Quarter, finally overcame the production of the perimeter play of their rivals, which failed to keep up in the last minutes of the game. Scoring was balanced at the winners side, with four players producing more than 10 points each (Victor Padilla 23, Ricardo Amaya 22, Enrique Samayoa 18 and Oscar Salguero 15). But at the losing side, Hector Vandeveire and Mynor Aquino contested only with 15 points each. As fans went away satisfied with this match-up, they started to wonder how the matches between both these teams and Leones de Marte will unfold, which have promised to repeat this year the Championship of Liga Metro, and put additional tensions to the rivalry amongst favorites.

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HOLLAND

FEB Results: Both Matrixx Magixx And West-Brabant Advance To Semis -by Sanders Jackson

Tuesday night in the race to the 2008 FEB championship, in the third and deciding game, both Matrixx Magixx and West-Brabant Giants did what needed to be done, keeping their championship aspirations intact, with Matrixx Magixx sending Hanzevast Capitals on an early vacation, and West-Brabant Giants eliminating pesky Rotterdam Challengers.

In the Horstacker, Matrixx Magixx had to overcome a halftime deficit of 47-37, putting together first a strong 3rd quarter effort (23-9), then finishing things off in the 4th, eliminating Hanzevast Capitals 83-75. Matrixx made a living at the free throw line, making more free throws (33) than Hanzevast attempted (26), with five players scoring in double figures, led by Alhaji Mohammed (192-G-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) with 23 pts. and 10 rebounds. Tyler Smith (203-F-80, agency: Players Group, college: Penn St.) who struggled offensively in games #1 and #2, added 21 pts., including a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Foul trouble plagued Hanzevast were led by Kevin Melson (199-F-78, college: Wright St.) with 19 pts. Matrixx moves on to play MyGuide Amsterdam on Friday night.

In Bergen-op-Zoom, West-Brabant Giants overcame a slow1st quarter start to take control in the 2nd half, making a great 4th quarter finish to win 78-66. It was a close game the first three quarters, but the Giants found an extra gear in the 4th, outscoring the Rotterdammers 27-17. Andre Harris (203-F-85, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) had a strong performance, scoring a game-high 26 pts. on 10-13 shooting, with Devonne Giles (203-F-83, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Tech) adding 21. West-Brabant also held the Rotterdammers to 40% FG. The Giants will next take on nemesis and defending Dutch champion Eiffel Towers in Game #1 on Thursday in Den Bosch.

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JORDAN

Zain and Orthodox shine in Day 7 -by Eurobasket News
Zain and Orthodox both won in the new groups they were sent to. Zain overcame Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut 89:61 and increased their record of winning games to 4. A 27:20 in the opening quarter was a start that never saw the hosts behind later in the game. They improved to 18 points at the half time and won the other two periods. Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) led the winners with 26 points. Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) supported him with 23 points as Zain remained undefeated. Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college: St.John's) top-scored in defeated with 20 points, while Sabah Khoury (196-G-82) had 11.
Orthodox beat Al Nasr as the latter tasted the first loss in the tournament. Orthodox won almost every aspect of the game including the opening quarter. The hosts opened the game with 23:18 and the second quarter was the break in the game. Orthodox pushed the tempo and increased to 46:32 at the half time. Before the Final period it became clear that the team from Libya would not recover. Orthodox played their game supporting by the fans and enjoyed 69:55 after the three periods played. It was not a big deal to lead the game to 89:73 win in the final stanza.
Wesam Sous (181-G-83) led the winners with 20 points and 5 assists. Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) nailed the same number of points, whilst Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Abdelhalim Qawan netted 20 points in defeat and Khaled Mohammad had 14.
Tonight Orthodox will try to improve in the group as the team will play with An Nasr. Al Nasr takes on the leader of the Group Al Kuwait SC.

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KBDL

KBDL guard honored -by Jay
Kentucky Thunder Point Guard, Stefan Dunn (University of Cincinnati - Clermont) was named the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national player of the year, and was named first-team all-Ohio Regional Campus Conference.

KBDL signs a Giant of a player -by Jay
James Cripe (7'0''-C-84, college: N.Kentucky) was the first 7-footer to ever play at Northern Kentucky University and the first to play in the KBDL. Cripe came to KBDL from playing Pro in Denmark, scoring 28 points in his first appearance with the Northern Kentucky Thunder. His height, combined with his basketball knowledge, inside scoring, rebounding and defense, makes the Thunder a team to be reckoned with.

Bois Siakam Signs with Lancers -by Jay
Western Kentucky University forward that helped take WKU into the Sweet 16 has become a Lancer. The 6 ft -7in 225 lbs Forward from, Douala, Cameroon has already become a major force in the KBDL. Boris Siakam (6'7''-F, college: W.Kentucky) is expected to be picked up by a FIBA team this season. At WKU he shot 75 percent from the field, posting 10 outings without missing an attempt, that included hitting 3-of-4 three-points, nine assists and eight steals ... Converted 65 percent at the free-throw line and added 13 dunks as a junior.

KBDL signs first female -by Jay
Michelle King becomes the first female assistant coach in the KBDL.
From a leader on the court at Marion County HS, to a basketball scholarship at Transylvania University to a leader with the Lancers, Michelles basketball career has come full circle; the Lancers home court is her old high schooland they welcomed her with open arms. Michelle is preparing to take the helm of a KBDL expansion team next season.

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KUWAIT

Al Qadsia will play in Final -by Eurobasket News
Al Qadsia will play in GCC Final against Al Arabi Club from Qatar. Al Rayyan won the battle for 1st place in group 1 at the GCC's with a convincing 78:57 victory over Al Qadsia of Kuwait. Both Rayyan and Al Qadsia came in to the match at 2-0, with the victor securing first place. Al Qadsia, who already clinched a spot in the final four, didn't seem too concerned about winning the group, as they rested their import J Williams and many of their starters for most of the contest. Williams had a monstrous game scoring 35 points and registering 20 rebounds for Al Qadsia.Marlon Parmer (191-G-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Ky Wesleyan), for the third time in as many nights, led Rayyan registering 15 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in limited action. Saeed Kosar also chipped in with 15 points to go along with 3 blocks. Al Qadsia were led by Aziz's 16.
On 21st Arab Clubs Championship Al Kuwait SC edged An Nasr 97:94 in the best game of Day 7. It was a back-to-back performance from both squads and Al Kuwait SC remained undefeated due to the win. Trailing 21:23 after the opening quarter they bounced back and held the score for good in the second half. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) was unstoppable with 37 points, while Ahmad Al Mutairi (187-G-80) scored 21. Justin Murray (198-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Washington St.) ended up with 29 points and Qasem Mohammed had 20 in defeat.

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LIBYA

Al Nasr could not stay undefeated -by Eurobasket News
Al Nasr could not stay undefeated in Arab Club Championships. The new group that the team advanced to brought Libyan team the first upset.
Orthodox beat Al Nasr as the latter tasted the first loss in the tournament. Orthodox won almost every aspect of the game including the opening quarter. The hosts opened the game with 23:18 and the second quarter was the break in the game. Orthodox pushed the tempo and increased to 46:32 at the half time. Before the Final period it became clear that the team from Libya would not recover. Orthodox played their game supporting by the fans and enjoyed 69:55 after the three periods played. It was not a big deal to lead the game to 89:73 win in the final stanza.
Wesam Sous (181-G-83) led the winners with 20 points and 5 assists. Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) nailed the same number of points, whilst Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Abdelhalim Qawan netted 20 points in defeat and Khaled Mohammad had 14.
Tonight Orthodox will try to improve in the group as the team will play with An Nasr. Al Nasr takes on the leader of the Group Al Kuwait SC.

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LITHUANIA

Zalgiris, Lietuvos Rytas in the Final -by Eurobasket News
Zalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas predictably overcame their opponents and entered the LKL Finals. Lietuvos Rytas dispatched Alita 115:85 away from home to complete the sweep in the semifinal series. The hosts threw everything they had in the starting frame and held to a 23:19 lead after it. But Lietuvos Rytas quickly returned to winning ways. The visitors raised the tempo and drove to the long break leading by 7 points. Rytas dominated in the second half heading into the fourth stanza up by 18 points. Alita could not match the tempo in the final minutes and got eliminated. Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) scored 20 points for Lietuvos Rytas. Martynas Gecevicius (193-G-88) and Andrius Slezas (200-F-75) netted 16 points apiece in a winning case. Marius Janisius (203-F-77) nailed 20 points and grabbed 6 boards to pace the hosts. Zydrunas Urbonas (198-F-76) added 17 points in defeat.
Zalgiris faced more dogged battle as they took on ULEB Cup participant Siauliai on the road. Zalgiris looked aggressive and grabbed a 30:24 after 10 minutes of action. Siauliai could not deal with numerous turnovers in the first half and trailed by 9 points at the interval. But the intrigue still remained alive. Saulius Kuzminskas (210-C/F-82, college: California) stepped up for the hosts as they trimmed the gap to 5 points in the third stanza. Siauliai kept Zalgiris at the striking distance but the experienced Kaunas outfit never allowed the home side to threaten the margin. DeJuan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) and Damir Markota (209-C/F-85) were deadly from charity stripe in the dying moments carrying the visitors to a 94:83 victory. DeJuan Collins finished with 19 points and 6 assists for Zalgiris. Damir Markota provided 18 points in a winning case. Saulius Kuzminskas answered with 21 points and 11 rebounds for Siauliai. Mantas Ruikis (198-G/F-85) netted 17 points in defeat.
The Final series tips off on May 5 in Vilnius.

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LUXEMBOURG

Etzella goes from 1st to 4th place in just a few weeks ending playoffs with 4 game skid! Sparta wins 8th in a row. Amicale gains momentum for title run!!! -by Alex Meyers

According to most people who follow basketball in Luxembourg, Etzella is in big trouble. Why? Because Musel Pikes beat Residence in yesterday's match moving up past Etzella to third place. Etzella dropped to fourth place in the playoffs, which means they must play Sparta in the semi-fnals in a best of three series beginning in Ettelbruck on Wednesday, April 30th at 8:30pm. Sparta has won 8 games in a row and are very healthy, playing as a team on both ends and showing they are capable of overcoming a 20 point deficit to come back and win on the road. Etzella hasn't beaten Sparta since 2007 on October 28th, when they blew them out at home 107-74. Etzella started out the season with a 14-0 record and seemed virtually unstoppable. Since January 6th, 2008, when Sparta defeated Etzella 81-79 to give them their first loss of the season, Etzella's record fell to only 6 wins and 8 losses. Etzella now ends the title group playoffs with a four game losing streak. If Nelson DelGado and Co. can pull this one off, beating Sarta in a best of three series and make it to the finals, it would be a truly amazing feat! Anything is possible! We will have to wait and see just what happens.

Here are the details of what happened last night in the DBBL:

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Amicale 89 - Etzella 76

Amicale(17-11) got another big win moving itself all the way up to a 2nd place DBBL position in the last game of the title group playoffs, putting istelf in an excellent spot for a run at the title, with a best of three series with Musel Pikes coming up. After a very close first quarter, Amicale took control of the game in period 2 and went into the locker room up by 12 points. Etzella played better in the 3rd but Amicale closed this one out winning with defense and intelligent offensive play. Amicale consistantly found a hot Christian Schartz from the three point line where he knocked down 5 of 8 attempts. Schartz also had 5 assists and 6 steals. But, it was Sam Ney who led his team in scoring with 25 on 8/10 2fg, 2/5 3fg and went 3/3 from the foul line. Ney also had 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked
shot. Christopher Jones stepped it up again big time by dropping a double-double notching 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jones also had 4 steals and 3 assists. This young guy is really coming around and making good things happen for his team. American Import Travis Depree was held to 11 points. When all pistons are firing, this Amicale team can be a tough one to beat.

Marcus Kennedy and Nelson DelGado did their best to keep Etzella in the match. Kennedy led all scorers with 31 points and tallied 13 rebounds. Nels was close behind, finishing with 30 points, 5 steals and 4 assists. That was about it for Etzella as the rest of their team failed to show up offensively. Tim Giver went scoreless for all of nearly 30 minutes of play. Besides N. DelGado's 4/9, Etzella's entire team struggled from the three point line where they were 4/24 for only 17%. If Etzella wants to move past Sparta and get to the finals they are going to have to re-energize and lay it all out on the line in this series against a strong Sparta team. The Double for Etzella this year... ? maybe.... not.

Amicale: 32 field goals, 10 three pointers, 15 for 24 free throws, 27 rebounds, 21 fouls and 10 turnovers.
Depree 11, Schartz 22, Ney 25, Jones 17, Scholtes 9, also Birenbaum 2, D'Angelo, Kartheiser 2, Rausch 1, Steinmetz and Gilardin.
Etzella: 28 field goals, 4 three pointers, 16 for 20 free throws, 31 rebounds, 22 fouls and 17 turnovers.
Schroeder 4, Giver 0, N. DelGado 30, J. DelGado 6, Kennedy 31, also Benseghir, Eckes, Garganese 4, Herrmann, Kerger 1, and Pravisani.

Score by Quarters: 1st Q 20-24, Halftime 49-37, 3rd Q 70-59, Final 89-76

Contern 79 - Sparta 83

Contern, in their final game of the season, showed promise for the future by playing very well against a Sparta team poised and preped to defend their title as Champion of Luxembourg 2007. contern, playing in forntof their home crowd, started off strong outscoring Sparta 28-14 in the first quarter. they kept pace in the 2nd as well taking a lead of 55-35 with them for the halftime speech. Sparta came out in the second half looking again like the team to beat regaining the control of the game and dominating the entire 2nd half for the 4 point win which is their eighth in a row. Eric jeitz played hero for Contern with 25 points trailed by Dave Mallon who had 20 points and took 13 rebounds. Gilles becker also tallied 17 points and added 6 assists for Contern.

Larrie Smith scored 22 points and took 11 rebounds and Christian Wulff added 16 points and 6 assists. Sohrab Ziai scored 17 points and Pit Hoffman had 11 pointsd and 8 rebounds. Sparta will face Etzella on Wednesday in the first game of a best of three series to begin the semi-finals for the championship of the DBBL.

Contern: 32 field goals, 4 three pointers, 11 for 22 free throws, 34 rebounds, 22 fouls and 8 turnovers.
Becker 17, Jeitz 25, Braun, Mallon 20, Herber, also Donnersbach 6 and Bissener 2.
Sparta: 29 field goals, 12 three pointers, 13 for 21 free throws, 37 rebounds, 16 fouls and 13 turnovers.
Baustert 5, Wulff 16, Smith 22, Hoffmann 11, Ziai 17, also Wolzfeld 4, Evans, Klein, Palumbo 4, Nittler and Rupil 4.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 28-14, Halftime 55-35, 3rd Q 69-61, Final 79-83

Residence 67 - Musel Pikes 80
(no stats available yet)

1 Sparta 28 21 7 33.50
2 Amicale 28 17 11 31.50
3 Musel Pikes 28 17 11 31
4 Etzella 28 19 9 30.50

Here is the program for the DBBL final Four Semi-Final Playoffs:

Wednesday April 30, 2008
20.30: Etzella - Sparta
20.30: Musel Pikes Amicale (at Dudelange)

Friday, May 2, 2008
20.30: Sparta - Etzella (at Dudelange)
20.30: Amicale - Musel Pikes

Friday, May 9, 2008 (if necessary)
20.30: Sparta - Etzella (at Dudelange)
20.30: Amicale - Musel Pikes

Standings - DBBL

DBBL Standings

Title Group
1. Sparta	21-7
2. Amicale	17-11
3. Musel Pikes	17-11
4. Etzella	19-9
5. Contern	11-17
6. Residence	10-18
Relegation Group
1. T71	13-11
2. Black Star	10-14
3. Soleuvre	10-14
4. BBC Nitia	4-20

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MONTENEGRO

Standings - 1A

1A Standings

Superleague
1. Buducnost	8-0
2. Mogren	4-4
3. ABS Primorje	4-4
4. Niksic	4-4
5. Lovcen	3-6
6. Danilovgrad	2-7
Play-Out
1. Ulcijn	7-3
2. Mornar Bar	7-3
3. Jedinstvo	7-3
4. Rudar	5-5
5. Primorje-M.	4-6
6. Kotor	0-10

MNT Super-League 9 Round : Lovcen win in Danilovgrad -by Dragan Scepanovic
Basketball Club Lovcen from Cetinje win in first game of 9 Round of Montenegrin 1A Super-League against Basketball Club Danilovgrad 80-78.In very important game for BC Lovcen best player of the game was Ljubo Jovanovic from BC Lovcen ho score 32 points and 12 rebounds.Good game for BC Lovcen play Aleksa Popovic (201-G/F-87) 15 points and 7 rebounds, Petar Jovanovic (192-G/F-80) 11 points and 5 asist.In team of BC Danilovgrad best player was Aleksandar Radulovic (207-C-84) with 20 points

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NBA

Eclipse of the Suns in Texas -by Eurobasket News
The Phoenix Suns could not reignite the intrigue in the Western series against San Antonio losing the vital battle in Texas yesterday. Once again the Phoenix Suns could not overcome the Spurs and had to leave the tournament before the Final. Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was in form notching 29 points and 17 boards to lead the hosts to a 92:87 victory. Tony Parker continued with his sizzling performance scoring 31 points for the winners. Boris Diaw (6'8''-F/C-82) scored 22 points for the Suns. Amare Stoudemire was limited to 15 points and 11 boards in a loss. The home team was up by one in the final minute. Emanuel Ginobili scored just one free throw but Steve Nash could not handle the ball and Ginobili was sent to charity stripe again. He made both free throws and gave the Spurs a 91:87 advantage. Steve Nash could not connect on a saving triple and Tim Duncan sealed the winning outcome from free throw line. San Antonio will now take on the New Orleans in the Western conference semis. Several sources already reported Mark DAntoni would quit the team soon. There were no official announcements about his plans but some reporters believe he can join either Chicago or New York in the midseason.
The Hornets took care of the ailing Mavericks 99:94 at the New Orleans Arena to close out the series. Chris Paul (6'0''-G-85, college: Wake Forest) was unstoppable tallying a triple-double of 24 points, 15 assists and 11 boards to propel the hosts to a 99:94 victory. David West came up with 25 points for the winners. Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) had 22 points and 13 rebounds but was without sufficient help down the stretch. The Hornets were leading comfortably by 17 points before Devean George exploded with 11 points in the final term to cut the deficit to 3. Predrag Stojakovic proved deadly from free throw line to chill off the visitors.
The Houston Rockets thumped Utah 95:69 at home to stay alive in the series. Tracy McGrady (6'8''-G/F-79) scored 29 points and Luis Scola provided 18 points and 12 boards as the Rockets to hold off the Jazz and revive the intrigue in the series. Carlos Boozer (6'10''-F/C-80, college: Duke) answered with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Utah. Deron Williams was limited to 13 points and 6 assists in a loss. Now the series moves back to Sal Lake City where the Jazz posted a 37-4 record during the regular season.
Detroit finally reminded they are the favorites in the series against the 76ers by beating Philadelphia 98:81 at the Palace of Auburn Hills for 3-2 lead. Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) produced 21 points and 12 assists, Richard Hamilton (6'7''-G-78, college: Connecticut) added 20 points and Rasheed Wallace (6'10''-F/C-75, college: N.Carolina) nailed 19 for the winners. Andre Iguodala (6'6''-G-84, college: Arizona) answered with playoff career-high 21 points for the 76ers. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday back in Philadelphia.

Durant to be Named Rookie of the Year. -by Bryan Floyd
Durant, who led all first-year players in scoring, assists and free-throw percentage reportedly beat out Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford to become the first Rookie of the Year in Seattle franchise history. The NBA is expected to officially announce the award on Thursday. Durant averaged 20.3 points per game in 2007-08 -- the highest scoring average for a rookie since Carmelo Anthony averaged 21 points per game and LeBron James averaged 20.9 ppg in 2003-04. Only three of the past 10 rookies of the year -- Durant, James and Elton Brand -- have averaged at least 20 points in their first season.

Little General Let go by Mavs. -by Bryan Floyd
The Dallas Mavericks parted company with coach Avery Johnson on Wednesday, a day following the team's first-round exit from the NBA playoffs.Speculation about Johnson's future with the franchise had been mounting for weeks, after Dallas struggled to reach the playoffs as the seventh seed following its midseason acquisition of Jason Kidd. Johnson became Mavs coach during the 2004-05 season and walks away with a 194-70 record (.735) but only a 23-24 mark in the playoffs.

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NIGERIA

Udoka's Spurs are on the right way -by Eurobasket News
Ime Udoka (196-F/G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: Portland St.) and his San Antonio advanced to the next round of NBA Play-offs in the battles over Suns. Tim Duncan was in form notching 29 points and 17 boards to lead the hosts to a 92:87 victory. Tony Parker continued with his sizzling performance scoring 31 points for the winners. Boris Diaw scored 22 points for the Suns. Amare Stoudemire was limited to 15 points and 11 boards in a loss. The home team was up by one in the final minute. Emanuel Ginobili scored just one free throw but Steve Nash could not handle the ball and Ginobili was sent to charity stripe again. He made both free throws and gave the Spurs a 91:87 advantage. Steve Nash could not connect on a saving triple and Tim Duncan sealed the winning outcome from free throw line.Ime Udoka had a good game with 5 points and 7 rebounds. San Antonio will now take on the New Orleans in the Western conference semis.
Before that Phoenix sweetened the pill a bit after they thumped San Antonio 105:86 in Game 4 in Arizona. The Suns jumped to a 34:13 lead after the starting frame and kept the Spurs at bay for the rest of the encounter. Raja Bell topscored for the home team netting 27 points. Boris Diaw added 20 points, 10 boards and 8 assists for the winners. Steve Nash ended up with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Tony Parker paced the Spurs with 18 points. Ime Udoka provided 4 points and 5 rebounds.
In Game 3 Tony Parker scored career-high 41 points and the San Antonio Suns put Phoenix on the edge of elimination. The Spurs never looked like playing away from home cruising to a 115:99 victory at the US Airways Arena and grabbing a 3-0 lead in the series. Tim Duncan scored 23 points and pulled down 10 boards, while Emanuel Ginobili contributed 20 points as the Spurs never trailed en route to the third success. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 boards for the Suns but it hardly gladdened a sell-out crowd at the US Airway Center. The Spurs jumped to a 27:12 lead early in the game and never allowed the Suns closer than 13 points. Ime Udoka collected 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

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POLAND

Expect the 'unexpected' -by Eurobasket News
Second semifinal games were unpredictable as two best teams of the regular seasons lost the ir home camapigns. Polpak created another sensation, while Slask wins away from home as well.
Polpak beat Prokom Trefl Sopot just an hour ago on a road game. The underdog struggled hard throughout the semifinals and now defeats the leader. Polpak closed the game with 29:13 run to win 92:81. Nikola Lepojevic (195-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) paced all the winners with 31 points. Dixon nailed 18, while Chris Garner (178-G-75, agency: SportsTalent, college: Memphis) scored 14. Donatas Slanina (192-G-77) top-scored for the Euroleague representative with 32 points. Polpak led 28:17 after the first quarter, but then the hosts bounced back and produced 21:18 in the second as well as 30:17 in the third. When you do not expect unexpected Polpak created a sensation in the end of the game and tied the series at 1-1.
ASCO Slask Wroclaw tied the series against PGE Turow Zgorzelec after a road 72:78 win in Game 2. The guests grabbed the lead from the very beginning and closed the first quarter at 15:17. They increased to 12 points deficit after 12:22 in the second period. PGE Turow Zgorzelec tried to recover with 24;16 in the third, but could not catch up the opponent. Dominik Tomczyk (205-F/G-74) led the winners with 16 points. Atkins and Robinson nailed 15 points apiece. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) top-scored for the hosts with 18 points.

Prokom Trefl Sopot - Polpak 81:92 (17:28, 21:18, 30:17, 13:29)
Prokom Trefl Sopot:Donatas Slanina 32, Milan Gurovic (207-F-76, agency: Beo Basket) 19
Polpak:Nikola Lepojevic 31, Dixon 18, Chris Garner 14

PGE Turow Zgorzelec - ASCO Slask Wroclaw 72:78 (15:17, 12:22, 24:16, 21:23)
PGE Turow Zgorzelec:David Logan 18, Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) 16
ASCO Slask Wroclaw:Dominik Tomczyk 16, Atkins 15, Robinson 15

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QATAR

Al-Arabi Clinches Place in GCC Finals with a Convincing Win Over Local Rivals Al-Rayyan; Will Play Al-Qadisia of Kuwait as They Beat Al-Wasl in the Other Semi Final. -by Amir Abou-El-Kheir

Afte needing help to secure their spot in the final four, Al Arabi Club, behind the strong play of Lamar Grimes (182-G-83, college: Indiana St.), Baker Ahmad Mohammed (198-F-86) and Mohammed Al Derazi (192-F), overpowered an overconfident Al Rayyan team to win 107-92 and book their place in tonight's final. Al Arabi controlled the tempo from the get go and had their way all night against a non-existent Rayyan defense. Grimes punished them, going for 27 points, 8 assists and 2 steals, while Baker finished the game with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Al Derazi added 25 points and 8 rebounds for the victors. Credit also has to be given to Al Arabi's coach, David Ingram, as he had his team well prepared for this game and his players executed a great game plan. They will face Al Qadsia who beat Al Wasl 87-82. J Williams had a monstrous game scoring 35 points and registering 20 rebounds for Al Qadsia.

Al Rayyan will now face Al Wasl for 3rd place.

3rd-4th Place Game

Al Rayyan vs Al Wasl (1700 KSA)

Championship Game

Al Arabi Club vs Al Qadsia (1900 KSA)

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SERBIA

Superleague, round 7 - FMP smashes Vizura on the road -by Dragan Jankovski
Vizura suffered a serious defeat at home over FMP from Zeleznik 69-100. Panthers opened the game in style finishing the first quarter 25-9. After that moment it was clear that the most pleasant surprise of the season, BC Vizura, won't have a chance in this game even to come closer. On the half time it already was plus 30 for FMP.

Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) led Panthers adding 18 points and 8 rebounds. Young Mladen Jeremic (197-G-88, agency: CAA Sports) finished the game with 16 points while on the other side Vizura got 17 points and 6 rebounds from Uros Lucic (207-C-83). FMP currently has 5 wins and 1 defeat while Vizura has 1-6.

Vizura - FMP 69-100
(9-25,13-27,32-21,15-27)

Vizura: Lucic 17 (6 rebs), Buric Dejan 12 (6 rebs), Lesic 12
FMP: Erceg 18 (8 rebs), Jeremic 16, Krstovic 13 (4 as), Protic 12 (4 as)

Standings - A Liga

A Standings

Superleague
1. FMP	5-1
2. Partizan	4-0
3. Crvena Zv.	4-2
4. Vojvodina	4-2
5. Hemofarm	3-3
6. Swisslion Tak.	1-4
7. Borac	1-5
8. Vizura	1-6
Others in Stage One
1. Radnicki 034	13-9
2. Mega AM	12-10
3. Sloga	12-10
4. Novi Sad	11-11
5. Masinac	10-12
6. Zdravlje	9-13
7. Radnicki NS	9-13
8. Napredak	9-13
9. Ergonom	2-12

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SLOVENIA

Standings - 1A

1A Standings

Places 1-8
1. Olimpija	8-0
2. Helios	7-2
3. Zlatorog	6-4
4. Slovan	5-4
5. Krka	4-5
6. Luka Koper	3-7
7. TCG Mercator	2-6
8. Elektra	1-8
Places 9-13
1. Alpos S.	12-18
2. Polzela	12-18
3. Zagorje	11-19
4. Kraski Zidar	9-21
5. Rogla	6-24

Zlatorog easily over Koper, another road win for Gorica -by Zeljko Zule
Zlatorog crushed Luka Koper 97-70 in the opening game of Round 10. Nejc Strnad scored 18 points on shooting 4-of-5 behind the arc, Lance Harris had 18 points and 9 rebounds and Salih Nuhanovic (210-C-82) collected 15 points without a miss, 8 rebounds and 6 steals. Koper was outrebounded 20-36. Miha Markic had 12 points and 8 rebounds, Sasa Mucic and Ivan Drzic posted 10 points and Miha Cmer handed out 11 assists.
Nova Gorica grabbed another road win in Relegation Group, 79-70 over Parklji. Marko Marcetic finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Dalibor Petrovic added 17 points while Stefan Kosec collected 21 points and 8 rebounds and former NT member Roman Horvat had 16 points and 9 rebounds for Parklji.

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SOUTH AFRICA

SASCOC convenes special meeting to discuss Basketball South Africa -by Tshepo Ditshego
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) convened a special meeting with all Basketball South Africa members and affiliates on Saturday, April 26th 2008 at Olympic House.

The purpose of the meeting was to look at the current impasse in the functioning of Basketball South Africa and explore practical solutions to aid in the administration of the federation.

All provinces and affiliate members were present. Issues were deliberated in a frank and open manner with the president of SASCOC, Mr. Moss Mashishi, chairing the meeting.

Having looked into the state of affairs of Basketball, all members present regretted the sad state that the sport found itself in. It was acknowledged by all present that Basketball has not had a well functioning administration for the past two years.

Against this background, all stakeholders present agreed to restore the proper administration of Basketball under the guidance and oversight of SASCOC.

To this end the meeting dissolved the current BSA Executive and constituted an Interim Committee composed of all Chairpersons of provinces and affiliates and a management committee as follows:

1. Malesela Maleka
2. Gezephi Mbatha
3. Cabby Cabanelas
4. Dr Malumbethe Ralethe
5. Dali Dzingwa
6. Dumisani Tuka
7. Representatives of SASCOC.

The following are the terms of reference of the Interim Committee

1. Assess the financial state of BSA and conclude a financial audit for the year 2006/7 and 2007/8.
2. Take measures to restore the functionality of the federation including a review of provinces and affiliates status with the federation.
3. Convene a proper AGM for Basketball within the next six months. This will be preceded by an extensive organizational renewal process, which will include a constitutional review, and the development of proper policies and guidelines for the federation.

Delegates expressed their gratitude to SASCOC and SRSA for the manner in which they provided leadership and accorded Basketball an opportunity to restore pride in the sport. We appeal to all stakeholders, including the business community to join in this partnership in our efforts to take Basketball to greater heights.

Issued by SASCOC

Contact 
Moss Mashishi
SASCOC President

Malesela Maleka
Chairperson Interim Committee
082226180

www.sascoc.co.za

26 April 2008

For any queries kindly contact:
Bilaal Hoosein
PR & Media Manager
Cell: 082 483 2722
Email: bilaal@arp.co.za
www.arp.co.za

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SWEDEN

Solna grabs the lead -by Eurobasket News
Sundsvall - Solna 83:92

Solna jumped to a 1-0 lead in the Basketligan Final series after bruising the regular season champions Sundsvall in the opening game. Sundsvall upset Solna twice in the regular season but it was a different story yesterday. The Vikings were just more accurate from the field in the starting frame to a run away to a 25:23 lead after the starting frame. The Dragons struck back in the second period outpacing the visitors 24:17 to grab a 5-point advantage at the interval. But the complexion of the game changed drastically after the long break. The Vikings took over and eased ahead in the third stanza. They held to a 5-point cushion before the fourth term and kept mounting the pressure. The hosts closed the gap to 4 points midway through the fourth frame. However Rudy Mbemba (181-G-87) drained a trey and Bilal Salaam (201-F-81, college: Kutztown) nailed a jumper to give a breathing space. Salaam then added two more points, while Martin Pahlmblad (190-G-86) fired from downtown to stretch the margin to 10 points. The Dragons failed to threaten the lead at the dying stages and Solna posted a win snatching a home-court advantage from Sundsvall. Bilal Salaam knocked down 23 points for the Vikings. Brandon McKnight (188-G-83, college: Purdue) and Martin Pahlmblad nailed 18 points apiece for the winners. Pero Vasiljevic (209-F/C-78, college: Kansas St.) answered with 18 points for Sundsvall. Joakim Kjellbom (213-C/F-79, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: N.Arizona) netted 16 points and A.J. Guyton (187-G-78, college: Indiana) provided 14 points in a losing effort. Game 2 is scheduled for May 2.

Sundsvall: Pero Vasiljevic 18, Joakim Kjellbom 16, A.J. Guyton 14
Solna: Bilal Salaam 23, Brandon McKnight 18, Martin Pahlmblad 18

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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

Spurs win series -by David Edole
Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) was not all smiles after the San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Phoenix Suns yet again from the playoffs. Written on the big man's face was only one thing: relief.

'Just happy we're done with them,' he said.

The Spurs dispatched the Suns with a 92-87 Game 5 victory Tuesday in what has become almost a postseason ritual for the defending champions.

The veteran team moves on to the Western Conference semifinals against the No. 2 seed Hornets in a series that begins Saturday in New Orleans.

The Suns go home again, falling to their postseason nemesis for the second straight year and the fourth time in five playoff appearances. The Hornets finished off their series with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, also in five games.

'We went up against a team that knows how to win,' Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni said. 'Every time we needed to close something out - a half or a game - they got the best of us. That's why they're the champions.'

Suns guard Steve Nash said: 'I think on paper we have more talent than they do. But I think their experience, their commitment and understanding of what they're trying to do is greater than ours. Their ability to play together and make small plays on both ends of the floor is unsurpassed.'

Duncan had 29 points and 17 rebounds and Tony Parker scored 31 points for San Antonio.

Boris Diaw led the Suns with 22 points. Amare Stoudemire had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

'Every year it seems like we always play the Spurs, and they beat us every single time,' Stoudemire said. 'As long as I'm here we're going to break it sooner or later, because I'm tired of losing to these guys. I'm sick and fed up.'

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Al Wasl to face Al Rayyan in the game for the third -by Eurobasket News
Al Wasl lost the semifinal game Al Qadsia 82:87 as J Williams had a monstrous game scoring 35 points and registering 20 rebounds for the winners. The team will face now Al Rayyan in the game for the third place. Al Arabi Club beat Al Rayyan 107:92 behind the strong play of Lamar Grimes (182-G-83, college: Indiana St.), Baker Ahmad Mohammed (198-F-86) and Mohammed Al Derazi (192-F). Al Arabi controlled the tempo from the get go and had their way all night against a non-existent Rayyan defense. Grimes punished them, going for 27 points, 8 assists and 2 steals, while Baker finished the game with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Al Derazi added 25 points and 8 rebounds for the victors.
In the earlier game on Saturday, Al Wasl had a easy 94-68 win over Al-Arabi of Kuwait. Al Wasl's big man C Fildes had a big game with 28 points, 11 boards and 8 assists. J Asmer again had a good game in a losing effort for Al-Arabi, recording 20 points and 14 rebounds.

In 21st Arab Clubs Championship Al Kuwait SC edged An Nasr 97:94 in the best game of Day 7. It was a back-to-back performance from both squads and Al Kuwait SC remained undefeated due to the win. Trailing 21:23 after the opening quarter they bounced back and held the score for good in the second half. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) was unstoppable with 37 points, while Ahmad Al Mutairi scored 21. Justin Murray (198-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Washington St.) ended up with 29 points and Qasem Mohammed had 20 in defeat.

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URUGUAY

Capurro is the only leader -by Hector Lopez
Brian Craig (206-C-79, college: Miles) scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebunds and get a ranking of 48 points leading Capurro to be now the only leader for the Metropolitan League, after beating Larranaga 79-69. Craig tried 30 points and get 26 (87%), also had 5 blocks and 4 assists. For Larraaga, playing without foreign player, Santiago Monterroso (189-G-84) netted 13. Capurro has now a 5/0 record. Verdirrojo lost the first game 86-97 playing against 25 de Agosto. Cam-Ron Clay (203-F) netted 14 took 13 rebounds and made 4 blocks. For 25 Sebastian Martinez was the best scorer with 25. Other resuts for the 6th round and import players were:
Aguada 67 - Dave Holmes (201-C-82, college: Manhattan) 13 points and 9 rebounds
Marne 53 - Antonio McMillion (196-F-83, college: Md-Eastern Shore) 15 points 7 rebounds
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Urunday 98 - No import player. Eduardo Lambert (190-F-70) 28 points
Yale 88 - Tarrie Monroe (202-F-77, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Lewis) 19 points 11 rebounds
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Goes 83 - Howard Wilkerson (198-F-84, college: Wofford) 23 points 13 rebounds
Olivol Mundial 68 - No import player Diego Olivera (197-G-84) 22 points
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Waston 80 - Alexander Blackwell (205-F/C-70, agency: Duran International, college: Monmouth) 9 points 8 rebounds
Larre Borges 67 - No import player Sebastian Diaz (184-G/F-82) 10 points

Standings - Metropolitan League

Metropolitan Standings

1. Capurro	5-0
2. Verdirrojo	4-1
3. Aguada	4-1
4. Goes	4-1
5. Urunday Univ.	4-1
6. 25 de Agosto	3-3
7. Larranaga	2-3
8. Marne	2-4
9. Yale	2-4
10. Guruyu Waston	2-4
11. Nacional	1-5
12. Larre Borges	1-5
13. Olivol Mundial	1-5

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Women News

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COLOMBIA - Women

Yaneth Arias Shines in AWBL Final -by Victor Garcia
Colombian forward Yaneth Arias is leading the Flying Foxes in the Austrian Women Busdesliga, Yaneth is averaging 27 PPG, and the Flying Foxes leads the serie 2-1, after win the first tow games against Herzogenb as visitors.

In the first game Flying Foxes won 76 58, and Yaneth scored 31 pts, the second game finished 69-55 and Yaneth had 25 pts, the third game at Foxes home finished 64-70 , Yaneth scored 25 pts in this game

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CROATIA - Women

Gospic unable to match Sibenik in Game 1 -by Eurobasket News
Jolly Sibenik - Gospic 91:66

Sibenik and Gospic met once again. This time they tipped off the A1 Final best-of-three series. Sibenik made the first step towards yet another title in Croatia beating the arch-rivals 91:66 at home. The game started with both teams trading baskets and the intrigue burnt hard. But it lasted for just one quarter. The hosts exploded with a 28:5 run in the second period and virtually sealed the winning outcome. Gospic had little counterarguments in the second half to deny a massive halftime deficit. Moreover Sibenik stretched the gap to 26 points in the third stanza and never looked back afterwards. Gospic outscored the hosts 15:14 in the final period with little profit. Jolly Sibenik dominated almost every facet of the game extending their winning streak against Gospic in this season. Evelina Guneva (183-F-80, agency: Interperformances) fired 27 points to lead Sibenik. Anda Jelavic (173-G-80) provided 21 points, while Luca Ivankovic (201-C-87) added 13 points in a winning effort. Sandra Popovic-Mandir (177-G-77) scored 15 points for Gospic. Pinto provided 13 points in a losing clause. The next game will be played on May 4 with Sibenik having a chance to claim the crown.

Sibenik: Evelina Guneva 27, Anda Jelavic 21, Luca Ivankovic 13
Gospic: Sandra Popovic-Mandir 15, Pinto 13

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HUNGARY - Women

Sopron won the game,but Pecs won the regular season -by Adam Patonay
On the last round of the hungarian women league the two euroleague-team played against each other. Sopron had to win by 21 points - without the injured Milovanovic - if they want to be the first on the regular season. They had the chance, because scored 6(!) threes on the first quarter. Karolyi played excellent, but Anna Vajda (191-F/C-84) started to score points from the bench and didn't let Sopron to leave. It was a very hard and good game, the fans from Pecs made fantastic atmosphere. Soporn could won this game but Pecs have the home court on the final, because everybody know that this two great team will meet on the final again...

MKB Euroleasing Sopron - Mizo Pecs 2010 72:60
(34:21; 7:18; 18:17; 13:4)
Attendance: 1500
Sopron: Nemeth B. 2, Honti K. 3/3, Gorbunova O. 21/3, Andrea Karolyi (183-F/G-75) 14/12, Branzova A. 13/3.Sub.:Semsei B. 7/3, Horti D. 9, Horvath Zs. 3/3, Eordogh E. -, Sliskovic I. -
Pecs: Ivanyi 9 (7 ass), Fegyverneky Zs. 8/3, Somogyi A. 3/3, Podrug E. 9, Coelho G. 8. Sub.: Anna Vajda 17/3 (8 reb), Richter D. 2, Krivacevic T. 4

Uniqua NB1 - PLAY-OFF 2008 -by Adam Patonay
The play-off of the 2007/08 season started yesterday. The 1st Pecs beat Szekszard easily. Today will start Soporn against Gyor and Szeged against Szolnok. The biggest fight will be beetwen Zala Volan and BSE most probably. They will start on saturday.

(1.) Mizo Pecs 2010 VS. Atomeromu Szekszard (8.)
(2.) MKB Euroleasing Soporn VS. SEAT Foton Gyor (7.)
(3.) Szeviep Szeged VS. Szolnoki NKK (6.)
(4.) Zala Volan ZTE VS. BSE (5.)

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RUSSIA - Women

CSKA and Spartak, as usual, as expected... -by Eurobasket News
Two best teams of the Russian Superleague will meet each other in the Final of Russian Play-offs. Both teams swept their semifinal campaigns and are ready for another battles.
CSKA's road seems to be difficult, however the team from Moscow grabbed a road win from UMMC to finish with 2-0 record. CSKA still remembers the loss in Euroleague and plays hard against the team from Ekaterinburg. They opened the game with 14:23 and never looked behind after. CSKA closed the camapign with 24:20 win and advanced to the Finals. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) led the winners with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ann Wauters (194-C-80) netted 17 and Stepanova and Ilona Korstine (183-G-80) had 14 each. Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) ended up with 18 points and 9 rebounds for the home side.
Spartak swept the series in Vologda against the local team 2-0. The latter saw 56:82 loss in front of 1300 spectators. The game did not start easy fro the defending champions as they trailed 15:19 in the opening quarter. Only in the third period with 26:10 Spartak showed its real power. Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) led the way with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) added 14, while Taurasi and Thompson scored 10 apiece. Anastasia Pimenova (180-F-81) top-scored for the hosts with 13 points and Bokareva collected 10 points and 15 rebounds.

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SLOVAKIA - Women

Chatman will coach Slovakia! -by Martin Galajda
American Pokey Chatman is new coach of the Slovak women national team. Coach assistant in Spartak Moscow Region signed contract until 2009. Chatman started coaching career in LSU where was promoted four times in a row to NCAA Final Four. She won Euroleague with Spartak this year. 'We watched most interesting coaches in Europe and we had five candidates. Our decision is Chatman. She will come in late June and will leave after national team games on September,' said for eBasket.sk SBA president Rudolf Petrovsky.

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SLOVENIA - Women

Standings - Women

1A Standings

Places 1-6
1. Celje	-
2. Odeja	-
3. Jezica	-
4. Neso Ihke	-
5. AJM Maribor	-
6. Hit Kr.Gora	-
Places 7-12
1. City Center	-
2. NT U16	-
3. Triglav	-
4. Crnomelj	-
5. Domzale	-
6. Konjice	-

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SPAIN - Women

Stats Leaders - LFB

Liga Femenina Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

1.Hodges(Canarias)20.2
2.Willingham (Oles)18.8
3.Christon (Irun) 17.5
4.S.Morales(Pdv)15.8
5.Tuukkanen(Can.)15.6

Rebounds Per Game

1.Willingham(Olesa)11.1
2.Lyttle (Ibiza) 10
3.B.Wyckoff (Canari)8.8
4.K.Da Silva (Dato) 8.2
5.Z.Tamane (Irun) 8.1

Assists Per Game

1.S.Morales(PDV) 5
2.C.Ciocan (Burgos) 4.3
3.S.Santos (Cadi) 3.4
4.L.Infantes (Dato) 3.3
5.L.Palau (Ros) 3.2

Steals Per Game

1.Lyttle (PDV) 2.8
2.Musovic (Olesa) 2.5
3.A.Cruz (Burgos) 2.2
4.S.Morales (Pdv) 2.2
5.A.Montanana (Perf)2.1

Blocks Per Game

1.S.Lyttle (PDV) 1.2
2.Tamane (Filter) 1.2
3.Miller (Burgos) 0.9
4.Wyckoff(Canarias)0.9
5.Mujanovic (Celta) 0.8

2FGP

1.I.Matic (Perf.) 60%
2.N.Antibe (Rivas) 60%
3.K.Douglas (Ros) 59%
4.Willingham(Olesa)59%
5.L.Navarro (Pdv) 57%

3FGP

1.Rasmussen (Pdv) 50%
2.N.Jordana (Ros) 49%
3.E.Maltsi (Ros) 48%
4.B.Erzeg (Filter) 47%
5.Wyckoff (Canarias)46%

Free Throws

1.A.Feaster (Leon) 92
2.K.Brown (Extrug) 89%
3.E.Tornikidu(Ros) 89%
4.J.Dubljevic(Rivas) 87%
5.Palomares (Filter)86%

Ranking

1.Willingham(Olesa)24.5
2.S.Lyttle (Pdv) 19.7
3.S.Morales (Pdv) 19.2
4.N.Antibe (Rivas) 16.9
5.R.Hodges(Canari)16.6

Perfumerias Avenida,Ros,Rivas and Extrugasa beat first -by Ivan Villar
Ros Casares was a twister for San Jose Leon.Valencian team was better in eveything than team coached by Miguel Angel Estrada.Ros broke score on second quarter and there wasn't more history than orange team.Erika de Souza (20 p-17 reb) appeared like some years ago and Katie Douglas completed perfect game again with 25 points and 5 rebounds.In Salamanca happened the same.Perfumerias destroyed PDV-Ibiza on 3rd quarter and didn't give any option to island team.Anke de Mondt (18 p,5/6 3p) and Isa Sanchez (20 p,4/4 3p) were killers from 6,25 m. line.Difference between both teams was so big than efficience score was 125-26 for team coached by Jose Ignacio Hernandez.

Playoff 5th-8th for FIBA EUROCUP

RIVAS FUTURA-SEAT OLESA 90-48
CELTA VIGO-EXTRUGASA VILAGARCIA 61-71

In Europe battle,Rivas performed like favourites teams and trashed Olesa easily.Cathy Joens (20 p) and Rankica Sarenac (14 p-9 reb) were too much for catalan team.Also Madrid's team stopped very well principal references of Olesa,Podkovalnikova and Willingham.And first surprise came from Vigo where Extrugasa won first game of galician derby.Team coached by Isaac Fernandez dominated most part of game thanks to Agne Ciuderiane (14 p-9reb) and Katia Da Silva (187-C-77) (11 p-14 reb).

Silvinha Luz,first extending of Cadi La Seu d'Urgell for next season -by Ivan Villar
Catalan team had made its first movement looking season 2008/09.Managers decided after extend his coach Victor Lapena,betting for shooting guard from Brazil Silvia Santos Luz (172-G-75),Silvinha.Player has averaged 14 points,3 steals and 3 assitst during 26 games of recent season.She said to be glad for continue in La Seu d'Urgell.Also she hopes improve her performances and take her team to playoffs of next season.Now club should decide about future of rest of roster.