EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/25/2008

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Men News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Krka's come back to Adriatic league -by Dragan Jankovski
After four years without participation in Adriatic league, Krka from Novo Mesto succeeded to qualify for it.

Krka finished Slovenian championship at the third position. They had to wait for the fourth ranked team Zlatorog, who played against Union Olimpija at the semis. Namely, if Zlatorog would become a National champion they would play in Adriatic league next season. But because that din not happen, as Olimpija beat Zlatorog 2-0 at the semis, Krka earned a spot for regional championship.

Interesting is the team from Novo Mesto participated in Euroleague on season 2001/2002. At the same season they lost in the final of Adriatic league against Union Olimpija.

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ARGENTINA

Firmat champion of LigaB -by Facundo Iatzky
Firmat FC Santa Fe became champion of LigaB (third division) after overcome Obera Tennis Club in the finals. Both teams are able to play in TNA(second division) next season.

Second game of finals:
Firmat FBC (90): Lionel Sola (183-G-83) 5, Martin Ghirardi (187-G-82) 14, Emiliano Stenta (189-F-79) 23, Alejandro Pappalardi (198-C-80) 11, Omar Zanocco 12 (St); Gonzalo Maggio 15, Diego Foradori 9, Juan Pablo Ripoll 1 Maximiliano Tabieres (198-F/C-89) 0. Coach: Fernando Aguilar and Hugo Miraglia.
OTC (92): Matias Bonfiglio (x) 9, Daniel Clavell (188-G-75) 10, Mauricio Beltramella (186-G-71) 9, Mauro Bianco 0, Marcos Jovanovich 9 (St); Denis Gomez 12, Nestor Braccia (192-G/F-84) 20, Pablo Bendel (189-G-83) 14, Nicolas Ojeda 4, Gonzalo Traverso 5 Nicolas Martinez 0. Coach: Jose Luis Pisani

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BELGIUM

Div 1 Transfer News -by Peter Buyse


Two players recently signed new 2 year deals with their present teams.


One being Okapi Aalstar's Pablo Gonzales (191-G-78, college: Sacramento St.), the other is Telindus Oostende team captain Sebastien Bellin (205-C-78, agency: Court Side, college: Oakland).
Gonzales was Aalstar's second leading scorer behing Lojeski.
In 33 regular season games he averaged 14.5ppg, 3.4rpg and 2.7apg. Pablo will start his 6th season for Aalst next year.

Bellin saw action in 28 reg season games and 10 Uleb Cup games this year.
He will start his 3rd year for Oostende in the 08-09 season.



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BOSNIA

Bosnian League 8, 13TH round - First place for Bosna ASA -by Elvir Halilovic
Results:
Igokea Partizan - Siroki Prima Pivo 71:52
Bosna ASA BH Telecom - Zrinjski Mik Company 68:56
Sloboda Dita - Grude 91:77
Borac Nektar - Slavija (Sunday May 25TH)

Standings:
1. Bosna ASA BHT 11-2 1046:869 +177 24 pts.
2. Igokea Partizan 9-4 1121:979 +142 22 pts.
3. Siroki Prima Pivo 9-4 1056:980 +76 22 pts.
4. Sloboda Dita 8-5 1024:1031 -07 21 pts.
5. Borac Nektar 6-6 927:905 +22 18 pts.
6. Zrinjski MC 3-10 1037:1151 -114 16 pts.
7. Slavija 3-9 915:1067 -152 15 pts.
8. Grude 2-11 987:1131 -144 15 pts.

Igokea Partizan - Siroki Prima Pivo 71:52
(21:12, 16:13, 20:9, 14:18)
Aleksandrovac, SD Nenad Bastinac; Att.: 2.000; Ref.: Bijedic, Duskaj, Nozinovic
IGOKEA PARTIZAN: Tosic 6, Patterson 9, Bocka 15, Stazic, Djurica 2, Vucurovic 8, Cup, Wright, Lydeka 4, Stefanovic 10, Kovacevic 13, Allen 4
Coach: Drago Karalic
SIROKI PRIMA PIVO: Bubalo, Planinic, Grays 9, Stemberger 14, Dijan 12, Zupic, Sola 1, Naletilic, Susak, Fajardo 13, Bethel, Ezugwu 4
Coach: Ivan Velic

Bosna ASA BHT - Zrinjski Mik Company 68:56
(14:18, 25:7, 12:16, 17:15)
Sarajevo, SD Skenderija; Att.: 300; Ref.: Okuka, Sobot, Karovic
BOSNA ASA BHT: Jefferson, Sehovic 4, Tomovic 2 (3 ass.), Ikonic 7, Bavcic 6 (6 reb.), Zimic, Bailey 10, Rahimic 11, Hajric 5 (7 reb.), Pasalic 6, Jackson 2, Williams 15
Coach: Jurij Zdovc
ZRINJSKI MC: Filipovic, Bisko, Norac 4, Petric, Oroz, Dzidic 9, Simovic 11, Brecic 2, Vuckovic 22 (16 reb.), Buhac, Planinic 8, Grbavac
Coach: Nedeljko Zelenika

Standings - BIH League
D1 Standings
League 8
 1. Bosna S. 11-2 
 2. Igokea 9-4 
 3. Siroki 9-4 
 4. Sloboda Dita 8-5 
 5. Borac Nektar 6-6 
 6. Slavija 3-9 
 7. Zrinjski MC 3-10 
 8. Grude 2-11 
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 


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BRAZIL

National Team camp 2008 -by Eurobasket
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Passos


Torres


Coloneze


Cipolini


Hettsheimeir
Brazil will try to send their best team for this year edition of South American Championships.
But as usually at the preparation stage there is a big problem to collect top players as they still play in pro leagues. Even domestic Brazilian league has not finished yet, not mentioning about many pro leagues overseas.
The players called for preparation camp are:
Hatila Passos (212-C-86) of New Mexico State University (USA)
Caio Torres (211-C-87) of MMT Estudiantes Madrid (ESP)
Fernando Coloneze (207-C-78) of Flamengo Petrobras Rio de Janeiro
Lucas Cipolini (206-F/C-86) of BYU-Hawaii (USA)
Rafael Hettsheimeir (206-C-86) of Plus Pujol Lleida (ESP)
Luis Felipe Gruber (205-F-85) of Caceres 2016 C.B. (ESP)
Guilherme Teichmann (204-F-83) of Winner/Limeira
William Drudi (204-C/F-81) of Franca Sao Paulo
Luiz Felipe Ribeiro (201-F-79) of Franca Sao Paulo
Shilton dos Santos (199-F/C-82) of CISER/Univille/Joinville
Eduardo Duda Machado (197-F-82) of Flamengo Petrobras Rio de Janeiro
Jonathan Tavernari (196-F-86) of Brigham Young University (USA)
Andre Stefanelli (195-F/G-84) of Paulistano/DIX Saude
Diego Pinheiro (196-F/G-80) of Ulbra / Sao Bernardo
Arthur Luiz Belchior (197-G/F-82) of Universo/BRB Brasilia
Andre Luiz Rodrigues (192-G-81) of Ulbra / Sao Bernardo
Fulvio De Assis (187-G-81) of Paulistano/DIX Saude
Helio Vitor Lima (185-G-81) of Flamengo Petrobras Rio de Janeiro
There will be only 12 of them selected for the tournament. But the rosters should be strenghtened by many other names not listed above.

1-0 at the semis for Splitter's TAU Ceramica -by Eurobasket News
TAU Ceramica made a first big step forward to the final of Spanish play-off. The team from Vitoria outplayed Unicaja Malaga 81-68. After very good opening quarter 29-19 Unicaja answered with 9-19 at the third period. Last 10 minutes totally belonged to TAU, 25-18.

Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances) was the second scorer of his team with 14 points with very good shot percentage. He had 5 of 6 from the free throw line, 3 of 5 for FG2 and 1/1 from behind the arc. At the same time Splitter grabbed 5 rebounds for his team (3+2).

The second game will be played tonight in Malaga.

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CROATIA

Two Croats in Belgium final -by Eurobasket News
Croatia will have two participants in the final of Belgian play-off which will start on next Tuesday. On the bench of Spirou Charleroi is head coach Drazen Anzulovic while Pero Vucica is an assistant coach of Euphony Bree. At the semifinals series Bree knocked out Aalstar with 2-0. Aalstar made a great surprise at the quarterfinals beating defending champion and National Cup winner Oostende. On the other side Charleroi eliminated Mons at the quarterfinals.

At the first game of the semifinal series between Bree and Aalstar the hosts registered an easy win. The second one was much tougher as Aalstar was the host. Bree went into the final thanks to the well played last period which Vucica's team won with plus 8.

In the first game of the other semifinals Charleroi outplayed Mons 72-61. Everybody expected that Mons will be much dangerous rival at home but that didn't happen. Charleroi made even easier victory on the road 73-54.

Drazen Anzulovic started the season in Ural Great Perm but he parted ways with Russian team in February when he immediately took over Charleroi. He spent 4 successful years in Cibona Zagreb winning 3 championship titles 04, 06 and 07. Previous season he was named to be the coach of the year in Croatian A1 league.

Pero Vucica is an assistant coach of Don Beck at Euphony Bree since the previous summer. He was GM of Croatia Osiguranje Split on season 02/03. Later he moved to Luxembrurg where he was a head coach of Acicale Steinsel. Before Bree, he was an assistant coach in Dexia Mons-Hainaut for two seasons.

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DENMARK

Eurobasket.com All-Danish Basketliga Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
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Siggers


Iversen


Hoger


Howell


Johansen
Player of the Year: Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85) of Bakken Bears
Guard of the Year: Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85) of Bakken Bears
Forward of the Year: Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80) of Bakken Bears
Center of the Year: Ivan Hoger (225-C-82) of Svendborg Rabbits
Domestic Player of the Year: Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80) of Bakken Bears
Import Player of the Year: Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85) of Bakken Bears
Bosman Player of the Year: Ivan Miskovic (203-F/C-84) of Horsens IC
Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79) of Bakken Bears
Finals MVP: Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80) of Bakken Bears
Coach of the Year: Steffen Wich of Bakken Bears

1st Team
Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85) of Bakken Bears
Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80) of Bakken Bears
Ivan Hoger (225-C-82) of Svendborg Rabbits
Jarrett Howell (188-G-84) of Svendborg Rabbits
Peter Johansen (204-F/C-80) of BK Amager

2nd Team
Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79) of Bakken Bears
Soren Ege Hansen (204-C-79) of Bakken Bears
Joseph Smith (198-F-82) of BK Amager
Duane James (198-F-83) of Horsholm 79ers
Brandon Thomas (198-G/F-84) of Team FOG Naestved

Honorable Mention
Andreas Jakobsen (187-G-83) of Bakken Bears
Kristian Jakobsen (190-G/F-79) of BK Amager
Nick Billings (214-C-82) of Horsholm 79ers
Spencer Ross (181-G-81) of Horsens IC
Bonell Colas (206-F-82) of Randers Cimbria Basketball
Ranko Stevovic (188-G-77) of Randers Cimbria Basketball
Ivan Miskovic (203-F/C-84) of Horsens IC
Mickey Dennis (190-G/F-78) of Team FOG Naestved
Trent Wurtz (203-F-83) of SISU Copenhagen
Thomas Skotting (193-F-82) of Aabyhoj IF

All-Domestic Players Team
Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80) of Bakken Bears
Peter Johansen (204-F/C-80) of BK Amager
Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79) of Bakken Bears
Andreas Jakobsen (187-G-83) of Bakken Bears
Thomas Skotting (193-F-82) of Aabyhoj IF

All-Imports Team
Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85) of Bakken Bears
Ivan Hoger (225-C-82) of Svendborg Rabbits
Jarrett Howell (188-G-84) of Svendborg Rabbits
Joseph Smith (198-F-82) of BK Amager
Brandon Thomas (198-G/F-84) of Team FOG Naestved

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FRANCE

Strasbourg for first Transfer? -by Umberto Scogni
There are rumours that; Strasbourg IG is close to the signing of the American Sean Marshall (198-G/F-85, college: Boston Coll.). They have recently appointed Frederic Sarre; the ex Gravelines coach ; and it seems they started to work on reinforcing the roster. As it seems; sean marshall is on the way; who spend the last year in Karsiyaka making a powerful duo with the young starlet Quinton Hosley. Sean graduated from Boston College ; and played in Turkey with 19 points per game. Also Strasbourg IG is related with the Maryland power forward Bambale Osby for next season.

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FYR MACEDONIA

Wonderful season for Pero Antic in Bulgaria -by Eurobasket News
Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) of Lukoil Akademik had the best season in his career so far. Antic was the top scorer and rebounder of Bulgarian league while his team Lukoil finished the season with 46 victories without any defeat. They won National Cup and became the champions of Bulgarian championship for the 6th consecutive time. Lukoil also showed outstanding performance in ULEB Cup reaching eight finals. Member of Macedonian National Team, Pero Antic, was maybe the best player on his team this season. At least he was an equal with Willie Dean, who is named to be the player of the year in Bulgaria. But Antic also got the prestigious awards by Eurobasket. He is voted to be the best forward of the year, Bosman player of the year and his name is placed at the starting five of Bulgarian league for season 07/08.

As it is mentioned above, Antic was the top scorer of Bulgarian championship averaging 21.4 ppg. He also was the top rebounder of the league with 9.5 ppg. Member of Macedonian NT registered very good stats in ULEB Cup also. For 14 games he averaged 18.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 2.7 apg. As it was in Bulgarian league, Antic also was the leading rebounder of ULEB Cup 07/08.

Before Lukoil, Antic used to play two seasons for Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade winning National cup with them. He spent 3 years in AEK Athens while his first team was Rabotnicki from Skopje.

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GAMBIA

Gambian signings US -by Rolando Delabarrera
Tijan Jobe, of Olney Central CC, has signed with Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers. The 6'11'' post player averaged 3 ppg and 3.0 rpg during his sophomore season. An exodus in the Hoosier program has dictated a need for size and Jobe is one of the larger bodies out there . It remains to be seen if he can get anything done at the Big 10 level but you never know.

Dawda Njie, of Bridgeton Academy, has signed with Georgia Southern as originally expected. Njie attended high school at David Emmanuel Academy right down the road and although only in the US for three years this is a sort of home coming. A year under Coach Lesure (Bridgeton) should have improved his basketball IQ and future productivity. Tijan Jobe (213-C, college: Butler County CC)

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GEORGIA

Energy Invest - Champion of Georgia -by Levan Mikeladze

For the second time in a row, Energy Invest, headed by David Ustiashvili, won the gold medals as a champion of Superleague. In the final, Energy downed Levan Moseshvili's Avia 3:1.

Another dominat performance by Energy Serbian forward Jovan Stefanov (208-F-83, college: Ill.-Chicago), who made season high 39 points in the last game and this time was distuinguished from other by 25 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Giorgi Gamqrelidze (183-G-86) showed solid play as well scoring 20 points. Misha Chochua (192-G-87) replaced accordingly Besik Lezhava (192-G-86) and made 15 points while Mikheli Chitashvili (185-G-84) added 11.

A great last quarter bya team captain Kote Tugushi (193-G-84) almost evened the score (76:77), but in the end it was to much to overcome for Avia and Energy returned as champions.

Avia 76:83 Energy



Energy Invest reserved the spot in the FINAL -by Levan Mikeladze
Energy Invest, the regular champion and the best team of the league so far, needed a minimum 3 games to go to the finals. Giorgi Gamqrelidze (183-G-86) was great for Energy, as he just came up short of double-double scoring 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals. Jovan Stefanov (208-F-83, college: Ill.-Chicago) the Serbian legioner for Energy was performing good as well and was distinguished by 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 block shots.

Mikheil Berishvili (205-F-87, agency: N.E.T.) was again the man for Vita, but his 31 points could not break down an Energy machine.

Vita 80:111 Energy

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GERMANY

Bundesliga Playoff result Saturday May 24th: End of an Era in Leverkusen! -by Michael Taylor
After 14 Bundesliga championships and a dynasty in German Basketball, historic Wilhelm Dopatka Halle heard the final horn go off Saturday as Deutsche Bank Skyliners edged Bayer Leverkusen in a dramatic series deciding fifth game. With Bayer stepping back from sponsorship and Leverkusens planned move to Dusseldorf, Wilhelm Dopatka Halle held court for the final time in what turned out to be Leverkusen's final game. And what an exciting game it was. Congratulations to the Leverkusen team, organization and fans for a tremendous season and special part of basketball in Germany.

Saturday May 24th
Deutsche Bank Skyliners 59 Bayer Leverkusen 58 (Frankfurt wins series 3-2)
Pascal Roller sank 2 clutch foul shots lifting Deutsche Bank Skyliners to a thrilling 59-58 road win over Bayer Leverkusen in the decisive 5th game giving Frankfurt a 3-2 series victory in their Bundesliga first round playoff series. The exciting finish played out with Ken Johnson making one of two FT giving Skyliners a 1pt lead. Leverkusen's Rans Brempong cooly answered with 2FT reclaiming a 58-57 lead for the hosts. In the final seconds, Roller drew a foul at the top of the key sending him to the foul line with 7sec. After the two clutch makes and a Leverkusen timeout, Tyron McCoys runner was off line and Skyliners advanced. The game opened with Frankfurt taking a 26-21 lead after 1Q. The tempo slowed to the Skyliners liking in the 2Q as Head Coach Murat Didin and his team outscored Leverkusen 10-8 holding a 36-29 lead at half. Leverkusen responded in the 3Q cutting the margin to 47-46 heading into the 4th. Skyliners opened a 7pt lead in the final quarter before Leverkusen's comeback effort as Beckham Wyrick, Gordon Geib and Brant Bailey made big baskets. Roller's clutch shooting sealed the win and closed a fantastic playoff series. For Frankfurt, Pascal Roller paced the production with 16pt 6ast while Jimmy McKinney added 14pt and Ilian Evtimov 13 in the series clinching win. Leverkusen featured a balanced attack led by Rans Brempong (14pt 10reb), Brant Bailey (14pt 6reb) and Beckham Wyrick (14pt). Frankfurt now looks ahead to their semi-final matchup against Telekom Baskets Bonn which opens Tuesday night

Schalke adds three players -by Moritz Korff
FC Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga Pro A) announced, that Maik Berger (175-G-84) will return to the Royal Blues for the 2008-2009 season. The Halle-native played for BG Suedpark Bochum until the end of 2007 and spent the 06-07 season at the Schalke team. Also Kevin Lehmann (180-G-86) and Ante Samodol (203-F/C-86) will join the squad of Coach Boris Kaminski. Lehmann, 22 years of age, will help S04 with the outside shooting. He already played for Coach Kaminski at GV Waltrop. Samodol returns to Germany after two years in the USA. He attended the Williston State Junior College and averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25 games of the 2007-2008 campaign.

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GREECE

Play Offs- finals: Panathinaikos - Olympiakos 83-79 and 1-0 in the series -by Chris Mammides

Panathinaikos started positive the final series after winning the first game 83-79.

The game was as follows:
Panathinaikos Olympiakos 17-8
With Stratos Perperoglou (203-G-84) playing very good during the first 7 minutes, Zeljko Obradovic check-mate Panagiotis Giannakis as he use the Greek forward in an all around role and with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) playing against Greer in the paint (as a pure center) scoring 4 points, the Greens over-scored the Reds with 9 points as the Reds were able to score only from offensive rebounds, a big trouble was the early three fouls from Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85).
Panathinaikos Olympiakos 38-36
With Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) and Sofocles Schortsianitis (206-C-85) (Big Sofo was amazing from the charity line with 6/6) Olympiakos succeeded an amazing comeback 11-28! and balance the game as the Greens were black out with the zone that Panagiotis Panagiotis Giannakis used. 10 points from Milos Teodosic in 5 minutes and 8 points from Scortsianitis in 6 minutes brought Olympakos into -2 at half time, while from the Greens; the Lithuanian Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) scored 12 points and lead his team in this second quarter. In the negative points for Panathinaikos was the third foul of Dimitris Diamantidis (2 of them were against Big Sofo), while the negative for Olympiakos was Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) knee injury.
Panathinaikos Olympiakos 60-58
The third quarter begun with Panathinaikos having a great crescent and creating a difference of 10 points mainly due to Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) great performance from both the paint and the arc (2/3 three pointers), 2.21 before the end of the game Panagiotis Giannakis changed Roderick Blakney (181-G-76, college: S.Carolina St.) to Milos Teodosic and the talented Serb with 5 unanswered points brought the deficit to the minimum (2 points) while the three pointer from Woods gave the leading role from the very first time to Olympiakos 57-58 before Dimitris Diamantidis scored from the arc and finish the score 60-58 for his team.
Panathinaikos Olympiakos 83-79
The fourth and most crucial quarter started with Ioannis Bourousis Basket to balance the score to 60-60 and showing that he will fight until the end. That was really the case as the game went to the point, with Sarunas Jasikevicius becoming the hero of the game as he scored the last seven points of Panathinaikos with an amazing three pointer proving once more how big player he is. Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84) before that and Giorgos Printezis too lost the chance to balance the game as Michael Batiste (203-F-77, college: Arizona St.) was there with his great defense. Top scorer and MVP of this first final in the best of five series was Sarunas Jasikevicius with his 23 points and great performance in the crucial minutes of the game, Michael Batiste with 17 points and Kostas Tsartsaris with 13 followed, while from Olympiakos great game from Milos Teodosic, Sofocles Schortsianitis and Panagotis Vasilopoulos.
Second game will be played on Wednesday in SEF this time.



Top scorers of the B Division for the season 2007-2008. -by Chris Mammides
After 30 weeks the scorers of the Second Division were as follows:
Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74), Aigio, 604 points, 20.1ppg.
Nick Psileas (200-F-80), Lavrio, 559 points in 29 games, 19.3ppg
Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80), Olympiakos Volou, 551 points in 28 games, 19.7ppg.
Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81), Olympiakos Volou, 520 points n 29 games, 17.9ppg
Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80), Aigio, 463 points in 29 games, 16ppg.
Sotiris Katoufas (206-F-79) (206-F-79), Ikaros Kallitheas, 411 points, 13.7ppg.
Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77), KAOD, 400 points, 13.33ppg
Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-F-79) (192-G-79), Ikaroi Serron, 397 points, 13.2ppg
Tasos Dimitriadis (201-C-82), Ermis Lagkada, 394 points in 28 games, 13.7ppg
Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81), Makedonikos, 383 points, 12.76ppg
Theologos Vlavianos(196-G-86), Milonas, 374 points, 12.46ppg.
Kostas Dinas (189-G/F-80), Komotini, 368 points in 26 games, 14.1ppg
Nicos Papakonstantinou(182-G-84), Ermis Lagkada, 363 points in 27 games, 13.44ppg
Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82), Lavrio, 350 points in 27 games, 13ppg.
Tassos Bagi (187-G-75), Goumenissa, 350 points, in 28 games, 13.5ppg
Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80), Anagennisi / Floga, in 28 games, 340 points, 12.1ppg.
Nikos Michalos (192-G-77), Near East, 307 points in 27 games, 11.4ppg
Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77), Doukas, 295 points in 28 games, 10.5ppg
Dimitris Karatzios(202-F-78), Doukas, 251 points in 23 games, 10.9ppg
Giorgos Papoulidis (206-C-79), Near East, 249 points in 27 games, 9.2ppg
Savas Tzougarakis (207-C-86) of Alimos, 238 points in 26 games, 9.1ppg
Arguris Daliaris (207-C-71) of KAOD, 238 points in 26 games, 9.1ppg
Achilleas Klepkos (206-C-78) (206-C-78), Goumenisa, 235 points in 25 games, 9.4ppg
Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72), Alimos, 219 points in 21 games, 10.4ppg

Play offs (positions 3-4): Marousi did it again!! -by Chris Mammides

The amazing team of Costa Cafe Marousi did it again!! Another road win is added in the amazing series of Coach Soulis Markopoulos with Costa Cafe Marousi. This time it was Panionios and coach Nenad Markovic to feel what is liek t oplay against Costa Cafe Marousi. Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83) and Nikos Boudouris (192-G-71) were the top performers in the fourth and most crucial quarter, especially the Greek pawer forward just a day after renewing his contract with Costa Cafe Marousi for another two years already made a small payback as he was the stepping stone to the success and brought his team a step towards Euroleague as by 'breaking' the home advantage the team from the north suburb areas of Athens is a step closer to the first ever participation in the Euroleague competition.

On behalf of Nenad Markovic's Panionios only Lonny Baxter (203-C-79, college: Maryland) believed in victory and he performed great but he was all alone as his team-mates were somewhere else and not in the court.

The final score was 60-67 and the quarters were: 23-12, 33-29, 43-48 and 60-67



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HUNGARY

Falco got into the Finals, Krmend tied the series! -by Tamas Deri
Falco started the game very well and wanted to show Albacomp, that they want to finish the series. They made 6 of 9 threes in the first 10 minutes and were up by 4 points.
Albacomp tried to keep close the game and with the three pointers of Radovic they tied the game.
In the 18. minutes Alba was leading 45-41, but only Falco could score in the last two minutes and was up by 2 in the halftime.
In the second half Bam Doyne showed his excellent skills again and had easy baskets. On the other side only Radovic and McClendon played very well and the home team started the last quarter with plus one.
Falco started the last quarter with a 9-0 run and decided the game. Bradford made some threes, but Varadi and Kazlauskas made the answer. Falco won the game and the series and got as the first into the finals.
In Kormend the guests started the game very well and leading 23-19 after 10 minutes. They could even keep that difference till the half time.
Krmend made a 22-2 run lead by Fodor and Ferencz in the third quarter and was leading 55-44. In the last ten minutes Hollins and Molnar could get Szolnok closer with nice baskets.
Than Ferencz scored two 3pointers and decided the game for Krmend. The game 5 will be played on Sunday in Szolnok at 6pm!


ALBACOMP - FALCO-SZOVA KC SZOMBATHELY 89-98
(25-29, 20-18, 23-22, 21-29)
Szekesfehervar, Att. 2000, Referees: Palla, Benczur, Hegedus T.
ALBACOMP: Simon B. 7, Cory Bradford (191-G-78, agency: Edge Sports, college: Illinois) 31/18, Velibor Radovic (202-F/G-72, agency: Beo Basket) 20/6, Chad McClendon (199-F-73, college: Appalachian St.) 17, Zoltan Bencze (213-C-81) 14, Boozer, Hanga, Soos, Coach: Peresztegi-Nagy Akos
FALCO: Laszlo Kalman (186-G-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 20/9, Bam DOYNE 26/9, Varadi K. 6/3, Arnas Kazlauskas (204-C/F-76, agency: Court Side) 18/18, Nikola Aliakseyeu (212-C-78, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Buffalo) 13, Ciric 10/6, Borszeki 3, Pankar 2, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic
Series: 1-3


POLAROID-LAMI-VED - SZOLNOKI OLAJ KK 84-71
(19-23, 17-19, 23-6, 25-23)
Kormend, Att.: 2500, Referees: Valovics, Kiraly, Gyorffy
KORMEND: Fodor M. 4, Csaba Ferencz (192-G-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 19/15, Kenneth Henderson (201-F-82, college: Texas Arlington) 17, Stanley Ocitti (203-F/C-80, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Binghamton) 11/3, Peter Vavra (203-F/C-80) 12, Thomas 6, Gergely Fodor (193-G-77, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents) 12, Trummer 3/3, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic
SZOLNOK: Thomas Kelley (188-G-76, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Michigan St.) 20/3, CZICZAS 13/9, HOLLINS 22/6, Sabaliauskas 3/3, Jurkunas 2, Molnar A. 7/3, Harazin 4, Gobi, Coach: Poor Peter
Series: 2-2

Zalaegerszeg beat MAFC by 10 -by Balazs Radics
ZALAKERAMIA-ZTE KK -MAFC 101-91 (23-19, 24-26, 21-24, 33-22)
Refs: Papp, Bognar, Franyo
ZTE: Simon 6/3, Gaspar 13/3, Baki 14/12, Tamas Kaman (200-F-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 25/3, Hoffmann 11. Subs: Mark Walters (188-G-82, agency: Warren Sports, college: N.Mexico) 26/9, Kovats V. 6, Starics. Head Coach: Nikola Lazics
MAFC: Harris 38/6, Fodor K., Wehner 9/6, Vavra 12/3, Fulop 6. Subs: Graczer 14/9, Kecskes 12. Head Coach: Dinnyes Attila
Fouled out: Simon (29. m.), Hoffmann (31. m.), Vavra (35. m.), Gaspar (38. m.), Kecskes (40. m.)

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IBL

IBL news and notes -by Jeffrey Duncan
We are about mid way through IBL season four. Here are my thoughts on the 2008 season.

-Elkhart continues to be the gold standard in not just the IBL but in all of minor league basketball. Coach and owner Daimon Bethea has put together a model franchise on and off the court. Back to back IBL titles attest to that. Elkhart is 10-1 so far with its only loss being to rival Gary who sports an impressive 12-3 mark.

-Gary will be a worthy challenger to Elkhart in the Eastern playoffs. The Steelheads are 12-3 and have beaten Elkhart. Coach Rob Spon has a veteran team which includes Sam Mack (6'7''-G/F-70, college: Houston), Shaun Fountain (5'11''-G-78, agency: Duran International, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) and Royce Parran (5'9''-G-85, college: Chicago St.). Who ever comes out of the East will be the favorite to win the IBL title.

-Holland blasted off to an 8-0 start but has lost five in a row. The loss of Jared Bledsoe (6'3''-G-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Minnesota St. Univ.) has a lot do with the five game skid. Bledsoe combined with Dennis Springs (5'8''-G-82, college: Ferris St.) to form the leagues best one-two punch. The dynamic duo of Springs and Bledsoe averaged 60ppg, 11assists, and 9 boards a game. I dont count out Holland in the East but they need to find someone to replace Bledsoe who is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

-Battle Creek owners wanted to shake things up after a 7-6 start so they fired head coach Logan Vander Velden . Assistant coach Terry Sare will take over the head coaching duties. Sare was once the head coach of the Grand Rapids Flight.

-Windy City may only be 7-8 but its already seven more wins then all of last season. Ownership made a commitment to attract better players and a better home venue and the results are very positive. Eric Rhinehart leads the team in scoring at 26 ppg and he is also pulling down about 8 rebounds per game.

-I was very close to typing what a disappointment the LA Lightning have been but they just signed Toby Bailey (6'5''-G/F-75, college: UCLA) and Billy Knight. Bailey and Knight have been reunited with Fred Vinson (6'4''-G-71, college: Georgia Tech) and Lamond Murray (6'7''-F-73, agency: Interperformances, college: California) who all played for the Santa Barbara Breakers last season. If head coach Ron Quarterman can get all of his stars to play together the Lightning are my favorites to come out of the West.

-Bellingham has proved switching leagues is no big deal. The former ABA team has adapted nicely to the free wheeling IBL style and has put up an 11-2 record just percentage points ahead of the surprising Vancouver Volcanoes. The Slam have a very balanced offense with seven players averaging in double digits.

-Vancouver has been the #1 surprise in the IBL so far. The previous three seasons the Volcanoes had never had more than five wins. They sit at 13-3 and are almost a shoe in to be in the West playoffs. Head coach Theo Evans has done a nice job of getting his veteran roster to play together. I am curious to see how a veteran team, which has been together all season, would fare against the all-star team put together only recently in LA.

-The Central Oregon Hotshots can score points, there is no doubt about that. They also play red carpet defense so every game is 160-155. The Hotshots have offensive talent, they have nine players averaging in double figures, but it seems like most nights they couldnt guard my grandmother. The Hotshots are 6-9 and if they start playing some D they could be a factor in the West playoffs.

-Snohomish County has had a very up and down season...by their standards. SnoCo is one of the better run franchises on and off the court so an 8-6 start does not please Head coach Randy Redwine or team owner Nathan Mumm. SnoCo has been hurt by its two best players still playing overseas. Rashaad Powell (6'6''-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Idaho) and Justin Murray (6'6''-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Washington St.) are still expected to join the team for a late season playoff push. The Explosion are in Canada playing the expansion Edmonton Chill this weekend and a very interesting wager was made between the two owners. SnoCo owner Nathan Mumm said, We have wagered that the losing owner will wear the other teams' jersey during the Western Conference Playoff's and when we win he will be sending over 10lbs of Alberta's best beef. If the Explosion some how do not come up with a win then Washington Best Apples will be shipped out to Troy. Barns
The only qualifier to the bet is the game is officiated correctly so more than a five foul discrepancy between any of the teams voids the wager. The IBL officiating for both teams have been a concern during the year. I know some people dont like talk and wagers between owners but I think its great.

The expansion Edmonton Chill have already proven to be a team to be reckoned with. They are off to an impressive 5-2 start and has shown it can play with anyone in the IBL. The Chill have a very nice inside-outside combo in guard JR Patrick (6'4''-G-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Santa Clara) and inside force Teon Knox. No one has been able to shut down Patrick and I have not seen anybody in the IBL who can guard big Teon Knox when he gets the ball down low. The West is wide open so dont count out the Chill.

The Portland Chinooks have been a bit of a disappointment this season with a 8-10 record. Some of this can be attributed to the late arrival of IBL 2007 player of the year David Lucas (6'8''-F-82, agency: TASM, college: Oregon St.). Lucas has been in uniform for four Chinooks' games this season and is averaging 30.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Larry Smith has been on a tear of late for the Chinooks, averaging 31.8 points per game in his last five outings. Smith scored 44 points including nine 3-pointers in a May 9 win over the Vancouver Volcanoes. The Chinooks look forward to the return of former NBA first round pick Shammgod Wells and 2007 IBL all-star David Jackson. The Chinooks best basketball is still ahead of them, I look for them to challenge for the team to come out of the West.

-Its hard to get a gauge on China after only two games. They are 0-2 but once they get accustom to the IBL and the time change I think they will be just fine.

I look for Gary and Elkhart to duke it out in the East playoffs with Elkhart coming out on top. Elkhart is looking for its third IBL title in a row. That kind of motivation is very powerful. Out West its wide open between many teams but I am going to predict LA and Portland will play for the West crown with LA coming out on top. I think Bailey, Vinson, Murrray, and Knight want to get some revenge for being knocked out by Portland in last years West playoffs when all four played for the Santa Barbara Breakers.

I am involved with a group called Own My Team We are looking to bring several thousand people together to purchase a basketball team and play in the IBL. Check out the website at www.ownmyteam.com This is a very cool idea so please join us

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ICELAND

Jon Steffanson's Lottomatica Roma takes lead 1-0 at the semis -by Eurobasket News
Lottomotica Roma celebrated tonight in the first game of Italian play-off semifinals against Air Avelino at home 68-63. Icelandic star Jon Stefansson (195-G-82) played 13 minutes scoring 3 points. Avelino went into the crucial period with advantage of 3 points but Lottomatica played much better those ten minutes. The hosts finishing last stanza 22-14, what was enough for the first win in the final series.

Steffanson played 27 games for Roma in regular season averaging 8.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg. His season high was 17 points. Stefansson is member of Lottomatica since February 2007.

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IRELAND

Another defeat for Pat Burke and his Khimky in Russian final -by Eurobasket News
CSKA outplayed Pat Burke's (208-C-73, college: Auburn) Khimky 74-66 at the second game of the Russian play-off final. As CSKA also was better two days ago, current Euroleague Champion had 2-0 lead at the final series.
It was not an easy win for CSKA as it was on Friday night. Mostly owing to Burke, Khimky had comfortable lead after the first stanza. It was 20-13 for visitors, who kept their advantage until the half time. Khimky went into the third period having plus 5 but CSKA showed much different attitude. It seems that the players heard a lot of bad things at the locker room from head coach Messina. Naturally, when the best European team plays with attitude almost no one is able to beat it. They could make a bigger lead in third period but Burke didn't let them to do it and teams were equalized before the crucial 10 minutes. During the entire game Khimky struggled with its shot. Only 19 successful attempts of total 42 is not enough to beat much weaker team than CSKA. It was the main reason why CSKA now enjoys comfortable 2-0 in the final.

Pat Burke was totally the best in Khimky as he needed only one more rebound for double-double. He netted 17 points grabbing 9 boards for 34 minutes. Burke was the only one who had a good shot percentage in Khimky. He had 2/2 FT, 3/4 FG2 and 3/4 from behind the arc.

Third game is scheduled for Monday and Himky will be the host.

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JORDAN

Sami Badawi: A Jordanian center continues development in his 3rd year in US College -by Mohammed Malas
The Spanish born Jordanian origin center Sami Badawi (208-F/C, college: New Orleans) had finished his 3rd season in the US college before few weeks with NewBerry College in NCAA2 (Second divison in the American college).

Badawi played 34 games averaging 5.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg in his 1st year in the academy, His prior experience was full of basketball, He made 16 points and 12 rebounds per game at Cape Fear Academy in North Carolina during his prep career and comes to Newberry from the University of New Orleans.

Asia-Basket wishes for Badawi the best in his future....

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KUWAIT

Chatfield signs for Al Qadsia -by Ali Ahmed
Al Qadsia basketball team management agreed terms with the American guard Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) to play for them the Final four .




A prolific scorer with deep range and a blinding first step... a pure point guard in the truest sense... Plays with reckless abandon. Sees the floor well and has an excellent feel for the game. Possesses the ability to take over a game during crunch time.





Awards/Achievements:
First team junior college All-America -99
Mountain West Conf. Finalist -01
All-MWC 3rd Team -02
Lebanese Cup Winner -03
Lebanese League Champion -03, 04
Lebanese Cup Finalist -04
Asian Club Championships -04(winner)
Lebanese League Regular Season Runner-Up -04
Asia-Basket.com All-Lebanese League 2nd Team -04
CBA Eastern Conference Champion -06
CBA Finalist -06
Asian Club Championships Semifinals -06
Gulf Club Championships Semifinals -08
Asia-Basket.com All-Asian Club Championships Best Guard -08
Asia-Basket.com All-Asian Club Championships 1st Team -08
Asia-Basket.com All-Asian Club Championships 2nd Team -08
Asia-Basket.com Asian Club Championships All-Imports Team -08

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LITHUANIA

Prekevicius is now officially in Rytas -by Simas Baranauskas
As reported earlier, Marius Prekevicius (196-F-84, agency: Interperformances, college: S.Florida) signed a contract with Lietuvos Rytas. It's now confirmed that the point guard will move to Vilnius. Prekevicius is said to have signed a three year deal with Lithuanian vice-champions. Marius Prekevicius is the second player from Siauliai club moving to Lietuvos Rytas in this offseason - Donatas Zavackas was the first one. Steponas Babrauskas has also joined the club recently.

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NBA

LA Lakers cruise to second win in Western conference finals -by Eurobasket News
The Los Angeles Lakers routed the San Antonio Spurs 101:71 in the second game of the Western conference finals to take command in the clash. The series now move to San Antonio where the Spurs won 6 straight post season games. The Lakers took over right from the start and eventually never trailed en route to a coasting win. The Spurs were able to tie the scoreline late in the second frame but the hosts answered with 9 straight points to cap the quarter and rolled to a 46:37 lead at halftime. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) and Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79, college: Rhode Island) teamed up for 14 points to open the second half and the Lakers cleared off to a 66:48 distance. The home side led by as many as 17 points heading into the fourth period and still kept on mounting the pressure. They outgunned the Spurs 14:3 early in the fourth term to make the lead unassailable. Kobe Bryant nailed 22 points to lead the Lakers. Lamar Odom contributed 20 points and 12 boards, while Jordan Farmar added 14 points for the winners. The Lakers alo welcomed the return of forward Trevor Ariza to their roster after he was sidelined with a broken foot since January. Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) replied with 13 points for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 12 points and 16 boards in defeat. The hosts outrebounded their opponents 44:36 and converted 55% from the field. San Antonio managed only 34% of field goals. The teams will meet again on Sunday in Texas.

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NCAA1

Latest movements -by Eurobasket News
Iowa State announced that forward Wesley Johnson (6'7''-F-87) will transfer. Johnson played in a good shape previous season recording nice stats. For 27 games he averaged 12.4 ppg, 4 rpg and 1 apg. He got an award All-Big 12 Honorable Mention 2008.

South Carolina dismissed Chad Gray (6'7''-F) from the basketball team. Gray had 19 appearances for S. Carolina having 2.2 ppg and 1.4 rpg.

Lafayette named Josh Loeffler as a new assistant coach.

Arizona State also got new assistant coach, Lamont Smith.

Chris Spatola promoted to director of basketball operations at Duke -by Eurobasket News
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced the promotion of Chris Spatola (6'1''-G) to Director of Basketball Operations. Spatola takes over as director of basketball operations for Mike Schrage who will join Johnny Dawkins coaching staff at Stanford.

Spatola served as a graduate assistant/head team manager for the Blue Devils last season assisting the Director of Basketball Operations in summer camps, travel preparation and other day-to-day activities.

Spatola came to Duke after serving five years in the United States Army as a Battery Commander and Executive Officer. During his duty as captain in the U.S. Army, Spatola was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for exceptional performances during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding performance as Company Commander. He earned his degree in English from the United States Military Academy in 2002 with a minor in environmental engineering.

Spatola served as a graduate assistant coach with the mens basketball team at the United States Military Academy for the 2002-03 season before serving his five years in the U.S. Army. Spatola, a four-year letterwinner on the basketball team, was named to the All-Patriot League second team in 2001 and 2002. He is the Academys fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,543 career points and ranks 14th in Patriot League history. Spatola is also the schools all-time leading free throw shooter (.870).
Courtesy of www.goduke.com

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NEW ZEALAND

Wellington book their postseason birth -by Eurobasket News
The Wellington Saints became the second team to secure the playoff birth. They joined the Waikato Pistons in a new-look six-team playoffs that is about to start on June 10. The Saints grabbed the 11th win as they stormed past the Canterbury Rams 108:77 in Christchurch yesterday. Ernest Scott (200-F-82, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Valdosta St.) led all scorers with 27 points for the Saints. The visitors led by as many as 12 points at the interval and breezed past the Rams in the second half. Lindsay Tait (194-G-82) who played his second game after an injury scored 18 points, while Troy McLean added 15 points for the winners. Nick Horvath was also helpful with 11 points and 11 boards, while Artur Trousdell came up with 12 points for the Saints who improved to 11-4 record and sit comfortably at the second spot in the ladder. Canterbury slipped to 4-12 record at the last but one place in the standings. Joey Harrell (204-F-85, agency: 540 Sports) topscored for the Rams with 22 points. Jeremy Kench (184-G-84) nailed 16 points and made 7 steals down the stretch.
Meanwhile the Habour Heat made a huge step towards the postseason holding off playoff-ambitious Taranaki 90:69 at the Furnace. The Heat dominated the first half and when Daniel Ryan (195-F-81) accounted for the last 7 points of the half led by 20 points. With their playoff aspirations slipping away the Dynamos threw all they had in the third stanza and trimmed the deficit to 6 points. However the brave Dynamos ran out of steam in the fourth term and Harbour rolled to a key win in the playoff chase. Hayden Allen (187-G-79) poured in 23 points for the Heat. Tim Behrendorff (211-C-81, college: Gardner-Webb) netted 20 points, while Daniel Ryan exploded with 15 to pace the winners. Keith Salscheider (196-G/F-82, agency: Sports Plus International, college: San Diego Chr.) responded with 20 points and Link Abrams had 14 in a loss that threw the Dynamos to 7-8 record. They are now one a half game behind the Auckland Stars and Nelson Giants.

Standings Men
NBL Standings
 1. Waikato 12-4 
 2. Wellington 11-4 
 3. Harbour Heat 10-6 
 4. G&H Hawks 9-5 
 5. Nelson 8-6 
 6. Auckland 8-6 
 7. Taranaki 7-8 
 8. Manawatu 4-11 
 9. Canterbury 4-12 
 10. Otago 2-13 


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OLYMPIC GAMES

Standings
Olympic Games Standings
Group A
1. Argenti.0-0
2. Austral.0-0
3. Iran0-0
4. Lithuan.0-0
5. Russia0-0
Group B
1. Angola0-0
2. China0-0
3. Spain0-0
4. USA0-0


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PARAGUAY

National League Standings
National Standings
Group A
 1. Sol de Am. 1-0 
 2. D.San Jose 0-0 
 3. Libertad 0-1 
Group B
 1. America 1-0 
 2. Felix Perez 0-0 
 3. Sacachispas 0-1 


America defeats Sacachispas -by Gianni Pascucci
At the end of a very battled game, America de Pilar prevailed over Sacachispas 122-114 in the opening game of the second led (Group B) of National League. The home team was ahead 69-56 at the end of the first half, but the team from Encarnacion came back till 85-84 at the end of the third quarter, forcing America to another big effort to claim the win. Enzo Ruiz (193-F-88) was the game top scorer, with 36 points in losing effort, Derrick Miller (202-C/F-78, college: Georgetown, KY) added 33 points and Quincy Alexander (202-F-73, college: Lamar) 28 in Sacachispas. Marcus Watts (204-F/C-83, college: Florida Gulf Coast) led America with 35 points, Gustavo Torres (175-G-80) scored 27 and Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82) 24 at the winning side. The next game of this Group B is America-Felix Perex Cardozo.

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PUERTO RICO

Standings - BSN
BSN Standings
Super 6
 1. Arecibo 8-0 
 2. Santurce 6-0 
 3. Carolina 5-1 
 4. Guaynabo 4-0 
 5. Caguas 3-0 
 6. Fajardo 3-1 
Others
 1. Bayamon 16-16 
 2. Humacao 16-16 
 3. Ponce 15-17 
 4. San German 15-17 
 5. Mayaguez 7-25 
 6. Guayama 6-26 


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ROMANIA

U Mobitelco Cluj upset defending champions in Game 3 -by Eurobasket News
U Mobitelco Cluj- CSU Asesoft Ploiesti 77:68

U Mobitelco Cluj made another step to take Gold from the representative of Romania in ULEB Cup last season, CSU Asesoft Ploiesti. After exchanging the victories in the first two games U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca took 77:68 win at home and 2-1 in the series. Trailing over the first three quarters the hosts used enormous 30:14 run to seal the victory. LeVar Seals (194-G-82, agency: N.E.T., college: De Paul) led the winners with 21 points, while Buckman Bradley Bond and Branko Cuic (196-G-78) followed him with 13 each. Arvydas Cepulis (195-G-79) top-scored for the visitors with 23 points. Rashard Griffith (212-C-74, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wisconsin) netted 12 and Adrian Blidaru (182-G-85) posted 11 in defeat.

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti used a 20:19 to open the game against U Mobitelco Cluj. It seemed that the game would continue in the same current, but the teams slowed down in the second period to pay more attention to defense. U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca won the quarter 13:11 and left the court with 32:31 at the half time. Rashard Griffith and Arvydas Cepulis fueled a 4-14 run that put the defending Romanian League champion back ahead, 39:48. CSU Asesoft Ploiesti still had 47:54 margin after 30 minutes and looked forward to finish the campaign.U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca had another opinion about the first home Final game and used 10-2 immediately in the last period. LeVar Seals capped with a triple and gave Mobitelco a 57:56 edge with 7 minutes to go. U Mobitelco Cluj pushed the tempo in the end and won the third game after tremendous 30:14 in the end. A 77:68 made them closer to win as the fourth game is scheduled as well at their place tonight.

U Mobitelco Cluj:LeVar Seals 21, Buckman Bradley Bond 13, Branko Cuic 13
CSU Asesoft Ploiesti:Arvydas Cepulis 23, Rashard Griffith 12, Adrian Blidaru 11

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SERBIA

Superleague, round 12 - Panthers outplays Tulips -by Dragan Jankovski
At the opener of the Superleague round 12 FMP was too strong for Vojvodina Srbijagas 94-84. Panthers improved its score to 10-2 while Vojvodina dropped on 6-6. In was not such important game for Vojvodina as the team from Novi Sad already reached its main target for this season. They qualified for Adriatic league 07/08. On the other side FMP has just a theoretical chance to finish on top of regular season as Panthers has one defeat more than Partizan Igokea.

FMP took control on Vojvodina on the early beginning closing first quarter 26-18. Second period did not brought any different picture. On the half time it was plus 11 for Panthers. Vojvodina gave much bigger efforts in third period coming closer on 68-62 before the last ten minutes. Unfortunately for Tulips' fans FMP had very good percentage from behind the arc, 10/21. Vojvodina had two attempts more scoring only 6 triples. It is one of the key reasons for FMP's 10th win in Superleague.
Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80) paced the winners with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Dragan Labovic (207-C/F-87) netted 16 while Predrag Samardziski (215-C-86) had 14 rebounds and 5 rebounds for FMP. Tulips got the most from PG Dusan Djordjevic (195-G-83), who finished the game with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Hungarian guard Istvan Nemeth (190-G-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) followed him adding 15 points and 5 assists but having only 2 of 6 from a long distance.

At the next round Vojvodina will meet Vizura in Belgrade while Borac waits FMP in Cacak.


FMP - Vojvodina Srbijagas 94-84
(26-18,26-23,16-21,26-22)

FMP: Krstovic 17, Labovic 16, Samardziski 14 (5 rebs), Protic 9
Vojvodina: Djordjevic 17 (4 rebs, 3 st), Nemeth 15 (5 as), Bojovic 13, Bajic 12 (4 rebs)

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SPAIN

Tau Triumphant in Semi-Final Game One -by Paul Nilsen
Having knocked out Real Madrid in the quarter finals, mainly because of their stunning victory at Vistalegre, Sergio Scariolo and his Unicaja team travelled to Vitoria with high hopes of more success and another shock win - this time over Tau Ceramica.

However it wasnt to be with the side from the Basque country producing a powerful display in the first game in this semi-final series to defeat Unicaja by 81-68.

The home team were quickly on their game and a whirlwind first quarter saw them open up a 29-19 lead with Malaga ragged on defence and sadly lacking any kind of intensity. Teletovic landed a couple of threes while Pete Mikeal and Tiago Spiltter seemed to relish their battle with Boniface NDong as Tau took control.

There was little respite in the second quarter with a number of open three-pointers hit by Tau as well as some easy inside scores leaving Unicaja out of the game at 41-24. Scariolo decided to zone Tau and it just didnt work. To make matters worse, Prigioni and Planinic were dominant against Popovic and Cabezas and with James Singleton back on song in the paint, Tau held a 48-32 advantage going into the locker room at the half.

Finally Malaga brought some of their A game to the Fernando Buesa Arena in the third quarter with a fight back as Tau dried up completely to score just one basket in seven minutes. Outscoring the home team by 18-8, thanks mainly to the interior strength of Ndong, Malaga went into the last quarter with renewed optimism at 56-50.

However, their revival was short-lived as Tau regained their composure and began to land their outside shots once again, a couple of three-pointers by Planinic handing Baskonia a 64-55 lead. Going into the last five minutes of the game, Malaga changed their defence to man to man in attempt to break the stranglehold of Tau but it failed. Another Planinic three and one from Teletovic left Unicaja double-figures down and ultimately never destined to push Tau right till the buzzer as the hosts cruised to victory.

For Scariolo he will have to pick up his side for the second game at the Martin Carpena but it is difficult to see how they can win a third game if they do have to return to the Buesa. He will certainly need more from the likes of Cabezas who was excellent against Real but died a real slow death against Tau only scoring in the last two minutes of the game despite playing almost 30 minutes. Scariolos other point guard Bojan Popovic even worse with just one point. He will also have to work out how his team can handle the outside threat of Spahija and his players.

Tau look strong favourites to go through having safely negotiated this first encounter with Planinic and Teletovic hitting 7 of 8 three-point attempts between them. Considering Tau didnt hit the heights of their own capabilities as a team, what price them winning in Malaga? But then again Real were expecting to win on the Costa Del Sol too - but didnt.Zoran Planinic (198-G-82)

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U.KINGDOM

Leopards return to Brentwood -by Dave Ryan
EBL Division One side London Leopards will return to the Brentwood Centre in September following an agreement with centre management and the clubs board of directors.
The Big Cats last played at the Essex venue in the 2005/6 season, but a hike in hire from 1,400 per game to 4,000 meant that they were forced to move to Dagenham before spending last season playing at Wodson Park in Ware.
Were delighted to be back at the Brentwood Centre said Leopards director Fred Dicker. It is the only place that we were able to consistently get good crowds. Its the best venue in the EBL, and well look to put on the same kind of show we did when we last played there.
The decision to return to the Brentwood Centre came after the talks with the centres new management which has seen the two sides come to an agreement whereby they will share the game-day revenue.
Well be working with the Brentwood Centre, rather than just being a paying customer said Leopards general manager Dave Ryan, The exciting thing is that both sides will have a common goal. There were times during our last spell when it seemed they were only interested in taking our money.
Leopards expect to make their return to Brentwood on Sunday September 21 with a special match to mark the occasion before tipping off their EBL Trophy campaign the following week.
They are expected to play around ten games at Brentwood, with the club still considering other venues for their remaining six games. The options for the Big Cats include remaining at Wodson Park or finding a court in east or north London.
The original Leopards played at Brentwood between 1999 and 2003 before the club closed down due after its financial backer withdrew. A group of supporters revived the club for the 2004/5 season, and they won the National Cup in December 2005.
The Big Cats finished fifth in the England Basketball League Division One last season, with a British squad, but will be strengthening that side as they look to challenge for the title next season.
Leopards expect to announce their full fixture list by the end of June, and reveal some new signings over the course of the summer.

Eagles swoop for Stewart -by Dave Ryan
Newcastle Eagles have announced that they have re-signed Molten Player of the Season Lynard Stewart (202-F-74, college: Temple) for the 2008/09 season. The American centre enjoyed a remarkable first season at the club after making the move from Euphony Bree in Belgium last summer, picking up a league winners medal as well as a string of personal awards throughout the campaign.
Managing Director Paul Blake is pleased to retain the player, a man who recorded double-doubles in seven consecutive games during one particular purple patch, and he believes the decision of Stewart to re- sign is testament to the pulling power of the club and shows the continued ambition of the title winners. 'We are so happy to have re-signed Lynard for a second year and it was always going to be a top priority for Fab and myself.' explained Blake. 'Getting it done so quickly ahead of what will be a busy summer as always just goes to show that we intend to continue moving forward after our fantastic league campaign last season. We were proud to see Lynard get the BBL Player of the Year award as well as other accolades from our own players and fans and so knowing that he will be back with us again gives us all a massive boost.
'It also sends out the message that the best players want to stay at our club and that is important for everyone both on and off the court as an organisation. We have no intention of giving up our league championship next year in what will be another fiercely competitive season which is terrific for the league from our perspective, I think this is a great marker for us to put down right at the outset.'
Stewart averaged 15.76 points and 8.61 rebounds per game leading the BBL in field goal percentage at 67.9% - reasons why player-coach Fab Fabulous Flournoy (192-G/F-73, college: Mc Neese St.) is overjoyed to know that he will have the services of Stewart for another year.
He said, 'Knowing that you have a class act who will consistently deliver on all fronts is a dream as a coach. Most importantly Lynard fits into our ethos and what we are trying to do both on and off the floor. He came into the team and fitted into our system and the way that we do things with no issues whatsoever. He is a model professional and has a good rapport with his fellow players and myself as a coach.
'Those relationships were highlighted with the awards he received from his fellow players and fans who both recognise his importance not just to the team but also his contribution to the club generally which we always refer to as the Eagles family. I am just overjoyed to have him back on board and not least because when we had either rough or smooth times, Lynard was always there giving his all and especially defensively.'
He added, 'It's a great start to next season and I am sure it whets the appetite of our fans for next season even though we have only just finished this year's efforts.'
With Fabulous Flournoy having recently confirmed his own future by stating that the Eagles are the only BBL club for him, the league champions will continue building on solid foundations for next year and are expecting to make further announcements on players within the next few weeks.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

Elegar to participate in NBA's pre draft camp -by David Edole
FoxSport's Jeff Goodman blogs that Drexel's Frank 'the Tank' Elegar will participate in the NBA's Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, which runs from May 27-30.

Elegar's hopes of getting drafted are pinned on his performance at the camp, but it's just as important to be invited. Obviously someone in the league is interested in him.

Others on the list: A.J. Abrams, Texas
Ryan Anderson, Cal
Tyrone Brazelton, Western Kentucky
Keith Brumbaugh, Junior College
Brian Butch, Wisconsin
Jamar Butler, Ohio State
Pat Calathes, St. Joe's
DeVon Hardin, California
Joey Dorsey, Memphis
Josh Duncan, Xavier
Frank Elegar, Drexel
Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
Gary Forbes, UMass
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
Kentrell Gransberry, South Florida
Danny Green, North Carolina
Malik Hairston, Oregon
Richard Hendrix, Alabama
George Hill, IUPUI
Lester Hudson, Tennessee Martin
Othello Hunter, Ohio State
Darnell Jackson, Kansas
Sasha Kaun, Kansas
Maarty Leunen, Oregon
Longar Longar, Oklahoma
James Mays, Clemson
Drew Neitzel, Michigan State
DeMarcus Nelson, Duke
David Padgett, Louisville
Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Trent Plaisted, BYU
Bruce Price, Tennessee State
John Riek, IMG Academy
Brian Roberts, Dayton
Russell Robinson, Kansas
Sean Singletary, Virginia
Ron Steele, Alabama
Bryce Taylor, Oregon
Mike Taylor, NBDL (formerly of Iowa State)
Mark Tyndale, Temple
Robert Vaden, UAB
Deron Washington, Virginia Tech
Sonny Weems, Arkansas
Reggie Williams, VMI

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UBL

Knights Have New Owner -by Mac Claire
Austin, TX - The San Marcos Knights have come full circle, or so it seems. With their coach, Montell Robinson taking over ownership, the team is headed back to Austin, TX where it was founded by UBL CEO Mac Claire.
The change of address will take effect immediately.
'I couldn't be happier about this because half of the team is from Austin,' Claire said. 'Montell has put things together very nicely and the players will benefit from it.'
Robinson has worked hard to assemble his front office team which he will announce shortly. 'This is for real, and this will be a professionally run organization,' he said.
The Knights will play in McCallum High School which is centrally located.

All Star Game Announced -by Mac Claire
UBL Commissioner Mac Claire announced that the league will have its first All Star game in Alamogordo, NM on August 16th. The All Star Game Committee, headed by Claire and local DJ and businessman Ely Levy expects that having an exhibition game such as this will give the city a preview of the type of exciting UBL basketball they can expect when their team debuts in 2009.
The game will be played two weeks after the UBL season concludes with the UBL Championship Final.
For more information, email mac@ublhoops.com.

Clarification of UBL Team Roster -by Mac Claire
The UBL has six teams. The league started the season expecting eight but at the last moment it was decided that it was best for all involved
to not include the Dallas (Mesquite, TX) Outlaws and the North Missouri Hawks for the 2008 season.
The current teams are: San Marcos/Austin Knights, San Antonio Soul, Texas (Dallas) Wranglers, Arkansas Warriors, Oklahoma City On Point Hoopsters, and the Central Texas (Temple) Stars.
The Outlaws and Hawks will join UBL-D teams Wranglers, Warriors, and soon to be named teams playing under the Knights, Soul, and Hoopsters.

UBL Play Continues -by Mac Claire
UBL action continues Saturday. The Wranglers will visit the Central Texas Stars in Temple for an important contest.
The two clubs are battling for playoff positioning with Oklahoma City, Arkansas and San Antonio.
Due to the Knights' recent change in ownership their game against the Soul has been postponed.
'This happened kind of sudden,' former owner but still UBL Commissioner Mac Claire said.
'There has to be time to promote and advertise the games, and so instead of forcing the scheduled game in a new location,
we felt it would be best to do it right and postpone until a later date.'
The make up date will be announced Tuesday.

Playoff Format -by Mac Claire
San Antonio, TX - The UBL Playoffs will include the top four teams in the league.
The club with the best record will play against the team that finishes 4th, while the second and third place teams square off.
The winners of those UBL Semi-Final games will then face each other for the UBL Championship.
The Semi-Finals will both be played July 26, and the UBL Championship will be decided on August 2nd.

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UKRAINE

Lviv Force Game 5, Kyiv on the Verge of Elimination -by Alexei Naumov
After hitting two game-winners in games 2 and 3 of the bronze-medal series, Khimik Yuzhne finally missed one in game 4, giving Politekhnika-Galychyna Lviv an 86:84 win.

Volodymyr Golubev scored 25 for Lviv. Yaroslav Zubritskiy and Volodymyr Gurtoviy added 20 and 18 respectively. Khimiks Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Salem Intern.) had 25 in the loss.

The series shifts back to Yuzhne, where the bronze-medalists will be determined on May 26.

Meanwhile, Azovmash is preparing to face BC Kyiv in game 4 of the Finals. Leading 2 wins to 1, the defending champions have a chance to add yet another title to their collection at the end of todays matchup.

The tipoff is at 2:00 p.m. local time. Live game stats will be available on the Official Website of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation.

Azovmash Clinch Superleague Title -by Alexei Naumov

BC Azovmash Mariupol became the 2007/2008 Ukrainian Superleague Champions, having defeated BC Kyiv 84:79 in Game 4 of the best-of-five series.

Azovmash had a strong start to the contest, getting an 8:0 lead early on. Kyivs Artur Drozdov hit a triple, but the fire was not extinguished, as the hosts continued to roll, making it a 17:3 game with two minutes to go in the first quarter. Kyiv fought back, reducing the margin to 11 at the end of the frame.

A three from Josh Davis made it a 4-point game with under four minutes to go in the second, but Azovmash managed to extend their advantage to 7 towards the end of the half.

Mariupols Robert Archibald made things look nasty for Kyiv as he drained a deuce to make it a 60:47 game in the third frame. The visitors once again reduced the gap to single digits, setting the 67:59 at the end of the stretch.

In a do-or-die situation, Kyiv improved their game in the 4th quarter, little by little getting within reach from Azovmash. A free throw by Drozdov made it a 2-point game with less than 3 minutes left on the clock, but Mariupol kept the visitors four points away with a minute left.

At this point Tomas Delininkaitis drained a huge three, burying Kyivs fantastic season.

Mariupols Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) had a game-high 22 points.

Kyivs captain Artur Drozdov finished the loss with a 21-points, 10-rebound double-double.


Click here for full game stats






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Women News

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ARGENTINA - Women

Argentinian National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Cava


Soberon


Sanchez


Paoletta


Cejas
Marina Cava (168-G-85) of Velez Sarsfield
Veronica Soberon (177-G/F-77) of Union Florida
Stephany Thomas (179-F-89)
Melisa Cejas (184-F-84) of San Agustin Perana
Sandra Pavon (175-F-85) of Velez Sarsfield
Maria Landra (188-F-83) of Lanus
Paula Gatti (177-G/F-78) of Velez Sarsfield
Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) of Velez Sarsfield
Alejandra Fernandez (-F/C) of Union Vecinal de Munro
Constanza Landra (187-C-82) of Talleres
Florencia Fernandez (190-C-86) of Sunderland
Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) of Biurrarena-UPV (ESP)
Head Coach: Eduardo Pinto
Assistants: Roberto Santin and Gabriel Gusso

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Australia victorious against Chinese Taipei once again -by Eurobasket News
Australia - Chinese Taipei 90:58

The Opals extended their winning streak against Chinese Taipei. Australian National team celebrated the second straight win over Taipei in the friendly series played in Terrigal. This time Taipei put on even more dogged battle as they fought for every inch of the court. Erin Phillips opened the scoreline hitting a long jumper from the corner. However Taipei answered with 4 points in a row to gain the lead. Taipei remained ahead throughout the major part of the first stanza before Jennifer Screen put the Opals up 20:16 at the end of the frame. The hosts stretched the gap to as many as 10 points at the interval. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) knocked down a treble to start the second half but it was Australian team who dominated the action and extended the gap to as many as 17 points. Taipei replied mainly on an outside shooting in the final term but Australia survived the threat and came out on top once again. Hollie Grima (190-C-83, agency: LBM Management) led the action with 15 points and 6 boards. Natalie Porter (185-F-80) and Emma Randall (188-C-85) nailed 14 points apiece for the winners. Chiang Feng Chun dropped 16 points and collected 6 boards for Chinese Taipei. Wen Chi (169-G-84) added 12 points, while Cheng Hui Yun (185-F/C-77) had 9 points in a losing case. The Opals outrebounded their opponents 46:21 but decreased their shooting accuracy comparing to the first game shooting 45% from the field including only 25% from beyond the arc. The third game of the series will be played tonight in Terrigal.

Australia: Hollie Grima 15, Natalie Porter 14, Emma Randall 14
Chinese Taipei: Chiang Feng Chun 16, Wen Chi 12, Cheng Hui Yun 9

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BRAZIL - Women

Brazilian National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Burian


da Costa


Rocha


Nacimiento


Conceicao
4 Natalia Burian (163-G-84) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
5 Karla da Costa (173-G-78) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
6 Karen Rocha (177-G-84) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
7 Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) of TTT Riga (LAT)
8 Jacqueline Silvestre (178-F-86) of Faculdade Maurco de Nassau/Sport
9 Claudia Das Neves (172-G-75) of Stade Clermontois Auvergne Basket 63 (FRA)
10 Jucimara Dantas (192-C-78) of Villeneuve D'Asco ESB Lille Metropole (FRA)
11 Soeli Garvao (187-C-77) of Mann Filter Zaragoza (ESP)
12 Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
13 Karina Jacob (187-F/C-85) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
14 Franciele Nacimiento (187-F/C-87) of Mann Filter Zaragoza (ESP)
15 Tatiana Conceicao (188-C-81) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
Head Coach: Paulo Bassul
Coach Assistant: Cesar Guidetti

Brazilian Women team won already 21 championships titles at the South American Championships:
1954 (Brazil); 1958 (Peru); 1965 (Brazil); 1967 (Colombia); 1968 (Chile); 1970 (Equador); 1972 (Peru); 1974 (Bolivia); 1978 (Bolivia); 1981 (Peru); 1986 (Brazil); 1989 (Chile); 1991 (Colombia); 1993 (Bolivia); 1995 (Brasil); 1997 (Chile); 1999 (Brasil); 2001 (Peru), Equador (2003); Colombia (2005) and Paraguai (2006).

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BULGARIA - Women

Dunav opens finals with a win -by Eurobasket News
Dunav - Lukoil 65:63

The dramatic first game of the Bulgarian A1 Final saw Dunav claim a dramatic victory over Lukoil. Anna Rimpova (183-F-82) nailed a key free throw and then grabbed a vital rebound after her won miss in the second attempt to seal the winning outcome for the hosts. Lukoil opened the game rolling comfortably and quickly posted a 10:4 lead. However Diana Naydenova (171-G-73, agency: Global Sports Plaza) led the home team back into contest as they struck back and grabbed a 14:12 lead midway through the frame. Nataliya Topalova (187-F-80) retained the lead for the visitors 23:21 late in the quarter but Daniela Peteva (177-F-89) nailed a three-pointer to cap the stanza with Dunav ahead 24:23. Dunav stretched the advantage to 5 points early in the second term as Peteva fired one more trey. Lukoil were not taken aback as they organized an 8:0 run to restore a 42:38 lead at halftime. Dunav struggled to come up with a basket early in the third frame and Lukoil capitalized. They deepened the damage widening the gap to 12 points. The hosts woke up late in the period and managed to cut the deficit to 7 points heading into the fourth term. Dunav took off from where they left in the third quarter right after the intermission nailing 7 unanswered points to square things up. Chameka Scott drained a trey to give Lukoil a 58:55 lead but Dunav was unstoppable. They accounted for next 4 points to stay ahead 59:58. Lukoil answered with a 5:0 run to clinch a 63:59 advantage. But they could not score any more. Anna Rimpova came up with last seconds heroics and sealed the winning outcome for the hosts. Petja Djambazka (178-F-77) led the charge with 16 points and 8 boards. Svetla Asenova provided 14 points, while Anna Rimpova netted 12 in a win. Nataliya Topalova scored 15 points in a losing effort. Radostina Slavova (186-F-86) dropped 14 points and collected 6 boards for Lukoil. Game 2 is scheduled for tonight.

Dunav: Petja Djambazka 16, Svetla Asenova 14, Anna Rimpova 12
Lukoil: Nataliya Topalova 15, Radostina Slavova 14

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CHILE - Women

Chilean National Team 2008 -by Eurobasket
Paola Naranjo (182-F/C-78) of Elsa del Valle
Paula Moya of Elsa del Valle
Fernanda Serrano (-G) of Asesoria Norte Sur
Daniela Alcaino (-C) of Hotel Corona
Leslie Ramher (-F)
Claudia Leiva of Asesoria Norte Sur
Vivian Perez (-C) of Barraca Tarapaca
Daniela Troncoso of Elsa del Valle
Rafaela Galaz
Massiel Mondaca (173-G-83) of Hotel Corona
Head Coach: Cristian Santander

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CZECH REPUBLIC - Women

Spain holds off Czech Republic in second friendly -by Eurobasket News
Spain - Czech Republic 70:51

Spanish National team played their second friendly game against Czech team in Segovia. As a day ago Spanish team looked dominant and posted a comfortable 70:51 victory. This time it was Czech team to get to a better start of the game. Led by Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) the visitors quickly jumped ahead and managed to keep the hosts at bay throughout the first period. Czech Republic enjoyed a 20:12 lead after the first quarter but Spain soon denied the deficit. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) and Laura Nicholls teamed up to ignite a 9:0 run for the hosts as they surged in front early in the second stanza. Elisa Aguilar picked up the charge and nailed some vital points to give Spanish team a 29:28 lead at halftime. The hosts developed the lead into a 10-point cushion in the third quarter mainly due to offensive heroics from Cindy Lima (192-C-81) and Laia Palau. The home side took over completely in the fourth frame and Alba Torrens (184-F-89) stretched the gap to 19 points and cruised to an overall victory at the end. Alba Torrens and Cindy Lima led Spain with 12 points apiece. Ana Montanana contributed 11 points for the winners. Eva Viteckova answered with 13 points for Czech team. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) secured 8 points in a losing case. The hosts outrebounded their opponents 38:33 and forced those to 24 turnovers. Spain also limited Czech players to only 21% from the field, while converting 45% themselves.

Spain: Alba Torrens 12, Cindy Lima 12, Ana Montanana 11
Czech Republic: Eva Viteckova 13, Hana Machova 8

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ECUADOR - Women

Ecuador National Team for South American Championships 2008 -by Eurobasket
Edith Noblecilla of Guayas
Tatiana Patino of Azuay
Andrea Munoz of Manabi
Diana Gomez (-77) of Pichincha
Alina Galefsky of Pichincha
Carolina Egas of Pichincha
Cristina Sandoval (-85) of Pichincha
Gabriela Egas (-83) of Pichincha
Maria Espinoza (-83) of Pichincha
Maria Tobar (-71) of Pichincha
Susana Jara (-80) of Pichincha
Veronica Caceres (-80) of Pichincha

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FIJI - Women

Michael Whippy names the squad for Olympic qualifiers -by Eurobasket News
Fiji National team head coach Michael Whippy selected 12 players that would represent Fiji in the upcoming Olympic Games qualifying tournament to be held in Madrid, Spain. Fiji got into one preliminary group together with Brazil and Spain. The tournament is scheduled for June 9-15. The squad includes 5 overseas players. They are Valerie Nainima (165-G-86) of VC Long Island University, Aggie Tuilevuka from BUY, Hawaii, Mikaelar Whippy (173-G-86) of Captain Long Island University, Letava Whippy from Church College and Bulou Tuisue of Mana College. Michael Whippy also invited two netball stars Lusi Robanakadavu and Matila Waqanidrola to his team. He stressed their experience and ability to play well under the rims that would be helpful for the team in Spain. Michael Whippy named Mikaelar Whippy as the captain of the team. Valerie Nainima will assist in the role. Alongside 12-person roster Whippy set the list of 7 reserves that should substitute the main players if they get injured. The reserves are Brittany Hazelman, Cecelia Oliver, Natasha Ratuva, Judy Simpson, Aggie Sokosoko, Hannah Tuikoro and Gavidi Draunidalo.
The roster for Fiji National team for Olympic Qualifying tournament: Seini Dobui (-G), Mareta Mani, Ofa Moce, Valerie Nainima, Lusi Robanakadavu, Alisi Tabualevu, Aggie Tuilevuka, Bulou Tuisue, Matila Waqanidrola, Letava Whippy, Mikaelar Whippy.
Fiji tips off the competition on June 9 against Spain. Next day they take on Brazil.

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GREECE - Women

Zotova in Faliro. -by Chris Mammides

The center of Aris Holargos, Tatiana Zotova (196-F-70) agreed terms with the newcomers in A1 team of Palaio Faliro, the Faliro team had a succesfull seazon in A2 and won the league quite easy while their presentation in the final four of the Greek cup was more than obvious.
The tw ohead coaches of Ano liosia, Giorgos Kavvouras and Giannoulakis already beagun their plans for the seazon 2008-2009 that was the main reason why they renewed the contractsd of Efi Vardaki (177-G-71), Nataly Ploumpi (-G-81), Alex Anogiannaki, Olga Smirneou (177-G-84) and Eleni Georgousi (172-G-85) for another seazon while the two foreigners for the coming seazon will be Kathrine Koch (173-G-83, college: Missouri St.) and Meg Tierney (190-F/C-81) both of them played for Sporting Athens last seazon.


Panionios agreed financial terms with George Tsemberis ex sporting Head Coach, to replace Takis Koroneos in the head coachign position

Aris Holargos and GS Amarillida from A2 have been merged in one team this seazon.

Marios Despotakis will be the head coach of the 'fresh' team in A2, FEA - Filathlitiki Enosi Neas Filadelfias-Neas Halkidonas

Head Coach Simos Siropoulos and Meagas Alexandros split ways

Alekos Daglas and Antonis Kourmoulis will remain in the coaching positions of Esperos. Head Coach Alekos Daglas and his assistant coach Antonis Kourmoulis consider to be 100% sucessful after their double thuis seazon.



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HOLLAND - Women

Yellow Bike remains alive -by Eurobasket News

Yellow Bike - AutoCAD Amazone 75:69

Yellow Bike remains alive in the Finals after Game 3 in Holland. A 75:69 in the game brought them to 1-2 in the Final series. Yellow Bike domianted the court throughout the game and won the encounter truthfully. Marloes Roetgerink (189-C-77) was unstoppable with 35 points for the winners. Leonie Kooij (187-F-86) nailed 10, while van Alten Krista posted 8.
It was an easy start for the hosts that flew to 11-3 from the early beginning. Yellow Bike slowed down a bit in the end of the quarter, but had 22:18 after the end of the opening quarter. In the second period the hosts increased the lead to 42:28 at the half. Tjha margin remained at 10 points for 48:38 and 50:40.Marloes Roetgerink and van Alten Krista 8 closed the period at 63:51 after 30 minutes. Trailing 67:59 AutoCAD Amazone came back to the game. Lagemaat tied the game at 67:67 for both squads in the end of the game. Yellow Bike allowed the guests to score two more points in the game, while itself increased to 75:69.

Game 4 is scheduled for tonight.



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LITHUANIA - Women

Eurobasket.com All-Lithuanian LMKL Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
#e#6


Petronyte


Valuzyte


Jutelyte


Streimikyte


Bills
Player of the Year: Gintare Petronyte (195-C-89) of TEO Vilnius
Guard of the Year: Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) of TEO Vilnius
Forward of the Year: Jovita Jutelyte (187-F-71) of Laisve Kaunas
Center of the Year: Gintare Petronyte (195-C-89) of TEO Vilnius
Domestic Player of the Year: Gintare Petronyte (195-C-89) of TEO Vilnius
Import Player of the Year: Andrea Bills (188-C-83) of Arvi Marijampole
Coach of the Year: Rutenis Paulauskas of TEO

1st Team
Gintare Petronyte (195-C-89) of TEO Vilnius
Jurgita Streimikyte (191-F-72) of TEO Vilnius
Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) of TEO Vilnius
Jovita Jutelyte (187-F-71) of Laisve Kaunas
Andrea Bills (188-C-83) of Arvi Marijampole

2nd Team
Kristin Haynie (175-G-83) of TEO Vilnius
Lina Aglinskaite (181-F/C-87) of Rita Siauliai
Ilona Nikonovaite (175-G-75) of Laisve Kaunas
Milda Sauliute (175-G-81) of Arvi Marijampole
Daina Staugaitiene (182-G-80) of Lemminkainen Klaipeda

Honorable Mention
Ausra Bimbaite (179-G-82) of TEO Vilnius
Jolanta Marmiene (181-F-79) of Laisve Kaunas
Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) of Arvi Marijampole
Keisha Moore (189-C-83) of Arvi Marijampole
Kornelija Balciunaite (177-F-81) of Aistes-Atletas Kaunas
Jolanta Vilutyte (190-F-69) of Laisve Kaunas

All-Domestic Players Team
Gintare Petronyte (195-C-89) of TEO Vilnius
Jurgita Streimikyte (191-F-72) of TEO Vilnius
Sandra Valuzyte (176-G-82) of TEO Vilnius
Jovita Jutelyte (187-F-71) of Laisve Kaunas
Milda Sauliute (175-G-81) of Arvi Marijampole

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LUXEMBOURG - Women

Basket Esch retains the title -by Eurobasket News
Basket Esch - Musel Pikes 71:55

Basket Esch completed another impressive season with a win over Musel Pikes in DBBL Finals. Thus the Esch outfit claimed their third straight title. The result was well deserved as Basket Esch dominated the scene throughout the whole season and had been hardly matched by any other side. Yesterday Basket Esch got to an aggressive start but Musel Pikes were not about to give this one up that easily. The teams traded baskets in the opening frame and Basket Esch led by 3 points ten minutes into the encounter. The second quarter became the decisive one as the hosts stepped on the gas and Musel Pikes failed to match the tempo. Krisztina Bernath (189-C-78) paced the home side to a 22:10 rally in the second period and Basket Esch accumulated a 44:29 advantage at halftime. The hosts shifted to a lower gear in the second half wisely keeping the visiting side at bay. Musel Pikes were able to score just 26 points in the second half and Basket Esch triumphed in their third straight DBBL Finals. Krisztina Bernath topscored for Basket Esch with 21 points and 9 boards. Leah Metcalf (173-G-83, college: N.Carolina) contributed 19 points and 8 boards, while Miroslava Miscikova (170-G-80) netted 11 points and issued 7 assists for the winners. Amanda Stowe (186-F/C-79, agency: Next Level, college: Wisc.-Green Bay) replied with 17 points and 11 boards for Musel Pikes. Carine Cigrang (175-F-85) posted 12 points, while Irina Mazjoukhina (181-F-76) came up with 10 points in defeat. The hosts dominated the boards outrebounding the visitors 35:27. Basket Esch converted 48% from the field and committed only 13 turnovers down the stretch.

Basket Esch: Krisztina Bernath 21+9 boards, Leah Metcalf 19, Miroslava Miscikova 11
Musel Pikes: Amanda Stowe 17+11 boards, Carine Cigrang 12, Irina Mazjoukhina 10

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RUSSIA - Women

Mazjoukhina tastes silver -by Eurobasket News
Irina Mazjoukhina (181-F-76) and her Musel Pikes finished second in Luxembourg. Basket Esch completed another impressive season with a win over Musel Pikes in DBBL Finals. Thus the Esch outfit claimed their third straight title. The result was well deserved as Basket Esch dominated the scene throughout the whole season and had been hardly matched by any other side. Yesterday Basket Esch got to an aggressive start but Musel Pikes were not about to give this one up that easily. The teams traded baskets in the opening frame and Basket Esch led by 3 points ten minutes into the encounter. The second quarter became the decisive one as the hosts stepped on the gas and Musel Pikes failed to match the tempo. Krisztina Bernath paced the home side to a 22:10 rally in the second period and Basket Esch accumulated a 44:29 advantage at halftime. The hosts shifted to a lower gear in the second half wisely keeping the visiting side at bay. Musel Pikes were able to score just 26 points in the second half and Basket Esch triumphed in their third straight DBBL Finals. Krisztina Bernath topscored for Basket Esch with 21 points and 9 boards. Leah Metcalf contributed 19 points and 8 boards, while Miroslava Miscikova netted 11 points and issued 7 assists for the winners. Amanda Stowe replied with 17 points and 11 boards for Musel Pikes. Carine Cigrang posted 12 points, while Irina Mazjoukhina came up with 10 points in defeat. The hosts dominated the boards outrebounding the visitors 35:27. Basket Esch converted 48% from the field and committed only 13 turnovers down the stretch.
Musel Pikes could not capitalize on the home-court advantage in the DBBL Final opener. Basket Esch toppled the hosts to go 1-0 up in the best-of-three series. The regular season champions now have a chance to claim the crown as soon as Friday when they host Musel Pikes in Esch-Lallange for Game 2. The teams kept it close in the opening minutes as the game slowly turned into a seesaw battle. But Basket Esch found the way to take control as they built a 21:17 advantage at the end of the first frame. The visitors kept distance throughout the second quarter and enjoyed a 6-point cushion at the end of the first half. Toni Ostojic seemed to have an emotional talk with his players at the long break as Musel Pikes went off the dressing room hitting on all cylinders. They rapidly knotted things up at 41 scoring 6 straight points. But the spark died out as quickly as it started and Basket Esch picked up from where they left in the first half. Leah Metcalf orchestrated the offense well, while the visitors defense held the hosts to just 10 point in the third period to accumulate a 10-point advantage at three quarter time. Musel Pikes schemes collapsed in the final stanza as they were able to account for just 6 points. Basket Esch cruised to an overall win and grabbed the lead in the championship series. Leah Metcalf came up with game-high 35 points and 8 boards for Basket Esch. Krisztina Bernath contributed 10 points and 11 boards for the winners. Carine Cigrang nailed 16 points for Musel Pikes. Amanda Stowe scored 14 points and collected 9 caroms in a losing effort. The visitors outrebounded Musel Pikes 37:29 and sank 42% from the field. Musel Pikes were able to post 34% of field goals and committed 16 turnovers down the stretch. Irina Mazjoukhina ended up with 10 points for her team.

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SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - Women

Standings
South American Championships Standings
1. Argenti.1-0
2. Venezue.1-0
3. Ecuador0-0
4. Brazil0-0
5. Chile0-1
6. Colombia0-1


Chilean National Team 2008 -by Eurobasket
Paola Naranjo (182-F/C-78) of Elsa del Valle
Paula Moya of Elsa del Valle
Fernanda Serrano (-G) of Asesoria Norte Sur
Daniela Alcaino (-C) of Hotel Corona
Leslie Ramher (-F)
Claudia Leiva of Asesoria Norte Sur
Vivian Perez (-C) of Barraca Tarapaca
Daniela Troncoso of Elsa del Valle
Rafaela Galaz
Massiel Mondaca (173-G-83) of Hotel Corona
Head Coach: Cristian Santander

Argentinian National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
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#e#6


Cava


Soberon


Sanchez


Paoletta


Cejas
Marina Cava (168-G-85) of Velez Sarsfield
Veronica Soberon (177-G/F-77) of Union Florida
Stephany Thomas (179-F-89)
Melisa Cejas (184-F-84) of San Agustin Perana
Sandra Pavon (175-F-85) of Velez Sarsfield
Maria Landra (188-F-83) of Lanus
Paula Gatti (177-G/F-78) of Velez Sarsfield
Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) of Velez Sarsfield
Alejandra Fernandez (-F/C) of Union Vecinal de Munro
Constanza Landra (187-C-82) of Talleres
Florencia Fernandez (190-C-86) of Sunderland
Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) of Biurrarena-UPV (ESP)
Head Coach: Eduardo Pinto
Assistants: Roberto Santin and Gabriel Gusso

Venezuelan National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
Jessy Castillo (-82)
Veronica Hernandez
Cleider Blanco (-C-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
Yosimar Corrales (-G-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
Jofranny Guerra
Maria Villarroel (174-G-78) of Sdent Sierre Basket (SUI)
Ivaney Marquez (-83) of Grayson County College (USA)
Maria Cabrices (-C-90) of Miranda
Maria Requena (-G-90) of Guarico
Endrina Bolivar (-F-90) of Guarico
Roselis Silva (-G-91) of Distrito Capital
Kiancy Barragan (-F-90) of Guarico
Head Coach: Enrique Gil

Ecuador National Team for South American Championships 2008 -by Eurobasket
Edith Noblecilla of Guayas
Tatiana Patino of Azuay
Andrea Munoz of Manabi
Diana Gomez (-77) of Pichincha
Alina Galefsky of Pichincha
Carolina Egas of Pichincha
Cristina Sandoval (-85) of Pichincha
Gabriela Egas (-83) of Pichincha
Maria Espinoza (-83) of Pichincha
Maria Tobar (-71) of Pichincha
Susana Jara (-80) of Pichincha
Veronica Caceres (-80) of Pichincha

Brazilian National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Burian


da Costa


Rocha


Nacimiento


Conceicao
4 Natalia Burian (163-G-84) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
5 Karla da Costa (173-G-78) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
6 Karen Rocha (177-G-84) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
7 Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) of TTT Riga (LAT)
8 Jacqueline Silvestre (178-F-86) of Faculdade Maurco de Nassau/Sport
9 Claudia Das Neves (172-G-75) of Stade Clermontois Auvergne Basket 63 (FRA)
10 Jucimara Dantas (192-C-78) of Villeneuve D'Asco ESB Lille Metropole (FRA)
11 Soeli Garvao (187-C-77) of Mann Filter Zaragoza (ESP)
12 Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
13 Karina Jacob (187-F/C-85) of Acar Cometa/Unimed/Catanduva
14 Franciele Nacimiento (187-F/C-87) of Mann Filter Zaragoza (ESP)
15 Tatiana Conceicao (188-C-81) of Colches Castor/Fio/Unimed/Ourinhos
Head Coach: Paulo Bassul
Coach Assistant: Cesar Guidetti

Brazilian Women team won already 21 championships titles at the South American Championships:
1954 (Brazil); 1958 (Peru); 1965 (Brazil); 1967 (Colombia); 1968 (Chile); 1970 (Equador); 1972 (Peru); 1974 (Bolivia); 1978 (Bolivia); 1981 (Peru); 1986 (Brazil); 1989 (Chile); 1991 (Colombia); 1993 (Bolivia); 1995 (Brasil); 1997 (Chile); 1999 (Brasil); 2001 (Peru), Equador (2003); Colombia (2005) and Paraguai (2006).

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SPAIN - Women

Spain holds off Czech Republic in second friendly -by Eurobasket News
Spain - Czech Republic 70:51

Spanish National team played their second friendly game against Czech team in Segovia. As a day ago Spanish team looked dominant and posted a comfortable 70:51 victory. This time it was Czech team to get to a better start of the game. Led by Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) the visitors quickly jumped ahead and managed to keep the hosts at bay throughout the first period. Czech Republic enjoyed a 20:12 lead after the first quarter but Spain soon denied the deficit. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) and Laura Nicholls teamed up to ignite a 9:0 run for the hosts as they surged in front early in the second stanza. Elisa Aguilar picked up the charge and nailed some vital points to give Spanish team a 29:28 lead at halftime. The hosts developed the lead into a 10-point cushion in the third quarter mainly due to offensive heroics from Cindy Lima (192-C-81) and Laia Palau. The home side took over completely in the fourth frame and Alba Torrens (184-F-89) stretched the gap to 19 points and cruised to an overall victory at the end. Alba Torrens and Cindy Lima led Spain with 12 points apiece. Ana Montanana contributed 11 points for the winners. Eva Viteckova answered with 13 points for Czech team. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) secured 8 points in a losing case. The hosts outrebounded their opponents 38:33 and forced those to 24 turnovers. Spain also limited Czech players to only 21% from the field, while converting 45% themselves.

Spain: Alba Torrens 12, Cindy Lima 12, Ana Montanana 11
Czech Republic: Eva Viteckova 13, Hana Machova 8

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SWITZERLAND - Women

Sdent Nyon Basket inks two players -by Eurobasket News
The finalist of Swiss LNB, Sdent Nyon Basket, reinforced its roster for the next season. The team agreed terms with shooting guard / forward Vanessa Depallens (175-G/F-80) and guard Jalinka Michaux (175-F-87).

Vanessa Depallens played previous season at LNB team BBC Cossonay. She had 18.7 ppg last season in LNB and was the best scorer of the league. She's team lost at the semifinals of play-off against Sdent Sierre Basket, who had a perfect season without any defeat. Experienced Depallens spent couple of years playing on higher level than LNB. She was a member of Lausanne, City Friburg BBC, BBC Troistorrents and Lancy Mayrin. She was a player of Cossonay since summer 2005.

Jalinka Michaux spent previous season at Martigny-Rhone Basket. She averaged 5.9 ppg and 1.1 rpg in LNA. She's team reached semifinals of Swiss League Cup. Michaux also was a member of Swiss U20 national Team on European Championship division B in Lithuania. She had 6 appearances averaging 7.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1 apg. Before Martigny-Rhone Basket she played two seasons for LNB team Daihatsu SP Muraltese.

Both players signed one year deal with Sdent Nyon Basket.

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TAIWAN - Women

Australia victorious against Chinese Taipei once again -by Eurobasket News
Australia - Chinese Taipei 90:58

The Opals extended their winning streak against Chinese Taipei. Australian National team celebrated the second straight win over Taipei in the friendly series played in Terrigal. This time Taipei put on even more dogged battle as they fought for every inch of the court. Erin Phillips opened the scoreline hitting a long jumper from the corner. However Taipei answered with 4 points in a row to gain the lead. Taipei remained ahead throughout the major part of the first stanza before Jennifer Screen put the Opals up 20:16 at the end of the frame. The hosts stretched the gap to as many as 10 points at the interval. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) knocked down a treble to start the second half but it was Australian team who dominated the action and extended the gap to as many as 17 points. Taipei replied mainly on an outside shooting in the final term but Australia survived the threat and came out on top once again. Hollie Grima (190-C-83, agency: LBM Management) led the action with 15 points and 6 boards. Natalie Porter (185-F-80) and Emma Randall (188-C-85) nailed 14 points apiece for the winners. Chiang Feng Chun dropped 16 points and collected 6 boards for Chinese Taipei. Wen Chi (169-G-84) added 12 points, while Cheng Hui Yun (185-F/C-77) had 9 points in a losing case. The Opals outrebounded their opponents 46:21 but decreased their shooting accuracy comparing to the first game shooting 45% from the field including only 25% from beyond the arc. The third game of the series will be played tonight in Terrigal.

Australia: Hollie Grima 15, Natalie Porter 14, Emma Randall 14
Chinese Taipei: Chiang Feng Chun 16, Wen Chi 12, Cheng Hui Yun 9

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VENEZUELA - Women

Venezuelan National Team for South American Championships in Ecuador 2008 -by Eurobasket
Jessy Castillo (-82)
Veronica Hernandez
Cleider Blanco (-C-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
Yosimar Corrales (-G-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
Jofranny Guerra
Maria Villarroel (174-G-78) of Sdent Sierre Basket (SUI)
Ivaney Marquez (-83) of Grayson County College (USA)
Maria Cabrices (-C-90) of Miranda
Maria Requena (-G-90) of Guarico
Endrina Bolivar (-F-90) of Guarico
Roselis Silva (-G-91) of Distrito Capital
Kiancy Barragan (-F-90) of Guarico
Head Coach: Enrique Gil

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WNBA - Women

Silver Stars releases Adrianne Ross -by Eurobasket News
Guard Adrianne Ross (5'8''-G-84, college: TCU) is no longer a player of San Antonio Silver Stars. The team decided to waive Ross yesterday.
Ross just came out from TCU where in 07/08 she had 35 appearances averaging 14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.9 apg and 2.5 spg. She was in a staring five at the last year in NCAA.

On 2007 Ross got award All-MWC Co-Player of the Year. At the end of previous season she was named to be in All-MWC 2nd Team.

It is not known yet what is Adrianne Ross' next destination.

Standings
WNBA Standings
Eastern
 1. Connect. S. 2-0 
 2. Detroit S. 2-1 
 3. Indiana F. 1-1 
 4. New York L. 1-1 
 5. Chicago Sky 1-1 
 6. Washingt. M. 0-2 
 7. Atlanta D. 0-2 
Western
 1. Seattle S. 3-0 
 2. L.Angeles S. 1-0 
 3. Minnesota L. 1-0 
 4. S.Antonio SS 1-1 
 5. Sacram. M. 1-2 
 6. Houston C. 0-1 
 7. Phoenix M. 0-3 


SHOCKing second half for the Dream -by Eurobasket News
Atlanta - Detroit 76:88

The Detroit Shock recovered well after a sloppy first half to fire on all cylinders in the second against the Atlanta Dream yesterday. The WNBA expansion team played their second game in the season and got to a better start. They led by three points at the end of the first quarter but stretched the gap to as many as 18 in the second frame. However the Shock relied on a sizzling performance from Deanna Nolan (5'11''-G/F-79, college: Georgia) in the second half to rally from behind. Nolan scored 24 points after the break and paced the Shock to a hard 88:76 win at the end. She knocked down a jumper early in the fourth term to give the visitors a 65:63 lead and Detroit controlled the situation from now on. Deanna Nolan finished with 33 points and 8 assists before being sidelined after a collision late in the fourth period. Nolan felt just two points shy of her career high set on July 24 last season. Alexis Hornbuckle (5'11''-G-85, college: Tennessee) delivered 12 points, while Kara Braxton (6'6''-C-83, college: Georgia) nailed 11 in a winning case. Betty Lennox (5'8''-G-76, college: Louisiana Tech) answered with 21 points in defeat. Camille Little (6'2''-F/G-85, college: N.Carolina) notched 13 points and 8 boards, while Erika De Souza (6'6''-C-82) tallied 10 points and game-high 18 boards as Atlanta slipped to 0-2 record. The hosts outrebounded their opponents 42:37 but suffered 17 turnovers and committed 29 personal fouls. Detroit shot 45% from the field, while limiting their counterparts to 35% accuracy. The Shock improved to 2-1 record and would host New York next.

Atlanta: Betty Lennox 21, Camille Little 13, Erika De Souza 10+18 boards
Detroit: Deanna Nolan 33, Alexis Hornbuckle 12, Kara Braxton 11