EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/4/2008

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Men News

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ANGOLA

Inter beat Asa by 87-83 -by Carlos Pereira
Results from the 2th round from phase 2.
Inter - 87 ASA - 83
1 Agosto - 108 Promade Cabinda - 53
Box score
1 de Agosto: 4 Mayzer Alexandre (3), 5 Armando Costa (6), 6 - Marques Houtmam (2), 7 Olmpio Cipriano (27), 8 Joaquim Gomes Kikas (6), 9 Felizardo Ambrsio (5), Vlademir Gernimo (11), Francisco Jordo (8), 13 - Carlos Almeida (10), 14 Miguel Lutonda (16), 15 Rodrigo Mascarenhas (7) e Hermenegildo Santos (7).Coach :: Lus Magalhes

Promade de Cabinda: 4 Henrique Bado (8), 5 - Domingos Neto (2), 6 - Paulo Barros (12), 7 - Edgar Bia (9), 8 - Mrio Correia (0), 9 - Gasto Nzuzi (2), 10 - Romining Sambo (8), 11 - Lus Fernandes (0), 12 - Raimundo Barros (0), 13 - Pedro Antnio (5), 14 - Lus Mrio (5) e 15 - Paulo Papi (1).Coach: Jos Carlos

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ARAB CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Semi Finals - 21st Arab Clubs Championship (April 23 - May 5 Amman, Jordan) -by Mohammed Malas
Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut (LEB) 76 - Al Kuwait SC (KUW) 67 (Qs: 17-21, 35-37, 61-51 & 76-67)

# Best performance:
- Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut:
Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college: St.John's) (30 pts)
Kevin Johnson (202-F-79, college: Tulsa) (17 pts)
- Al Kuwait SC:
Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) (25 pts)
Hiram Fuller (206-F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Fresno St.) (15 pts)
Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) (14 pts)

Zain (JOR) 101 - Orthodox (JOR) 77 (Qs: 33-13, 58-21, 77-40 & 101-77)

# Best performance:
- Zain:
Enver Soobzokov (193-G/F-78, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) (15 pts)
Zeid Abbas (203-C-83) (14 pts)
- Orthodox:
Kevin Jobity (207-F/C-74, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Niagara) (21 pts)
Fadel Najjar (194-G-85) (14 pts)

# Final & 3rd place games schedule (Amman, Jordan Time +3 GMT):
- Monday 5th of May:
18:30 Orthodox - Al Kuwait SC '3rd Place:
20:45 Zain - Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut 'Final'

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BAHRAIN

Muharraq set for top Asian clubs clash -by Yousef Ahmed

MUHARRAQ will head to Kuwait on Tuesday to make their second appearance in the 19th edition of the Asian Clubs Basketball Championship which gets underway in Kuwait on Thursday.

Ten strong teams, representing 10 countries from across the continent, are taking part in this prestigious competition to be hosted for the second time by Al Qadsia Club. The event concludes on May 16.

The teams were divided into two groups of five each. First round matches will be held in a round robin system with the winners and runners-up of each group booking berths in the semi-finals knock-out round.

The Bahrainis, who clinched their first ever league title last month beating 15-time champions Manama in a best-of-three series, are placed in a relatively tough Group 'B' besides hosts Al Qadsia, defending champions Saba Battery of Iran, India's ONGC and Al Wasl of the UAE.

Group 'A' comprises Qatari champions Al Rayyan, Zain of Jordan, Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon, Kazakhstan's BK Almaty Alma-Ata (KAZ) and Satria Muda Britama Jakarta of Indonesia.

Muharraq will kick off their campaign on Thursday when they take on ONGC. They then play Al Qadsia on Saturday before facing Saba Batry on May 11 and finally Al Wasl on May 12.

Meanwhile, Muharraq continued their preparations yesterday prior to their departure. The team recently signed former Manama's US player Donald Little who will play with his compatriot Rah-Shun Roberts (202-F-75, college: California (PA)).

The team also have prominent local players like Mohammed Hassan and Mohammed Abdulmajeed who both returned from Doha after playing as professionals during the GCC Clubs Championship which concluded last Wednesday.

Hassan, known in Bahrain as the 'King of three-pointers', led Al Arabi of Qatar to the title following an 80-76 victory over Al Qadsia in the final while Abdulmajeed played for Oman's Nazwa who failed to pass the first round.

SOURCE: GDN

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BOSNIA

Stats Leaders - D1
CENTROTRANS LIGA ZA PRVAKA BIH Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Williams (BOS) 21,00
2. A. Damja. (SLA) 19,40
3. M. Milosev. (SLO) 17,5
4. Vuckovic (ZRI) 15,00
5. Fajardo (SIR) 14,83
Rebounds Per Game
1. Matic (SLO) 8,5
2. M. Milosevic (SLO) 7,3
3. Dzidic (ZRI) 7,0
4. Hajric (BOS) 6,8
5. Spralja (SIR) 6,7
Assists Per Game
1. Vujcic (GRU) 6,5
2. Gvozdenovic (SLA) 5,8
3. Bailey (BOS) 4,8
4. Allen (IGO) 3,8
5. Bethel (SIR) 3,7
Steals Per Game
1. M. Milosevic (SLO) 2,5
2. Matic (SLO) 2,3
3. Dzidic (ZRI) 2,3
Blocks Per Game
1. Rothbart (BOR) 1,3
2. Lydeka (IGO) 1,0
3. Spralja (SIR) 1,0
2FGP
1. Williams (BOS) 8,75
2. A Damja. (SLA) 8,33
3. Perajica (GRU) 6,50
3FGP
1. Grays (SIR) 3,33
2. Vucurovic (IGO) 3,00
3. Vuckovic (ZRI) 2,50
Free Throws
1. Zitko (GRU) 5,50
2. Vukovic (SLA) 5,50
3. Sarenac (ZRI) 5,25


Bosnian League 8, 7TH round -by Elvir Halilovic

In great Bosnian derby Bosna ASA defeat Siroki in Skenderija with 78:71. Last two game in Sarajevo Siroki was better (last season in Final game for title and this season in Cup Semifinal) but tonight was third lucky for Bosna. After half part of League 8 Bosna ASA BHT is still undefeated and behind Bosna is three team with five win and two loses game Igokea Partizan, Siroki Prima Pivo and Sloboda Dita. Probably this is four team which will go in Play-Off too.


Results:
Bosna ASA BH Telecom Siroki Prima Pivo 78:71
Sloboda Dita Zrinjski Mik Company 103:82
Igokea Partizan Slavija 99:59
Borac Nektar Grude (Sunday May 4TH)


Standings:
1. Bosna ASA BHT 7-0 566:456 +110 14 pts.
2. Igokea Partizan 5-2 616:531 +85 12 pts.
3. Siroki Prima Pivo 5-2 568:527 +41 12 pts.
4. Sloboda Dita 5-2 536:538 -02 12 pts.
5. Zrinjski MC 2-5 563:630 -67 9 pts.
6. Slavija 2-5 526:596 -70 9 pts.
7. Borac Nektar 1-5 426:451 -25 7 pts.
8. Grude 0-6 441:513 -72 6 pts.


Bosna ASA BH Telecom Siroki Prima Pivo 78:71
(20:20, 27:18, 19:18, 12:15)
Sarajevo, SD Skenderija; Att.: 1.000; Ref.: Jovanic, Lakic, Sobot
BOSNA ASA BHT: Jefferson 3, Sehovic 6, Tomovic, Panic 10, Bavcic 12, Zimic, Bailey 9, Rahimic, Hajric 10, Pasalic, Jackson 9, Williams 19 (10 reb.)
Coach: Jurij Zdovc
SIROKI PP: Bubalo, Grays 10, Stemberger 7, Dijan 11, Zupic 6, Sola, Spralja 17, Naletilic, Susak, Fajardo 12 (10 reb.), Bethel 6, Ezugwu 2
Coach: Ivan Velic


Sloboda Dita Zrinjski Mik Company 103:82
(24:18, 23:23, 26:20, 30:21)
Tuzla, SD Mejdan; Att.: 700; Ref.: Adamovic, Duskaj, Okuka
SLOBODA DITA: Halilovic, M. Milosevic 18, Halilbegovic, Albijanic 10, Jevtic, Persic, Tomovic, Tanasilovic 7, Matic 24 (10 reb.), N. Milosevic 10, Jocovic 15, Ross 19
Coach: Senad Muminovic
ZRINJSKI MC: Filipovic 12, Bisko, Sarenac 8, Petric 3, Oroz, Dzidic 13, Simovic 4, Brecic 4, Vuckovic 23, Buhac 12, Planinic 3, Grbavac
Coach: Nedeljko Zelenika


Igokea Partizan - Slavija 99:59
(36:11, 19:19, 26:16, 18:13)
Aleksandrovac, SD Nenad Bastinac; Att.: 800; Ref.: Pehar, Drmic, Coric
IGOKEA PARTIZAN: Tosic 2, Patterson 9, Bocka 7, Stazic 11, Djurica 1, Vucurovic 10, Cup 8, Wright 7, Lydeka 4, Stefanovic 4, Kovacevic 20, Allen 16
Coach: Zoran Sretenovic
SLAVIJA: Gvozdenovic, 5 Stanic 4, Tomasevic, Simeunovic, Mladenovic 6, Damjanovic D., Vukovic 4, Malovic 4, Grubisic 8, Ivanovic 2, Demic 14, Damjanovic A. 12
Coach: Goran Sehovac



Standings - BIH League
D1 Standings
League 8
 1. Bosna S. 7-0 
 2. Sloboda Dita 5-2 
 3. Igokea 5-2 
 4. Siroki 5-2 
 5. Slavija 2-5 
 6. Zrinjski MC 2-5 
 7. Borac Nektar 1-5 
 8. Grude 0-6 
Places 9-14
 1. Posusje 10-14 
 2. Zenica Celik 10-14 
 3. Hercegovac 10-14 
 4. Leotar 9-15 
 5. Capljina 8-16 
 6. Vogosca 2-22 


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CHINA

New Player signed CBA -by Robert Wang
Former NBA center Jelany McCoy signed the contract with Qing Dao team for the summer league last week. JM played in China 3 years ago in D-1 Jiang Su team for a short timeand then back to US for his NBA dream. Now, he signed the agreement with good payment and would help this team fight for going up to D-1 from D-2. The summer league in China will start this later month and only 4 teams need imports and they all need NBA type big guys.

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CROATIA

Standings - Ozujsko A1 League
A1 Standings
Group 1-8
 1. KK Split 8-1 
 2. Zadar 8-1 
 3. KK Zagreb 7-2 
 4. Cibona 6-3 
 5. Cedevita 3-6 
 6. Sibenka 2-7 
 7. Dubrava 1-8 
 8. Slavonski Brod 1-8 
Group 9-13
 1. Borik 12-8 
 2. Dubrovnik 11-9 
 3. Zabok 11-9 
 4. Alkar Sinj 10-10 
 5. Kvarner NR 9-11 
 6. Osijek 2006 7-13 


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CZECH REPUBLIC

Nymburk handles Brno in the NBL quarterfinal -by Eurobasket News
Nymburk became the first NBL semifinalist. They swept A Plus Brno in the quarterfinal best-of-five series and eased to the next round of competition. Nymburk routed their opponents 116:58 at home court to gain the third win. Seven Nymburk players scored in double figures en route to an impressive win. Monty Mack led the effort with 21 points. Radoslav Rancik provided 19 points and 13 boards, while Arthur Lee had 18 points and 6 assists for the winners. Norwa answered with 26 points and 7 boards for Brno in defeat.
Meanwhile yesterday Decin drove to the second straight narrow win over Pardubice to claim 2-1 lead in the series. Pardubice snatched victory in the first game on the road but Decin then adjusted their performance and drove to dramatic victories in the next encounters. Yesterday Decin hosted Pardubice and seemed to be in control leading 41:26 midway through the second period. The hosts held to a 9-point cushion before the final term but Pardubice tied the game with the help of 5 straight points from Sanders and Gamma at the end of regulation. Gamma nailed jumper to put Pardubice ahead early in the extra period. The visitors stayed in front for the major part of overtime but Grier drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win this one for Decin. Kraus finished with 18 points and 9 boards to lead Decin. Houska contributed 17 points for the winners. Gamma came up with game-high 31 points and 10 boards for Pardubice. Game 4 is scheduled for May 6.


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EGYPT

Super League Standings
Superleague Standings
Group A
 1. Gezira 9-0 
 2. Zamalek 6-3 
 3. Al Ittihad 5-4 
 4. Ahly 4-5 
 5. Sporting 3-6 
 6. Somouha 1-8 
Group B
 1. Geish Army 8-1 
 2. Gazco 7-2 
 3. Shorta-Police 7-2 
 4. Shams 7-2 
 5. Eastern Co. 5-4 
 6. Damenhor 1-8 


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EL SALVADOR

Standings - Liga Superior
Liga Superior Standings
 1. ExSAL 9-1 
 2. UTEC 5-4 
 3. Denver 4-4 
 4. San Marcos 3-7 
 5. Cosmos 2-7 


LSB last results -by Jaime Arevalo
In the last round of games, Universidad Tecnolgica (UTEC) largely defeated Cosmos, 103-81, controlling well the opponents' top scorer, Edwin Lopez (183-G/F-85). The Cosmos best performer was this time Mario Flores (183-G-85), who scored 15 pts, while UTEC was led by Ernesto Oglivie (-F-88) who scored 31 ponts. In the other game of the night, Denver prevailed over San Marcos 90-83. One time more, they had a good game from Marcus Robinson (198-F, college: N.Georgia), who was very effective at the both sides of the court. The top scorer in Denver, however, was veteran Bob Hunter (193-F-76), who ended the game at 25 points- Sam Marcos had good performing from Darwin Carter (183-G-76, college: Angelo St.), who showed great passing skills, and Michael Pierrot (208-C-84), who was the top scorer of teh round at 32 points.

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HAITI

League start announced -by Stardeak Durand
The first edition of the Haitian National Basket-ball Championship that was supposed to start on April 26 will finally start on May 24, 2008. The Haitian Basket-ball Federation held a press conference on April 26 to announce the new date and the inauguration of its new buildings, located in Bourdon, Port-au-Prince, on May 10, 2008. Three representatives of Voila, the official sponsor of the championship, took part in the conference and met with the teams, which agreed with the terms of contract with the the Federation and the Sponsor.

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HOLLAND

Coach Josep Claros do not want further with Hanzevast Capitals -by Fred Roggen
Coach Josep Claros admitt that he has already taken this decision five months ago. The Spanish coach thinks that he has no future in Groningen to bring the club to a higher European platform.
He misses for that edge the conditions which according to him is necessary to grow in the future. The coach from Spain had other expectations of the professionnalism of the Capitals and misses European ambitions at the club.
Next Tuesday Hanzevast Capitals will present the new coach.

Coach Toon van Helfteren gone at Rotterdam Challengers -by Fred Roggen
Coach Toon Van Helfteren does not return the coming season as coach of Rotterdam Challengers. Van Hefteren signed previous season for three years in Rotterdam.
Our visions concerning the future of Rotterdam Challengers do not lie on the same line, thus Owner and President of the Challengers Van Haga.
Toon Van Helfteren does not want to give any comments on the matter. I have nothing to add to that press bulletin. It is done for me, thus van Helfteren.

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HUNGARY

1/4Finals, game two -by Tamas Deri
The winner of the regular season Falco KC had one hard victory in the first game on Wednesday in the Arena Savaria. The second game the guests started better and were up by 11 points in the first half. In the second half the home team started to rule the game and came up to one point. Some minutes later they even were leading by 6 points, when hungarian guards Kalman and Pankar scored very important points for the guests and decided the game.

Kormend could win in a very tied game in Dombovar on Wednesday and now they can beat the 2nd place team on the home court. Kormend started the game with one amazing 9-0 run in 3 minutes, but the guests started to play their own game and tied the game. After twenty minutes they were up by 2 points, even so that Julien Mills just came in the 17th minute on the court. Even the third quarter was tied, but in the last quarter Csaba Ferencz scored 4 three pointers against the zone defense played by the guests and decided the game for his team!

Even ASE could win after the away victory in their own arena and are leading the series 2-0 against Albacomp. Key players of the game were Nile Murry, Robert Gulyas and Zsolt Kiss.

The all-in-one team of the last season, Szolnoki Olaj lost the first game of the quarterfinals on Wednesday and tried to do everything to tie the series.
The first quarter was tied, Nick Williams of Pecs showed his great skills. In the second quarter the guests were leading by 5 points, and Thomas Kelley was the man, who scored 18 points in the first half and did not let the guests to decide the game after one half.

Even the third quarter began with scores of Denes and Aleksic, so the guests were up by 10 already. Kelley was trying to do anything to keep the chances, he had already 23 points after thirty minutes, when the guests were leading 47-61.
The fourth quarter one other Szolnok step on the court and 5 minutes before the end they tied the game. In the last minutes they were up by one, Aleksic got two free throws but missed them.


SZOLNOKI OLAJ KK - PVSK-EXPO CENTER PECS 75-74
(18-20, 12-16, 17-25, 28-13)
Szolnok, Att.: 2200, Referees: Fldhzi, Hegeds, Kirly
SZOLNOK: KELLEY 25/12, Cziczs 3/3, HOLLINS 21/6, Sabaliauskas, Gbi 4, Molnr A. 9/3, Jurkunas 7/3, Tth V., Harazin 6, Coach: Por Peter
PECS: WILLIAMS 23/12, Aleksic 10, Dnes G. 2, Lapov 11/3, Grebenr 9, Tth N. 7/3, Czigler 6, Hossz 2, Kutasi 4/3, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
Series: 1-1


MARSO-VAGEP NYIREGYHAZI KK - FALCO-SZOVA KC-SZOMBATHELY 93-97
(17-28, 29-21, 33-23, 14-25)
Nyregyhza, Att.: 1000, Referees: Papp P., dm, Szilas
NYREGYHZA: Branko Savic 28/15, Siska 9/3, Ross Mouton 22/9, Sitku 28/9, Helbich 2, Trepak 4, Krasznai, Coach: Deri Csaba
SZOMBATHELY: KALMAN 23/9, Doyne 12, Ciric 26/12, Kazlauskas 16/12, Borszeki 5, Aliakseyeu 4, Pankar 9/9, Will 2, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic
Series: 0-2


POLAROID-LAMI-VED KORMEND - PLANET LEASING DOMBOVAR KC 71-64
(16-18, 12-12, 24-18, 19-16)
Kormend, Att.: 2500, Referees: Valovics, Kthay, Trk
KORMEND: Marton Fodor 10/3, Ferencz 17/15, Ocitti 11, Henderson 4, Vavra 11/3, Thomas 10/3, Trummer 6/6, Toth, Kocsis 2, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic
DOMBOVAR: Simon 4, English 12, Bodi 10/6, Wiley 20/9, Sanders 12, Balogh, Molnar, Vas, Mills 6/3, Coach: Branislav Dzunic
Series: 2-0


ATOMEROMU SE - ALBACOMP 94-75
(23-17, 23-18, 24-18, 24-22)
Paks, Att.: 1000, Referees: Hartyni, Bognr, Kiss L.
ATOMEROMU: Meszaros 6, Nile Murry 17/3, Stevenson 6, Horvath 11/3, Gulyas 15/3, Cedric Brooks 12/9, Zsolt Kiss 12/12, Csaplar-Nagy 7/3, Toroman 6/6, Panta 2, Morgen, Horanyi, Coach: Sabali Balazs
ALBACOMP: Simon 11, Bradford 21/9, Radovic 7/3, McClendon 6, Bencze 8, Soos 5/3, Boozer 4, Hanga 6, David 4/3, Keller 3/3, Coach: Peresztegi-Nagy Akos
Series: 2-0

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JAPAN

Tochigi Brex lands young stud Takuya Kawamura -by Kenny
The newest member of the JBL's top division, the Tochigi Brex, have landed the crown jewel of the OSG Phoenix's player exodus. The team announced the day before yesterday that they have signed 22-year old swingman Takuya Kawamura (191-G-86), a member of the national team who broke into the JBL as a 19-year old rookie straight out of high school. Kawamura, who stands 191 cm tall, has been a starter in all 3 seasons that he has played in the JBL for OSG. There was speculation that Kawamura would end up with one of the top JBL teams like Aisin or Toyota, but Tochigi surprised everyone by snatching him away like this.

Meanwhile the Tochigi Brex also announced that they have acquired 24-year old forward Hiromasa Omiya from the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins. The 197 cm tall Omiya, who spent some time in the U.S. after graduating from college, played only 1 season with Mitsubishi.

Another former OSG player, the 200 cm tall F/C Akihito Inoue, has found a new home. The 23-year old, who joined OSG from the 2007-08 season, was sought after by a couple of teams but decided to sign with perennial JBL powerhouse Toyota. The Toyota Alvark, who recently made a head coaching change from Torsten Loibl to Koju Munakata, will be loaded will talent once again as they look to regain the JBL title.

Yet another former OSG player also appears to have found a new home. C Yoshifumi Kuwahara, a 26-year old veteran who stand 200 cm tall, is reportedly on his way to the Toshiba Brave Thunders. Toshiba recently announced the departure of 28-year old center Shunsuke Ito, the longtime national team player who leaves Toshiba after 6 seasons and will undoubtedly be coveted by many teams.

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JORDAN

Two representatives from Jordan will face in the semifinal -by Eurobasket News
Zain and Orthodox will face each other in the semifinal of 21st Arab Clubs Championship. It became known after Day 10 of the tournament.
Zain is the favorite number one remaining undefeated at home championship. In the last game for the Group E the team from Jordan overcame Maghreb de Fes 96:76. The latter showed a good game, but could not stay even with Zain. Enver Soobzokov (193-G/F-78, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) led the winners with 23 points and 10 assists.Mohammad Hamdan (201-F-84) collected 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Mohammad Bushnaq (200-F-81) scored 15. Macktar M'Baye (185-G-84) nailed 25 points in defeat and Alpha Traore (188-G-83) posted 15.
Al Kuwait SC won Group F beating Orthodox 82:76. It was the game for the first place but even with a loss the latter advanced to the semis. With a tough beginning Al Kuwait SC grabbed 21:20 lead in the opening quarter. They increased to 47:41 at the half and dominated the first half. Orthodox bounced back in the third quarter cutting the gap to 65:64. The last period was another battle of the squads but Al Kuwait SC proved its ambitions for the top place and won the encounter. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) top-scored for the winners with 30 points and Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) nailed 23. Wesam Sous (181-G-83) produced 20 points in defeat and Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) nailed 19.
In the semifinals Zain and Orthodox will meet each other tonight. In another one Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut takes on Al Kuwait SC.

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KUWAIT

Al Kuwait SC advanced to the semis -by Eurobasket News
Al Kuwait SC won Group F of 21st Arab Clubs Championship beating Orthodox 82:76. It was the game for the first place but even with a loss the latter advanced to the semis. With a tough beginning Al Kuwait SC grabbed 21:20 lead in the opening quarter. They increased to 47:41 at the half and dominated the first half. Orthodox bounced back in the third quarter cutting the gap to 65:64. The last period was another battle of the squads but Al Kuwait SC proved its ambitions for the top place and won the encounter. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) top-scored for the winners with 30 points and Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) nailed 23. Wesam Sous (181-G-83) produced 20 points in defeat and Rob Anderson nailed 19.
Al Kuwait SC will face Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut in the semifinal opener. The latter won the encounter of defending champions Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut 95:89 last night. The team controlled the majority of the game and will be the representative from Lebanon in the semifinal. Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college: St.John's) is the key player of the team. Against Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut he poured in 40 points and shines in every game of 21st Arab Clubs Championship. Micah Brand (210-C-80, agency: CAA Sports, college: Massachusetts) posted 20 and Sabah Khoury (196-G-82) nailed 18.
In another semifinal Zain will play against Orthodox.

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LUXEMBOURG

Etzella goes from 1st to 4th place in just a few weeks ending playoffs with 4 game skid! Sparta wins 8th in a row. Amicale gains momentum for title run!!! -by Alex Meyers
Since mid-February when Sparta suffered huge back to back losses to Musel Pikes and Amicale they have gone on a winning streak of 5 games in a row in the playoffs. One of those wins was a 14 point home win over Etzella. Sparta's latest victim was Amicale. With Residence, Etzella and Contern remaining on their schedule, Sparta is looking more and more like the team to beat again for this season's DBBL title.

Amicale 60 - Sparta 69

Larrie Smith continued his dominating ways last evening in Steinsel by once again carrying his team across the finish line with a 9 point lead by the end of the game. Smith finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Smith got some help from teammates Sohrab Ziai and Christian Wulff with 16 and 10 points respectively. Sparta struggled from the free throw line(13 for 27) throughout the game to keep Amicale(14-11) within striking distance.Amicale had a decent first half going into intermission down by only 3 points. Amicale continued its success against the visitors in the 3rd period and tied things up by the quarter's end at 47 all. Sparta(18-7) then cranked up its defensive intensity holding Amicale to only 13 while scoring 22 themselves to get the 9 point road victory.

Amicale: 23 field goals, 8 three pointers, 6 for 11 free throws, 25 rebounds, 20 fouls and 10 turnovers.
Depree 15, Ney 10, Scholtes 17, Schartz 7, Jones 5, also Steinmetz, Rausch, Kartheiser, Gillardin and Birenbaum 6.
Sparta: 25 field goals, 6 three pointers, 13 for 27 free throws, 20 rebounds, 11 fouls and 6 turnovers.
Smith 29, Ziai 16, Wulff 10, Baustert 8, Hoffmann 2, also Palumbo 2 and Evans.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 15-18, Halftime 26-29, 3rd Q 47-47, Final 60-69

Sparta bounces back wins in overtime to take game 2 from Etzella!!! Giver brings Etzella back with 18 fourth quarter points!!! Baustert hits big three for win! -by Alex Meyers

Friday, May 2, 2008

Sparta had an enormous 64-39 lead. Etzella's Tim Giver played hero again scoring 18 fourth quarter points to help Etzella take it to overtime again. With the score tied at 93, Etzella's Jimmy Garganese missed a scoring opportunity near the end allowing Sparta's Christophe Baustert to play hero, winning the match with a huge three pointer in the final seconds to tie the series at 1-1.


Sparta controlled most of the game until the fourth quarter when they gave up 34 points, All five of Sparta's starters hit double figures in scoring led by Larrie Smith with 25 points. Smith also had 4 steals and 5 assists. Center Pit Hoffmann dominated inside tearing down 15 boards, blocking 5 shots and scoring 12 points before fouling out. Christian Wulff also had a great game adding 22(5 for 6 from the three point line) points and dishing for 5 assists. Christophe Baustert and Sohrab Ziai each had 15 points.


Tim Giver took over for Etzella in the 4th quarter, knocking down several big threes to bring his team back in the game. Giver went 4/5 from 2pt. range, 5 for 8 from downtown and 6 for 7 from the line. Marcus Kennedy also played a fabulous game ending up with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Nelson DelGado scored 19. Sparta and Etzella now look to next Friday's game #3 to see who will go to the final vs. Amicale or Musel Pikes. It seems that Etzella's Jairo DelGado may be out with torn ligaments in his elbow.

Sparta: 39 field goals, 6 three pointers, 12 for 17 free throws, 37 rebounds, 15 fouls and 7 turnovers.

Smith 25, Wulff 22, Baustert 15, Ziai 15, Hoffmann 12, also Palumbo 7 and Nittler.
Etzella: 31 field goals, 12 three pointers, 19 for 20 free throws, 26 rebounds, 20 fouls and 5 turnovers.

Giver 29, Kennedy 26, N. DelGado 19, J. DelGado 4, Schroeder 7, also Garganese 8 Kerger and Herrmann.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 24-16, Haftime 49-32, 3rd Q 69-50, 4th Q 84-84, 1OT Final 96-93



Amicale wins game 2 to even semi-final series at 1-1!!! Travis Depree led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds!!! -by Alex Meyers
Friday, May 2, 2008

Amicale 71 - Musel Pikes 63

Amicale exploded early pouncing on their opponents in the opening minutes with a 20-1 run! Musel Pikes calmed and found their game late in the first period and played wll enough in the 2nd and 3rd to climb back into the game entering the final stanza down by only 3 points. Musel Pikes took the lead early in the fourth and then ran out of gas and luck. Travis Depree was the game's MVP leading the way down the home stretch and finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.Christian Schartz played well adding 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Christopher Jones scored 12 for the winners from Steinsel. Amicale won this match because of four things. Amicale out-rebounded 37-25, committed fewer turnovers 9-14, shot more and better from the free throw line and finally, the Amicale bench out-scored Musel Pikes' bench 9-0.

Musel Pikes' Samy Picard hit 17 points followed closely by Guy Schmit with 16 and Laurent Schwartz 10. U.S. import Christopher Braier notched a double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Game three will be held on Friday, the 9th of May in Steinsel at 8:30pm. The winner shall advance to the finals at where they will play the winner of game three in the Sparta-Etzella semi-final matchup.

Amicale: 22 field goals, 9 three pointers, 18 for 25 free throws, 37 rebounds, 18 fouls and 9 turnovers.
Scholtes 7, Depree 22, Schartz 13, Ney 8, jones 12, also Birenbaum 7, D'Angelo, Kartheiser 2 and Rausch.
Musel Pikes: 21 field goals, 8 three pointers, 13 for 19 free throws, 25 rebounds, 15 fouls and 14 turnovers.
Braier 14, Kirch 6, Schwartz 10, G. Schmit 16, Picard 17, also Dentzer and Schmitz.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 25-8, Halftime 39-28, 3rd Q 51-48, Final 71-63

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MOROCCO

Maghreb de Fes finishes 21st Arab Clubs Championship -by Eurobasket News
Maghreb de Fes finished the participation in 21st Arab Clubs Championship in Jordan. Zain being the favorite number one remaining undefeated at home championship. In the last game for the Group E the team from Jordan overcame Maghreb de Fes 96:76. The latter showed a good game, but could not stay even with Zain. Enver Soobzokov (193-G/F-78, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) led the winners with 23 points and 10 assists.Mohammad Hamdan (201-F-84) collected 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Mohammad Bushnaq (200-F-81) scored 15. Macktar M'Baye (185-G-84) nailed 25 points in defeat and Alpha Traore (188-G-83) posted 15.

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NBA

Atlanta not ready to go out yet -by Eurobasket News
The Atlanta Hawks refused to give up crafting an improbable 103:100 victory over the regular season leaders Boston at the Phillips Arena and forcing the decisive seventh game in the series. Many have predicted this series to be a classical one-way traffic with a sweep pretty sure to happen. And it looked alike after the first two games in Boston. But then the Celtics travelled to the Phillips Arena and things changed drastically. The Hawks celebrated three wins at home including the yesterdays one to keep the series knotted. However they now need to come up with heroics away from their supporting crowd. But it will be on Sunday while today the Hawks are flying high. Joe Johnson (6'8''-F-81, college: Arkansas) hit a key treble with just over a minute remaining in regulation and propelled the hosts to an impressive victory. Marvin Williams (6'9''-F-86, college: N.Carolina) scored 18 points to lead the home side despite being sidelined for the major part of the fourth term with a sprained left knee. Joe Johnsons trey made it 100:95 for the Hawks. James Posey answered with his own three-pointer but just to see Joe Johnson sinking two free throws. Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) once again gave a chance for the Celtics with a quick bucket but Michael Bibby (6'2''-G-78, college: Arizona) sealed the winning outcome from charity stripe. Michael Bibby scored 17 points, while Al Horford (6'10''-F/C-86, college: Florida) delivered 16 in a winning case. Kevin Garnett had 22 points, 7 boards and 6 assists in defeat. Ray Allen notched 20 points for Boston.
Meanwhile two other series were completed yesterday. Utah easily overcame Houston 113:91 at home to advance to the next stage. Seven players scored in double digits for the Jazz and the hosts used a 27:11 third stanza to run away for good. Deron Williams (6'3''-G-84, college: Illinois) provided 25 points and 9 assists for the Jazz. Mehmet Okur had 19 points and 13 boards for the winners. Tracy McGrady (6'8''-G/F-79) answered with 40 points and 10 rebounds in a losing clause. The Jazz now will take on the LA Lakers in the Western semis.
LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) tallied his career third playoff triple-double and led the Cavaliers past Washington 105:88 at the Verizon Center. James finished with 27 points, 13 boards and 13 assists and Cleveland closed out the series against Washington. It was the third straight season that the Washington was eliminated by Cleveland in the first round of playoffs. The Wizards were playing without Darius Songaila (6'9''-C/F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wake Forest) who was suspended by the league for hitting LeBron James in the face in Game 5. Cleveland now wait for the outcome of Boston vs. Atlanta clash. Wally Szczerbiak (6'6''-F-77, college: Miami, OH) contributed 26 points and Daniel Gibson dropped 22 in a win. Antawn Jamison paced Washington with 23 points and 15 boards.

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NEW ZEALAND

Waikato blasts Wellington in top-shelf battle -by Eurobasket News
Jason Crowe (193-G-76, agency: Court Side, college: Cal.St. Northridge) and Brian Wethers (194-F/G-80, college: California) put on yet another sizzling performance and Waikato held off the second-ranked Wellington 101:88 in overtime at the Hamilton City Stadium. Brian Wethers launched game-high 42 points, while Jason Crowe had 30 points for the Pistons as they remained at the top of the NBL ladder. Brian Wethers stepped up with 14 straight points for Waikato to carry the team to a 48:41 lead at halftime. Jason Crowe and Brian Wethers then teamed up for back-to-back treys to open the second half and soon the margin was stretched to 14 points. However the Saints were not just yet. The former Piston Luke Martin (181-G-81, college: UTEP) bruised the hosts with a couple of three-pointers and crucial free throws late in regulation to force overtime. Nevertheless the home side prevailed. Brian Wethers completed his solid tally with 7 points in the extra period and Waikato overwhelmed their opponents in the overtime. Jason Crowe notched the second triple-double of the season as he added 12 boards and 10 assists to his 30 points. Ernest Scott (200-F-82, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Valdosta St.) answered with 25 points for the Saints. Luke Martin provided 21 points and 7 assists in a loss.
In the meantime the defending champions Nelson Giants moved to the third spot in the ladder. They knocked down the Otago Nuggets 96:80 at the Trafalgar Centre. The Giants were in control throughout the action and easily posted their 7th win in the season. Phill Jones (196-G-74) scored 25 points, while Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) had 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Antoine Tisby (203-C-83, agency: 540 Sports, college: S.Carolina) replied with 32 points for the Nuggets.

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


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NIGERIA

Comets stake pride against Warriors -by Olusegun Ikuesan
The Sports Hall of the Lagos National will today (Saturday) come alive as former Nigeria premier league champion and reigning Atlantic Conference Champion of the premier league, Ebun Comets basketball club take to the floor against Dodan Warriors basketball in an Atlantic conference pairing of the Nigeria premier league.

Comets coached by former Nigeria senior national team coach, Ayo Bakare must be at their best to stop the rampaging of the Coaches Adeka Dauda and Peter Ahmedu tutored Warriors side.

While Warriors is enjoying a 2-1 record in the league so far, Comets can only boast of a 1-2 record which puts them at the edge going into todays game which many have described as one match that will produce all the trapping and tricks in the slamming and dunking game.

Players to watch out for;

Comet Denis Ebikoro, a very reliable forward, adjudged the best at the low post in the Nigeria scene for now

Orseer Ikyaator a point guard of great potential and ability, his court vision is a plus for him.

Deji Egbeyemi a 6 feet, 2 inch tall off-guard with a leap of 7 footer, a fearless lad who can take on his challenger at will.

Dodan Warriors Mohammed Bukir, expectedly the best in the warriors pack, a lad with great potential and speed.

Edwin Obodo Jerry, cut his basketball teeth with Wahab Folawiyo High School at the annual Nestle Milo Secondary School Championship and since grown into a big player little wonder when he was handed the captainship of the Warriors side.

...Union Bank set 20-points margin against Islanders

And on Sunday at same venue, star-studded Union Bank basketball club of Lagos has set a 20-points margin as they play host to Islanders basketball club.

In a chat with www.fiba-africa.com, an official of the bankers says the Islanders team coached by former Nigeria international point guard, Ogoh Odaudu were lucky to have escaped with a 55-40 points lose in the Lagos City league game Wednesday.

But in quick reaction the Islanders team was united in their opinion that basketball is not played by mere wishes and promised to shock the Union Bank team.

Sunday game between the Union Bank and Islanders may see slight changes on the line-up of both sides, as Union Bank have promised to unleash two former member of opponent (Baba Jibril and Michael Ohiero) come Sunday.Adesola Alayande (183-G-84)

Customs end road game, battle Pillars and AHIP -by Olusegun Ikuesan
Nigeria Customs Service basketball club will this weekend round-off it road games to the Savannah conference of the Nigeria premier league with two games in Kano.

The border boys as the Gyang Buba men are known will today (Saturday) take on old war horse, Kano Pillars basketball club at the sports hall of the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kafa Mata, Kano.

The team with team assistant coach, Abba Jagu Mohammed standing in for head coach Scott Nnaji who is undergoing a course in Lagos will do battle against Adolescent Health & Information Programme (AHIP) basketball team on Sunday at the same venue.

The Customs Friday won its second road game when it walked-over host Yelwa Hawks basketball club, Bauchi over the latter failure to make the venue good enough to host a basketball event as the premier league having beaten Tapgun Rockets basketball club of Jos by 74-67 points.

The Atlantic conference side, however, lost to Niger Potters of Minna (64-61), went down to Plateau Peaks of Jos (83-61), fell to Bauchi Net basketball club (74-71).

Whales surprised Police in City league -by Olusegun Ikuesan
Whales basketball club of Friday pulled a surprised 68-54 points victory over Police Bombers basketball club in the 4th Lagos City league played at the sports hall of the Lagos National Stadium.

The Charles Osho tutored Whales who last Wednesday fell to Dodan Warriors basketball club by 59-38 points rose to the challenge poised by the Mark Balogun tutored Bombers from the first quarter of the explosive match.

In another match decided Friday Chariot basketball club recorded its first win with a 55-38 points pummeling of Raptors basketball club.

Action continue today with Ikorodu Kings parading oldies such as 7 feet Alex Soyebo popularly known as legend taking on Flames basketball while Rookies Academy takes on Warriors Academy on Sunday in a battle of the academies.

The 4th edition of the city league dunks-off Wednesday with eight matches already decided.

All the results:

Police Bombers 39-35 Chariot

Dodan Warriors 59-38 Whales

Ebun Comets 76-34 Raptors

Union Bank 55-40 Islanders

Ikorodu Kings 51-39 Rookies Academy

Warriors Academy 50-41 Flames

Whales 68-54 Police Bombers

Chariot 55-38 Raptors.

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PARAGUAY

Sol de America defeats FPC -by Gianni Pascucci
Sol de Amrica defetaed Felix Prez Cardozo 86-77, in the first game of the second Round of Group A, played in Encarnacion. Gustavo Paniagua (186-G-80) scored 18 pts and Peter Kiganya (197-F-72, college: Abil.Christian) and Renzo Ferrari (191-G/F-84) added 13 each at the winning side. Brandon Lee (188-G, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Tarleton St.) with 25 points was the best in Felix Perez Cardozo, bu the other import, Vince Williams, scored only 7 points, and rumors say that he will soon replaced. In another game player yesterday night, for Group B, America de Pilar routed Gigantes del Norte Concepcin, por 107-77, with imports Jose Fabio (198-F-77) and Marcus Watts (204-F/C-83, college: Florida Gulf Coast) dominating inside. They combined for 62 points, while the best scorer in Gigantes was Sebastian Lopez (186-G-77), with 22 points.

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PORTUGAL

LIGA UZO semi finals round 3 -by Luis Rocha
Porto is in the final after won today in Vagos 86-79. They sweap Vagos 3-0 in a close and tough series. Vagos played very well and was close to get a win , but in the end of each match they failed to secure the triumph. Todays game was the most unbalanced of all, but even so Vagos stood up to the challenge. Porto find a way to get Nuno Marcal (205-F-75) near is real value, and when that happens things turn out easier for his team. he was the round MVP with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Ginsio surprised everyone by winning the third game at home against Ovarense. It was a strange night for Ovarense, their players too insecure, loosing many short shots, not taking other due to lack of confidence, a strange way of playing after two easy games. Ginsio made his part and didnt gave much things away, bit by bit they enlarge the core and end the third quarter with 9 points ahead. Ovarewnse made a great come back and took the gsme to overtime, forcing Ginsio to only score 7 points in the last quarter. In overtime the lack of confidence had made a new appearance in the Ovar team, when everyone expect them to continue their game as they did in the 4th period, but no, and Ginsio step up and won 80-76. Graham Brown (205-C-84, college: Michigan) and Greg Stempin (203-F-79, agency: Duran International, college: Toledo) made a good game but Nate Daniels (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Mountain St.) took his team to the 4th game.

LIGA UZO semi finals round 4 -by Luis Rocha
Ovarense won 78-74 at Ginsio and get trough the final. Nice game with Ginsio trying evrything to speed things up and get some advantage in the transition game, avoiding at the same time to play 5x5 many times on account of the superior height of Ovarense inside players. Ovarense one more time seemed a bit out, plying their set ups with not all the concentration demanded, but without never leaving Ginsio to get a big margin. The close game went on and on untill the very end, and Ovarense managed to win, not without some hard dificulties (at least far more than they expected). Ginsios Joao Reveles (187-G-80) was the best on the court with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, a good portuguese guard, who can pass, shoot or penetrate with equal capacity.

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


Standings - Proliga
Proliga Standings
 1. Benfica 25-3 
 2. Vitoria 25-3 
 3. Queluz 21-7 
 4. Illiabum 20-8 
 5. Fisica 18-10 
 6. Academica 15-13 
 7. Esgueira 14-14 
 8. Sampaense 13-15 
 9. Sangalhos 12-16 
 10. Angra 12-16 
 11. Seixal 11-17 
 12. Atletico 10-18 
 13. Galitos FC 8-20 
 14. Maia 6-22 
 15. Aguiar 0-28 


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PUERTO RICO

Lions Rout Brujos -by Luis Ramirez
The Ponce Lions won a one-sided game against the helpless Brujos 119-73. The Lions started the game on an upbeat tempo and simply did not quit the rest of the game, they immediately took a 26-17 lead in the 1st quarter and they were leading 61-38 at the half. Ponce Head Coach Carlos Mario Rivera had the opportunity to see his bench players and was happily surprised as rookie Jorge Lebron (188-G-86) had a triple double coming off the bench. Lebron scored a total of 10 points captured 11 rebounds and had 13 assists in the game. He was said to be the youngest player in BSN League history to get a triple double. It was one of those nights when nothing could go wrong for the Lions. The 2nd half was much the same as the 1st half, the Lions continued to expand their lead to the delight of the fans, which also got a special treat as Joel Jones (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Sacramento St.) Camacho put on an aerial display as he made several dunks, including a 360 windmill dunk that brought everyone to their feet. The Lions with this win continue to hold a 1/2 game advantage over the San German Athletics in the 3rd spot of the Island standings. For Ponce Joel Jones scored 23 points followed by Freddie Martinez with 18 points. For Guayama, Jose Soto scored 13 points followed by Magdiel Rivera with 12 points.

Over at Arecibo, the Caguas Criollos are just 1 game behind the Captains who currently lead the Island section. The Criollos beat the Captains 97-88. The Criollos took the 1st quarter 20-19, they also took the 2nd quarter to take a 41-37 lead at the half. In the 2nd half the Criollos would not let up and expanded their lead to 10 points as the 3rd quarter ended 73-63. The Captains which were playing at home could not take advantage of the home crowd which often gives their home team an added energy thru out the game. For Caguas, Shawn Redhage scored 26 points followed by Ricardo Melendez with 22 points. For Arecibo, Angel Figueroa (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Dowling) scored 22 points followed by Bobby Joe Hatton with 20 points.

In the last game of the night, the San German Athletics kept pace with the Ponce Lions as they beat the Mayaguez Indians 95-83 to stay just 1/2 game behind the Lions in their quest for the 3 spot in the Island section. The Indians took the 1st quarter 23-20, but after that it was all Athletics, they took the lead back in the 2nd quarter to finish the 1st half 47-43. In the 2nd half the Indians played a better offensive game but could not avoid the loss. For San German, Samuel Villegas and Desmon Farmer both scored 22 points. For Mayaguez, Giovanni Jimenez (187-G-82, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: St.Johns River CC) scored 23 points followed by Albert White with 15 points.

There had been some concern with newly import Desmon Farmer as he only scored 4 points in his first game with the Athletics when they played the Lions the other night, but it seems he has found his stroke last night.

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RUSSIA

Playoff - Dynamo won the game -by Aleksandra Sanders
Playoffs - Triumph - Dynamo M 66-84

The game was held yesterday. The result of this match is 66-84 (18-26 16-16 17-21 15-21).

This time Dynamo was stronger then Triumph and will play against CSKA in a semi-final.

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CSKA won the half finals game versus TAU - after-the-game comments of Ettore Messina -by Aleksandra Sanders
Yesterday CSKA won the half finals game against TAU with the score 79-83.
Here the post-game comments of CSKA`s head coach Ettore Messina presented by CSKA officials:


Ettore Messina, CSKA head coach:

- It was a very difficult game. Tau came in extremely prepared in the first half to take away our inside game. They broke all of our offense. And we didn't have the coordination between the inside and outside game. And we got nervous. The good thing is that we did not change anything from the first half. In the second half we had a lot of balance on the inside and outside. We had a lot of guys who worked hard on one side or the other. Now we are very tired and happy. For a few seconds at halftime I thought about changing something in our strategy. But I didn't think it was fair to change. If we didn't do something well, we just had to do it better. And if we made any changes then all the things we believe every day would be crushed.

It's very special to be back in the final. I have been very lucky to be in the final seven times. And it's especially special at this Final Four since it's the celebration of 50 years of the Final Four. So things here have been very delicate from a psychological and physical standpoint. Now we just have to focus on Sunday because if we win it will be something extremely big. It will be a final of two distinguished teams.

I felt a little bit like a young kid after the ceremony. I was a little bit lost for some part of the warm-up and some part of the game because of the ceremony. I have no problem saying that. But to see so many heroes was something that really really made me like this. I felt like a kid at Disneyland seeing so many of my idols and having my family in the stands. It took away a little bit of my concentration.

CSKA enters Euroleague Finals for the 3rd time in a row -by Max Brodsky
CSKA Moscow booked a spot in its third straight Euroleague Basketball championship game by holding off Tau Ceramica 79-83 in the second semifinal of the 2008 Final Four at the Community of Madrid Sports Palace on Friday in the Spanish capital. Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) iced the game with a pair of free throws with 6.5 seconds left after Tau tried to rally late. Siskauskas finished with 16 points as one of five CSKA scorers in double figures. In Sundays final, CSKA will look for its second title in three years and sixth overall, which would rank it second all-time behind only Real Madrid. In the final, CSKA will face the team it defeated in the 2006 title game in Prague, Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv, which beat Montepaschi Siena 85-92 earlier Friday. Tau led at halftime and was up early in the fourth quarter, but Theo Papaloukas (200-G-77) scored twice in a 0-10 CSKA charge that turned the game around. CSKA held on until the final minute, when some missed free throws from Theo Papaloukas and triples from Pablo Prigioni (186-G-77) and Igor Rakocevic (191-G-78) carried Tau to within 2 with less than 10 seconds remaining. However Siskauskas was up to the task with the game on the line, setting up a classic Euroleague final between the two biggest superpowers of the decade. David Andersen (212-C-80) missed only one shot on his way to 16 points as well for CSKA, while J.R. Holden (185-G-76, college: Bucknell) finished with 15, Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) added 14 and Theo Papaloukas 10. Rakocevic paced Tau with 19, Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85) and Zoran Planinic (198-G-82) scored 17 points apiece and Pete Mickeal (198-F-78, college: Cincinnati) had 11 in defeat.

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SERBIA

Euroleague - FMP junior team beats current champion Zalgiris -by Dragan Jankovski
Junior team of FMP recorded the second win on the Euroleague final tournament beating current champions Zalgiris from Kaunas 65-58. Panthers celebrated much easier than they expected. Bojan Subotic (203-F/C-90) paced the winners with 20 points and 13 rebounds. In the last round of Group B FMP will meet the host team Real Madrid and they have a nice chance to finish on top of above mentioned group. FMP doesn't have to win against Real. Namely, if they loose with less than 15 points they will remain on top.

Crvena Zvezda suffered another defeat. This time the red-and-white team lost vs Lietuvos Rytas 73-82. Thus, the team from Belgrade doesn't have any chance to qualify to the semifinals.

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SWEDEN

Solna holds off Sundsvall for 2-0 lead -by Eurobasket News
Solna - Sundsvall 72:59

The things getting tougher for the regular season champions Sundsvall. The Dragons lost the second straight game in the Final series and need to win the remaining three games to grab the title. Solna snatched a narrow and quite unexpected road victory from Sundsvall in Game 1 and extended success soon after. The Vikings came back home full of confidence and paid off straight away. The hosts jumped to an early lead due to an impressive performance from Lesli Myrthil (200-F-77, college: Wagner). He scored 10 out of the first 17 points from Solna as the Vikings picked up a 17:12 lead. Alex Wesby however played some pivotal role for the Dragons in the second stanza as they kept it at 5-point distance 29:34 at halftime. Lesli Myrthil had 12 points at the end of the first half. Solna went from the dressing room firing from all guns. They organized a 20:6 rally to build a 54:35 lead after three quarters of action. The Dragons had little to hope in the final period. They trimmed the gap a bit but it was not enough to threaten Solnas dominance. So now the Vikings are 2-0 up and should make the last step to reach the title. Lesli Myrthil completed a 22-point tally to lead the hosts. He also accounted for 11 boards in a win. Rudy Mbemba (181-G-87) came up with 17 points, 6 boards and 3 assists, while Bilal Salaam (201-F-81, college: Kutztown) had 11 points in a winning effort. Game 3 is scheduled for May 5.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

David Flores: Duncan defined by basics -by David Edole
Theres a reason Shaquille ONeal dubbed Spurs forward Tim Duncan the Big Fundamental.

From his footwork to his trademark bank shot to his jump hook with either hand to his defense and rebounding, Duncan embodies a commitment to the basics of basketball that so many players of his generation lack.

Maybe Duncans career would have turned out differently if he had grown up in urban America, instead of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In Duncans case, playing his high school ball in the boonies couldnt have turned out better.

Tim was not infected by a lot of the negative outside influences that most of his contemporaries grew up with, Dave Odom, his former coach at Wake Forest, said the other day. Today, when players come into your program, you have to break them down and build them back up.

Duncan was different, to say the least.

He had virtually no bad habits, Odom said.

If I were a high school post player today, I would record every Spurs game and study each facet of Duncans game.

And then work to put all the pieces together, just as he has done through the years.

He just goes out and plays the game the way its supposed to be played, said former St. Marys coach Buddy Meyer, who watches Spurs workouts occasionally. Hes a coachs dream, thats what he is.

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UKRAINE

Kyiv Step Away from Sweep, Azovmash Even Series -by Alexei Naumov

BC Kyiv took another step towards the 2008 Superleague Finals, having defeated Politekhnika-Galychyna Lviv 104:72 in game 2 of the Semifinal Series.


Unlike in game 1, Kyiv did not let the opposition have any hopes even in the early minutes of the 1st quarter, capturing a 12:3 lead midway through the timeframe, mainly due to the efforts of Ryan Stack (212-F/C-75, agency: Interperformances, college: S.Carolina) and Marko Maravic. Lvivs Dmytro Kuzmin and Juric Umbrasko, who scored two threes to close out the quarter, made Kyivs lead look less catastrophic 28:14.


Tomo Mahoric completely shifted his lineup in the second quarter and the new group of players demonstrated how long Kyivs bench is. Although Lviv managed to trim the lead to 7, Manuchar Markoishvili hit two treys to extinguish the fire. Mahoric, despite it, returned the starters, who made the score 51:37 at halftime.

Lviv had a 6:0 run early in the 3rd quarter and cut the margin to 11. Pooh Jeter replied with a 6-point surge to end the stretch up by 13.


Ryan Stack was phenomenal in the final frame, firing at will from the long range. He made 6 of 8 shots from downtown in the game, finishing the contest with 22 points. The Kyiv side knocked the visitors out with a 34:15 quarter, stopping just one win away from the Finals.

Josh Davis added 16 points for Kyiv.


Lvivs Volodymyr Gurtoviy, who recovered from the injury that benched him for almost the entire game 1, score team-high 16 points in the losing effort.

Kyiv will have a chance to sweep the series in Lviv on May 7.


Azovmash Mariupol, meanwhile, managed to even the series against Khimik after defeating the visitors 86:79. Game 3 will be in Yuzhniy also on May 7.


Game stats are available here.



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WCBPL

Maywood wins in debut -by Gianni Pascucci
While the Santa Barbara Breakers went on in winning, defeating the Pasadena Slam 124-112 led by Josh Merrill (6'9''-F-74, college: UCSB), who scored 23 pts and grabbed 15 rebs, it seems that the ABA team to compete in the West Coast Pro Basketball League won' t be Orange County, but the Maywood Buzz. The Buzz joned the league and got a nice start in their debut game, shutting down the Ventura Jets. The Buzz was lead by Ramel Lloyd (6'4''-G-78, college: Long Beach St.) who scored 25 pts and Adam Zahn (6'8''-F-84, college: Oregon) who added 20 pts and 8 rebs. Buzz GM and Head Coach Burrel Lee stated to media that his team would participate to the WCPBL Tournament, to be held in Santa Barbara June 20-22.

Standings
WCBPL Standings
1. Santa Barbara 4-0
2. O. County 1-0
3. High Desert 0-0
4. Pasadena 0-1
5. Hollywood 0-1
6. Ventura 0-1
7. Newport Beach 0-1
8. Carlsbad 0-1




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Women News

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BULGARIA - Women

Quarterfinal task is completed for Dunav, Lukoil and Rilski -by Eurobasket News
The quarterfinal stage is almost done in the Bulgarian A1 League. Three teams have already booked their semifinal tickets. Beroe 2007 and Slavia will have to clash in the third and decisive game tomorrow to fill in the semifinal picture. The regular season champions Dunav easily dealt with Cherno More in two games. Dunav routed their opponents 111:52 in the first game. Anna Rimpova fired 23 points and grabbed 7 boards for the winners. Viktoria Mircheva (190-C-87) added 21 points in a winning case. Antoaneta Stoykova (-G-89) replied with 26 points for Cherno More. The teams then moved to Varna for the second game in the series but Cherno More could not save the series at home. Dunav dominated and deservedly posted an 86:50 victory to advance to the semifinal stage. Viktoria Mircheva topscored for Dunav with 18 points. Diana Naydenova provided 16 points and 10 assists in a win. Antoaneta Stoykova once again was solid for Cherno More with 21 points in defeat.
Lukoil breezed past NSA Delta in two games. Firstly the second-ranked Lukoil stunned NSA 92:54 at home court. Zornitsa Kostova scored 20 points, Dimana Makarieva (183-C-84) and Anna Sokolan dropped 12 points apiece for the winners. Kristina Nikolova (174-F-86) provided 15 points in a loss. NSA Delta had little chances in Sofia as well. Lukoil eased past the hosts 95:50 and qualified for the semis. Natalia Topalova produced 21 points and 10 boards for the winners. Kristina Nikolova had 15 points in a loss.
Rilski cruised past Montana 2003 completing the sweep in the series. In Samokov Rilski celebrated a 101:51 win. Agnesa Doychinova was impressive with 32 points and 10 boards. Hristina Ivanova (185-F-89) added 14 points and 9 boards for the winning team. Tsvetomila Petrova answered with 17 points for Montana 2003. Rilski remained concentrated and thrashed Montana 106:66 away from home. Agnesa Doychinova this time canned 25 points and pulled down 13 boards. Hristina Ivanova finished with 18 points in a win. Zheni Dimitrova (184-F-87) replied with 17 points for Montana 2003.
Beroe 07 and Slavia exchanged home wins to force the third decisive game tomorrow. Beroe overcame their opponents 73:67 in Stara Zagora. Trailing by 6 points after three quarters of action Beroe stepped on the gas in the fourth period and prevailed at the end. Ralitsa Naneva (178-F-86) registered 24 points and 9 steals to pace Beroe. Stefka Nikolova and Tsvetelina Nikolova had 14 points apiece for Slavia. But in Sofia Slavia tied thins up rolling to a 63:60 win. Lilyana Ilieva (191-C-88) posted 20 points and 10 boards to lead the hosts. Zhaneta Zhelyova (182-F-75) had game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds for Slavia.

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MOLDOVA - Women

Krasnoshchek wins it with Tim-Skuf -by Eurobasket News
Irina Krasnoshchek (190-F-81, agency: LBM Management) and her Tim-Scuf edged the 2007 champions Dnipro in the decisive fifth game of the Final series to clinch the Superleague title. The Kyiv outfit saved the day at the capital winning the fourth game and forcing the title decider. They extended the winning streak in Dnepropetrovsk beating the regular season champions and snatching the crown. The encounter turned into a real drama full of lead changes and seesaw action. The lead changed hands for 5 times in the opening stanza before Olga Lyashkova and Maryna Sazonenko nailed 5 points to cap the frame at 27:21 for the hosts. The home team maintained the advantage throughout the second stanza. Olga Lyashkova and Olga Dubrovina (170-G-87) teamed up for 5 points in a row at the end of the frame and Dnipro went into the dressing room enjoying a 10-point buffer. Yelena Savina and Inna Krishen trimmed the deficit to 5 points early in the third period. Later Jennifer Fleischernailed a jumper and Inna Krishen came up with a trey to give the visitors a 53:52 lead. The teams traded baskets to complete the third stanza all square at 58. The teams combined for only 6 points in the starting five and a half minutes of the fourth period and then Olga Lyashkova nailed a jump shot to knot it at 62. Mariya Shal and Lamisha Augustine scored 4 consecutive points for Tim-Scuf to give them to a 66:62 advantage with less than 3 minutes left in regulation. Inna Yegorova followed with 3 straight free throws to put the visitors up by 7 points and they proved unassailable for Dnipro. The hosts cut the gap to 3 points on back-to-back trebles from Anna Pokoiova but it was as close as the home side could get. Lamisha Augustine and Jennifer Fleischer sealed the winning outcome for Tim-Scuf from charity stripe.
Yelena Savina topscored for Tim-Scuf with 24 points and 10 boards. Inna Yegorova added 17 points and 7 boards, while Jennifer Fleischer scored 14 points in a winning effort. Irina Krasnoshchek collected 2 rebounds to celebrate it with her team.
before that Dnipro took 2-1 in the series after 68:76 in a road game. Irina Krasnoshchek scored 2 points and made 3 rebounds in defeat. Tim Skuf had nothing to lose and advantaged in the fourth game with 81:76. It was another interesting battle of the best two teams in the Ukrainian league. In the beginning of the third quarter Dnipro used a 15-5 run to go on a lead. Tim-Skuf held the moment and replied with their run finishing the third quarter at 61:57. In the end of the game Tim Skuf had 72:70 but Olga Lyashkova sent the game into overtime. Kiev side was in front for the whole time in the extra period and won the campaign 81:76. Inna Yegorova paced the winners with 23 points. Yelena Savina nailed 20, while Fleicher collected 14 points and 18 rebounds. Yuliya Yakhina top-scored for Dnipro with 19 points and Lisdevi poured in 15 points and made 15 boards.

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POLAND - Women

Finals FGE: Wisla Can-Pack - Lotos PKO BP 3:3 -by Wojciech Strzebinczyk
Wisła Can Pack Krakw - Lotos PKO BP Gdynia 60:69 (16:24, 21:17, 15:10, 8:18)
Wisła Can Pack: Kara Brown-Braxton 17, Anna Wielebnowska 14, Candice Dupree 11, Anna DeForge 7, Jelena Skerovic 6, Agnieszka Pałka 5, Marta Fernandez 0, Monika Krawiec 0.
Lotos PKO BP: Dominique Canty 22, Chamique Holdsclaw 22, Alana Beard 10, Slobodanka Maksimovic 6, Natalia Waligrska 6, Anna Breitreiner 3, Magdalena Leciejewska 0, Jekaterina Snicyna 0.

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SERBIA - Women

Standings - Women
A Standings
Superleague
 1. Hemofarm 24-1 
 2. Crvena Zv. 20-5 
 3. Partizan 19-6 
 4. Spartak 17-8 
 5. Vojvodina 15-10 
 6. Proleter 11-14 
Others in Stage One
 1. Kraljevo 9-13 
 2. Kovin 7-15 
 3. Loznica 7-15 
 4. Usce 5-17 
 5. Radnicki NB 4-18 
 6. Stara Pazova 3-19 


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SLOVAKIA - Women

Standings - Women
Extraliga Standings
1-6 Places
 1. Kosit 2013 28-0 
 2. MBK Ruz. 21-7 
 3. Nitra 17-11 
 4. UMB B.B. 12-14 
 5. Viktoria K. 12-15 
 6. Cassovia K. 8-17 
7-10 Places
 1. Poprad 13-10 
 2. Roznava 11-12 
 3. Slovan 3-20 
 4. Myjava 2-21 


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SLOVENIA - Women

Standings - Women
1A Standings
Places 1-6
 1. Celje 8-2 
 2. Hit Kr.Gora 8-2 
 3. AJM Maribor 6-4 
 4. Jezica 4-6 
 5. Odeja 3-7 
 6. Neso Ihke 1-9 
Places 7-12
 1. Konjice 18-11 
 2. Domzale 13-16 
 3. Triglav 8-21 
 4. City Center 6-23 
 5. NT U16 2-3 
 6. Crnomelj 1-28 


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UKRAINE - Women

Tip-top Tim-Scuf wins the crown! -by Eurobasket News
Dnipro - Tim-Scuf 71:77

Tim-Scuf edged the 2007 champions Dnipro in the decisive fifth game of the Final series to clinch the Superleague title. The Kyiv outfit saved the day at the capital winning the fourth game and forcing the title decider. They extended the winning streak in Dnepropetrovsk beating the regular season champions and snatching the crown. The encounter turned into a real drama full of lead changes and seesaw action. The lead changed hands for 5 times in the opening stanza before Olga Lyashkova (185-G-80, agency: LBM Management) and Maryna Sazonenko (172-G-86, college: Oregon St.) nailed 5 points to cap the frame at 27:21 for the hosts. The home team maintained the advantage throughout the second stanza. Olga Lyashkova and Olga Dubrovina (170-G-87) teamed up for 5 points in a row at the end of the frame and Dnipro went into the dressing room enjoying a 10-point buffer. Yelena Savina (186-F-84) and Inna Krishen (182-F-84) trimmed the deficit to 5 points early in the third period. Later Jennifer Fleischer (191-C-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Pennsylvania) nailed a jumper and Inna Krishen came up with a trey to give the visitors a 53:52 lead. The teams traded baskets to complete the third stanza all square at 58. The teams combined for only 6 points in the starting five and a half minutes of the fourth period and then Olga Lyashkova nailed a jump shot to knot it at 62. Mariya Shal (182-G-84) and Lamisha Augustine (186-F-82, agency: LBM Management, college: San Jose St.) scored 4 consecutive points for Tim-Scuf to give them to a 66:62 advantage with less than 3 minutes left in regulation. Inna Yegorova (173-G-82) followed with 3 straight free throws to put the visitors up by 7 points and they proved unassailable for Dnipro. The hosts cut the gap to 3 points on back-to-back trebles from Anna Pokoiova but it was as close as the home side could get. Lamisha Augustine and Jennifer Fleischer sealed the winning outcome for Tim-Scuf from charity stripe.
Yelena Savina topscored for Tim-Scuf with 24 points and 10 boards. Inna Yegorova added 17 points and 7 boards, while Jennifer Fleischer scored 14 points in a winning effort. Olga Lyashkova responded with 16 points for Dnipro. Olga Dubrovina nailed 15 points in a loss.

Dnipro: Olga Lyashkova 16, Olga Dubrovina 15
Tim-Scuf: Yelena Savina 24+10 boards, Inna Yegorova 17, Jennifer Fleischer 14