EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/12/2008

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Men News

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  ABA   


Silverados move from CBA to the ABA - by Gianni Pascucci
The American Basketball Association announced that Beaumont, Texas will be added to its expansion teams for the upcoming season starting in December. Joe Newman, ABA CEO, stated to media that the team is owned by Jordan J. Maswoswe, BSc., PharmD, a pharmacist who has spent the last twenty years in senior pharmacy mangement position. He was able to acquire the McAllen based Rio Grande Valley Silverados, formerly of the Continental Basketbal Association, joining the ABA and to moving the team to Beaumont, Texas. The team will play in the first class Ford Arena there. It is not sure, however, if the team willl keep the nickname Silverados or not.

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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Zvezda agrees with Stimac and wants Marko Keselj, Dusan Djordjevic in Bosna - by Dragan Jankovski
Vladimir Stimac (209-C-87, agency: Interperformances) agreed terms with Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade. He spent last season in Latvian team SK Valmiera finishing Baltic league as well as Latvian league as a top rebounder. He played 20 games for his team in regional championship averaging 17.1 ppg and 11 rpg. Stimac also had 26 appearances in Latvian league adding 15.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg. He joined Valmiera in February 2007 from Lithuanian Zalgiris Kaunas. Stimac left Serbia in 2005 after one senior season with B league team Beovuk 72. He was a member of Serbian U20 National Team which went Gold at the European Championship last summer in Nova Gorica. He made the same success with U18 Serbia on EC 2005 in Belgrade.
At the same time Crvena Zvezda showed serious interest to sign on of the hottest Serbian prospects Marko Keselj (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket). As a reminder Keselj just returned from U20 European Championship in Riga where Serbia defended Gold medal. He netted 20 points and grabbed 5 boards in the final game against Lithuania. Keselj was a member of Serbia U19 which became the FIBA U19 World Champion last summer in Novi Sad. Serbia was better than storng USA in the final game.

Point guard Dusan Djordjevic (195-G-83) signed contract with champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosna ASA BHT. Djordjevic is experienced point guard who played last three seasons in Vojvodina Srbijagas. At his last one he averaged 5.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.1 spg. Before Vojvodina, he used to play for PAOK Thessaloniki, Spartak St. Petersburg, Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu and Radnicki Belgrade.

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  AUSTRIA   


Transfer news - by Stefan Heinrich
The Traiskirchen Lions announced that the Italian coach Andrea Maghelli will stay another season with the Lions and they plan to keep the most part of last year's roster only Spencer Rhynes (196-G/F-74, college: Huston-Tillotson) and Stevan Milosevic (211-C-85, agency: Interperformances) will leave the Lions for sure as well as the Davor Lamesic.

UBSC Graz presented 3 new players for the upcoming season. Alexander Lanegger (192-G-86) comes back from Furstenfeld and Christian Kollik (203-G/F-80, agency: Court Side, college: Rice) wll return to his hometown after playing last season in St. Polten. Lanegger played 28 games for the Austrian champion of Furstenfeld and he had 1.1ppg and 1.0rpg, while Kollik played 33 games for St. Polten and averaged 10.6ppg and 3.5rpg.

The first American on the team will be Julian Mascoll (193-G-84, agency: Champion Sports Management) who played 4 season for the University of E. Kentucky. During his senior season he had 11.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.8apg and 2.2spg but he didnt play in the 2007-2008 season.

Dejan Kreclovic will be the new coach in Graz and he worked in Germany (Regionalliga) in the past time.

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  BELGIUM   


Antwerp Giants Transfer News - by Peter Buyse


It seems Brian Lynch (198-G/F-78, college: Villanova) will not be staying with Bree in D2 since he signed a 2 year deal with the Antwerp Diamond Giants.
Lynch has played in Bree the past 4 years. He came to Bree for the 2004-2005 season and has been there ever since.
His first year was also his best stats wise with 15.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Played a bit all over Europe since leaving Villanova at the end of the 1999-2000 season.
Between then and arriving at Bree he played in Poland for Stargard, Aveiro in Portugal, Panionios in Greece, Germany (Giessen), The year before coming to Belgium he played in France for Paris Racing basket and he ended that season in Germany again playing for Giessen.

This past season he played 41 games for Bree and averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg. He also added 2.6 apg. Bree finished first in the regular season but lost the playoff finals to Charleroi.



Leuven Transfer News - by Peter Buyse


Spotter Leuven has added Cameroon guard Parfait Bitee (188-G-85) to its roster and thus finalizing its roster for the coming season.
Bitee played the past 4 season for NCAA school Rhode Island. The past season he averaged 11.8 ppg and 4.7 apg.

Bitee has a very high FG pct for a guard at close to 50 pct but does even better from behind the 3pt line where he made 51 pct of his shots (65-127).
Was invited to the Portsmouth Invitational after his senior year and scored an average of 8.7 points in 3 games. Bitee was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team

Bitee is a member of the Cameroon NT and played in the 2007 African Championship.

Most recently he played for Cameroon during the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, being held in Athens, Greece.



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  BULGARIA   


Rilski Sportist Samokov sign Branko Mirkovic - by Eurobasket
Rilski Sportist Samokov re-signed 26-year old Serbian guard Branko Mirkovic (185-G-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) for next season. He already played there last season having hery successful year when he averaged 14.3ppg, 2.3rpg and 3.2apg. Mirkovic played two previous season in FYR Macedonia for Swisslion Pelister Bitola. Last year he was selected to Eurobasket.com Bulgarian League All-Bosmans Team.

Michael Earl signed with Euroins Cherno More, McIntosh arrived - by Valentin Anguelov
American Michael Earl (203-F, college: Utah St.), who had a trial period with Euroins Cherno More, is staying with the Varna club. He has been approved by the club management and has inked a contract for 2 years with and option for a third.

Earl spent last season at Cal State - San Bernardino in NCAA 2, while prior to that he played 16 games in 2006/07 for the prestigious program of Utah State (NCAA). Euroins Cherno More head coach Daniel Dimitrov said he liked the player's fitness and athleticism, as well as his outside shooting abilities for someone of his stature.

Another American newcomer, a rookie in professional basketball as well - Corey McIntosh (183-G-85, college: Iowa St.) - has already arrived in Bulgaria and joined the team. A third new addition for Euroins Cherno More - Serb Zeljko Bojovic (200-F-81) - was waiting for his work permit, but now he has one and can show up for training very soon.

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  CBA   


Silverados move from CBA to the ABA - by Gianni Pascucci
The American Basketball Association announced that Beaumont, Texas will be added to its expansion teams for the upcoming season starting in December. Joe Newman, ABA CEO, stated to media that the team is owned by Jordan J. Maswoswe, BSc., PharmD, a pharmacist who has spent the last twenty years in senior pharmacy mangement position. He was able to acquire the McAllen based Rio Grande Valley Silverados, formerly of the Continental Basketbal Association, joining the ABA and to moving the team to Beaumont, Texas. The team will play in the first class Ford Arena there. It is not sure, however, if the team willl keep the nickname Silverados or not.

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  CHINA   


China Loses Overtime Heartbreaker to Spain, Losing 14-point Lead in 4th Quarter - by Arthur Volbert
China lost a heartbreaker in overtime to 2006 World Champion Spain after blowing a 14-point lead after three quarters. China was ahead 61-47 entering the fourth quarter but Spain rallied to tie the game 72-72 at the end of regulation.

Spain led 20-18 after the first quarter but China was ahead 46=37 at the half.

Liu Wei led China with 19 points, hitting 7 of 12 shots. He had 2 assists and 5 turnovers. But China overall had 20 turnovers to 22 for Spain. Spain outrebounded China 44-32. Spain shot 47 percent from the field to 42 percent for China.

Zhu Fangyu scored 15 points, hitting 5 of 10 shots, and made three steals. Wang Zhizhi had 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting in 22 minutes. Yao Ming had 11 points and 9 rebounds, but hit only 4 of 12 shots and fouled out after 30 minutes.

Yi Jianlian hit 2 of 4 shots and scored 4 points in 38 minutes but he grabbed 9 rebounds and made three steals, committing no turnovers.

Sun Yue had 2 points on 1 of 4 shooting with 3 assists and 3 turnovers, a steal and a block in 25 minutes.

Chen Jianghua had 3 points in 14 minutes but missed all three shots from the floor. He had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 turnovers. Wang Shipeng hit 1 of 5 shots, for three points, in 17 minutes. Li Nan played 10 minutes and scored 3 points.

Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) of Spain was the star of the game with 29 points, hitting 13 of 17 shots, and grabbing 8 rebounds. Rudy Fernandez had 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting and also grabbed 8 rebounds.

China 18 28 15 11 3 75
Spain 20 17 10 25 13 85

Box Score:
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/BK/C73/BKM400B05.shtml#BKM400B05

Olympic Games: Spain outsmarts China in over time - by Eurobasket News
China - Spain 75-85

Reining World champion Spain had to work very hard in order to beat the hosts of the Olympic Games 2008. Chinese demonstrated pretty good performance but they couldn't keep Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80), who drained 9 points during the extra five minutes. With this victory Spain remained undefeated in Preliminary Group B while China dropped on 0-2.

Spain had better beginning. After lay-up by Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) at the middle of the opening stanza, Spain reached 11-17. Until the end of the first period China created 7-3 run setting the score on 18-20. Chinese showed wonderful performance during the following ten minutes. They had fantastic support from their fans. Thanks to Liu Wei (190-G-80), Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) and Wang Zhizhi (214-C-79) China registered 12-3 taking 11-point lead with 1:27 to go in the first half. However, Spain succeeded to come on minus 9 until the end of it. Third quarter also belonged to China, which ended it 15-10. It means that the hosts headed into the last frame having comfortable 14-point lead against the reining World champion. It was a signal for Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) to wake up what they immediately done making killing 23-9 run. At the very end China had a chance on 72-72 but Liu Wei commited a turnover after what Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) missed at the buzzer for Spain. As it was mentioned above, NBA star Pau Gasol totally dominated during the following five minutes securing the second victory for his team on the Olympics.

Pau Gasol demonstrated fantastic performance in this game. He spent 35 minutes in court nailing 29 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He was the best player of his team when it was the most important scoring 9 in over time. Rudy Fernandez also shined for the winning side with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Third player with double digits in Spain was Felipe Reyes, who netted 16 points including 6 rebounds. Liu Wei was the leading player for China scoring 19 points while Zhu Fangyu and Wang Zhizhi followed him with 15 points each. Ming Yao (226-C-80) this time stopped on 11 points and 9 boards. In the next round Spain will meet Germany while China will take on Angola.


China - Spain 75-85
(18-20, 28-17, 15-10, 11-25, 3-13)

China: Liu Wei 19, Zhu Fangyu 15, Wang Zhizhi 15, Ming Yao 11 (9 rebs)
Spain: Pau Gasol 29 (8 rebs), Rudy Fernandez 21 (8 rebs, 6 as), Felipe Reyes 10 (6 rebs)

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  CROATIA   


Olympic Games: Croatia surprises reining European champion Russia - by Eurobasket News
Croatia - Russia 85-78

Reining European champion Russia suffered first defeat at the Olympic Games in Beijing. After victory in the first round against Iran, this time Russia met very dangerous Croatia, which remained undefeated in Preliminary Group A.

Russians struggled a lot against Croatian guards Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) and Zoran Planinic (198-G-82), which had pretty good stroke today. Beginning of the game belonged to Croatians as they grabbed quick 6-0 lead. Thanks to Sergei Bykov (190-G-83) and Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) Russia succeeded to make a turn ending first ten minutes with plus one, 16-17. After basket from the paint by Nikita Morgunov (211-F-75, agency: Interperformances), Russia stretched lead to five points at the middle of the second frame. Very soon Zoran Planinic and Marko Tomas (200-G-85) stepped up for Croatia ending the first half with 10-2 run for 42-36. During the following ten minutes Croatia touched plus 13 twice. Russians didn't want to give up. After Viktor Khryapa's (204-F/G-82) triple with 1:37 remaining in the game, they came on 79-74 but all their hopes have gone immediately as Zoran Planinic drained a 3-pointer at the next Croatia's possession.

Marko Popovic paced his team to victory scoring 22 points shooting 2 of 2 for FG2, 3 of 7 from behind the arc and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Zoran Planinic also had wonderful performance adding 20 points for less than 20 minutes on court. He ended this game having 78% from the field. Interesting that both players will continue career in Russia. Marko Popovic signed with UNICS Kazan while Zoran Planinic joined Russian giant CSKA Moscow. Center Stanko Barac (217-C-86) helped Croatia with 12 points and 7 rebounds. NBA superstar Andrei Kirilenko collected 18 points and 6 rebounds in Russia. Sergei Bykov netted 15 points including 4 rebounds for 18 minutes while Viktor Khryapa scored 14 points.


Croatia - Russia 85-78
(16-17, 26-19, 18-15, 25-27)

Croatia: Marko Popovic 22, Zoran Planinic 20, Stanko Barac 12 (7 rebs)
Russia: Andrei Kirilenko 18 (6 rebs), Sergei Bykov 15 (4 rebs), Viktor Khryapa 14

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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


BK Prostejov sign Shaun Pruitt - by Eurobasket

BK Prostejov signed 23-year old American center Shaun Pruitt (208-C-85, college: Illinois, agency: N.E.T.). Pruitt played most recently at University of Illinois (NCAA) in the U.S. It will be his first year in professional basketball. Last season playing for very well-known basketball program at Illinois, he averaged 12.6ppg, 7.3rpg helping his team to reach the final of Big Ten Tournament. He tried very hard to make it to the NBA this summer attending all possible camps and try-outs. But it seems that the first step in his pro career will be in Europe. He received also offers to play in Spain, Israel Poland and Turkey.

Projestov will compete in the Czech championship as well as in the Fiba Eurocup Challenge where they will open versus Croatia's KK Zagreb on October 14 and 21.

Pruitt played with the New Orleans Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League, but did not receive a guaranteed offer for the 2008-2009 season.

Pruitt's agent, Mike Naiditch noted, 'Shaun gained some momentum after leading the Orlando pre-draft in rebounding. He turned down some pretty attractive offers. When it was all said and done, Projestov provided Shaun with the most money, a great coach, Eurocup exposure, and an opportunity for big minutes.'

The Czech Republic is home to NBA first round picks Jiri Welsch and George Zidek.

'Shaun can be a 10 year NBA player, though his path may be a little different than he had expected,' Naiditch added.



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  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   


Standings - LIDOBA
LIDOBA Standings
North Division
 1. Reales 10-1 
 2. Marineros 5-6 
 3. Metros 5-6 
 4. Indios SF 3-8 
South Division
 1. Constituyentes 9-2 
 2. Panteras DN 4-6 
 3. Caneros 4-7 
 4. Cocolos 3-7 


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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U20   


M Standings - Division A
Standings
Group E
1. Lithuania 4-1
2. Turkey 4-1
3. Italy 4-1
4. Ukraine 2-3
5. Croatia 1-4
6. Israel 0-5
Group F
1. Serbia 4-1
2. Spain 3-2
3. Monten. 3-2
4. France 3-2
5. Latvia 2-3
6. Russia 0-5
Classification
1. Greece 2-1
2. Slovenia 2-1
3. Bulgaria 2-1
4. Georgia 0-3


Division A. Finals - by Eurobasket News
Final
Serbia U20 - Lithuania U20 96:89
Serbian U20 National Team scored an emphatic win over Lithuania yesterday to earn the European Championship title for the third straight year. Milan Macvan (205-F/C-89) stepped up for Serbia as they held off Lithuania in a thrilling Final in Riga. Milan Macvan finished the game with 31 points and Serbia ran away with a narrow win at the end. Miroslav Raduljica (212-C-88, agency: CAA Sports) added 14 points and 13 boards for the winners. He was trumped the MVP of the tournament after the clash. The game lived up to the highest expectations. The teams traded baskets throughout the opening stanza. The frame saw 12 lead changes before Petar Despotovic made it 29:27 for Serbia at the end. Marjanovic and Marko Keselj (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) stretched the margin to 6 points midway through the second stanza. Then Milan Macvan and Jeremic hit a bunch of free throws to open a double-digit lead for Serbian team. Serbia finished the first half strongly with Milan Macvan completing his 20-point haul and the Balkan side was in charge 53:42 at halftime. Lithuania however stayed at a striking distance throughout the third quarter and headed into the final term trailing by just 7 points. Lithuania went on a 13:7 rally in the starting minutes of the fourth period to cut the deficit to a single point. Miroslav Raduljica came up big with straight baskets for Serbia to give them some breathing room. Marko Keselj and Petar Despotovic later extended the margin to 10 points with 39 seconds left. Sarunas Vasiliauskas dropped buzzer beating trey but it was just too late for Lithuania as they lost the battle. Marko Keselj scored 20 points for the winners. Donatas Motiejunas (214-C-90) and Martynas Gecevicius (194-G-88) knocked down 16 points apiece for Lithuania. Sarunas Vasiliauskas added 13 points in a loss.

Serbia U20: Milan Macvan 31, Marko Keselj 20+5 boards, Miroslav Raduljica 14+13 boards
Lithuania U20: Donatas Motiejunas 16, Martynas Gecevicius 16

3rd-4th spots
Spain U20 - Turkey U20 91:72
Spain edged Turkey in the consolation final of the U20 European Championship in Riga. Pere Tomas (201-F-89) scored 20 points to propel Spaniards past their Turkish opponents. It was the third Bronze medals success for Spain in the history of the competition. The game turned into a relatively easy voyage for Spaniards. They took over right from the start and never allowed Turkey to threaten the lead. Lopez capped the first frame with two three-pointers to give Spain a 21:15 lead. Sergio De La Fuente (198-C-89) scored 11 points in the second period and Spain cleared off to a 45:32 advantage at halftime. Pere Tomas nailed three treys in the third stanza and Spain piled up a 20-point advantage before the fourth quarter. Spanish side kept their opponents at bay throughout the fourth stanza and secured the winning outcome at the end. Sergio De La Fuente and Victor Claver (204-F/C-88) netted 18 points apiece for the winners. Pablo Aguilar had 9 points and 7 boards for Spain. Baris Hersek (204-F/C-88) replied with 16 points for Turkey. Azizcan Ozdemir (201-F-88) notched 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in defeat. Spain converted 50% from the field and 83% from free throw line.

Spain U20: Pere Tomas 20, Sergio De La Fuente 18, Victor Claver 18
Turkey U20: Baris Hersek 16, Azizcan Ozdemir 12

5th-6th spots
Montenegro U20 - Italy U20 79:63
Montenegrin U20 National team secured the fifth-spot finish in the first European Championship for the team. Vladimir Dasic (209-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) once again confirmed his topscorer status as he notched 26 points and 9 rebounds and Montenegro held off Italy in their final outing in Riga yesterday. Pietro Aradori (192-G-88) was active in the first period to give Italy an 11:6 lead. However Vladimir Dasic completed his first-frame 14-point tally and Montenegro surged in front 18:16. Montenegro capped the first half with a 14:4 rally to accumulate a 47:29 advantage at halftime. Back-to-back triples from Milos Durisic (194-G-88) and Vranjes allowed Montenegro to enjoy a 22-point lead midway through the third stanza. The Balkan team breezed to the victory in the fourth quarter and celebrated the fifth place at the end. Vranjes knocked down 17 points for Montenegro. Milos Durisic added 11 points for the winners. Pietro Aradori topscored with 19 points for Italy. Giancarlo Ferrero (194-G-88, agency: Players Group) had 9 points in a losing case. The teams were equally matched on the boards. Montenegro converted solid 49% from the field, while limiting their opponents to just 42% accuracy. Italy also committed 24 turnovers in the loss.

Montenegro U20: Vladimir Dasic 26, Vranjes 17, Milos Durisic 11
Italy U20: Pietro Aradori 19, Giancarlo Ferrero 9

7th-8th spots
France U20 - Ukraine U20 96:78
French U20 National Team wrapped up their European Chmapionship campaign with an impressive win over Ukraine. Abdoulaye MBaye (189-G-88) exploded with 45 points and led France to an overwhelming 96:78 victory. Thus France occupied the 7th overall spot at the tournament. Ukraine finished the championship with 2-5 record and grabbed the 8th spot in the final ladder. The teams rolled closely for three quarters before Abdoulaye MBaye put on a one-man show in the fourth term to leave Ukraine far behind. France got to a slightly better start to the game and a 6:0 run put them up by 10 late in the opening stanza. Oleksandr Sizov and Andriy Novikov cut the deficit and France led by 8 points at the first intermission. A 13:5 surge from Ukraine at the start of the second stanza tied it all at 30. Ukraine soon jumped in front and maintained a narrow advantage for some time before French players crowned the half with 7 unanswered points to regain the lead at 44:39. The situation did not change radically in the third frame as France kept it in front and headed into the final period leading by 8 points. Sergiy Popov knocked down 10 points in the first half of the final stanza and Ukraine got as close as 3 points from their opponents. However Abdoulaye MBaye stepped up for France at the moment. He drilled 6 triples in the stretch of 4 minutes to ignite a 22:8 rally from France and literally brought victory to Les Bleus. Kim Tillie (206-F-88) added 17 points and 9 boards for France. Antoine Diot (191-G-89) contributed 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds for the winning side. Sergiy Gladyr (196-G/F-89) had 15 points for Ukraine. Vadym Norenko (204-F-88) dropped 14 points in the loss.

France U20: Abdoulaye MBaye 45, Kim Tillie 17, Antoine Diot 16
Ukraine U20: Sergiy Gladyr 15, Vadym Norenko 14

9th-10th spots
Russia U20 - Israel U20 83:67
Russian U20 National Team finished the European Championship in Riga with victory. They defeated Israel to earn the 9th spot in the final ladder. Alexey Shved (196-G-88) knocked down 23 points and issued 6 assists to pace Russia. Anton Shoutvin (205-C/F-89) topscored for Israel with 13 points. Russia surged ahead early in the game and maintained the advantage throughout the action. Alexey Shved nailed 6 points in a 13:4 run from Russia as they built a 20:11 lead midway through the first stanza. The first term ended with a 24:17 Russian advantage and they stretched the margin to 14 points early in the second quarter. Asante Asare and Oded Brandwein teamed up for 8 straight points to trim the deficit to 3 points with 2 minutes to go in the half. However Russia answered with an 11:0 rally to establish a 44:30 advantage at the interval. Artem Yakovenko (206-G/F-88) and Ilya Syrovatko (193-G-88) ensured the distance would grow to 22 points in the third quarter. Israel never rebounded and suffered a stunning loss at the end. Ilya Syrovatko knocked down 22 points and pulled down 7 boards for Russia. Artem Yakovenko chipped in 15 points for the winners. Gal Mekel (195-G-88) came up with 12 points for Israel in defeat.

Russia U20: Alexey Shved 23, Ilya Syrovatko 22, Artem Yakovenko 15
Israel U20: Anton Shoutvin 13, Gal Mekel 12

11th-12th spots
Latvia U20 - Croatia U20 94:70
Latvia finished the home U20 European Championship on a positive note. They beat Croatia to wrap up their campaign at the 11th spot. Janis Strelnieks (185-G-89) stepped up for the hosts with 20 points and 9 assists. Latvia used a storming first quarter to pile up a decisive lead in the game. Janis Strelnieks nailed 10 points in the starting frame and Latvia built a 28:13 advantage. Croatia cut the deficit to 4 points midway through the second term Kristaps Kanbergs (190-G-88) and Rihards Kuksiks closed the first half with back-to-back triples and Latvia went to the locker room leading by 12. Rihards Kuksiks, Kristaps Kanbergs and Janis Kaufmanis all connected from downtown to give the hosts a 21-point advantage early in the third stanza. Latvia maintained the distance well and entered the fourth term ahead by 22 points. Croatia failed to reignite the intrigue in the game and had to surrender at the end. Kristaps Kanbergs knocked down 19 points for Latvia. Rolands Freimanis (208-F/C-88) added 17 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side. Filip Kruslin (198-G-89) secured 21 points for Croatia. Marino Sarlija (204-F/C-89) contributed 16 points in a losing effort. Latvia enjoyed a 34:29 advantage on the boards and converted solid 50% from the field.

Latvia U20: Janis Strelnieks 20, Kristaps Kanbergs 19, Rolands Freimanis 17
Croatia U20: Filip Kruslin 21, Marino Sarlija 16

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  FINLAND   


KORISLIIGA: Frank Richards will play in Finland - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Team Componenta (Karkkila) has signed an American G Frank Richards (188-G-82, college: Kansas St.). Richards has played in minor leagues (ABA, IBL, PBL) in the USA and one season in Essen, Germany (regionalliga) after graduation. This contract is for 2008-09 season. Honka (Espoo) has re-signed with American F-G Monte Cummings (193-G-76, college: Florida St.). Cummings will start his seventh season in Finland and fourth season on Honka roster. Honka has re-signed also with Anselmi Vanjoki (193-G-88). This contract is for seasons 2008-11 (three years). Last season A.Vanjoki averaged 3,1 ppg and 2,5 rpg.

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  FYR MACEDONIA   


Ilievski moves to Olimpija - by Eurobasket News
Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) will spend the upcoming season in Slovenian Olimpija. After a brilliant year in Italy, Macedonian player decided to taste success in Slovenia.
Vlado Ilievski started his career in 1996-1997at St. Thomas Aquinas in New Britain, Connecticut (USA) and led St. Thomas Aquinas to a Nortwest Conference Championship. In 1998-1999 and Partizan Beograd played for Partizan Beograd in Serbia. In 2000 was to be drafted by the NBA, but withdrew his name from the list just before the draft date. In 2001-2002 tested by Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), then went to Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy-LegaA) for some tests, but did not sign coming back to Union Olimpija Ljubljana.
In 2002-2003 his former and new team Union Olimpija Ljubljana saw Macedonian player in Adriatic League as he averaged 9.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.4spg. In Euroleague he spent 20 games having 11.5ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.4spg and in Slovenian 1A League played 19 games had 10.8ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg. In 2003-2004 moved to FC Barcelona and in 20 Euroleague games avegared 9.9ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg. Spanish ACB saw him playing 11games and having 12.0ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.2apg, 1.3spg.
Season 2004-2005 Vlado Ilievski also spent in F.C. Barcelona but then in 2005-2006 moved to Lottomatica Roma. In 2007 signed a 2-Year contract with Montepaschi Siena in Italy where he became Italian SerieA Champion and Italian SerieA Regular Season Champion. For Montepaschi Siena he averaged 7.4ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg in Euroleague 24 games.

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  GERMANY   


Olympic Games: Greece too strong for Germany in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Greece - Germany 87-64

Greece registered first victory at the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. After defeat in the opening day against Spain, this time Greeks were too strong for the Germans. Thus Greece improved its score in Preliminary Group B on 1-1 while Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) and his teammates dropped on the same digits. Interesting is that these two teams met each other in the final of Eurobasket 2005 in Belgrade when Greece celebrated 78-62.

Greeks opened this game with fantastic 12-2. After triple by Dirk Nowitzki with one minute to go in the first frame, Germany tied the score on 21-21. At their last possession Sven Schultze (208-C-78, agency: Court Side) made it from the paint setting the score on 21-23 after ten minutes. The next one totally belonged to Greece. Mostly owing to Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80), Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) and Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) Greece created 14-1 run grabbing 11-point lead. They kept it until the half time without any extra efforts. After basket by Vassilis Spanoulis in 28th minute, Greece set the margin on 21 points what was a signal that this game is already over for the Germans. One minute before the end Greeks touched plus 27, what was their biggest lead in this game.

Vassilis Spanoulis was on fire in today making 4 of 6 attempts from behind the arc. At the same time he had 5 of 7 for FG2 and 1/1 from the FT line. Theodoros Papaloukas also shined for the winning team adding 15 points and 5 rebounds for 23 minutes. Third guard in this killing trio Dimitris Diamantidis stopped on 12 points. Dirk Nowitzki helped his team today with 13 points and 6 rebounds for 25 minutes. Sven Schultze and Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) netted 11 points each. In the next round Greece will take on USA while Germany will meet Spain.


Greece - Germany 87-64
(21-23, 23-10, 25-15, 18-16)

Greece: Vassilis Spanoulis 23 (5 as), Theodoros Papaloukas 15 (5 rebs), Dimitris Diamantidis 12
Germany: Dirk Nowitzki 13 (6 rebs), Sven Schultze 11 (4 rebs), Demond Greene 11 (4 rebs)

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  GHANA   


Standings
GAABL Standings
 1. CEPS Braves 3-0 
 2. Police Service 3-1 
 3. Fire Service 3-2 
 4. Reformers 2-1 
 5. Yotive 2-2 
 6. Panthers 2-2 
 7. Hoops 1-1 
 8. Warriors 1-2 
 9. Wizards 1-3 
 10. Flames 0-4 


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  GREECE   


Olympics: Greece - Germany 87-64 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Greece made its first win at these Olympic Games, very easy, against Germany. Panagiotis Yannakis made the first surprise at the game by starting the game with Andreas Gliniadakis (215-C-81), in order to face better Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan), who also made the first basket for Greece. Germany made four early mistakes, after Greece's pressure, from which Greece took advantage and took the lead with 7-0, which was then extended to 12-2. The advantage remained for Greece (19-13), but Germany has started scoring, especially from 3-point line (3/4 successful attempts). However, this percentage increased to 5/7, with Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) having two successful consecutive attempts, and the first period ended at 23-21, with a 10-2 serie.
The second period started with an early 12-0 from Greece with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) scoring 6 points, to give a 8-point lead (33-23), while Germany hasn't scored for 5:06 minutes at this period. The picture of the game didn't change much until the end of this first half, although Germany reduced the difference at 6 points (39-33), due to the 3-point shots, before Greece with a 5-0 serie, took the final lead of 11 points (44-33). Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) appearance at this second period should also be mentioned (6 points and very good defense), without forgetting the general good percentage at free throws. On the other hand, Germany may had more rebounds and a very good percentage at 3-point shots, but its turnovers and Creece's very good defense (10 points at the second period) were proved important at this first half (Dirk Nowitzki had also three fouls).
At the second half the difference extended at 15 points for Greece (50-35), 7:21 before the end of the third period. Germany reduced it at 10 (50-40), but with the help of Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) and mainly Andreas Gliniadakis (8 points) it was restored quickly (57-40), with 5 minutes till the end, and 66-45 later. The final difference at this period was shaped at 21 points (69-48).
The final period didn't change much at the whole picture. Greece's defense remained strong, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman were preferred to rest. The difference was increased even to 27 points (87-60), before its final shape at 23 (87-64).
Greece: Theodoros Papaloukas 15, Ioannis Bouroussis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) 5, Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) 2, Vassilis Spanoulis 23, Panagiotis Vassilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM) 7, Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) 9, Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) 6, Andreas Gliniadakis 8, Tsartsaris, Dimitris Diamantidis 12, Schortsianitis, Pelekanos
Germany: Ohlbrecht 1, Zwiener, Sven Schultze (208-C-78, agency: Court Side) 11, Garrett, Wysocki 7, Hamann, Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) 11, Roller 6, Chris Kaman 4, Femerling 7, Dirk Nowitzki 13, Jagla 4

Market News - by Serafim Karaiskakis
Olimpia Larissa is close to another big transfer.They negotiate with Jamel Thomas (198-F/G-76, agency: Priority Sports, college: Providence). Thomas played two times in Greece (2003-2004: Apollon Patras, 2005-2006: Panellinios Athens) and this year in Napoli had: 11.0ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5spg, 2FGP:40.0%, 3PT:33.8%, FT:63.5% in 33 games.

Roma made new offer to Panionios to get Ibrahim Jaaber (188-G-84, college: Pennsylvania) but it was rejected. Panionios closed the usa and the bosmans spots for the new season with Lonny Baxter (203-C-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Maryland), Ibrahim Jaaber, Ivan Zoroski (195-G-79, agency: Octagon), Goran Nikolic (205-C-76, agency: Beo Basket), Branko Cvetkovic (200-G-84) and Levon Kendall (209-F-84, college: Pittsburgh). They look now a Greek player to play in the SF/PF position.

Aris still trying to sell Darius Washington (188-G-85, college: Memphis) and Kevin Fletcher (207-C-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Colorado Springs) who have contract with the team for the new season. They want to get rid of the players in order to have salary for another transfer, having Dalibor Bagaric (217-C-80) as first target.

Olympics: Greece - Germany 44-33 (first half) - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Panagiotis Yannakis made the first surprise at the game by starting the game with Andreas Gliniadakis (215-C-81), in order to face better Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan), who also made the first basket for Greece. Germany made four early mistakes, after Greeces pressure, from which Greece took advantage and took the lead with 7-0, which was then extended to 12-2. The advantage remained for Greece (19-13), but Germany has started scoring, especially from 3-point line (3/4 successful attempts). However, this percentage increased to 5/7, with Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) having two successful consecutive attempts, and the first period ended at 23-21, with a 10-2 serie.
The second period started with an early 12-0 from Greece with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) scoring 6 points, to give a 8-point lead (33-23), while Germany hasnt scored for 5:06 minutes at this period. The picture of the game didnt change much until the end of this first half, although Germany reduced the difference at 6 points (39-33), due to the 3-point shots, before Greece with a 5-0 serie, took the final lead of 11 points (44-33). Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) appearance at this second period should also be mentioned (6 points and very good defense), without forgetting the general good percentage at free throws. On the other hand, Germany may had more rebounds and a very good percentage at 3-point shots, but its turnovers and Creeces very good defense (10 points at the second period) were proved important at this first half (Dirk Nowitzki had also three fouls).

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  HUNGARY   


Bam Doyne signed with Albacomp - by Tamas Deri
The key player of the champion team Falco KC Szombathely signed his one year contract with Albacomp. Bam Doyne (193-G-84, college: Mississippi) graduated on the University of Mississippi in 2007 and played his first pro season in our country. The 193 cm tall combo guard had a great european debut as he helped his team to win the club's first title and put up great numbers: 21 points, 3 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He will arrive on the 1st of September to Szekesfehervar.

'We were looking for a scorer, who can shoot and penetrate well. We tried to get Julian Mills, but he decided to sign in Poland, so we tried to get our second option, and we got it. I am very happy about Bam's coming, as he is a great player with experience in our country, so we did not take a risk with his signing!' - said head coach, Akos Pereszegi-Nagy.

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  IRAN   


Olympic Games: Lithuania cruises past Iran in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Lithuania 67-99

Lithuanians grabbed second victory on the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. As a reminder, at the opening day Lithuanians made a surprise beating reining Olympic champions Argentina. On the other side Iranians faced with second defeat.

Except of the first stanza, Lithuania had total control on its opponent. Iranians entered into this game very motivated creating 14-6 at the early beginning. Lithuanians woke up in the second frame making impressive 18-0 run led by Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland), who scored 11 points during these few minutes. Iranians couldn't recover from this shock despite they had 15 minutes at the half time to do it. After the breather Linas Kleiza (203-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri) and Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college: Seton Hall) joined Sarunas Jasikevicius which resulted with 41-64 at the middle of third quarter. Lithuanians didn't stop until the very end taking care for comfortable victory 67-99.

Hero from the game against Argentina Linas Kleiza this time also showed pretty good performance for the winning side. He collected 22 points and 8 boards for 22 minutes. Sarunas Jasikevicius followed him with 20 points while Rimantas Kaukenas stopped on 14 points. Hamed Ehadadi (218-C-85, agency: Agency No 10) was the best player in Iran scoring 21 points and missing only one rebound for double-double. At the same time he rejected four shots. Hamed Afagh (191-G-83) and Mohammadsamad Nikkhah (200-F/G-83, agency: Agency No 10) were behind him adding 9 points each. In the next round of the Olympics Lithuania will try to remain undefeated taking on Russia. Iran's next opponent will be Australia.


Iran - Lithuania 67-99
(20-15, 14-31, 19-28, 14-25)

Iran: Hamed Ehadadi 21 (9 rebs, 4 blk), Hamed Afagh 9 (4 rebs), Mohammadsamad Nikkhah 9
Lithuania: Linas Kleiza 22 (8 rebs), Sarunas Jasikevicius 20, Rimantas Kaukenas 14

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  ITALY   


Last Serie A signings - by Gianni Pascucci
Banca Tercas Teramo announced the agreement with Jaycee Carroll (188-G-83, agency: Priority Sports). Angelico Biella signed James Gist (203-F-86) with a one year contract. Lottomatica Virtus Roma re-signed Ibrahim Jaaber (188-G-84, college: Pennsylvania), who is now Bulgarian citizen. The player inked a two-year agreement with the club.

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  JAMAICA   


Knights reigns supreme in midseason finals - by Leonard Whyte
Who says 13 is an unlucky number? Well, just don't tell that to Urban Knights, as the defending champions walked away with the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/National Basketball League (NBL) Midseason Finals for the second year in a row when they scored a thrilling 63-59 victory over newcomers Port Royal Bulls on Saturday night at the National Stadium courts. The victory was the second for Knights over the Bulls this season and helped the champions extend their unbeaten start in the league to 13-0

A rivalry established
Not surprisingly, it was the Bulls who came out fired-up, after predicting a victory minutes after suffering their first defeat of the season two weeks ago. They outplayed Knights in the first two quarters and led 19-13 after one, then went on to build a 12-point (33-21) advantage early in the second quarter. A late rally by the champions, however, cut the lead to 36-30 just before halftime, but the Bulls still liked their chances of turning the tables on the team that they now officially regard as their 'nemesis.'

Defense the key
Knights came alive in the third quarter as they defense forced the Bulls to abandon their inside attack and settle for long jumpers. On offense Kenardo Young and Andrew Whilby picked up the scoring slack and outscored Bulls 19-12 in the quarter to take a one-point lead (49-48) into the fourth. A decisive 7-2 run to start the quarter extended the lead to 56-50 and it appeared that the Bulls were done. Well, not quite! Center Paul Brown, who leaves the island shortly to take up a full basketball scholarship at Southeastern Illinois College, sank four straight points to cut the lead to 56-54 with just over four minutes to go, followed by two free throws from Leighton Meeks that trimmed the lead to one (58-57).

Knights too tough
Knights showed why they've dominated the NBL over last two years when Fernando Young drilled a clutch three-pointer in reply to the Bulls run and pushed the lead back to four points (63-59) with under two minutes remaining. This proved to be the final score as the inexperienced Bulls panicked and lost their composure, hoisting up ill-advised shots that had no chance of going in. Omar Barnes, Young, and Whilby scored 12 points each to lead Knights, while Andy Smith added 11. Meeks had a game-high 17 points for the Bulls, while Damion Young (12) and Davion Wade (10) also reached double-figures.

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  JORDAN   


Qahwash - A new face in the men NT - by Mohammed Malas
The Jordanian Basketball Federation succeeded to call up the Canadian-Based 21 years old point guard Imad Qahwash (188-G-87) for the 1st men national team, He will join the roster Jordan 'B' in Brunei Cup which will be held in Brunei on the 22nd of August, The player will arrive tomorrow to amman...

Qahwash finished his 1st year with Central Arkansas University (American NCAA Division 1), He's a Versatile guard...comes from prep school, making him more mature than normal freshman...high energy level with good quickness...has point guard mentality when distributing the ball...will battle for playing time.

In High School, Imad averaged 10 points, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Harmony Prep in Cincinnati...helped Harmony to a 2007 Prep National Championship and a 44-4 record...averaged 29 points, 6 assists and 1.4 steals per game and went 26-4 at Grand River in Canada...four-time team MVP...invited to Nike All-Canada Camp...played for #1 ranked AAU team in Canada...2004 Ontario Provincial team selection...named 2006 Youth of the Year Award and Youth Action Council Award, both recognize achievements in athletics and community service.

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  LITHUANIA   


Olympic Games: Lithuania cruises past Iran in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Lithuania 67-99

Lithuanians grabbed second victory on the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. As a reminder, at the opening day Lithuanians made a surprise beating reining Olympic champions Argentina. On the other side Iranians faced with second defeat.

Except of the first stanza, Lithuania had total control on its opponent. Iranians entered into this game very motivated creating 14-6 at the early beginning. Lithuanians woke up in the second frame making impressive 18-0 run led by Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland), who scored 11 points during these few minutes. Iranians couldn't recover from this shock despite they had 15 minutes at the half time to do it. After the breather Linas Kleiza (203-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri) and Rimantas Kaukenas (193-G-77, college: Seton Hall) joined Sarunas Jasikevicius which resulted with 41-64 at the middle of third quarter. Lithuanians didn't stop until the very end taking care for comfortable victory 67-99.

Hero from the game against Argentina Linas Kleiza this time also showed pretty good performance for the winning side. He collected 22 points and 8 boards for 22 minutes. Sarunas Jasikevicius followed him with 20 points while Rimantas Kaukenas stopped on 14 points. Hamed Ehadadi (218-C-85, agency: Agency No 10) was the best player in Iran scoring 21 points and missing only one rebound for double-double. At the same time he rejected four shots. Hamed Afagh (191-G-83) and Mohammadsamad Nikkhah (200-F/G-83, agency: Agency No 10) were behind him adding 9 points each. In the next round of the Olympics Lithuania will try to remain undefeated taking on Russia. Iran's next opponent will be Australia.


Iran - Lithuania 67-99
(20-15, 14-31, 19-28, 14-25)

Iran: Hamed Ehadadi 21 (9 rebs, 4 blk), Hamed Afagh 9 (4 rebs), Mohammadsamad Nikkhah 9
Lithuania: Linas Kleiza 22 (8 rebs), Sarunas Jasikevicius 20, Rimantas Kaukenas 14

Grigas to spend another season in Zalgiris - by Eurobasket News
Outstanding Rimantas Grigas will stay for another season in Lithuanian Zalgiris. The champion of the country will try to repeat last year success with the coach and some changes in the roster for the upcoming season.
In 2002-2003 Rimantas Grigas joined Zalgiris Kaunas Junior team. The season 2006-2007 saw B.C. Zalgiris Kaunas with Lithuania coach in front. For his Awards/Achievements with the team he became Baltic League Regular Season Champion in 2007, Lithuanian League Regular Season Champion and Lithuanian League Champion in 2007 and 2008. In the latest year Rimantas Grigas triumphed in Lithuanian Cup and Baltic League.
It is already known that Lithuanian champion Zalgiris Kaunas extended contract with Paulius Jankunas for two more years. American Loren Woods decided to return to Zalgiris Kaunas after one year. He agreed to leave NBA team Houston Rockets and to rejoin Zalgiris despite he had a valid contract with the Rockets for the next season. Woods joined Lithuanian and Baltic league champion for the first time in 2007 from NBDL team Austin Toros.
Tadas Klimavicius also returns to Zalgiris Kaunas. The contract will be signed on 2+1 basis. Last season he played in Greece, AEL, Tadas averaged 9.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Also, he competed in an Greek All-Star game. Tadas Klimavicius played in Zalgiris in 2002-2003 season, but in the mid-season he was loaned to Alita.

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  NIGERIA   


Jordan Brand lifts Ugboaja Camp - by Olusegun Ikuesan
The 2008 Ejike Ugboaja Basketball Camp receive a boost as the Jordan Brand has throw its weight behind the camp aimed at giving Nigeria budding talents in the slamming and dunking game an avenue to rub mind with expatriate coaches from the United States of America and Europe.

The Jordan Brand one of the big names in sports wear in the USA and other parts of the world are supporting the camp with T-Shirts, playing jerseys and shoes.

Ugboaja a 2006 Cleveland Cavalier draftee told our correspondent that the gesture by the Jordan Brand has gone a long way in projecting the camp as an international event.

Ugboaja who recently contributed to the qualification of Nigeria for the 25th FIBA Africa Championship for Men says about 60 players are expected to feature in this years camp which starts Tuesday at the gymnasium of the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria.

He says about seven foreign coaches from the USA and Europe are expected to be joined by fifteen from Nigeria.

He however, promised that the camp will be an annual event as his own contribution to the development of the game in Nigeria.Ejike Ugboaja (204-F/C-85, agency: Larry Fox Services)

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  OLYMPIC GAMES   


Olympics: Greece - Germany 87-64 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Greece made its first win at these Olympic Games, very easy, against Germany. Panagiotis Yannakis made the first surprise at the game by starting the game with Andreas Gliniadakis (215-C-81), in order to face better Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan), who also made the first basket for Greece. Germany made four early mistakes, after Greece's pressure, from which Greece took advantage and took the lead with 7-0, which was then extended to 12-2. The advantage remained for Greece (19-13), but Germany has started scoring, especially from 3-point line (3/4 successful attempts). However, this percentage increased to 5/7, with Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) having two successful consecutive attempts, and the first period ended at 23-21, with a 10-2 serie.
The second period started with an early 12-0 from Greece with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) scoring 6 points, to give a 8-point lead (33-23), while Germany hasn't scored for 5:06 minutes at this period. The picture of the game didn't change much until the end of this first half, although Germany reduced the difference at 6 points (39-33), due to the 3-point shots, before Greece with a 5-0 serie, took the final lead of 11 points (44-33). Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) appearance at this second period should also be mentioned (6 points and very good defense), without forgetting the general good percentage at free throws. On the other hand, Germany may had more rebounds and a very good percentage at 3-point shots, but its turnovers and Creece's very good defense (10 points at the second period) were proved important at this first half (Dirk Nowitzki had also three fouls).
At the second half the difference extended at 15 points for Greece (50-35), 7:21 before the end of the third period. Germany reduced it at 10 (50-40), but with the help of Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) and mainly Andreas Gliniadakis (8 points) it was restored quickly (57-40), with 5 minutes till the end, and 66-45 later. The final difference at this period was shaped at 21 points (69-48).
The final period didn't change much at the whole picture. Greece's defense remained strong, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman were preferred to rest. The difference was increased even to 27 points (87-60), before its final shape at 23 (87-64).
Greece: Theodoros Papaloukas 15, Ioannis Bouroussis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) 5, Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) 2, Vassilis Spanoulis 23, Panagiotis Vassilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM) 7, Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) 9, Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) 6, Andreas Gliniadakis 8, Tsartsaris, Dimitris Diamantidis 12, Schortsianitis, Pelekanos
Germany: Ohlbrecht 1, Zwiener, Sven Schultze (208-C-78, agency: Court Side) 11, Garrett, Wysocki 7, Hamann, Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) 11, Roller 6, Chris Kaman 4, Femerling 7, Dirk Nowitzki 13, Jagla 4

Standings
Standings
Group A
1. Lithuania2-0
2. Russia1-0
3. Croatia1-0
4. Argentina0-1
5. Australia0-1
6. Iran0-2
Group B
1. Spain1-0
2. Germany1-0
3. USA1-0
4. Greece0-1
5. Angola0-1
6. China0-1


Stats Leaders
Olympic Games Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Kaman, GER 24.0
2. Mingas, ANG 24.0
3. Nowitzki, GER 23.0
4. Wade, USA 19.0
5. Ginobili, ARG 19.0
Rebounds Per Game
1. Jagla, GER 11.0
2. Oberto, ARG 11.0
3. Loncar, CRO 10.0
4. Yao, CHN 10.0
5. Nocioni, ARG 9.0
Assists Per Game
1. Paul, USA 6.0
2. Jasikevicius, LTU 5.5
3. Popovic, CRO 5.0
4. Hamann, GER 4.0
5. Savrasenko, RUS 4.0
Steals Per Game
1. Holden, RUS 5.0
2. Maciulis, LTU 5.0
3. Prigioni, ARG 4.0
Blocks Per Game
1. Ehadadi, IRI 3.0
2. James, USA 3.0
3. Kirilenko, RUS 3.0
2FGP
1. Wade, USA 100.0
2. Banic, CRO 87.5
3. Kaman, GER 83.3
3FGP
1. Tomas, CRO 100.0
2. Nowitzki, GER 100.0
3. Zhu, CHN 100.0
Free Throws
1. Jasikevicius, LT 100
2. Ginobili, ARG 100.0
3. Nowitzki, GER 100.0


Olympics: Greece - Germany 44-33 (first half) - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Panagiotis Yannakis made the first surprise at the game by starting the game with Andreas Gliniadakis (215-C-81), in order to face better Chris Kaman (213-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan), who also made the first basket for Greece. Germany made four early mistakes, after Greeces pressure, from which Greece took advantage and took the lead with 7-0, which was then extended to 12-2. The advantage remained for Greece (19-13), but Germany has started scoring, especially from 3-point line (3/4 successful attempts). However, this percentage increased to 5/7, with Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) having two successful consecutive attempts, and the first period ended at 23-21, with a 10-2 serie.
The second period started with an early 12-0 from Greece with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) scoring 6 points, to give a 8-point lead (33-23), while Germany hasnt scored for 5:06 minutes at this period. The picture of the game didnt change much until the end of this first half, although Germany reduced the difference at 6 points (39-33), due to the 3-point shots, before Greece with a 5-0 serie, took the final lead of 11 points (44-33). Theodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) appearance at this second period should also be mentioned (6 points and very good defense), without forgetting the general good percentage at free throws. On the other hand, Germany may had more rebounds and a very good percentage at 3-point shots, but its turnovers and Creeces very good defense (10 points at the second period) were proved important at this first half (Dirk Nowitzki had also three fouls).

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  PARAGUAY   


Libertad leads the Top 5 - by Gianni Pascucci

Defeating Deportivo San Jose 98-88, Libertad won its second game in a row and now leads the 'Top 5 Tournment' undefeated. The best in Libertad were newly acquired Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82) and Aldo Acosta (192-F/G-76), with 26 and 24 points, respectively. In the other game of the second round, Universidad Autnoma (UAA) prevailed over Felix Perez, 90-87 after an overtime, led by Orlando Martinez (187-G/F-72) with 22 pts and Alfredo Perez with 19, while Anderson Villamayor (190-F-80) was the night top scorer with 30 pts in FPC. The Top 5 standings table is as follows:

1. Libertad 2-0
2. Sol de America 1-0
3. UAA 1-1
4. Deportivo San Jose 0-2

5. FPC 0-2



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  PBL   


Spon named Millrats coach - by Gianni Pascucci
The Manchester Millrats of the Premier Basketball League announced that Rob Spon will coach the team this fall. Spon was the Head Coach of the 18-4 Gary (IN) Steelheads of the IBL this spring. He has been a highly successful coach at various levels for over twenty years. In addition to the Steelheads, he has been an assistant coach in the CBA with the Dakota Wizards, Indiana Alleycats, and Pittsburgh Xplosion. In the now-defunct IBA, Spon coached back to back championships. He also serves as a part time scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coach Spon will be one of the scouts on hand for the NH Pro Exposure Combine on Sept 20th and 21st in Derry, NH. Log onto www.manchestermillrats.com for registration information. The pre-registration discount period ends on August 23rd.

A teams line-up resume - by Gianni Pascucci
We were too optimistic two weeks ago talking about 20 teams in the 2009 PBL season. In fact, the league has added Vermont, Manchester and Quebec from the ABA; Augusta from the CBA; Battle Creek from the IBL and has expansion franchises in Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo and Detroit. But some teams have gone: Dallas and Jacksonville for sure, and probably Arkansas, a team with a new ownership but with huge problems in finding an home venue. And the team based in Rockford (the Rock River Fury) is officially finished. The PBL has a new rule this year, preventing one owner from owning multiple teams in the league. Fury owner Tom McGinn also owned the Quad City franchise in the PBL, and he's hanging onto that one because it drew larger crowds than the Fury did, and that franchise has a longer history. The total number of the PBL teams should be at last 16, not 20....

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  PUERTO RICO   


Mojica to join fellow countrymen in Poland - by Luis Ramirez
Javier Mojica (190-G-84, college: Cent.Conn.St.) has just signed as an import player with AZS Koszalin in Poland. Mojica will join Donald Copeland who will play for PGE Turow and Joel Jones Camacho who will play with Politechnika. Mojica recently played with the Puerto Rico National Team at Greece; locally he plays with the Fajardo Cariduros. Information provided courtesy of BSN. Prior to signing with the Polish team Mojica played for Marinos de Anzotegui in Venezuela and had also played in Romania in 2007 with Gaz Metan Medias.

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  RUSSIA   


Olympic Games: Croatia surprises reining European champion Russia - by Eurobasket News
Croatia - Russia 85-78

Reining European champion Russia suffered first defeat at the Olympic Games in Beijing. After victory in the first round against Iran, this time Russia met very dangerous Croatia, which remained undefeated in Preliminary Group A.

Russians struggled a lot against Croatian guards Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) and Zoran Planinic (198-G-82), which had pretty good stroke today. Beginning of the game belonged to Croatians as they grabbed quick 6-0 lead. Thanks to Sergei Bykov (190-G-83) and Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) Russia succeeded to make a turn ending first ten minutes with plus one, 16-17. After basket from the paint by Nikita Morgunov (211-F-75, agency: Interperformances), Russia stretched lead to five points at the middle of the second frame. Very soon Zoran Planinic and Marko Tomas (200-G-85) stepped up for Croatia ending the first half with 10-2 run for 42-36. During the following ten minutes Croatia touched plus 13 twice. Russians didn't want to give up. After Viktor Khryapa's (204-F/G-82) triple with 1:37 remaining in the game, they came on 79-74 but all their hopes have gone immediately as Zoran Planinic drained a 3-pointer at the next Croatia's possession.

Marko Popovic paced his team to victory scoring 22 points shooting 2 of 2 for FG2, 3 of 7 from behind the arc and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Zoran Planinic also had wonderful performance adding 20 points for less than 20 minutes on court. He ended this game having 78% from the field. Interesting that both players will continue career in Russia. Marko Popovic signed with UNICS Kazan while Zoran Planinic joined Russian giant CSKA Moscow. Center Stanko Barac (217-C-86) helped Croatia with 12 points and 7 rebounds. NBA superstar Andrei Kirilenko collected 18 points and 6 rebounds in Russia. Sergei Bykov netted 15 points including 4 rebounds for 18 minutes while Viktor Khryapa scored 14 points.


Croatia - Russia 85-78
(16-17, 26-19, 18-15, 25-27)

Croatia: Marko Popovic 22, Zoran Planinic 20, Stanko Barac 12 (7 rebs)
Russia: Andrei Kirilenko 18 (6 rebs), Sergei Bykov 15 (4 rebs), Viktor Khryapa 14

Jusup to coach Lokomotiv Rostov - by Eurobasket News
Daniel Jusup will be a new coach of Lokomotiv Rostov in the upcoming season. He started his career in Croatia since 1992. Since that year he changed KK Zadar, Benston Zagreb and in January 2000 replaced Eugeniusz Kijewski in Polish Wloclawek. After almost a season in Poland he left to Bosnia in 2001 to coach Siroki Brijeg. In December 2001 left the team and then moved to Croatia again.
The season 2002-2003 saw Daniel Jusup coaching KK Zadar as well as 2003-2004. In January 2005 was signed by KK Split but in 2005-2006 spent some games with Telekom Baskets Bonn in Germany. In 2006-2007 was hired by Croatian KK Zagreb and left the team in December 2007.
For his Awards/Achievements it is a must to mention that Daniel Jusup was Coach Assistant for Croatian National Team in 98-99. He became Croatian League Finalist in 98, 99 and 04. In 2000 Daniel Jusup reached the Polish League Finals. In 2003 became Croatian Cup Winner and at the same year won Adriatic League with his team. In 2003 was named Eurobasket All-Croatian League Coach of the Year.
Lokomotiv Rostov upgraded the roster already for the upcoming season adding Collins DeJuan, Antic and Nikita Morgunov to the list. The latter did not have a chance to spend a lot of time on the court last season in Khimky.

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  SERBIA   


Boban Marjanovic joins senior National Team, new GM in Crvena Zvezda - by Dragan Jankovski
There is no any day-off for Serbian giant Boban Marjanovic (221-C-88) this summer. After wonderful success and the gold medal on U20 European Championship in Riga, Marjanovic will immediately join Serbian senior National Team which prepares for the Eurobasket 2009 Qualifications. Head coach of the team Dusan Ivkovic stated that after leaving of Darko Milicic (because of injury) he desperately needs another big guy and he decided to wait Hemofarms giant. Despite it was a plan that Marajnovic join senior Nation Team at the early beginning, Ivkovic and head coach of U20 Serbia Slobodan Klipa decided that he participates in Riga, what at the end was a great decision. Marjanovic played 8 games on U20 EC averaging 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.5 bpg. It is not the first Gold for him as he played for Serbian U19 National Team last summer which grabbed the trophy on FIBA U19 World Championship.

Crvena Zvezda hired Milan Opacic and a new General Manager. It will be first Opacics season as a GM as in the past he spent some time as Director of Serbian Coaches Association as well as a director of basketball camp YUBAK. According to his interview, Zvezda will wait final decision of Bozidar Maljkovic. Namely, if he rejects head coach position the team will negotiate with Svetislav Pesic.

Center Nenad Misanovic (217-C-84) will continue career in Montenegrin champion Buducnost from Podgorica. Misanovic started last season in Crvena Zvezda but in February he moved to Dynamo Moscow. He didnt have a chance to play too many minutes for Russian club as he averaged just 1.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Dynamo in 5 ULEB Cup games. Misanovic

Zvezda agrees with Stimac and wants Marko Keselj, Dusan Djordjevic in Bosna - by Dragan Jankovski
Vladimir Stimac (209-C-87, agency: Interperformances) agreed terms with Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade. He spent last season in Latvian team SK Valmiera finishing Baltic league as well as Latvian league as a top rebounder. He played 20 games for his team in regional championship averaging 17.1 ppg and 11 rpg. Stimac also had 26 appearances in Latvian league adding 15.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg. He joined Valmiera in February 2007 from Lithuanian Zalgiris Kaunas. Stimac left Serbia in 2005 after one senior season with B league team Beovuk 72. He was a member of Serbian U20 National Team which went Gold at the European Championship last summer in Nova Gorica. He made the same success with U18 Serbia on EC 2005 in Belgrade.
At the same time Crvena Zvezda showed serious interest to sign on of the hottest Serbian prospects Marko Keselj (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket). As a reminder Keselj just returned from U20 European Championship in Riga where Serbia defended Gold medal. He netted 20 points and grabbed 5 boards in the final game against Lithuania. Keselj was a member of Serbia U19 which became the FIBA U19 World Champion last summer in Novi Sad. Serbia was better than storng USA in the final game.

Point guard Dusan Djordjevic (195-G-83) signed contract with champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosna ASA BHT. Djordjevic is experienced point guard who played last three seasons in Vojvodina Srbijagas. At his last one he averaged 5.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.1 spg. Before Vojvodina, he used to play for PAOK Thessaloniki, Spartak St. Petersburg, Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu and Radnicki Belgrade.

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  SLOVAKIA   


Slovintegra Levice sign Steve Rich - by Eurobasket
Slovintegra Levice agreed terms with 36-year old American center Steve Rich (208-C-72, college: Miami, FL). Rich will stay at the team for next season. He joined Slovintegra in February. He started last season at Liepajas Lauvas (Latvia), where he played in 8 games in the Latvian league (stats: 14.9ppg, 7.4rpg, 2.4bpg), and 10 games in Baltic League, where he averaged 12.5ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.4apg, 1.6bpg. Rich is very experienced player and it will be his 13th season in Europe. He played previously in France, Austria, Spain, Finland and Latvia.

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  SLOVENIA   


Helios adds Petrovic, Zlatorog inks Zitko, Triglav names coach - by Zeljko Zule

Helios signed Vjeko Petrovic (193-G-81) ex Turow for the upcoming season.

Zlatorog inked Croatian Luka Zitko (201-F-81) ex Grude for one year. Last season he averaged 26,3 minutes, 16,4 points, 3,8 reboudns and 1,5 assists in 12 games of Bosnian League Play-Off and 12,8 points in 20 games of Bosnian League's first stage.

Aleksandar Sekulic, an assistant coach of the National Team, was named the head coach at Triglav (B1).
Primoz Skok (192-G-84) of TCG Mercator is negotiating with Novi Sad.



Ilievski moves to Olimpija - by Eurobasket News
Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) will spend the upcoming season in Slovenian Olimpija. After a brilliant year in Italy, Macedonian player decided to taste success in Slovenia.
Vlado Ilievski started his career in 1996-1997at St. Thomas Aquinas in New Britain, Connecticut (USA) and led St. Thomas Aquinas to a Nortwest Conference Championship. In 1998-1999 and Partizan Beograd played for Partizan Beograd in Serbia. In 2000 was to be drafted by the NBA, but withdrew his name from the list just before the draft date. In 2001-2002 tested by Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), then went to Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy-LegaA) for some tests, but did not sign coming back to Union Olimpija Ljubljana.
In 2002-2003 his former and new team Union Olimpija Ljubljana saw Macedonian player in Adriatic League as he averaged 9.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.4spg. In Euroleague he spent 20 games having 11.5ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.4spg and in Slovenian 1A League played 19 games had 10.8ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg. In 2003-2004 moved to FC Barcelona and in 20 Euroleague games avegared 9.9ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg. Spanish ACB saw him playing 11games and having 12.0ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.2apg, 1.3spg.
Season 2004-2005 Vlado Ilievski also spent in F.C. Barcelona but then in 2005-2006 moved to Lottomatica Roma. In 2007 signed a 2-Year contract with Montepaschi Siena in Italy where he became Italian SerieA Champion and Italian SerieA Regular Season Champion. For Montepaschi Siena he averaged 7.4ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg in Euroleague 24 games.

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  SPAIN   


Rancik To Estudiantes - by Robert Mayor

Capital team continues completing the 2008/09 roster and has reached an agreement with Slovakian PF Martin Rancik (204-F/C-78, college: Iowa St.). Player comes from Iurbentia Bilbao, where has completed several good seasons, averaging more than 7 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes.

Rancik is the last capital team signing after Tom Wideman (209-C-76, agency: Duran International, college: Clemson), Vonteego Cummings (192-G-76, college: Pittsburgh), Jayson Granger and Samo Udrih (195-G-79).



Olympic Games: Spain outsmarts China in over time - by Eurobasket News
China - Spain 75-85

Reining World champion Spain had to work very hard in order to beat the hosts of the Olympic Games 2008. Chinese demonstrated pretty good performance but they couldn't keep Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80), who drained 9 points during the extra five minutes. With this victory Spain remained undefeated in Preliminary Group B while China dropped on 0-2.

Spain had better beginning. After lay-up by Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) at the middle of the opening stanza, Spain reached 11-17. Until the end of the first period China created 7-3 run setting the score on 18-20. Chinese showed wonderful performance during the following ten minutes. They had fantastic support from their fans. Thanks to Liu Wei (190-G-80), Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) and Wang Zhizhi (214-C-79) China registered 12-3 taking 11-point lead with 1:27 to go in the first half. However, Spain succeeded to come on minus 9 until the end of it. Third quarter also belonged to China, which ended it 15-10. It means that the hosts headed into the last frame having comfortable 14-point lead against the reining World champion. It was a signal for Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) to wake up what they immediately done making killing 23-9 run. At the very end China had a chance on 72-72 but Liu Wei commited a turnover after what Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) missed at the buzzer for Spain. As it was mentioned above, NBA star Pau Gasol totally dominated during the following five minutes securing the second victory for his team on the Olympics.

Pau Gasol demonstrated fantastic performance in this game. He spent 35 minutes in court nailing 29 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He was the best player of his team when it was the most important scoring 9 in over time. Rudy Fernandez also shined for the winning side with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Third player with double digits in Spain was Felipe Reyes, who netted 16 points including 6 rebounds. Liu Wei was the leading player for China scoring 19 points while Zhu Fangyu and Wang Zhizhi followed him with 15 points each. Ming Yao (226-C-80) this time stopped on 11 points and 9 boards. In the next round Spain will meet Germany while China will take on Angola.


China - Spain 75-85
(18-20, 28-17, 15-10, 11-25, 3-13)

China: Liu Wei 19, Zhu Fangyu 15, Wang Zhizhi 15, Ming Yao 11 (9 rebs)
Spain: Pau Gasol 29 (8 rebs), Rudy Fernandez 21 (8 rebs, 6 as), Felipe Reyes 10 (6 rebs)

More Market News - by Robert Mayor
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington) will finally play for DKV Joventut Badalona. One month later than expected and after several problems with his signed contract and the intention of Pops to play in NBA, club announced that player will be in 2008/09 roster. In a few days, DKV Joventut will make official the signing of American guard Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana).

- ViveMenorca is close to reach a deal with Vladimir Boisa (209-F/C-81, agency: World Sport Agency). Georgian center with Slovenian passport is playing for his National Team in Georgia and nobody knows when he may leave the country. Once he leaves Georgia, will sign a one year deal with island club.

- Chris Moss (204-F-80, agency: Passing Lane, college: W.Virginia), last seasons in Menorca will probably play for C.B. Murcia next season. Club showed interest in signing a player like him, that knows well the Spanish competition.

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  TPBL   


EAST TX TRAILBLAZERS JOINING THE TPBL - by Chris Cardenas


crockett, tx - Will be the new place to watch pro basketball in Texas. Michael Wright and his East Tx Trailblazers plan on blazing up the scoreboards for the 2009 TPBL season. The 2009 TPBL season ,already looking to be one of the strongest and most competitive ever, is nearing its tip off date of Jan 9th. Michael Wright and company without a doubt feels his team will compete for the TEXAS PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUES TITLE which has been held by the MIDLAND HEAT of Midland,Tx the past 2 seasons.
for more information on EAST TX TRAILBLAZER tryouts email: michael.wright64@yahoo.com

to enter your team / city for the 2009 season email league owner chris cardenas for a league packet and entry form : cardenas_chris@yahoo.com

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  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Hoyas Hammer Lakers, Take 2-1 Series Lead - by David Edole
Aug. 10, 2008 -- The CBA defending champions Hoyas exploded for 125 points in game two of the finals on Saturday to blow out the Lakers by 37 points, 125-88, at the St. Croix Central High Gym.
It was an unexpectedly lopsided victory for the Hoyas that stunned the Lakers fans. They will somehow have to find a way to stop Darnell 'Burger' Hendricks and the Hoyas or their championship dreams will be over on Monday.
Burger scored a game-high 41 points to lead his team to victory and a 2-1 series lead, but as was the case in game two, this was a total team effort. Every player on the Hoyas bench scored, and as a team, they were especially lethal from behind the arc, knocking down 14 three-pointers.
Asked about his teams dominating performance, Hoyas coach Samuel Lee said, 'They were ready. I took each of my players and spoke to them one-on-one before the game, gave them a little motivational talk about what I expect from them in the game. I showed them our game plan and they executed it almost to perfection.
'Every year in this league I only expect to lose two games and thats one in the season and one in the playoffs -- I done lost game one.'
The Lakers did look good early in game three as Robert Duck and Shane 'Sugar' Hodge had the hot hands early. They finished with 12 and 11 points respectively in the opening period. But Hendricks erupted late in the opening period and finished with 16 points with teammate Karl John knocking down 11 in the high-scoring opening stanza. The Lakers' last lead of the game came in the second quarter at 33-31 after a layup by Uel Richards. The Hoyas would then go on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good at 39-33. All eight points of that run was scored by Warren Christian off the Hoyas bench.
At about the seven-minute mark of the second quarter, Lee decided to rest his premier players and empty his bench. But the Lakers could do nothing against the Hoyas bench who, by the time the starters got back in, had given their team its biggest lead of 10 points at 47-37 after a layup by Andre '50' McIntosh.
The Lakers fought hard to get back in the game, but they were finding it a difficult task stopping the Hoyas offense while the Hoyas were turning in a very good defensive performance. The defending champs closed the first half on an 11-6 run to go into the locker room up by 15 at 58-43.
A 5-0 run by the Hoyas to start the third quarter signaled the beginning of the end for the Lakers. The Hoyas, showcasing a balanced attack, poured it on in the third, outscoring the Lakers 34-23 to lead by 26 at 92-66. Many of the Lakers' big guns went to the bench near the end of the third and did not return.
The fourth quarter was mostly garbage time for the Hoyas and they scored at will with 33 points to the Lakers' 22.
Hendricks was joined in double figures for the Hoyas by John, who netted 24 points, Eddie Castillo had 14, and Warren Christian and Anthony 'Stickman' Theodore finished with 13 and 11 points respectively.
For the Lakers, Hodge showed the way with 20 points and Duck chipped in with 17.

2008-09 Murray State Racers Preview # 107 - by David Edole
Murray State Racers
Overall Rank: #106
Conference Rank: #1 Ohio Valley
2007-08: 18-13, 13-7, 2nd
2007-08 postseason: none

Murray State has been on the outside of the Ohio Valley Conference elite over the last couple seasons, but it is time for Coach Billy Kennedy to take the Racers back to the NCAA Tournament. A couple key players are gone, but this is a talented team that continues to recruit quite well. Experience, or lack there of, has been an issue over the last couple of years since Coach Kennedy took over, but now the team finally has as many upperclassmen as underclassmen and that will keep Murray State in the race for a conference title.

Whos Out:
However, losing Bruce Carter will make it a little more difficult. Carter, a 6-4 guard, led the team in points and rebounds during his senior campaign. Carter got to the basket with ease and was a decent enough outside shooter to keep the opposing defense honest. Ray George averaged 7.8 points per contest and was a big spark off the bench. Like Carter, George is not a superb shooter, but he was effective getting to the rim. Forward Tarod Sanders is not returning after averaging 8.2 minutes per game in 2007-2008.

Whos In:
The Racers are pretty well equipped to run an experienced seven man rotation without any of the newcomers. This group will probably extend that number up to nine or ten. Power forward Ivan Aska is expected to make the biggest impact. At 6-7, 230 pounds, Aska has the size to battle in the paint in the OVC. Yet, his toughness and athleticism give him the potential to be more than just a big man in the conference. His scoring will not blow anybody away, at least not yet, but he should play an important role right away at Murray State as a rebounder. Jeffery McClain, a sophomore transfer from Three Rivers Community College in Polar Bluff, Missouri, will also provide some much needed help in the rebounding department. The 6-6 forward is a good athlete and a solid all-around player. At 6-3, guard Donte Pool has good size for a player who can handle the ball so well. Yet, it will be his scoring ability, which will help replace Carter and Georges production, that will earn him minutes as freshman. Fellow guard Matt Fraliex will be the best long range shooter on the team from day one. That might not be enough to earn him a ton of minutes right away, but he can at least be the marksman off the bench.

Who to Watch:
Even without the teams leading scorer and their sixth man, the backcourt will be in good hands. Tyler Holloway shot over 46 percent from beyond the arc last year and will do plenty of scoring inside the arc as well. Without Carter, Holloways scoring prowess should be even better than his 10.6 points per game of a year ago. Having an experienced senior like Kevin Thomas to get him the ball makes his job even easier. Kevin Thomas is not much of a scorer, although he does have his moments, but it is his 4.5 assists per game and solid defense that make him so valuable to the Racers. Listed as a 6-4 forward, Danero Thomas has the skills to play on the wing and the strength to mix it up under the basket. His versatility makes him tough to guard and he is expected to take over a big chunk of the departed scoring after averaging 12.3 points per game as a sophomore.

Final Projection:
Under the basket the Racers have an emerging star in Tony Easley. The 6-9, 200 pound junior averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2007-2008 and is due for a big campaign. Without Carter, who led the team in rebounds, it is up to Easley to shoulder more of the load and hit the glass a little harder. Easley is also a decent shot blocking threat and can at least make the opposition think twice before heading into the paint. Yet, it is 6-6 junior Marvin Williams who could become a better shot blocker if he can find more playing time. With the wide-bodied George Fotso, and Danero Thomas, who will certainly spend plenty of time at the four spot, the team has a decent amount of depth up front. That depth is also now experienced and the Racers can use their big men to bully their way to a conference championship. Having a senior heavy backcourt will help.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:
Kevin Thomas, Senior, Guard, 6.7 points per game
Tyler Holloway, Senior, Guard, 10.6 points per game
Danero Thomas, Junior, Forward, 12.3 points per game
Marvin Williams, Junior, Forward, 5.6 points per game
Tony Easley, Junior, Forward, 9.3 points per game

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  UKRAINE   


Wethers to Budivelnyk / NT is waiting for Georgia - by Alexander Muzyka
- There are just eight friendlies left for Ukrainian NT before Eurobasket 2009 qualification starts. Five of them will take place in Kyiv. There they are:
Aug. 15,16 Ukraine - Georgia
Aug. 20-22 Nezalezhnist Cup: Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia, Estonia
The tournament in Estonia will be the last warm-ups for NT.

- Budivelnyk found a substitute for Anthony Morrow. Brian Wethers (194-F/G-80) from Waikato Pistons will play for the 'builders'. It will be the third European experience for him after New Yorker Phantoms in 2003 and Hyeres-Toulon in 2005.

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Worthing Thunder signs Wardrope - by Eurobasket News
Worthing Thunder signed Dan Wardrope (188-G-78) who will play for the team in the upcoming season. Dan started his career in 2003-2004 with Edinburgh Kings. In 2004-2005 he moved to Scottish Rocks and played 36 games there. He averaged 5.1ppg, 1.5rpg, 0.9apg, FGP: 41.1%, 3FGP: 36.5% for his new team at that time. In 2005-2006 another Scottish team Ayrshire-Troon Tornadoes saw him in the roster. 2006-2007 year saw Dan in Guildford Heat where he played 35 games and had 9.1ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg. In the previous year 2007-2008 Dan Wardrope was glad to participate with his team in ULEB Cup. His Heat had 6 games as Dan averaged 5.3ppg. In the British League after 26 games Dan Wardrope averaged 4.2ppg, 1.2apg. Last season, Dan Wardrope averaged 4.19 points per game for the Heat, but he had his most successful season in 2006/07 as he netted 9.06 points per game and the Heat won the BBL Championship and the BBL Cup.
Dan Wardrope will make his Worthing debut in the Thunder Cup on Saturday 13th September at Worthing Leisure Centre. Thunder expect to announce their second American signing within the next 72 hours with more signings to come.
Meawhile it has been announced that Guildford Heat will be facing BBL Cup Winners the Marshall MK Lions in this season's BBL Cup Winners' cup over two games, the first to be held at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday, September 14, the second at the Bletchley Leisure Center on Friday, September 19th.
The Cup Winners game will see the winners of the BBL Trophy against the BBL Cup winners.The teams went head-to-head at the culmination of last season as the Heat overcame the Lions 100:88 in the BBL Championship Playoff final at the National Indoor Arena.



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Women News

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


The Opals post second straight win in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Australia - Brazil 80:65

The Australian National team continued their winning run at the Olympic Games in China. Today they held off pesky Brazil to earn the second straight win in Group A. Brazil meanwhile suffered the second consecutive defeat and dimmed their chances of making it to the quarterfinal. The Opals got to a confident start to the game and jumped to comfortable lead early in the game. Balanced offensive effort allowed Aussies to build a 15-point advantage after the first stanza. Australia gradually raised the tempo and stretched the margin to as many as 21 points at halftime. Karen Gustavo Rocha (177-G-84) and Adriana Pinto (170-G-78) connected from beyond the arc to ignite an 11:1 rally from the Latin American powerhouse in the third frame. Brazil cut the deficit to 8 points. Australia started the fourth term ahead by 12 points but Brazil refused to give up. Claudia Das Neves (172-G-75) and Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) came up with 4 straight points for Brazil late in regulation to shave the distance to 8 points. However Suzy Batkovic (193-C-80) drained 7 points for Australia and the Opals pulled away with a hard-fought win. Laura Summerton (191-C-83, agency: LBM Management) provided 18 points and 6 boards for Australia. Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) added 15 points, while Penny Taylor (185-F-81) delivered 11 points in the win. Kelly Santos (192-C-79) answered with game-high 21 points and 10 boards for Brazil. Micaela Jacintho knocked down 11 points in a losing clause. Australia outrebounded their opponents 41:30 and limited their opponents to 37% accuracy from the field. The Opals converted 45% of field goals.

Australia: Laura Summerton 18, Kristi Harrower 15, Penny Taylor 11
Brazil: Kelly Santos 21+10 boards, Micaela Jacintho 11

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  AUSTRIA - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Austria edges Switzerland in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
U18 Switzerland - U18 Austria 48-67

Austria took care for the second victory on U18 European Championship division B in Macedonian capital Skopje. Austrians were better than Switzerland improving to 2-2 in Preliminary Group A but it was not enough for the second place. Thus Austria will continue championship in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place -Group G together with Portugal, Luxemburg and Israel. On the other side Switzerland is the last ranked team in Group A with score 0-4. It will take a part in Classification Round for 17th to 20th place - Group I where are already placed Scotland, Denmark and the hosts of this championship F.Y.R. of Macedonia.

After totally leveled first quarter, Austria took control on its opponent in the next one. At the middle of it Lisa Richard (174-G-90)s and Milena Lazarevic (175-F-91) led 16-4 run for 24-40 for their team at the half time. Switzerland wasn't able to do anything important in third stanza as it had only Lisa Mazzocchi (170-G/F-90) in a game mood. One player ready to fight against Austria wasn't enough for Switzerland. It resulted with plus 20 for Austria before the last frame. During the last ten minutes Lisa Richard and her teammates played as hard as they need to keep this comfortable lead.

Lisa Richard was the key player in Austria today netting 21 points. Sarah Schicher (185-C-90) was behind her with 10 points and 4 rebounds. As it was mentioned above, Switzerland had only one player with double-digits and it was Lisa Mazzocchi, who finished the game with 16 points and 8 boards.


U18 Switzerland - U18 Austria 48-67
(13-13, 11-27, 13-17, 11-10)

Switzerland: Lisa Mazzocchi 16 (8 rebs)
Austria: Lisa Richard 21, Sarah Schicher 10 (4 rebs)

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  BELARUS - Women  


Belarus U16 grabs the last spot for the Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Belarus U16-Germany U16 60:54

Belarus U16 grabs the last spot for the Qualifying Round. In the last game of the Group D the team overcame Germany 60:54 leaving them winless. A 17:7 in the last period was the decisive in the game. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92) led the winners with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Aliaksandra Shymkaviak (166-G-92) produced 12, whilst Musatava added 11. Herrmann top-scored for Germany with 14 points, while Sonja Greinacher (185-C-92) collected 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Aliaksandra Shymkaviak opened the game for her team making a lay-up in the first seconds of the game. She hit two three-pointers later and Maryia Filonchyk nailed one from long range to give Belarus a 17:12 lead after one period. Germany replied with 16:10 for 28:27 lead as the teams disappeared in the lockers.
Belarus sparked a 7-0 run in the third quarter but the Germans answered with a 9-0 run for a 47:43 advantage going into the fourth. Schaake's shot from the arc gave Germany a 52:50 lead, but it was their last in the game. Belarus scored first seven consecutive points and then led to 60:54 win in the game. Belarus finished the Preliminary Round with 1-2 record, but will start the Qualifying with 0-2. Germany will fight for stay in the Division A in the Clasification Round.

Belarus U16:Maryia Filonchyk 12+9 rebs, Aliaksandra Shymkaviak 12, Musatava 11
Germany U16:Herrmann 14, Sonja Greinacher 12+12 rebs

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  BELGIUM - Women  


Belgium narrowly defeat Sweden to remain perfect - by Eurobasket News
Belgium U16 - Sweden U16 68:66

Belgian U16 National team posted their third straight win at the European Championship in Poland. Julie Vanloo (168-G-93) scored 19 points and dished out 5 assists to propel Belgium past Sweden in preliminary Group B. Belgium thus completed the round on top of the group and advanced to the Qualifying round. Amanda Zahui led Sweden with 27 points but could not prevent the team from falling short. Belgium managed to overcome an 8-point deficit at halftime to snatch a narrow win at the end. The teams traded baskets throughout the first stanza and Belgium entered the second period ahead by one 15:14. Sweden used a 12:0 rally in the second frame to accumulate a 9-point lead midway through the second quarter. Sweden stayed ahead throughout the third period. Belgium surged ahead after Meylemans converted a layup with under 3 minutes remaining. Zahui knocked down 5 straight points to give Swedish team a 66:63 advantage with just over a minute to go in the game. Lut De Meyer (172-F-92) shaved the deficit with a jumper and then Julie Vanloo drained a go-ahead three-pointer. Sweden had 21 seconds to save the game but Kalidis missed a jump shot and then Farhiya Abdi (186-F-92) committed a turnover to seal the win for Belgium. Mestdagh chipped in 14 points for Belgium. Meylemans added 13 points for the winners. Farhiya Abdi had 21 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists for Sweden.

Belgium U16: Julie Vanloo 19, Mestdagh 14, Meylemans 13
Sweden U16: Amanda Zahui 27, Farhiya Abdi 21+17 boards

U18 EC, division B: Latvia goes to the next stage perfect - by Eurobasket News
U18 Latvia - U18 Belgium 76-64

Latvia was better than Belgium in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. Thus Latvia advanced to the next stage as the only undefeated team of Group D with score 4-0. Belgium also reached the second stage but with score 3-1. These two teams will together with Netherlands and Hungary try to reach one of the first two places in Group F, which will take them straight to the semifinals.

Latvians showed their nerves at the early beginning missing couple of shots. On the other side Belgians were concentrated grabbing 8-16 after 8 minutes. Belgium immediately answered with 6-0 run melting Latvia's lead on 2 points. Last few minutes of the second stanza belonged to Sabine Niedola (182-F-91) and her teammates. After triple by Arta Strupovica (170-G-90), Latvia grabbed 38-31 heading into the second half. Belgium was not on such a good level which was necessary in order to come any closer against inconvenient Latvians. Actually until the end of the game Belgians touched minus 7 but it was their maximum.

Belgians couldn't find a solution how to stop Sabine Niedola, who drained 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. She was totally the best player for the winning team as Anete Klintsone (176-G-90) was behind her with 11 points. Strubbe had 19 points and 4 assists in Belgium while Jana Raman (183-F-91) followed her with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Noemie Mayombo (168-G-91) stopped on 16 points.


U18 Latvia - U18 Belgium 76-64
(14-16, 24-15, 19-17, 19-16)

Latvia: Sabine Niedola 29 (9 rebs), Anete Klintsone 11
Belgium: Strubbe 19 (4 as), Jana Raman 17 (7 rebs), Noemie Mayombo 16

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  BOSNIA - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Hungary outplays Bosnia reaching the next stage - by Eurobasket News
U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U18 Hungary 56-69

Hungary celebrated in very important game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After this victory Hungarians improved to 3-1 which means that the second place in Preliminary Group C belongs to them. Thus Hungary is placed directly to the Qualifying Stage Group F where it will try to reach one of the first two places which will secure them a spot for the semifinals. It won't be an easy job as Hungary will transfer defeat against Netherlands to Group F, where already are Latvia, Belgium and of course Netherlands. On the other side Bosnia continues in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H together with Ireland, Finland and England.

After almost equalized first frame, Hungarians put into the fifth gear taking total control on Bosnians in the next one. After 22-21 for Bosnia in 13th minute, Hungary made impressive 20-3 run. It means that Hungary headed into the second frame with plus 16. For the rest of the game Bosnians weren't able to get any closer. Krisztina Raksanyi (180-G-91) and her teammates kept their lead steady which resulted with final plus 13.

Krisztina Raksanyi shined for Hungary adding 15 points and 6 assists. Reka Balint (181-F-91) followed having 14 points and 5 rebounds while Lilla Horvath (-90) posted 10 points and 6 boards. Irma Rahmanovic (179-F-91) scored 18 points including 7 rebounds for Bosnians. He was followed by Tamara Kapor (178-G-91), who added 11 points.


U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U18 Hungary 56-69
(16-17, 9-24, 18-14, 13-14)

Bosnia: Irma Rahmanovic 18 (7 rebs), Tamara Kapor 11
Hungary: Krisztina Raksanyi 15 (6 as), Reka Balint 14 (5 rebs), Lilla Horvath 10 (6 rebs)

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  BRAZIL - Women  


The Opals post second straight win in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Australia - Brazil 80:65

The Australian National team continued their winning run at the Olympic Games in China. Today they held off pesky Brazil to earn the second straight win in Group A. Brazil meanwhile suffered the second consecutive defeat and dimmed their chances of making it to the quarterfinal. The Opals got to a confident start to the game and jumped to comfortable lead early in the game. Balanced offensive effort allowed Aussies to build a 15-point advantage after the first stanza. Australia gradually raised the tempo and stretched the margin to as many as 21 points at halftime. Karen Gustavo Rocha (177-G-84) and Adriana Pinto (170-G-78) connected from beyond the arc to ignite an 11:1 rally from the Latin American powerhouse in the third frame. Brazil cut the deficit to 8 points. Australia started the fourth term ahead by 12 points but Brazil refused to give up. Claudia Das Neves (172-G-75) and Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) came up with 4 straight points for Brazil late in regulation to shave the distance to 8 points. However Suzy Batkovic (193-C-80) drained 7 points for Australia and the Opals pulled away with a hard-fought win. Laura Summerton (191-C-83, agency: LBM Management) provided 18 points and 6 boards for Australia. Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) added 15 points, while Penny Taylor (185-F-81) delivered 11 points in the win. Kelly Santos (192-C-79) answered with game-high 21 points and 10 boards for Brazil. Micaela Jacintho knocked down 11 points in a losing clause. Australia outrebounded their opponents 41:30 and limited their opponents to 37% accuracy from the field. The Opals converted 45% of field goals.

Australia: Laura Summerton 18, Kristi Harrower 15, Penny Taylor 11
Brazil: Kelly Santos 21+10 boards, Micaela Jacintho 11

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  BULGARIA - Women  


U16 EC, division B: Bulgaria better than Switzerland - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bulgaria - U16 Switzerland 52-47

The hosts of U16 European Championship division B Bulgaria, registered the second victory at the front of its fans. After the first one against Luxemburg, this time Bulgarians were better than Switzerland improving to 2-1 in Preliminary Group B. On the other hand Switzerland dropped on 1-2 with just theoretically chances for the next stage.

Bulgarians had much better performance unit the last frame. Thanks to triple by Dora Sevova Bulgaria grabbed 3-point lead after the opening quarter. During the following ten minutes the hosts touched plus 8 but they couldn't keep it until the half time. Interesting is that nether of these two teams scored any point during the last three minutes in the first half. Dora Sevova and her teammates continued where they stopped in the first half extending lead to 9 points until the last one. Meghanne Kolly and Sarah Cavin led fantastic 13-0 run setting the score on 43-47. It was with almost 4 minutes remaining but after that moment Switzerland didn't score any basket until the end. On the other hand Bulgaria netted nine grabbing the second victory on this prestigious event.

Dora Sevova paced Bugaria to victory adding 14 points and 6 rebounds. Nora Georgieva and Vesela Kovacheva (163-G-92) followed her scoring 9 points each. Rosalie Grobert, Sarah Cavin and Maghanne Kolly netted 11 points apiece for the loosing side. Grobert had 8 more rebounds while Cavin grabbed 6. In the last game of the Preliminary Round Bulgaria will meet Ireland. Switzerland will take on Slovenia.


U16 Bulgaria - U16 Switzerland 52-47
(15-12, 12-10, 16-12, 9-13)

Bulgaria: Dora Sevova 14 (6 rebs), Nora Georgieva 9 (6 rebs), Vesela Kovacheva 9
Switzerland: Rosalie Grobet 11 (8 rebs), Sarah Cavin 11 (6 rebs), Meghanne Kolly 11

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  CHINA - Women  


USA pound China in the second game in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
USA - China 108:63

The USA National Team scored their second straight win at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. Today they heavily defeated hosting China to extend their winning streak to two games. Both teams came out winners in the opening round and set up a mouth-watering clash. They started the game closely as China jumped to an 11:10 lead early on. However the United States then answered with a massive 23:0 rally to build a 33:11 advantage at the end of the first frame. China looked stunned at the moment and the USA capitalized. They accounted for 28 more points in the second frame and stretched the advantage to as many as 34 points at the interval. China finally managed to slow down their opponents in the third quarter but failed to trim the distance. The North American team entered the fourth quarter ahead by 35 points. The gap proved unassailable for China and they had to surrender at the end. Tina Thompson (6'2''-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) came up with a pivotal performance for the USA. She knocked down game-high 27 points and grabbed 5 boards. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) added 18 points, while Candace Parker (6'4''-F/C-86, college: Tennessee) contributed 12 points for the winners. Miao Li Jie (5'11''-G-81) answered with 16 points for China. Chen Nan (6'6''-C-83) delivered 14 points in the loss. The USA outrebounded their opponents 47:30 and forced China to 18 turnovers. The winners sank 56% from the field and limited the home team to just 34% accuracy.

USA: Tina Thompson 27, Sylvia Fowles 18, Candace Parker 12
China: Miao Li Jie 16, Chen Nan 14

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  CROATIA - Women  


U16 EC, division B: Nina Premasunac leads Croatia against Montenegro - by Eurobasket News
U16 Croatia - U16 Montenegro 87-74

Croatia celebrated in its second appearance on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. Croatians suffered thriller defeat 54-55 against Romania at the opening day but this time they earned lead at the very beginning keeping it until the end. Thus Croatia currently has 1-1 in Preliminary Group D while Montenegro dropped on 0-2. In the last game of the Preliminary Round Croatia will meet Finland while Montenegro will play against Romania. All games are scheduled for Tuesday.

After 8-8 at the beginning of the opening stanza, Croatia made furious 14-3 fur grabbing 11-point lead after 10 minutes. Nina Premasunac (184-F-92) was on fire which resulted with 37-21 for her team in 16th minute. Ivana Nikic (177-F-92) and Milica Milosev then stepped up in Bosnia having couple of nice penetrations what was enough only for 49-38 at the half time. In just five minutes of third frame Montenegro almost tied the score, 51-50. Then Nina Premasunac once against shined in Croatia and together Zrinka Brkljacic and Ivana Blazevic grabbed their lead back 65-58. Montenegrins weren't able to come any closer in the last frame. Actually Croatia even stretched its lead, which was 84-70 with two minutes to go.

Nina Premasunac was unstoppable in this game. She nailed 31 points and grabbed 14 boards for 35 minutes. Zrinka Brkljacic had 11 points and 4 assists while Ivana Blazevic added 10 points and 4 rebounds. The loosing side got 21 points and 7 rebounds from Ivana Nikic. Milica Milosev posted 17 points and 5 boards while Jovana Pasic had one point and one board less than her.


U16 Croatia - U16 Montenegro 87-74
(22-11, 27-27, 16-20, 22-16)

Croatia: Nina Premasunac 31 (14 rebs), Zrinka Brkljacic 11 (4 as), Ivana Blazevic 10 (4 rebs)
Montenegro: Ivana Nikic 21 (7 rebs), Milica Milosev 17 (5 rebs), Jovana Pasic 16 (4 rebs)

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Czech Republic U16 advance to the Qualifying round in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 109:46

Czech Republic secured their Qualifying round birth at the U16 European Championship in Poland. They snapped two-game losing skid beating Ukraine in the crucial encounter for both teams in Group B. Ukraine lost the third straight game at the tournament and would try to avoid relegation in the classification round games. Czech team got to a sloppy start to the game. They trailed by a single point after ten minutes of action. However Czech Republic answered with a 29:8 rally in the second frame and rolled to a 46:26 advantage at halftime. Czech side went on a 17:4 surge in the third stanza and built a 32-point buffer midway through the third quarter. Czech Republic kept on mounting the pressure and headed into the final quarter leading by massive 42 points. Ukraine had no chances to save the game and Czechs drove to the cruising victory at the end. Pudlakova led the charge with 19 points and 9 steals. Jana Hausknechtova (174-G-92) had 16 points, 5 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Viktoriya Skubiy (180-F-92) replied with 22 points and 9 rebounds for Ukraine. Vyshniak added 8 points in defeat. Ukraine committed woeful 40 turnovers during the game and shot just 23% from the field. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 48:38.

Czech Republic U16: Pudlakova 19, Jana Hausknechtova 16, Smidkova 12+10 boards
Ukraine U16: Viktoriya Skubiy 22, Vyshniak 8

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  DENMARK - Women  


U16 EC, division B: Denmark grabs thriller win against Israel - by Eurobasket News
U16 Israel - U16 Denmark 50-51

Denmark succeeded to celebrate against Denmark in very exciting game. It means that Denmark remains undefeated after thee appearances on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. After this defeat, Israel still has a chance to reach the next stage.

Mostly owing to Bar Galinski (181-F-92) Israel grabbed 4-point lead after the opening quarter. Very soon Avigel Cohen and Yael Shafir joined her which resulted with plus 10 for their team at the middle of the second frame. Anne Pedersen finally woke up after the breather. She, together with Gritt Ryder, led her team to minus 4 before the last frame. Two minutes before the end Vincents made a lay-up setting the score on 49-51 for Denmark. Bar Galinski made first but missed the second free throw for Israel after what she and her teammates missed thee possibly winning jump shots. Israel had many troubles with FG2 as its player had just 20.5% (9 of 44). They compensated it with team play and strong willingness to fight until the last moment but unfortunately to them it was not enough against strong Denmark.

As usually, Anne Pedersen once again shined for the winning side. She poured in 15 points and grabbed 14 boards for 36 minutes. She didn't have such brilliant stroke in this game recording just 14% for FG2 but dhe had much better digits from behind the arc making 3 of 6 attempts. Gritt Ryder followed Anne Pedersen with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. In the last game of the Preliminary Group A Denmark will play against Greece while Israel will meet winless England.


U16 Israel - U16 Denmark 50-51
(12-8, 19-11, 14-22, 5-10)

Israel: Avigel Cohen 12 (5 rebs), Bar Galinski 9 (12 rebs), Yael Shafir 9 (4 rebs)
Denmark: Anne Pedersen 15 (14 rebs), Gritt Ryder 10 (6 rebs, 5 as)

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  ESTONIA - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Slovenia routs Estonia for top of Preliminary Group B - by Eurobasket News
U18 Slovenia - U18 Estonia 61-52

In the game between two best teams from Preliminary Group B Slovenia was better than Estonia grabbing the top with score 3-1. Namely, both tams entered into this game undefeated but the good thing for Slovenians is that they will transfer this victory to the Qualifying Round Group E. Greece and Germany from the Preliminary Group A also are transferred to the same group. Two best teams from this Group E will advance to the semifinals of U18 European Championship division B in Skopje.

Slovenians had better beginning closing the first stanza with 16-10. Something happened to them after those 10 minutes as they missed many opened shots at the same time committing couple of mistakes. Slovenia's defense also dropped on much lower level which Kerli Haas (179-F-90) and her teammates exploited. They finished second period 7-20 heading to the next frame with advantage of 7 points. Totally different picture was seen on the court after the half time. Ines Kerin (172-G-90) and Nika Baric (168-G-92) were on fire and together with Tjasa Gortnar (182-F-92) created 12-4 run. During the last frame they made anther 9-2 series setting the score on 58-49 with 3:14 to go.

Ines Kerin and Nika Baric were the best players for the winning side in this game. Kerin added 17 points and 4 boards while Baric stopped on 16 points and 5 rebounds. Tjasa Gortnar was behind these two players having 12 points and 4 rebounds. Estonia got 14 points and 4 rebounds from Kerli Haas while Triin Teppo (185-C-90) scored 11 points missing only one board for double-double. Kerttu Jallai (180-F-90) also contributed with 11 points and 5 glasses.


U18 Slovenia - U18 Estonia 61-52
(16-10, 7-20, 23-15, 15-7)

Slovenia: Ines Kerin 17 (4 rebs), Nika Baric 16 (5 rebs), Tjasa Gortnar 12 (4 rebs)
Estonia: Kerli Haas 14 (4 rebs), Triin Teppo 11 (9 rebs, 4 as), Kerttu Jallai 11 (5 rebs)

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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U16 - Women  


W-Standings - Div.A
Standings
Group E
1. Belgium2-0
2. France2-0
3. Sweden1-1
4. Turkey1-1
5. Lithuania0-2
6. Czech Repu.0-2
Group F
1. Spain2-0
2. Italy2-0
3. Poland1-1
4. Russia1-1
5. Hungary0-2
6. Belarus0-2
Classification
1. Germany0-0
2. Latvia0-0
3. Serbia0-0
4. Ukraine0-0


Standings - Div.B - by Eurobasket News
Standings Div.B
Group A
1. Denmark3-0
2. Greece2-1
3. Portugal2-2
4. Israel1-2
5. U.Kingdom0-3
Group B
1. Ireland3-0
2. Bulgaria2-1
3. Slovenia2-1
4. Switzerl.1-2
5. Luxembourg.0-4
Group C
1. Slovakia2-0
2. Estonia1-1
3. Holland1-1
4. Bosnia0-2
Group D
1. Finland2-0
2. Croatia1-1
3. Romania1-1
4. Monteneg.0-2


Division A. Preliminary Round Day 3 - by Eurobasket News
GROUP A
France U16 - Lithuania U16 75:40

French U16 National Team completed the preliminary round at the European championship in Poland unbeaten. Yesterday they edged Lithuania to improve to 3-0 record in top of Group A. It was a one-sided traffic game as France dominated right from the tip off. They capped the first frame with an 11:1 run to accumulate a 20:6 lead after ten minutes of action. Lithuania were not ready to surrender that early and used a 9:2 surge in the second frame to trim the deficit to 9 points. However France responded with back-to-back trebles from Lemmonier and Helena Akmouche (173-G-92) to regain a comfortable advantage. France continued to pile up the lead and enjoyed a 31-point margin in the third frame. Esther Moisan Niamke scored 8 points at the start of the fourth quarter and France never looked back en route to an impressive victory. Florine Basque (184-F-92) led balanced offense with 12 points. Esther Moisan Niamke added 10 points for the winners. Morkunaite netted 10 points for Lithuania. Okochyte had 8 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded France 38:32 but could not overcome massive 39 turnovers. France converted solid 46% from the field. Both teams made to the qualifying round and would resume the action tomorrow.

France U16: Florine Basque 12, Esther Moisan Niamke 10
Lithuania U16: Gabija Morkunaite 10, Santa Okochyte 8

Turkey U16 - Latvia U16 70:49
Turkish U16 National Team registered their second win at the European Championship in Poland. They defeated Latvia in the third game of the preliminary round action in Group A. Pelin Gulbag (170-G-92) (170-G-92) scored 17 points to propel Turkey to 2-1 record and they claimed the second spot in the Pool. Latvia meanwhile suffered their third loss in a row and would have to fight for Division A spot in the classification round. Turkey nailed 6 unanswered points at the start of the game. Turkey kept in front throughout the period however Latvia never allowed their opponents to clear off substantially and trailed by just a single point at the first intermission. Linda Pagrode (167-G-92) netted 4 points in a 6:0 surge from Latvia early in the second frame and the Baltic side accumulated a 5-point advantage. The teams traded baskets further on and Turkey enjoyed a 34:31 cushion at halftime. Linda Pagrode was strong again at the start of the third term as she delivered 4 points and Latvia regained the lead. Nevertheless Turkey finished the stanza with a 14:4 rally to enter the final quarter ahead by 6. Turkey simply wiped out their opponents in the fourth term 22:7 and celebrated victory. Emel Guler (187-F-92) tallied 16 points and 7 boards for Turkish team. Ieva Eida (176-G/F-92) answered with 18 points for Latvia. Linda Pagrode netted 9 points in a losing effort.

Turkey U16: Pelin Gulbag 17, Emel Guler 16, Cora 9
Latvia U16: Ieva Eida 18, Linda Pagrode 9

GROUP B
Belgium U16 - Sweden U16 68:66
Belgian U16 National team posted their third straight win at the European Championship in Poland. Julie Vanloo (168-G-93) scored 19 points and dished out 5 assists to propel Belgium past Sweden in preliminary Group B. Belgium thus completed the round on top of the group and advanced to the Qualifying round. Amanda Zahui led Sweden with 27 points but could not prevent the team from falling short. Belgium managed to overcome an 8-point deficit at halftime to snatch a narrow win at the end. The teams traded baskets throughout the first stanza and Belgium entered the second period ahead by one 15:14. Sweden used a 12:0 rally in the second frame to accumulate a 9-point lead midway through the second quarter. Sweden stayed ahead throughout the third period. Belgium surged ahead after Meylemans converted a layup with under 3 minutes remaining. Zahui knocked down 5 straight points to give Swedish team a 66:63 advantage with just over a minute to go in the game. Lut De Meyer (172-F-92) shaved the deficit with a jumper and then Julie Vanloo drained a go-ahead three-pointer. Sweden had 21 seconds to save the game but Kalidis missed a jump shot and then Farhiya Abdi (186-F-92) committed a turnover to seal the win for Belgium. Mestdagh chipped in 14 points for Belgium. Meylemans added 13 points for the winners. Farhiya Abdi had 21 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists for Sweden.

Belgium U16: Julie Vanloo 19, Mestdagh 14, Meylemans 13
Sweden U16: Amanda Zahui 27, Farhiya Abdi 21+17 boards

Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 109:46
Czech Republic secured their Qualifying round birth at the U16 European Championship in Poland. They snapped two-game losing skid beating Ukraine in the crucial encounter for both teams in Group B. Ukraine lost the third straight game at the tournament and would try to avoid relegation in the classification round games. Czech team got to a sloppy start to the game. They trailed by a single point after ten minutes of action. However Czech Republic answered with a 29:8 rally in the second frame and rolled to a 46:26 advantage at halftime. Czech side went on a 17:4 surge in the third stanza and built a 32-point buffer midway through the third quarter. Czech Republic kept on mounting the pressure and headed into the final quarter leading by massive 42 points. Ukraine had no chances to save the game and Czechs drove to the cruising victory at the end. Pudlakova led the charge with 19 points and 9 steals. Jana Hausknechtova (174-G-92) had 16 points, 5 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Viktoriya Skubiy (180-F-92) replied with 22 points and 9 rebounds for Ukraine. Vyshniak added 8 points in defeat. Ukraine committed woeful 40 turnovers during the game and shot just 23% from the field. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 48:38.

Czech Republic U16: Pudlakova 19, Jana Hausknechtova 16, Smidkova 12+10 boards
Ukraine U16: Viktoriya Skubiy 22, Vyshniak 8

GROUP C
Hungary U16-Italy U16 53:64
Italy U16 won Group C of the European Championship Women by fending off Hungary 64:53 to advance to the Qualifying Round. Italian team grabbed the lead from the very beginning and led the held the score for good. Debora Carangelo (168-G-94) led the winners with 23 points. Gorini and Sabrina Formica (170-G-90) added 10 points apiece for 3-0 record. Manyoky finished the night with 15 points in defeat and Kesoi scored 11. Hungary advanced to the Qualifying round as well but will start it with 0-2 record.
Italy scored first 5 points in the game and benefit from the first quarter at 14:10. Bettina Baksa (172-G-92) tied the score at 14:14 after two lay-ups made. After 17:17 Italy produced 11-0 run and were too strong in the second period. Manyoky sent both teams to the lockers for 24:33 Italian lead.
Hungary did not give up and remained alive in the game. Again a jump shot from Manyoky saw the board 34:36. Italy increased the advantage a bit for 49:43 deficit after three quarters played. A 15:10 in the last one was the decisive in the game as Italy stayed undefeated in the tournament.

Hungary U16:Manyoky 15, Kesoi 11
Italy U16:Debora Carangelo 23, Gorini 10, Sabrina Formica 10

Serbia U16-Poland U16 75:76
Poland U16 advanced to the Qualifying Round with a 2-1 record following their 76:75 win in Group C. The last game of the group saw them beating Serbia 76:75 in a real thriller. Monika Jasnowska (181-F-92) paced all the winners with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Anna Kowalska (193-F-86, college: John A.Logan CC) netted 14, whilst Marta Mistygacz (180-F-91) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds. Snezana Colic (165-G-92) top-scored for Serbia with 17 points and Stojanovic added 15. The loss means Serbia will finish outside the top 12 for the first time in the nation's history.
Poland burst a 9:4 lead and won the opening tip of the game. Serbia however replied later with some baskets for a 29:23 lead after the first quarter. Trailing 25:32, the hosts closed the first half with a 17-6 to go into the locker-room ahead 42:38.
Snezana Colic started the second half with a three-ball and Dragicevic's basket pushed the Serbs back in front. Serbia won the third quarter 20:17 and cut to 58:59 before the final quarter. The Serbs opened an 11-point lead with five minutes to play, but committed three turnovers in seven scoreless possessions and Poland would pull within 75:74. Polish players went four times to the free throw line and one from Dobrowolska and another from Anna Kowalska brought the hosts 76:75 victory.

Serbia U16: Snezana Colic 17, K. Stojanovic 15
Poland U16:Monika Jasnowska 15+7 rebs, Anna Kowalska 14, Marta Mistygacz 13+10 rebs

GROUP D
Belarus U16-Germany U16 60:54
Belarus U16 grabs the last spot for the Qualifying Round. In the last game of the Group D the team overcame Germany 60:54 leaving them winless. A 17:7 in the last period was the decisive in the game. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92) led the winners with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Aliaksandra Shymkaviak (166-G-92) produced 12, whilst Musatava added 11. Herrmann top-scored for Germany with 14 points, while Sonja Greinacher (185-C-92) collected 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Aliaksandra Shymkaviak opened the game for her team making a lay-up in the first seconds of the game. She hit two three-pointers later and Maryia Filonchyk nailed one from long range to give Belarus a 17:12 lead after one period. Germany replied with 16:10 for 28:27 lead as the teams disappeared in the lockers.
Belarus sparked a 7-0 run in the third quarter but the Germans answered with a 9-0 run for a 47:43 advantage going into the fourth. Schaake's shot from the arc gave Germany a 52:50 lead, but it was their last in the game. Belarus scored first seven consecutive points and then led to 60:54 win in the game. Belarus finished the Preliminary Round with 1-2 record, but will start the Qualifying with 0-2. Germany will fight for stay in the Division A in the Clasification Round.

Belarus U16:Maryia Filonchyk 12+9 rebs, Aliaksandra Shymkaviak 12, Musatava 11
Germany U16:Herrmann 14, Sonja Greinacher 12+12 rebs

Spain U16-Russia U16 57:50
Group D of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Women saw the battle for the first spot between Spain and Russia. Jose Ignacio Hernandez 's team beat Russia 57:50 and finished the group with 3-0 record. Ortiz top-scored fort he winners with 13 points. Casas nailed 12, while Delgado scored 11. Kubynina and Stepanova both finished the game with 11 points in defeat. Russia finished second in the group at 2-1 and also advanced to the Qualifying Round.
Both teams stayed close to each other in the opening quarter as the board showed 15:15 in the end of it. Ortiz knocked knocked down two three-pointers as Spain created 16-2 surge to lead 31:17. Stepanova with a jump-shot sent the teams to the lockers for 31:22.
The third period was spent dedicated mostly to defense from both teams and Spaniards enjoyed 13:11 win in it. Diaz started the fourth with a long ball and Casas made it 49:33. Russia battled back but could not come too close. Delgado's three-pointer and Casas' shots made it 54:42. Segues set up the final, 57:50 score at the end of the game. Both teams will start the Qualifying Round tomorrow.

Spain U16: Ortiz 13, Casas 12, Delgado 11
Russia U16:Kubynina 11, Stepanova 11


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  FINLAND - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Netherlands routs Finland in F.Y.R. of Macedonia - by Eurobasket News
U18 Finland - U18 Netherlands 67-76

Netherlands finished competition at the Preliminary Round undefeated. It means that Netherlands advanced to the next stage on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. It is placed into Group F together with Hungary, Latvia and Belgium. Important rule for Netherlands is that victory against Hungary will be transferred to the next stage. Finland is a fourth ranked team in Group C and it will continue competition in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H. Except of Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England and Ireland are already placed into the same group.

Netherlands created bigger lead in this game during the second quarter. At the one point of it Netherlands had 30-48. Fieke Ligthart (184-F/C-90) and Clara Van der Hoek (179-F-90) scored majority of Netherlands' points in the first quarter. During the next ten minutes Karin Kuijt (164-G-90) and Karina Van den Nieuwendijk (195-C-90) joined them which resulted with this huge advantage. Finland showed slightly better performance in third frame but Netherlands succeeded to keep plus 9 before the last frame. Finland didn't give up coming on minus 2 in 34th minute but Netherlands immediately responded. During the last three minutes Clara Van der Hoek and his teammates created winning 9-3 run.

Fieke Ligthart was the key player for Netherlands pacing them to victory with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Clara Van der Hoek had 13 points and 9 boards while Natalie Van den Adel (182-G-90) collected 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Finland got the most from Meri Eerikinharju (177-G/F-90), who scored 17 points. Maria Salmio (182-F-91) helped his team with 13 points and 8 rebounds.


U18 Finland - U18 Netherlands 67-76
(19-23, 16-26, 20-15, 12-12)

Finland: Meri Eerikinharju 17, Maria Salmio 13 (8 rebs)
Netherlands: Fieke Ligthart 17 (8 rebs), Clara Van der Hoek 13 (9 rebs), Natalie Van den Adel 11 (5 rebs, 5 as)

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  FRANCE - Women  


France stay undefeated in Katowice - by Eurobasket News
France U16 - Lithuania U16 75:40

French U16 National Team completed the preliminary round at the European championship in Poland unbeaten. Yesterday they edged Lithuania to improve to 3-0 record in top of Group A. It was a one-sided traffic game as France dominated right from the tip off. They capped the first frame with an 11:1 run to accumulate a 20:6 lead after ten minutes of action. Lithuania were not ready to surrender that early and used a 9:2 surge in the second frame to trim the deficit to 9 points. However France responded with back-to-back trebles from Lemmonier and Helena Akmouche (173-G-92) to regain a comfortable advantage. France continued to pile up the lead and enjoyed a 31-point margin in the third frame. Esther Moisan Niamke scored 8 points at the start of the fourth quarter and France never looked back en route to an impressive victory. Florine Basque (184-F-92) led balanced offense with 12 points. Esther Moisan Niamke added 10 points for the winners. Morkunaite netted 10 points for Lithuania. Okochyte had 8 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded France 38:32 but could not overcome massive 39 turnovers. France converted solid 46% from the field. Both teams made to the qualifying round and would resume the action tomorrow.

France U16: Florine Basque 12, Esther Moisan Niamke 10
Lithuania U16: Gabija Morkunaite 10, Santa Okochyte 8

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  GERMANY - Women  


Belarus U16 grabs the last spot for the Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Belarus U16-Germany U16 60:54

Belarus U16 grabs the last spot for the Qualifying Round. In the last game of the Group D the team overcame Germany 60:54 leaving them winless. A 17:7 in the last period was the decisive in the game. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92) led the winners with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Aliaksandra Shymkaviak (166-G-92) produced 12, whilst Musatava added 11. Herrmann top-scored for Germany with 14 points, while Sonja Greinacher (185-C-92) collected 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Aliaksandra Shymkaviak opened the game for her team making a lay-up in the first seconds of the game. She hit two three-pointers later and Maryia Filonchyk nailed one from long range to give Belarus a 17:12 lead after one period. Germany replied with 16:10 for 28:27 lead as the teams disappeared in the lockers.
Belarus sparked a 7-0 run in the third quarter but the Germans answered with a 9-0 run for a 47:43 advantage going into the fourth. Schaake's shot from the arc gave Germany a 52:50 lead, but it was their last in the game. Belarus scored first seven consecutive points and then led to 60:54 win in the game. Belarus finished the Preliminary Round with 1-2 record, but will start the Qualifying with 0-2. Germany will fight for stay in the Division A in the Clasification Round.

Belarus U16:Maryia Filonchyk 12+9 rebs, Aliaksandra Shymkaviak 12, Musatava 11
Germany U16:Herrmann 14, Sonja Greinacher 12+12 rebs

U18 EC, division B: Greece remain perfect after Germany - by Eurobasket News
U18 Greece - U18 Germany 60-47

Greece remained undefeated after the last game of Preliminary Round on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. It means that Greece advanced to the Qualifying Round from the top Preliminary Group A. Despite this defeat Germany also booked a spot for the next stage. The good thing for Greece and at the same time the bad one for Germany is that the score from this game will be transferred to Group E. Except of these two teams, participant of the Group E are also Slovenia and Estonia.

Interesting is that Germany ended this game having 15 rebounds more than its opponent. However, the Germans struggled a lot with their stroke, especially from behind the arc and from the free throw line. Greece was a better team from the beginning. Mostly owing to Aikaterini Kontali and Angeliki Nikolopoulou (175-G-91) Greece went on the half time having 5-point lead. After the breather Greeks intensified defense which resulted with many mistakes and missed shots by the Germans. Kontali and her teammates ended this period 16-9 heading into the last frame with plus 12. Very soon Greece extended it to 14 points what automatically meant that game is over for Germany.

Aikaterini Kontali paced Greece to victory in this game collecting 15 points and 4 rebounds. Angeliki Nikolopoulou also netted 15 points while Ioanna Diela (175-F-90) followed her with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Pia Mankertz (170-G-90) netted 12 points for Germany while Jenny Menz (180-F-91) finished the game with 10 points.


U18 Greece - U18 Germany 60-47
(17-13, 15-14, 16-9, 12-11)

Greece: Aikaterini Kontali 15 (4 rebs), Angeliki Nikolopoulou 15, Ioanna Diela 10 (8 rebs)
Germany: Pia Mankertz 12, Jenny Menz 10

U18 with first loss against Greece - by Cornelius Damm
After three wins against Switzerland, Austria and Luxemburg Germanys U18 suffered its first loss during the European Championship Division B. In the game against Greece the young girls fell behind early 2-8 (fourth minute) trailing 13-17 after the first quarter. Until halftime both teams played on the same level and so Greece was only leading 32-27 at the break and Germany was still within reach. But with an 11-0 run at the end of the third quarter the young Greek girls decided the game. Even though the Germans tried to stay in the game fighting hard and winning the rebound 42-31 overall the poor shooting (19/63 FGs) prevented any kind of success for the team of Reiner Chromik. In the end the game was lost 47-60.

Stephanie Eitel (BSG Ludwigsburg, dnp.), Stephanie Wagner (TV Langen, 4), Svenja Brunckhorst (TSV Wasserburg, 4), Franziska Steiner (TS Jahn Mnchen), Pia Mankertz (SC Alstertal-Langenhorn/SC Rist Wedel, 12), Danina Skrobek (ETB SW Essen, 2), Carolin Riehle (USC Freiburg, 1), Jenny Menz (TuS Jena, 10), Leonie Bleker (RC Borken/NB Oberhausen, 2), Carlina Haas (TS Jahn Mnchen, 8), Emina Karic (Herner TC, 4) und Mara Greunke (TV Langen).

The team now has to take on Slovenia (Tuesday, 08/12/08 at 06:45 p.m.) and Estonia (Wednesday, 08/13/08 at 06:45 p.m.) and needs two wins in order to advance to the semi-finals.

U16 European Champioship: Two losses for Germany - by Cornelius Damm
Germanys U16 had to take a hard 35-61 loss against Russia in its second game of the European Championship Division A in Katowice (POL). After a good 20-26 first half the team of head coach Alexandra Maerz broke apart in the second half losing the third quarter 07-17 and the fourth 08-26. The intense play of the Russian team was too much for the young Germans. They were not able to control Svetlana Efimova and Yulia Stepanova who both scored 17 points each against Germany.

Julia Gaudermann (TSV Gruenberg), Sonja Greinacher (ETB SW Essen, 7), Nicola Happel (TSV Gruenberg, 1), Anna Heise (SV Halle, 2), Clara Herrmann (SG Koeln 99ers, 6), Alexandra Hoeffgen (BBZ Leverkusen, 2), Jani Martinius (Rhndorfer TV, 4), Sabrina Ochs (SC Alstertal-Langenhorn, dnp.), Finja Schaake (TSV Gruenberg, 5), Christina Schnorr (Chemnitzer Basketgirls, 9), Daniela Vogel (Basketball Berlin Sued, 8), Katharina Zorn ( Eintracht Frankfurt/TV Langen)


The third game of the tournament was a do or die situation for both teams Germany and Belarus who had lost to Russia 45-68 and Spain 45-80 just as well. Not much of a surprise the young German girls became flustered already missing five shots from the free throw line early in the game. Both teams played on the same level and with the final seconds Anna Heise made an important basket to the 28-27 halftime lead for the Germans who had already missed nine free throws in the first 20 minutes. After the break the lead changed many times but Germany was up 47-43 before the final quarter. Again the lead changed a couple of times in the fourth quarter but as Germany committed too many turnovers Belarus was finally able to pull away 57-52 with a little over a minute to go in the game. Sonja Greinacher brought her team back within reach 54-57 and also had the chance for the tie the game but Belarus stayed cool and brought the game home eventually winning 60-54.

Julia Gaudermann (TSV Gruenberg, 2/11 Rebounds), Sonja Greinacher (ETB SW Essen, 12/12), Nicola Happel (TSV Gruenberg, dnp.), Anna Heise (SV Halle, 2), Clara Herrmann (SG Koeln 99ers, 14), Alexandra Hoeffgen (BBZ Leverkusen, dnp.), Jani Martinius (Rhndorfer TV, 5), Sabrina Ochs (SC Alstertal-Langenhorn), Finja Schaake (TSV Gruenberg, 8), Christina Schnorr (Chemnitzer Basketgirls, 11/7), Daniela Vogel (Basketball Berlin Sued), Katharina Zorn ( Eintracht Frankfurt/TV Langen, dnp.)


Now Germany faces elimination as they have to play Serbia, Ukraine and Latvia in order to remain in the Division A. To achieve that Germany needs at least two wins out of these three games. Otherwise Germanys U16 will have to compete in the Division B next year.

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  GREECE - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Greece remain perfect after Germany - by Eurobasket News
U18 Greece - U18 Germany 60-47

Greece remained undefeated after the last game of Preliminary Round on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. It means that Greece advanced to the Qualifying Round from the top Preliminary Group A. Despite this defeat Germany also booked a spot for the next stage. The good thing for Greece and at the same time the bad one for Germany is that the score from this game will be transferred to Group E. Except of these two teams, participant of the Group E are also Slovenia and Estonia.

Interesting is that Germany ended this game having 15 rebounds more than its opponent. However, the Germans struggled a lot with their stroke, especially from behind the arc and from the free throw line. Greece was a better team from the beginning. Mostly owing to Aikaterini Kontali and Angeliki Nikolopoulou (175-G-91) Greece went on the half time having 5-point lead. After the breather Greeks intensified defense which resulted with many mistakes and missed shots by the Germans. Kontali and her teammates ended this period 16-9 heading into the last frame with plus 12. Very soon Greece extended it to 14 points what automatically meant that game is over for Germany.

Aikaterini Kontali paced Greece to victory in this game collecting 15 points and 4 rebounds. Angeliki Nikolopoulou also netted 15 points while Ioanna Diela (175-F-90) followed her with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Pia Mankertz (170-G-90) netted 12 points for Germany while Jenny Menz (180-F-91) finished the game with 10 points.


U18 Greece - U18 Germany 60-47
(17-13, 15-14, 16-9, 12-11)

Greece: Aikaterini Kontali 15 (4 rebs), Angeliki Nikolopoulou 15, Ioanna Diela 10 (8 rebs)
Germany: Pia Mankertz 12, Jenny Menz 10

U16 EC, division B: Greece beats Portugal thanks to well played last quarter - by Eurobasket News
U16 Greece - U16 Portugal 56-42

Greece registered second victory on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. This time Greece was better than Portugal improving to 2-1 in Preliminary Group A. On the other side Portugal dropped on 2-2.

Greece controlled rhythm of the game during the entire time. The fact that Greeks finished the game with 48 rebounds matched with just 29 by Portugal talks everything for itself. After 12-7 in the first quarter for Greece, Portugal showed slightly better performance in the next one. Unfortunately to them it was enough only for 24-20 at the half time. During the following ten minutes Ines Faustina and her teammates succeeded to make a turn. However, they somehow stopped playing in the last frame ending it with just 5 points. Greece, mostly owing to Dimitra Kampouraki and Artemis Spanou (185-F-92) netted 20, grabbing comfortable victory at the end.

Dimitra Kampouraki was the best scorer for her team today with 13 points. Artemis Spanou also demonstrated pretty good performance adding 11 points and 14 rebounds. Interesting that Portugal had only one player with double figures in this game. It was Ines Faustino, who scored 10 points. In the last day of Preliminary Round Greece will play against Denmark. On the other hand Portugal already played it four games at this stage.


U16 Greece - U16 Portugal 56-42
(12-7, 12-13, 12-17, 20-5)

Greece: Dimitra Kampouraki 13, Artemis Spanou 11 (14 rebs)
Portugal: Ines Faustino 10

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  HOLLAND - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Netherlands routs Finland in F.Y.R. of Macedonia - by Eurobasket News
U18 Finland - U18 Netherlands 67-76

Netherlands finished competition at the Preliminary Round undefeated. It means that Netherlands advanced to the next stage on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. It is placed into Group F together with Hungary, Latvia and Belgium. Important rule for Netherlands is that victory against Hungary will be transferred to the next stage. Finland is a fourth ranked team in Group C and it will continue competition in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H. Except of Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England and Ireland are already placed into the same group.

Netherlands created bigger lead in this game during the second quarter. At the one point of it Netherlands had 30-48. Fieke Ligthart (184-F/C-90) and Clara Van der Hoek (179-F-90) scored majority of Netherlands' points in the first quarter. During the next ten minutes Karin Kuijt (164-G-90) and Karina Van den Nieuwendijk (195-C-90) joined them which resulted with this huge advantage. Finland showed slightly better performance in third frame but Netherlands succeeded to keep plus 9 before the last frame. Finland didn't give up coming on minus 2 in 34th minute but Netherlands immediately responded. During the last three minutes Clara Van der Hoek and his teammates created winning 9-3 run.

Fieke Ligthart was the key player for Netherlands pacing them to victory with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Clara Van der Hoek had 13 points and 9 boards while Natalie Van den Adel (182-G-90) collected 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Finland got the most from Meri Eerikinharju (177-G/F-90), who scored 17 points. Maria Salmio (182-F-91) helped his team with 13 points and 8 rebounds.


U18 Finland - U18 Netherlands 67-76
(19-23, 16-26, 20-15, 12-12)

Finland: Meri Eerikinharju 17, Maria Salmio 13 (8 rebs)
Netherlands: Fieke Ligthart 17 (8 rebs), Clara Van der Hoek 13 (9 rebs), Natalie Van den Adel 11 (5 rebs, 5 as)

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  HUNGARY - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Hungary outplays Bosnia reaching the next stage - by Eurobasket News
U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U18 Hungary 56-69

Hungary celebrated in very important game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After this victory Hungarians improved to 3-1 which means that the second place in Preliminary Group C belongs to them. Thus Hungary is placed directly to the Qualifying Stage Group F where it will try to reach one of the first two places which will secure them a spot for the semifinals. It won't be an easy job as Hungary will transfer defeat against Netherlands to Group F, where already are Latvia, Belgium and of course Netherlands. On the other side Bosnia continues in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H together with Ireland, Finland and England.

After almost equalized first frame, Hungarians put into the fifth gear taking total control on Bosnians in the next one. After 22-21 for Bosnia in 13th minute, Hungary made impressive 20-3 run. It means that Hungary headed into the second frame with plus 16. For the rest of the game Bosnians weren't able to get any closer. Krisztina Raksanyi (180-G-91) and her teammates kept their lead steady which resulted with final plus 13.

Krisztina Raksanyi shined for Hungary adding 15 points and 6 assists. Reka Balint (181-F-91) followed having 14 points and 5 rebounds while Lilla Horvath (-90) posted 10 points and 6 boards. Irma Rahmanovic (179-F-91) scored 18 points including 7 rebounds for Bosnians. He was followed by Tamara Kapor (178-G-91), who added 11 points.


U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U18 Hungary 56-69
(16-17, 9-24, 18-14, 13-14)

Bosnia: Irma Rahmanovic 18 (7 rebs), Tamara Kapor 11
Hungary: Krisztina Raksanyi 15 (6 as), Reka Balint 14 (5 rebs), Lilla Horvath 10 (6 rebs)

Italy U16 wins Group C - by Eurobasket News
Hungary U16-Italy U16 53:64

Italy U16 won Group C of the European Championship Women by fending off Hungary 64:53 to advance to the Qualifying Round. Italian team grabbed the lead from the very beginning and led the held the score for good. Debora Carangelo (168-G-94) led the winners with 23 points. Gorini and Sabrina Formica (170-G-90) added 10 points apiece for 3-0 record. Manyoky finished the night with 15 points in defeat and Kesoi scored 11. Hungary advanced to the Qualifying round as well but will start it with 0-2 record.
Italy scored first 5 points in the game and benefit from the first quarter at 14:10. Bettina Baksa (172-G-92) tied the score at 14:14 after two lay-ups made. After 17:17 Italy produced 11-0 run and were too strong in the second period. Manyoky sent both teams to the lockers for 24:33 Italian lead.
Hungary did not give up and remained alive in the game. Again a jump shot from Manyoky saw the board 34:36. Italy increased the advantage a bit for 49:43 deficit after three quarters played. A 15:10 in the last one was the decisive in the game as Italy stayed undefeated in the tournament.

Hungary U16:Manyoky 15, Kesoi 11
Italy U16:Debora Carangelo 23, Gorini 10, Sabrina Formica 10

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  IRELAND - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Ireland cruises past England - by Eurobasket News
U18 England - U18 Ireland 48-65

Ireland outplayed England in the last game of Preliminary Group D grabbing position number three with score 2-2. England is the fourth ranked team in the same group with one win and three defeats. Despite this victory Ireland didn't succeeded to qualify for the next stage. Thus both teams will continue championship in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H. Ireland will transfer this victory to Group H while England enters to it with 0-1. Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina already are placed into the same group.

Ireland was a better team from the beginning. After just few minutes it already was 2-12 for the official visitor in this game. Nothing has changed in the next period. Orla O'Reilly (175-F-90), Claire Rockall (168-G-90) and their teammates continued where they stopped in the first one. After 30 minutes of the game every hope for England has gone as Ireland touched plus 14. Interesting is that Ireland extended its lead during the last ten minutes which means they the Irish won very single quarter in this game. England made many mistakes at the offensive end. At the end the British finished the game committing 25 turnovers, what was too much against tough Ireland.

Orla O'Reilly paced Ireland to victory collecting 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Claire Rockall was behind her adding 13 points and 4 rebounds. Hannah Shaw (192-F-90) was the best player for the loosing side with 13 points and 8 boards. Tamzin Mariana Barroilhet (180-G-90) finished the game posting 11 points including 7 rebounds.


U18 England - U18 Ireland 48-65
(11-16, 13-16, 10-16, 14-17)

England: Hannah Shaw 13 (8 rebs), Tamzin Mariana Barroilhet 11 (7 rebs)
Ireland: Orla O'Reilly 14 (6 rebs, 8 as), Claire Rockall 13 (4 rebs)

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  ISRAEL - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Portugal takes it easily over Israel - by Eurobasket News
U18 Israel - U18 Portugal 59-75

Portugal had an easy job against Israel in the last game of the Preliminary Round. Thus, after this victory Portugal improved to 2-2 taking third place in Group B. On the other hand Israel is a fourth tanked team in the same group with score 1-3. Anyway, neither of these two teams succeeded to advance to the next stage. They will continue championship in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group G together with Austria and Luxemburg. In the first round, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Portugal will meet Luxemburg while Israel will take on Austria.

Portugal was the team which dominated under the basket during the entire time. The fact that Portugal had 54 boards while Israel registered just 32 is a real picture what kind of difference it was under the rim. Despite huge number of turnovers (24), Portugal succeeded to grab comfortable win at the end. Game is decided in third stanza. After plus 6 in the first half Joana Bernardeco (171-G-90), Luiana Livulo and Maria Correia (172-G/F-91) led 15-4 run creating plus 17. After that moment Portuguese slowed down keeping their lead without any problems.

Joana Bernardeco paced Portugal to this victory scoring 18 points including 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Luiana Livulo followed her registering double-double 16 points and 11 boards. Maria Correia also shined for the winning side with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Israel got 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Naama Shafir (165-G-90) while Shira Shecht (180-F-91) stopped on 11 points.


U18 Israel - U18 Portugal 59-75
(13-13, 12-18, 14-24, 20-20)

Israel: Naama Shafir 21 (5 rebs, 4 as), Shira Shecht 11
Portugal: Joana Bernardeco 18 (4 rebs, 4 as), Luiana Livulo 16 (11 rebs), Maria Correia 13 (12 rebs)

Ramla completes the roster - by Eurobasket News
Ramla, being the defending champion of the country completed the roster for the upcoming season. The last signing saw Nicky Anosike (193-C-86, college: Tennessee) joined the champs as they are ready to defend their title.
Nicky Anosike is one of the key players now for Minnesota Lynx in WNBA. In 2008 she was drafted by Minnesota Lynx and becomes a starting five player in the team. In 2007 she was NCAA Champion and a Champion of Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro. In the last game before the break for her Lynx Nicky Anosike nailed 9 points, made 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Los Angeles Sparks however were a bit stronger with a 92-84 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Charde Houston, listed as doubtful before the game with an injured left knee, came off the bench to add 15 points for the Lynx. Los Angeles outscored Minnesota 7-0 in the extra period as Augustus missed some crucial jumpshots and a layup. The Lynx played their second game without second-leading scorer Candice Wiggins, who bruised her lower back when she fell in Thursday's game against Indiana.
As a senior with the Lady Vols, Nicky Anosike won her 2nd straight NCAA national title and averaged 8.8 points & 7.3 rebounds per game. In 25 games for the Lynx this season, Nicky Anosike started each game and recorded 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and a league high 2.6 steals per game.
Ramla is fully ready for the upcoming season after the rich signings during this summer. Before that Ramla added LaTanya White, Parau, Szott for the next season.

U16 EC, division B: Denmark grabs thriller win against Israel - by Eurobasket News
U16 Israel - U16 Denmark 50-51

Denmark succeeded to celebrate against Denmark in very exciting game. It means that Denmark remains undefeated after thee appearances on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. After this defeat, Israel still has a chance to reach the next stage.

Mostly owing to Bar Galinski (181-F-92) Israel grabbed 4-point lead after the opening quarter. Very soon Avigel Cohen and Yael Shafir joined her which resulted with plus 10 for their team at the middle of the second frame. Anne Pedersen finally woke up after the breather. She, together with Gritt Ryder, led her team to minus 4 before the last frame. Two minutes before the end Vincents made a lay-up setting the score on 49-51 for Denmark. Bar Galinski made first but missed the second free throw for Israel after what she and her teammates missed thee possibly winning jump shots. Israel had many troubles with FG2 as its player had just 20.5% (9 of 44). They compensated it with team play and strong willingness to fight until the last moment but unfortunately to them it was not enough against strong Denmark.

As usually, Anne Pedersen once again shined for the winning side. She poured in 15 points and grabbed 14 boards for 36 minutes. She didn't have such brilliant stroke in this game recording just 14% for FG2 but dhe had much better digits from behind the arc making 3 of 6 attempts. Gritt Ryder followed Anne Pedersen with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. In the last game of the Preliminary Group A Denmark will play against Greece while Israel will meet winless England.


U16 Israel - U16 Denmark 50-51
(12-8, 19-11, 14-22, 5-10)

Israel: Avigel Cohen 12 (5 rebs), Bar Galinski 9 (12 rebs), Yael Shafir 9 (4 rebs)
Denmark: Anne Pedersen 15 (14 rebs), Gritt Ryder 10 (6 rebs, 5 as)

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  ITALY - Women  


Italy U16 wins Group C - by Eurobasket News
Hungary U16-Italy U16 53:64

Italy U16 won Group C of the European Championship Women by fending off Hungary 64:53 to advance to the Qualifying Round. Italian team grabbed the lead from the very beginning and led the held the score for good. Debora Carangelo (168-G-94) led the winners with 23 points. Gorini and Sabrina Formica (170-G-90) added 10 points apiece for 3-0 record. Manyoky finished the night with 15 points in defeat and Kesoi scored 11. Hungary advanced to the Qualifying round as well but will start it with 0-2 record.
Italy scored first 5 points in the game and benefit from the first quarter at 14:10. Bettina Baksa (172-G-92) tied the score at 14:14 after two lay-ups made. After 17:17 Italy produced 11-0 run and were too strong in the second period. Manyoky sent both teams to the lockers for 24:33 Italian lead.
Hungary did not give up and remained alive in the game. Again a jump shot from Manyoky saw the board 34:36. Italy increased the advantage a bit for 49:43 deficit after three quarters played. A 15:10 in the last one was the decisive in the game as Italy stayed undefeated in the tournament.

Hungary U16:Manyoky 15, Kesoi 11
Italy U16:Debora Carangelo 23, Gorini 10, Sabrina Formica 10

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  LATVIA - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Latvia goes to the next stage perfect - by Eurobasket News
U18 Latvia - U18 Belgium 76-64

Latvia was better than Belgium in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U18 European Championship division B in Skopje. Thus Latvia advanced to the next stage as the only undefeated team of Group D with score 4-0. Belgium also reached the second stage but with score 3-1. These two teams will together with Netherlands and Hungary try to reach one of the first two places in Group F, which will take them straight to the semifinals.

Latvians showed their nerves at the early beginning missing couple of shots. On the other side Belgians were concentrated grabbing 8-16 after 8 minutes. Belgium immediately answered with 6-0 run melting Latvia's lead on 2 points. Last few minutes of the second stanza belonged to Sabine Niedola (182-F-91) and her teammates. After triple by Arta Strupovica (170-G-90), Latvia grabbed 38-31 heading into the second half. Belgium was not on such a good level which was necessary in order to come any closer against inconvenient Latvians. Actually until the end of the game Belgians touched minus 7 but it was their maximum.

Belgians couldn't find a solution how to stop Sabine Niedola, who drained 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. She was totally the best player for the winning team as Anete Klintsone (176-G-90) was behind her with 11 points. Strubbe had 19 points and 4 assists in Belgium while Jana Raman (183-F-91) followed her with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Noemie Mayombo (168-G-91) stopped on 16 points.


U18 Latvia - U18 Belgium 76-64
(14-16, 24-15, 19-17, 19-16)

Latvia: Sabine Niedola 29 (9 rebs), Anete Klintsone 11
Belgium: Strubbe 19 (4 as), Jana Raman 17 (7 rebs), Noemie Mayombo 16

Turkey join Qualifying round in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Turkey U16 - Latvia U16 70:49

Turkish U16 National Team registered their second win at the European Championship in Poland. They defeated Latvia in the third game of the preliminary round action in Group A. Pelin Gulbag (170-G-92) scored 17 points to propel Turkey to 2-1 record and they claimed the second spot in the Pool. Latvia meanwhile suffered their third loss in a row and would have to fight for Division A spot in the classification round. Turkey nailed 6 unanswered points at the start of the game. Turkey kept in front throughout the period however Latvia never allowed their opponents to clear off substantially and trailed by just a single point at the first intermission. Linda Pagrode (167-G-92) netted 4 points in a 6:0 surge from Latvia early in the second frame and the Baltic side accumulated a 5-point advantage. The teams traded baskets further on and Turkey enjoyed a 34:31 cushion at halftime. Linda Pagrode was strong again at the start of the third term as she delivered 4 points and Latvia regained the lead. Nevertheless Turkey finished the stanza with a 14:4 rally to enter the final quarter ahead by 6. Turkey simply wiped out their opponents in the fourth term 22:7 and celebrated victory. Emel Guler (187-F-92) tallied 16 points and 7 boards for Turkish team. Ieva Eida (176-G/F-92) answered with 18 points for Latvia. Linda Pagrode netted 9 points in a losing effort.

Turkey U16: Pelin Gulbag 17, Emel Guler 16, Cora 9
Latvia U16: Ieva Eida 18, Linda Pagrode 9

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  LITHUANIA - Women  


France stay undefeated in Katowice - by Eurobasket News
France U16 - Lithuania U16 75:40

French U16 National Team completed the preliminary round at the European championship in Poland unbeaten. Yesterday they edged Lithuania to improve to 3-0 record in top of Group A. It was a one-sided traffic game as France dominated right from the tip off. They capped the first frame with an 11:1 run to accumulate a 20:6 lead after ten minutes of action. Lithuania were not ready to surrender that early and used a 9:2 surge in the second frame to trim the deficit to 9 points. However France responded with back-to-back trebles from Lemmonier and Helena Akmouche (173-G-92) to regain a comfortable advantage. France continued to pile up the lead and enjoyed a 31-point margin in the third frame. Esther Moisan Niamke scored 8 points at the start of the fourth quarter and France never looked back en route to an impressive victory. Florine Basque (184-F-92) led balanced offense with 12 points. Esther Moisan Niamke added 10 points for the winners. Morkunaite netted 10 points for Lithuania. Okochyte had 8 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded France 38:32 but could not overcome massive 39 turnovers. France converted solid 46% from the field. Both teams made to the qualifying round and would resume the action tomorrow.

France U16: Florine Basque 12, Esther Moisan Niamke 10
Lithuania U16: Gabija Morkunaite 10, Santa Okochyte 8

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  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


U16 EC, division B: Slovenia celebrates against Luxemburg - by Eurobasket News
U16 Slovenia - U16 Luxemburg 60-53

Slovenia made a huge step forward to the second stage on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. After victory against the hosts, Slovenia took care for another one. This time it was Luxemburg which suffered defeat against Rebeka Abramovic (-93) and her teammates. It means that Slovenia improved its score to 2-1 in Preliminary Group B while Luxemburg remained winless yet.

From the early beginning it was clear that difference in quality level between these two teams isn't small. Slovenia ended 10 opening minutes creating 10-point lead. Luxemburg showed some attitude in the next quarter but still it wasn't enough for any closer than 9 points. Julie Zovile (171-F-92) shined for Luxemburg after the breather leading her team to minus 3, 37-34. The game is decided at the middle of third frame when Slovenia created 7-2 run for 54-47 with two minutes remaining.

Luxemburg couldn't find a solution how to stop Rebeka Abramovic in this game. She spent almost the entire time on the court pouring in 26 points. Tina Jakovina helped her team with 10 points and 8 boards while Alja Samec had 9 points. Luxemburg got the most from Julie Zovile, who added 16 points and 7 glasses. Lena Hetto contributed with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Sandie Lorsche had 12 points. Slovenia's last rival at the Preliminary Round will be Switzerland while Luxemburg already played four games at this stage.


U16 Slovenia - U16 Luxemburg 60-53
(15-5, 11-12, 11-17, 23-19)

Slovenia: Rebeka Abramovic 26, Tina Jakovina 10 (8 rebs), Alja Samec 9
Luxemburg: Julie Zovile 16 (7 rebs), Lena Hetto 14 (14 rebs), Sandie Lorsche 12

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  MONTENEGRO - Women  


U16 EC, division B: Nina Premasunac leads Croatia against Montenegro - by Eurobasket News
U16 Croatia - U16 Montenegro 87-74

Croatia celebrated in its second appearance on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. Croatians suffered thriller defeat 54-55 against Romania at the opening day but this time they earned lead at the very beginning keeping it until the end. Thus Croatia currently has 1-1 in Preliminary Group D while Montenegro dropped on 0-2. In the last game of the Preliminary Round Croatia will meet Finland while Montenegro will play against Romania. All games are scheduled for Tuesday.

After 8-8 at the beginning of the opening stanza, Croatia made furious 14-3 fur grabbing 11-point lead after 10 minutes. Nina Premasunac (184-F-92) was on fire which resulted with 37-21 for her team in 16th minute. Ivana Nikic (177-F-92) and Milica Milosev then stepped up in Bosnia having couple of nice penetrations what was enough only for 49-38 at the half time. In just five minutes of third frame Montenegro almost tied the score, 51-50. Then Nina Premasunac once against shined in Croatia and together Zrinka Brkljacic and Ivana Blazevic grabbed their lead back 65-58. Montenegrins weren't able to come any closer in the last frame. Actually Croatia even stretched its lead, which was 84-70 with two minutes to go.

Nina Premasunac was unstoppable in this game. She nailed 31 points and grabbed 14 boards for 35 minutes. Zrinka Brkljacic had 11 points and 4 assists while Ivana Blazevic added 10 points and 4 rebounds. The loosing side got 21 points and 7 rebounds from Ivana Nikic. Milica Milosev posted 17 points and 5 boards while Jovana Pasic had one point and one board less than her.


U16 Croatia - U16 Montenegro 87-74
(22-11, 27-27, 16-20, 22-16)

Croatia: Nina Premasunac 31 (14 rebs), Zrinka Brkljacic 11 (4 as), Ivana Blazevic 10 (4 rebs)
Montenegro: Ivana Nikic 21 (7 rebs), Milica Milosev 17 (5 rebs), Jovana Pasic 16 (4 rebs)

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  OLYMPIC GAMES - Women  


Standings - Women
Standings
Group A
1. Australia2-0
2. Russia2-0
3. Belarus1-1
4. S.Korea1-1
5. Latvia0-2
6. Brazil0-2
Group B
1. USA2-0
2. Czech Repu.2-1
3. Spain2-1
4. China1-1
5. N.Zealand1-2
6. Mali0-3


Day 2 results and stats - by Eurobasket News
Group A
South Korea - Russia 72:77
Ilona Korstine (183-G-80) and Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) scored 13 points apiece and Russia overcame Korea in the second round of action at the Olympic Games tournament. It was the second straight win for Russian team as they held off Latvia in the opener. Korea meanwhile fell to 1-1 record in Group A. South Korea put up a fierce fight against the European powerhouse. Korea led by 3 points midway through the final stanza. Irina Osipova (196-C-81) came up with crucial four points to put Russia in charge 70:69. Lee Misun got Korea back in the driving seat after she converted a three-point play. Tatiana Shchegoleva netted a freebie and later added a go-ahead basket for Russian team. Kim Kwe Ryong missed both of her attempts from the charity stripe, while Rebecca Hammon was deadly on the other end to lift Russia up by 3. Irina Osipova stepped up with a big block in defense, while Ilona Korstine was fouled and chipped in both free throws to bring Russia to the victory.
It was a seesaw battle from the start as Russia enjoyed a 9-point cushion after the opening stanza, while Korea cut it to 2 at halftime. The Asian team entered the final term already ahead by one and the thriller began. Irina Osipova tallied 11 points and 9 boards for the winners. Rebecca Hammon added 10 points for Russian side. Choi Youn Ah (170-G-85) answered with 13 points for Korea. Beon Yeon Ha (182-F-80) dropped 12 points, while Kim Kwe Ryong had 10 in the loss.

South Korea: Choi Youn Ah 13, Beon Yeon Ha 12
Russia: Ilona Korstine 13, Tatiana Shchegoleva 13, Irina Osipova 11

Belarus - Latvia 80:57
Belarusian National Team celebrated a comfortable win over Latvia in the second round of action in Beijing. The clash turned out to be a rematch of the last years European Championship consolation final. Belarus once again outgunned their opponents and claimed the first win at the tournament. Yelena Leuchanka (196-C-83, college: W.Virginia) dropped 22 points to pace Belarus. Latvia in the meantime failed to recover after the starting loss to Russia and fell to 0-2 record in Group A. The teams looked well matched in the first quarter. Belarus managed to lead by just a single point 21:20 after ten minutes of action. Belarus continuously piled up their lead in the second frame and established a 40:35 advantage at sides change. The gap grew to 18 points in the third stanza as Belarus fired from all guns after the long break. Latvia refused to fold that early and trimmed the deficit back to 11 after three quarters of action. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota narrowed the deficit to 8 points early in the fourth period but it was as close as Latvia could get. Belarus accounted for 9 unanswered points and ran away for good in this one. Tatyana Troina (188-C-81, college: S.Carolina) came up with 17 points for Belarus. Katsiaryna Snytsina (188-G/F-85) added 12 points for the winners. Gunta Basko (181-F-80, college: Siena) replied with 19 points for Latvia. Liene Jansone (192-F/C-81, college: Siena) canned 16 points in defeat.

Belarus: Yelena Leuchanka 22, Tatyana Troina 17, Katsiaryna Snytsina 12
Latvia: Gunta Basko 19, Liene Jansone 16

Australia - Brazil 80:65
Australian National team continued their winning run at the Olympic Games in China. Today they held off pesky Brazil to earn the second straight win in Group A. Brazil meanwhile suffered the second consecutive defeat and dimmed their chances of making it to the quarterfinal. The Opals got to a confident start to the game and jumped to comfortable lead early in the game. Balanced offensive effort allowed Aussies to build a 15-point advantage after the first stanza. Australia gradually raised the tempo and stretched the margin to as many as 21 points at halftime. Karen Gustavo Rocha and Adriana Pinto connected from beyond the arc to ignite an 11:1 rally from the Latin American powerhouse in the third frame. Brazil cut the deficit to 8 points. Australia started the fourth term ahead by 12 points but Brazil refused to give up. Claudia Das Neves and Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) came up with 4 straight points for Brazil late in regulation to shave the distance to 8 points. However Suzy Batkovic drained 7 points for Australia and the Opals pulled away with a hard-fought win. Laura Summerton (191-C-83, agency: LBM Management) provided 18 points and 6 boards for Australia. Kristi Harrower (166-G-75) added 15 points, while Penny Taylor (185-F-81) delivered 11 points in the win. Kelly Santos (192-C-79) answered with game-high 21 points and 10 boards for Brazil. Micaela Jacintho knocked down 11 points in a losing clause. Australia outrebounded their opponents 41:30 and limited their opponents to 37% accuracy from the field. The Opals converted 45% of field goals.

Australia: Laura Summerton 18, Kristi Harrower 15, Penny Taylor 11
Brazil: Kelly Santos 21+10 boards, Micaela Jacintho 11

Group B
Spain - New Zealand 85:62
Spanish National Team bounced back after the starting loss to China at the Olympic Games tournament. Earlier today they stunned New Zealand to earn their first win at the competition. Both teams are bow tied at 1-1 record in Group B. Spain needed this win to get back into medals contention. And one of the worlds top teams left not a single chance to the Tall Ferns. Spain got to a better start and built an 18:7 lead into the second stanza. New Zealand managed to slow their opponents down a little bit in the second frame but they still failed to outscore the European side. Spain accumulated a 13-point cushion at halftime. Suzie Bates sparked an 8:0 rally from the Kiwis in the third stanza as they gap was trimmed to 8 points. However Spain stepped on the gas in the final minutes of the period and regained a 13-point lead once again. New Zealand tried to stay at a striking distance as they distance was just 10 points at some point in the fourth term. However Spain were never tames as they closed the encounter on a 10:0 rally to score an impressive win. Isabel Sanchez (178-G-76) led Spain with 19 points. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) added 18 points, while Alba Torrens (191-F-89) had 9 for the winners. Jillian Harmon (185-F-87) led all scorers with 22 points and 5 boards for the Tall Ferns. Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (173-G-79, college: Buffalo) scored 10 points in defeat. Spain outrebounded their opponents 38:28 and converted solid 54% from the field.

Spain: Isabel Sanchez 19, Ana Montanana 18, Alba Torrens 9
New Zealand: Jillian Harmon 22, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe 10

Czech Republic - Mali 81:47
Czech Republic National Team thrashed Mali on the second day of action at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. Both teams were losers at the start of the competition and hoped to add some positive emotions today. Czech team were obvious favorites of the encounter and they proved right from the start. The Europeans nailed first 12 points of the game to jump to a comfortable lead. Mali failed to find the right answer as they appeared trailing by 19 after the starting quarter. Czech side extended the margin to as many as 22 points in the second frame. Mali came back to life late in the second stanza as they trimmed the deficit to 16 points. The game did not change the complexion in the second half as Czech Republic continued to pile up their advantage. They outscored the African powerhouse 18:11 in the third quarter and entered the fourth term up by 23 points. Czechs cruised to the victory in the final term. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) and Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) came up with 12 points apiece for Czech Republic. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) topscored with 14 points for the winners. Djenebou Sissoko (188-F/C-82) led the Malian charge with 24 points and 13 boards. Bagayoko and Hamchetou Maiga (184-G/F-78, college: ODU) scored 6 points each in defeat. The teams were well matched on the glass with 40 rebounds apiece. Czech Republic however shot 46% from the field and limited their opponents to just 29% accuracy. Mali also suffered 26 turnovers.

Czech Republic: Hana Machova 14, Jana Vesela 12, Katerina Elhotova 12
Mali: Djenebou Sissoko 24+13 boards, Bagayoko 6, Hamchetou Maiga 6

USA - China 108:63
The USA National Team scored their second straight win at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. Today they heavily defeated hosting China to extend their winning streak to two games. Both teams came out winners in the opening round and set up a mouth-watering clash. They started the game closely as China jumped to an 11:10 lead early on. However the United States then answered with a massive 23:0 rally to build a 33:11 advantage at the end of the first frame. China looked stunned at the moment and the USA capitalized. They accounted for 28 more points in the second frame and stretched the advantage to as many as 34 points at the interval. China finally managed to slow down their opponents in the third quarter but failed to trim the distance. The North American team entered the fourth quarter ahead by 35 points. The gap proved unassailable for China and they had to surrender at the end. Tina Thompson (188-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) came up with a pivotal performance for the USA. She knocked down game-high 27 points and grabbed 5 boards. Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85, college: LSU) added 18 points, while Candace Parker (193-F/C-86, college: Tennessee) contributed 12 points for the winners. Miao Li Jie (180-G-81) answered with 16 points for China. Chen Nan (197-C-83) delivered 14 points in the loss. The USA outrebounded their opponents 47:30 and forced China to 18 turnovers. The winners sank 56% from the field and limited the home team to just 34% accuracy.

USA: Tina Thompson 27, Sylvia Fowles 18, Candace Parker 12
China: Miao Li Jie 16, Chen Nan 14

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  PARAGUAY - Women  


Semifinal Round has started - by Gianni Pascucci
The two favourite teams in the Female First Division, Sol de America and Olimpia, started the Semifinal Round, whose tipoff was the past weekend in Asuncion, with their usual winning pace. Sol de America defeated Universidad Catolica (UCA), 83-50, while Olimpia prevailed over Universidad Autonoma (UAA), 73-53, with Rocio Riquelme (-86) leading the way at 24 points.

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  POLAND - Women  


The hosts fly to the Qualifying Round, Serbia is out - by Eurobasket News
Serbia U16-Poland U16 75:76

Poland U16 advanced to the Qualifying Round with a 2-1 record following their 76:75 win in Group C. The last game of the group saw them beating Serbia 76:75 in a real thriller. Monika Jasnowska (181-F-92) paced all the winners with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Anna Kowalska (193-F-86, college: John A.Logan CC) netted 14, whilst Marta Mistygacz (180-F-91) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds. Snezana Colic (165-G-92) top-scored for Serbia with 17 points and Stojanovic added 15. The loss means Serbia will finish outside the top 12 for the first time in the nation's history.
Poland burst a 9:4 lead and won the opening tip of the game. Serbia however replied later with some baskets for a 29:23 lead after the first quarter. Trailing 25:32, the hosts closed the first half with a 17-6 to go into the locker-room ahead 42:38.
Snezana Colic started the second half with a three-ball and Dragicevic's basket pushed the Serbs back in front. Serbia won the third quarter 20:17 and cut to 58:59 before the final quarter. The Serbs opened an 11-point lead with five minutes to play, but committed three turnovers in seven scoreless possessions and Poland would pull within 75:74. Polish players went four times to the free throw line and one from Dobrowolska and another from Anna Kowalska brought the hosts 76:75 victory.

Serbia U16: Snezana Colic 17, K. Stojanovic 15
Poland U16:Monika Jasnowska 15+7 rebs, Anna Kowalska 14, Marta Mistygacz 13+10 rebs

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  PORTUGAL - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Portugal takes it easily over Israel - by Eurobasket News
U18 Israel - U18 Portugal 59-75

Portugal had an easy job against Israel in the last game of the Preliminary Round. Thus, after this victory Portugal improved to 2-2 taking third place in Group B. On the other hand Israel is a fourth tanked team in the same group with score 1-3. Anyway, neither of these two teams succeeded to advance to the next stage. They will continue championship in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group G together with Austria and Luxemburg. In the first round, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Portugal will meet Luxemburg while Israel will take on Austria.

Portugal was the team which dominated under the basket during the entire time. The fact that Portugal had 54 boards while Israel registered just 32 is a real picture what kind of difference it was under the rim. Despite huge number of turnovers (24), Portugal succeeded to grab comfortable win at the end. Game is decided in third stanza. After plus 6 in the first half Joana Bernardeco (171-G-90), Luiana Livulo and Maria Correia (172-G/F-91) led 15-4 run creating plus 17. After that moment Portuguese slowed down keeping their lead without any problems.

Joana Bernardeco paced Portugal to this victory scoring 18 points including 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Luiana Livulo followed her registering double-double 16 points and 11 boards. Maria Correia also shined for the winning side with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Israel got 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Naama Shafir (165-G-90) while Shira Shecht (180-F-91) stopped on 11 points.


U18 Israel - U18 Portugal 59-75
(13-13, 12-18, 14-24, 20-20)

Israel: Naama Shafir 21 (5 rebs, 4 as), Shira Shecht 11
Portugal: Joana Bernardeco 18 (4 rebs, 4 as), Luiana Livulo 16 (11 rebs), Maria Correia 13 (12 rebs)

U16 EC, division B: Greece beats Portugal thanks to well played last quarter - by Eurobasket News
U16 Greece - U16 Portugal 56-42

Greece registered second victory on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. This time Greece was better than Portugal improving to 2-1 in Preliminary Group A. On the other side Portugal dropped on 2-2.

Greece controlled rhythm of the game during the entire time. The fact that Greeks finished the game with 48 rebounds matched with just 29 by Portugal talks everything for itself. After 12-7 in the first quarter for Greece, Portugal showed slightly better performance in the next one. Unfortunately to them it was enough only for 24-20 at the half time. During the following ten minutes Ines Faustina and her teammates succeeded to make a turn. However, they somehow stopped playing in the last frame ending it with just 5 points. Greece, mostly owing to Dimitra Kampouraki and Artemis Spanou (185-F-92) netted 20, grabbing comfortable victory at the end.

Dimitra Kampouraki was the best scorer for her team today with 13 points. Artemis Spanou also demonstrated pretty good performance adding 11 points and 14 rebounds. Interesting that Portugal had only one player with double figures in this game. It was Ines Faustino, who scored 10 points. In the last day of Preliminary Round Greece will play against Denmark. On the other hand Portugal already played it four games at this stage.


U16 Greece - U16 Portugal 56-42
(12-7, 12-13, 12-17, 20-5)

Greece: Dimitra Kampouraki 13, Artemis Spanou 11 (14 rebs)
Portugal: Ines Faustino 10

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  RUSSIA - Women  


The termosteps battle for the first in the group - by Eurobasket News
Spain U16-Russia U16 57:50

Group D of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Women saw the battle for the first spot between Spain and Russia. Jose Ignacio Hernandez 's team beat Russia 57:50 and finished the group with 3-0 record. Ortiz top-scored fort he winners with 13 points. Casas nailed 12, while Delgado scored 11. Kubynina and Stepanova both finished the game with 11 points in defeat. Russia finished second in the group at 2-1 and also advanced to the Qualifying Round.
Both teams stayed close to each other in the opening quarter as the board showed 15:15 in the end of it. Ortiz knocked knocked down two three-pointers as Spain created 16-2 surge to lead 31:17. Stepanova with a jump-shot sent the teams to the lockers for 31:22.
The third period was spent dedicated mostly to defense from both teams and Spaniards enjoyed 13:11 win in it. Diaz started the fourth with a long ball and Casas made it 49:33. Russia battled back but could not come too close. Delgado's three-pointer and Casas' shots made it 54:42. Segues set up the final, 57:50 score at the end of the game. Both teams will start the Qualifying Round tomorrow.

Spain U16: Ortiz 13, Casas 12, Delgado 11
Russia U16:Kubynina 11, Stepanova 11

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  SERBIA - Women  


The hosts fly to the Qualifying Round, Serbia is out - by Eurobasket News
Serbia U16-Poland U16 75:76

Poland U16 advanced to the Qualifying Round with a 2-1 record following their 76:75 win in Group C. The last game of the group saw them beating Serbia 76:75 in a real thriller. Monika Jasnowska (181-F-92) paced all the winners with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Anna Kowalska (193-F-86, college: John A.Logan CC) netted 14, whilst Marta Mistygacz (180-F-91) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds. Snezana Colic (165-G-92) top-scored for Serbia with 17 points and Stojanovic added 15. The loss means Serbia will finish outside the top 12 for the first time in the nation's history.
Poland burst a 9:4 lead and won the opening tip of the game. Serbia however replied later with some baskets for a 29:23 lead after the first quarter. Trailing 25:32, the hosts closed the first half with a 17-6 to go into the locker-room ahead 42:38.
Snezana Colic started the second half with a three-ball and Dragicevic's basket pushed the Serbs back in front. Serbia won the third quarter 20:17 and cut to 58:59 before the final quarter. The Serbs opened an 11-point lead with five minutes to play, but committed three turnovers in seven scoreless possessions and Poland would pull within 75:74. Polish players went four times to the free throw line and one from Dobrowolska and another from Anna Kowalska brought the hosts 76:75 victory.

Serbia U16: Snezana Colic 17, K. Stojanovic 15
Poland U16:Monika Jasnowska 15+7 rebs, Anna Kowalska 14, Marta Mistygacz 13+10 rebs

Crvena Zvezda signed Andrijana Vasovic - by Dragana Vukovic
Crvena Zvezda Beograd started to build the team for the upcoming season.After they anonnced that the coach will be Jovica Antonic they started to search for players.They signed Andrijana Vasovic (186-F/C-83),who was playing very good in Partizan last season.She was playing 25.6 minutes averaging 15.1 points,4.1 rebs and 1.1 as during the League and 25.1 minutes,10.9 points,3.4 rebs and 1.7 as in Super League.

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  SLOVENIA - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Slovenia routs Estonia for top of Preliminary Group B - by Eurobasket News
U18 Slovenia - U18 Estonia 61-52

In the game between two best teams from Preliminary Group B Slovenia was better than Estonia grabbing the top with score 3-1. Namely, both tams entered into this game undefeated but the good thing for Slovenians is that they will transfer this victory to the Qualifying Round Group E. Greece and Germany from the Preliminary Group A also are transferred to the same group. Two best teams from this Group E will advance to the semifinals of U18 European Championship division B in Skopje.

Slovenians had better beginning closing the first stanza with 16-10. Something happened to them after those 10 minutes as they missed many opened shots at the same time committing couple of mistakes. Slovenia's defense also dropped on much lower level which Kerli Haas (179-F-90) and her teammates exploited. They finished second period 7-20 heading to the next frame with advantage of 7 points. Totally different picture was seen on the court after the half time. Ines Kerin (172-G-90) and Nika Baric (168-G-92) were on fire and together with Tjasa Gortnar (182-F-92) created 12-4 run. During the last frame they made anther 9-2 series setting the score on 58-49 with 3:14 to go.

Ines Kerin and Nika Baric were the best players for the winning side in this game. Kerin added 17 points and 4 boards while Baric stopped on 16 points and 5 rebounds. Tjasa Gortnar was behind these two players having 12 points and 4 rebounds. Estonia got 14 points and 4 rebounds from Kerli Haas while Triin Teppo (185-C-90) scored 11 points missing only one board for double-double. Kerttu Jallai (180-F-90) also contributed with 11 points and 5 glasses.


U18 Slovenia - U18 Estonia 61-52
(16-10, 7-20, 23-15, 15-7)

Slovenia: Ines Kerin 17 (4 rebs), Nika Baric 16 (5 rebs), Tjasa Gortnar 12 (4 rebs)
Estonia: Kerli Haas 14 (4 rebs), Triin Teppo 11 (9 rebs, 4 as), Kerttu Jallai 11 (5 rebs)

U16 EC, division B: Slovenia celebrates against Luxemburg - by Eurobasket News
U16 Slovenia - U16 Luxemburg 60-53

Slovenia made a huge step forward to the second stage on U16 European Championship division B in Bulgaria. After victory against the hosts, Slovenia took care for another one. This time it was Luxemburg which suffered defeat against Rebeka Abramovic (-93) and her teammates. It means that Slovenia improved its score to 2-1 in Preliminary Group B while Luxemburg remained winless yet.

From the early beginning it was clear that difference in quality level between these two teams isn't small. Slovenia ended 10 opening minutes creating 10-point lead. Luxemburg showed some attitude in the next quarter but still it wasn't enough for any closer than 9 points. Julie Zovile (171-F-92) shined for Luxemburg after the breather leading her team to minus 3, 37-34. The game is decided at the middle of third frame when Slovenia created 7-2 run for 54-47 with two minutes remaining.

Luxemburg couldn't find a solution how to stop Rebeka Abramovic in this game. She spent almost the entire time on the court pouring in 26 points. Tina Jakovina helped her team with 10 points and 8 boards while Alja Samec had 9 points. Luxemburg got the most from Julie Zovile, who added 16 points and 7 glasses. Lena Hetto contributed with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Sandie Lorsche had 12 points. Slovenia's last rival at the Preliminary Round will be Switzerland while Luxemburg already played four games at this stage.


U16 Slovenia - U16 Luxemburg 60-53
(15-5, 11-12, 11-17, 23-19)

Slovenia: Rebeka Abramovic 26, Tina Jakovina 10 (8 rebs), Alja Samec 9
Luxemburg: Julie Zovile 16 (7 rebs), Lena Hetto 14 (14 rebs), Sandie Lorsche 12

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  SPAIN - Women  


The termosteps battle for the first in the group - by Eurobasket News
Spain U16-Russia U16 57:50

Group D of the Termosteps U16 European Championship Women saw the battle for the first spot between Spain and Russia. Jose Ignacio Hernandez 's team beat Russia 57:50 and finished the group with 3-0 record. Ortiz top-scored fort he winners with 13 points. Casas nailed 12, while Delgado scored 11. Kubynina and Stepanova both finished the game with 11 points in defeat. Russia finished second in the group at 2-1 and also advanced to the Qualifying Round.
Both teams stayed close to each other in the opening quarter as the board showed 15:15 in the end of it. Ortiz knocked knocked down two three-pointers as Spain created 16-2 surge to lead 31:17. Stepanova with a jump-shot sent the teams to the lockers for 31:22.
The third period was spent dedicated mostly to defense from both teams and Spaniards enjoyed 13:11 win in it. Diaz started the fourth with a long ball and Casas made it 49:33. Russia battled back but could not come too close. Delgado's three-pointer and Casas' shots made it 54:42. Segues set up the final, 57:50 score at the end of the game. Both teams will start the Qualifying Round tomorrow.

Spain U16: Ortiz 13, Casas 12, Delgado 11
Russia U16:Kubynina 11, Stepanova 11

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  SWEDEN - Women  


Belgium narrowly defeat Sweden to remain perfect - by Eurobasket News
Belgium U16 - Sweden U16 68:66

Belgian U16 National team posted their third straight win at the European Championship in Poland. Julie Vanloo (168-G-93) scored 19 points and dished out 5 assists to propel Belgium past Sweden in preliminary Group B. Belgium thus completed the round on top of the group and advanced to the Qualifying round. Amanda Zahui led Sweden with 27 points but could not prevent the team from falling short. Belgium managed to overcome an 8-point deficit at halftime to snatch a narrow win at the end. The teams traded baskets throughout the first stanza and Belgium entered the second period ahead by one 15:14. Sweden used a 12:0 rally in the second frame to accumulate a 9-point lead midway through the second quarter. Sweden stayed ahead throughout the third period. Belgium surged ahead after Meylemans converted a layup with under 3 minutes remaining. Zahui knocked down 5 straight points to give Swedish team a 66:63 advantage with just over a minute to go in the game. Lut De Meyer (172-F-92) shaved the deficit with a jumper and then Julie Vanloo drained a go-ahead three-pointer. Sweden had 21 seconds to save the game but Kalidis missed a jump shot and then Farhiya Abdi (186-F-92) committed a turnover to seal the win for Belgium. Mestdagh chipped in 14 points for Belgium. Meylemans added 13 points for the winners. Farhiya Abdi had 21 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists for Sweden.

Belgium U16: Julie Vanloo 19, Mestdagh 14, Meylemans 13
Sweden U16: Amanda Zahui 27, Farhiya Abdi 21+17 boards

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  SWITZERLAND - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Austria edges Switzerland in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
U18 Switzerland - U18 Austria 48-67

Austria took care for the second victory on U18 European Championship division B in Macedonian capital Skopje. Austrians were better than Switzerland improving to 2-2 in Preliminary Group A but it was not enough for the second place. Thus Austria will continue championship in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place -Group G together with Portugal, Luxemburg and Israel. On the other side Switzerland is the last ranked team in Group A with score 0-4. It will take a part in Classification Round for 17th to 20th place - Group I where are already placed Scotland, Denmark and the hosts of this championship F.Y.R. of Macedonia.

After totally leveled first quarter, Austria took control on its opponent in the next one. At the middle of it Lisa Richard (174-G-90)s and Milena Lazarevic (175-F-91) led 16-4 run for 24-40 for their team at the half time. Switzerland wasn't able to do anything important in third stanza as it had only Lisa Mazzocchi (170-G/F-90) in a game mood. One player ready to fight against Austria wasn't enough for Switzerland. It resulted with plus 20 for Austria before the last frame. During the last ten minutes Lisa Richard and her teammates played as hard as they need to keep this comfortable lead.

Lisa Richard was the key player in Austria today netting 21 points. Sarah Schicher (185-C-90) was behind her with 10 points and 4 rebounds. As it was mentioned above, Switzerland had only one player with double-digits and it was Lisa Mazzocchi, who finished the game with 16 points and 8 boards.


U18 Switzerland - U18 Austria 48-67
(13-13, 11-27, 13-17, 11-10)

Switzerland: Lisa Mazzocchi 16 (8 rebs)
Austria: Lisa Richard 21, Sarah Schicher 10 (4 rebs)

U16 EC, division B: Bulgaria better than Switzerland - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bulgaria - U16 Switzerland 52-47

The hosts of U16 European Championship division B Bulgaria, registered the second victory at the front of its fans. After the first one against Luxemburg, this time Bulgarians were better than Switzerland improving to 2-1 in Preliminary Group B. On the other hand Switzerland dropped on 1-2 with just theoretically chances for the next stage.

Bulgarians had much better performance unit the last frame. Thanks to triple by Dora Sevova Bulgaria grabbed 3-point lead after the opening quarter. During the following ten minutes the hosts touched plus 8 but they couldn't keep it until the half time. Interesting is that nether of these two teams scored any point during the last three minutes in the first half. Dora Sevova and her teammates continued where they stopped in the first half extending lead to 9 points until the last one. Meghanne Kolly and Sarah Cavin led fantastic 13-0 run setting the score on 43-47. It was with almost 4 minutes remaining but after that moment Switzerland didn't score any basket until the end. On the other hand Bulgaria netted nine grabbing the second victory on this prestigious event.

Dora Sevova paced Bugaria to victory adding 14 points and 6 rebounds. Nora Georgieva and Vesela Kovacheva (163-G-92) followed her scoring 9 points each. Rosalie Grobert, Sarah Cavin and Maghanne Kolly netted 11 points apiece for the loosing side. Grobert had 8 more rebounds while Cavin grabbed 6. In the last game of the Preliminary Round Bulgaria will meet Ireland. Switzerland will take on Slovenia.


U16 Bulgaria - U16 Switzerland 52-47
(15-12, 12-10, 16-12, 9-13)

Bulgaria: Dora Sevova 14 (6 rebs), Nora Georgieva 9 (6 rebs), Vesela Kovacheva 9
Switzerland: Rosalie Grobet 11 (8 rebs), Sarah Cavin 11 (6 rebs), Meghanne Kolly 11

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  TURKEY - Women  


Turkey join Qualifying round in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Turkey U16 - Latvia U16 70:49

Turkish U16 National Team registered their second win at the European Championship in Poland. They defeated Latvia in the third game of the preliminary round action in Group A. Pelin Gulbag (170-G-92) scored 17 points to propel Turkey to 2-1 record and they claimed the second spot in the Pool. Latvia meanwhile suffered their third loss in a row and would have to fight for Division A spot in the classification round. Turkey nailed 6 unanswered points at the start of the game. Turkey kept in front throughout the period however Latvia never allowed their opponents to clear off substantially and trailed by just a single point at the first intermission. Linda Pagrode (167-G-92) netted 4 points in a 6:0 surge from Latvia early in the second frame and the Baltic side accumulated a 5-point advantage. The teams traded baskets further on and Turkey enjoyed a 34:31 cushion at halftime. Linda Pagrode was strong again at the start of the third term as she delivered 4 points and Latvia regained the lead. Nevertheless Turkey finished the stanza with a 14:4 rally to enter the final quarter ahead by 6. Turkey simply wiped out their opponents in the fourth term 22:7 and celebrated victory. Emel Guler (187-F-92) tallied 16 points and 7 boards for Turkish team. Ieva Eida (176-G/F-92) answered with 18 points for Latvia. Linda Pagrode netted 9 points in a losing effort.

Turkey U16: Pelin Gulbag 17, Emel Guler 16, Cora 9
Latvia U16: Ieva Eida 18, Linda Pagrode 9

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  UKRAINE - Women  


Czech Republic U16 advance to the Qualifying round in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 109:46

Czech Republic secured their Qualifying round birth at the U16 European Championship in Poland. They snapped two-game losing skid beating Ukraine in the crucial encounter for both teams in Group B. Ukraine lost the third straight game at the tournament and would try to avoid relegation in the classification round games. Czech team got to a sloppy start to the game. They trailed by a single point after ten minutes of action. However Czech Republic answered with a 29:8 rally in the second frame and rolled to a 46:26 advantage at halftime. Czech side went on a 17:4 surge in the third stanza and built a 32-point buffer midway through the third quarter. Czech Republic kept on mounting the pressure and headed into the final quarter leading by massive 42 points. Ukraine had no chances to save the game and Czechs drove to the cruising victory at the end. Pudlakova led the charge with 19 points and 9 steals. Jana Hausknechtova (174-G-92) had 16 points, 5 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Viktoriya Skubiy (180-F-92) replied with 22 points and 9 rebounds for Ukraine. Vyshniak added 8 points in defeat. Ukraine committed woeful 40 turnovers during the game and shot just 23% from the field. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 48:38.

Czech Republic U16: Pudlakova 19, Jana Hausknechtova 16, Smidkova 12+10 boards
Ukraine U16: Viktoriya Skubiy 22, Vyshniak 8

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  UNITED KINGDOM - Women  


U18 EC, division B: Ireland cruises past England - by Eurobasket News
U18 England - U18 Ireland 48-65

Ireland outplayed England in the last game of Preliminary Group D grabbing position number three with score 2-2. England is the fourth ranked team in the same group with one win and three defeats. Despite this victory Ireland didn't succeeded to qualify for the next stage. Thus both teams will continue championship in Skopje in Qualifying Round for 9th to 16th place - Group H. Ireland will transfer this victory to Group H while England enters to it with 0-1. Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina already are placed into the same group.

Ireland was a better team from the beginning. After just few minutes it already was 2-12 for the official visitor in this game. Nothing has changed in the next period. Orla O'Reilly (175-F-90), Claire Rockall (168-G-90) and their teammates continued where they stopped in the first one. After 30 minutes of the game every hope for England has gone as Ireland touched plus 14. Interesting is that Ireland extended its lead during the last ten minutes which means they the Irish won very single quarter in this game. England made many mistakes at the offensive end. At the end the British finished the game committing 25 turnovers, what was too much against tough Ireland.

Orla O'Reilly paced Ireland to victory collecting 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Claire Rockall was behind her adding 13 points and 4 rebounds. Hannah Shaw (192-F-90) was the best player for the loosing side with 13 points and 8 boards. Tamzin Mariana Barroilhet (180-G-90) finished the game posting 11 points including 7 rebounds.


U18 England - U18 Ireland 48-65
(11-16, 13-16, 10-16, 14-17)

England: Hannah Shaw 13 (8 rebs), Tamzin Mariana Barroilhet 11 (7 rebs)
Ireland: Orla O'Reilly 14 (6 rebs, 8 as), Claire Rockall 13 (4 rebs)

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  WNBA - Women  


USA pound China in the second game in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
USA - China 108:63

The USA National Team scored their second straight win at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. Today they heavily defeated hosting China to extend their winning streak to two games. Both teams came out winners in the opening round and set up a mouth-watering clash. They started the game closely as China jumped to an 11:10 lead early on. However the United States then answered with a massive 23:0 rally to build a 33:11 advantage at the end of the first frame. China looked stunned at the moment and the USA capitalized. They accounted for 28 more points in the second frame and stretched the advantage to as many as 34 points at the interval. China finally managed to slow down their opponents in the third quarter but failed to trim the distance. The North American team entered the fourth quarter ahead by 35 points. The gap proved unassailable for China and they had to surrender at the end. Tina Thompson (6'2''-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) came up with a pivotal performance for the USA. She knocked down game-high 27 points and grabbed 5 boards. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) added 18 points, while Candace Parker (6'4''-F/C-86, college: Tennessee) contributed 12 points for the winners. Miao Li Jie (5'11''-G-81) answered with 16 points for China. Chen Nan (6'6''-C-83) delivered 14 points in the loss. The USA outrebounded their opponents 47:30 and forced China to 18 turnovers. The winners sank 56% from the field and limited the home team to just 34% accuracy.

USA: Tina Thompson 27, Sylvia Fowles 18, Candace Parker 12
China: Miao Li Jie 16, Chen Nan 14