EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/5/2009

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Men News

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  ABA   


Interview with Mark Strom - by Bruno Baltazar

Mark Strom (6'4''-G-82, college: Apprentice) is a SG/G and just another example of what the market sometimes misses ,a good player without a team.The 26 years old has a great 3 pt shot,can score and play defense ,specially on the guy with the ball ,a aggressive player that was born to win. In the last 2 seasons you played in Mexico.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us more about your experience in Mexico and what you accomplished down there in those 2 years?
Mark Strom-The last 2 seasons in Mexico have been a great expierence for me because Mexico is one of the top Latin countries to play in.
Going thru my rookie season in San Luis helped me grow as a player which carried over to my second year. I feel that the LNBP league has a many great players and coaches, it is on the rise in the basketball world.

Eurobasket-Your mom is from Mexico City,besides you being american is it true you can play with the Mexico national team?
Mark Strom-Yes she was born in Mexico City and I have family that lives all over Mexico. I just received my Mexican citizenship and I will be eligable to play for the Mexico national team.

Eurobasket-What market you looking for right now and why?
Mark Strom-I do not have a preference on a country where I want to play right now, but I would like to play in a league where the competion is at a high level so that I can keep improving my game.

Eurobasket-What are your goals in the future?
Mark Strom-I plan on continuing to play at the professional level and make the most of every expierence that I am given. I would like to play in Spain someday because my grandfather is from there.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us a bit more about yourself as a player and as a person?

Mark Strom-As a player I am not concerned about how many points I score, I just want to win. I have always been a good scorer but I take the most pride in my defense. I am always looking for a challenge to shut some one down.
I am a people person, every team that I have played on I have built strong relationships that last a lifetime. In my spare time I value the time spent with friends and family.

Eurobasket-Why do you think a team should sign you and tell us how you play?
Mark Strom-I feel a team should sign me because I am a winner and I do whatever it takes to win. I also have a great attitude and plus I am a coachable player. I can score in many different ways and I am able to create open shots for my teammates. I take a lot of pride on the defense side of the ball, I was the best on the ball defender on the last 4 teams that I have played for. My natural position is a shooting guard but, I can also bring the ball up court and run the point position if necessary.


If anybody wants to know more about him check his website http://mstrom15.webs.com/ and contact him thru da_truth15@hotmail.com or thru cell phone number +1 541-331-6917.



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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Adriatic-League Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Crvena Zvez. - Krka 77-67
Crvena Zvezda celebrated in its first game in 2009 thanks to Andre Owens (192-G-80, college: Houston) and his 18 points. Marko Keselj helped the hosts with 11, while Elmedin Kikanovic netted 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Jure Balazic collected 16 points and 5 rebounds in loss. Crvena Zvezda remains the second ranked team in the league with 13-2 record. Krka fell on 4-11.

Helios - Partizan 49-59
The defending champion stopped Helios on just 49 points for the game keeping the top of the regional championship with almost perfect 14-1. Aleksandar Rasic led the scorers in Partizan with 13 points. Stephane Lasme and Uros Tripkovic had 10 pts apiece. Aljaz Janza was the only one with double-digits in scoring for the hosts, 15 points. Helios 3-12.

Zadar - Cibona 86-77
Zadar was too strong for Cibona in very important Croatian derby. The teams currently share the fourth place with 10-5. Deyan Ivanov came up with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Rok Stipcevic also netted 22, but including 5 assists for the hosts. Alan Anderson, who came off the bench, was the best in defeat with 18 pts and 5 rebs.

FMP - U.Olimpija 82-70
FMP was better than Slovenian champ Union Olimpija so both teams currently have 6 wins and 9 defeats. Split and Bosna are on the same numbers. Filip Covic scored 22, while Dragan Labovic added 20 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Olimpija got 15 points and 5 rebounds from Mirza Begic.

KK Zagreb - KK Split 65-78
Split outplayed the last-ranked Zagreb on the road joining Bosna, FMP and Olimpija with 6-9 record. Sinisa Stemberger was a key player for Split as he drained 31 points. Mario Dundovic answered with 14 points and 4 rebounds. His Zagreb dropped on poor 2-13.

Hemofarm - Bosna S. 79-74
Played on December 28th - Hemofarm outsmarted Bosna mostly owing to Nebojsa Joksimovic, who delivered 21 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Milovoje Bozovic netted 12, while Stefan Markovic had 1 point less. Bosna got 18 points from Goran Ikonic and 17 from Ivan Ivanovic. Bosna 6-9.

Buducnost - Vojvodina 82-68
Played on December 28th - Easy one and 9-6 for Buducnost after 15 appearances. Vladimir Micov was totally the best player in this game with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Dejan Borovnjak and Charron FIsher contributed with 14 points and 6 rebounds each in loss. Vojvodina 4-11.

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  ARGENTINA   


Rodriguez moves to Obras - by Facundo Iatzky

Patricio Rodriguez (193-F-84, agency: Players Group) left Ben Hur and agreed terms with Obras Sanitarias, where he had been playing two seasons ago. He will replace injured Gabriel Cocha. In Ben Hur he averaged 10.1 pts 2.3 rebs.


*Quimsa: released Kenny Satterfield and signed Brandon Mason (194-G/F-81, college: N.Mexico St.)
*Changes in Gimnasia La Plata (TNA): McHugh Mattis (198-F-84, college: S.Florida) will replace Cedric Mcguinnis.



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  AUSTRALIA   


NBL Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Spirit - Breakers 86-85
The Spirit managed to crush the second ranked New Zealand Breakers improving on 10-11 record. Matthew Knight stepped up for the hosts with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Kirk Penney replied with 23 pts for the loosing side. Breakers 15-6.

Dragons - Wildcats 90-99
The Wildcats grabbed this one thanks to Isiah Victor, who collected 25 points and 12 rebounds. It is important to mention that he came in off the bench. The hosts got 19 points from Tremmell Darden. Wildcats 12-10, South Dragons 17-6.

Crocodiles - Dragons 105-95
12th win for the Crocodiles mostly owing to Rosell Ellis, who drained 19 pts and grabbed 11 rebs. Donta Smith nailed 14 pts, including 5 boards in loss. The top ranked NBL team, Melbourne South Dragons, suffered two defeats in this round.

Taipans - Hawks 105-112
The Hawks were too strong for the Cairns Taipans this time thanks to Cameron Tragardh and his 28 points and 9 boards for just 25 minutes. Ian Crosswhite collected 27 points and 11 rebounds for the hosts.

Blaze - 36ers 103-94
The last ranked GBC grabbed the fifth win in NBL. Justin Bowen (200-F-83, college: Ill.-Chicago) came up with 35 points and 8 rebounds, while Luke Whitehead followed him with 23 points and impressive 17 rebounds (8 off). On the other side, Julius Hodge scored 29 pts.

Hawks - Breakers 111-94
Kavossy Franklin, who nailed 26 points and pulled down 7 rebounds, paced his Wollongong Hawks to home win against the Breakers (second defeat in two days). Kirk Penney once again was the best in loss with 30 points and 5 rebounds.

Blaze- Crocodiles 88-105
The box-score will be available soon.

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  AUSTRIA   


UBSC Graz sign Rekalin Sims - by Eurobasket
UBSC Graz added to their roster 25-year old American forward Rekalin Sims (203-F-84, college: Fresno St.). Sims played most recently at Fresno State University (NCAA) in the U.S. It will be his first year in professional basketball. He had some very questionable college career. After one year play in 2005-2006 at prestiguous Kentucky (4.4ppg, 2.9rpg), he moved to Fresno State. He was sidelined the first year due to NCAA transfer rules. However last season, he did not play at the team either being dismissed in December 2007 for violating athletic department policy. In his first lost game at Graz he played just 21 minutes, scoring 9 points and getting 2 rebounds.

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  BALTIC LEAGUE   


Baltic-League Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Group ChallengeCup
Kaunas Tr. - Liepaja 72-77
Liepajas Lauvas claimed quite resounding win over Kaunas Triobet on the road. Arturs Stalbergs scored 20 points to lead Liepajas. Curtis Nash contributed 14 points for the winners. Vytenis Jasikevicius answered with 19 points for Group B leaders.

Keizarmezs - Aisciai 72-77
Aisciai managed the sixth win as they overwhelmed Keizarmezs in Riga. Donatas Motiejunas fired 25 points for Aisciai. Tomas Masiulis added 12 points and 5 boards in the win. Reinis Strupovics scored 20 points for the hosts as they fell at 3-8 record.

Tallinna Kalev - Alytus Alita 68-88
Nerijus Varnelis poured in 39 points and collected 9 rebounds to lead Alytus past Tallinna Kalev. Vilius Gabsys contributed 15 points in the sixth win for Alytus. Jesper Parve notched 27 points for Tallinna Kalev in defeat.

ASK/Buki - Neptunas 89-84
ASK/Buki improved their situation in Group B a bit as they shot down Neptunas at home court. Andrejs Jansons knocked down 28 points for ASK/Buki. Arturs Brunins had 18 points in the winning case. Valdas Vasylius answered with 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Klaipeda team.

Valga Welg - Sakalai 72-99
Sakalai posted the tenth win as they thumped Valga Welg on the road. Grigori Shukhovtsov scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to pace the winners. Arnas Labuckas added 17 points for the visitors. Veljo Vares answered with 20 points for Valga Welg.

TTU KK - Suduva 75-64
TTU KK outsmarted Suduva in Tallinn. Kristjan Makke netted 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the charge. Reimo Tamm had 12 points and 6 steals for the Estonian outfit. Marius Valukonis and Marius Runkauskas scored 15 points each in the losing effort.

Group Elite Group
Zalgiris - Ventspils 117-66
Zalgiris dominated throughout the game and posted a deserved victory against Ventspils. Paulius Jankunas and Tadas Klimavicius scored 26 points apiece to pace the hosts. Eurelijus Zukauskas added 16 points for the winners. Tyrone Brazelton knocked down 19 points for Ventspils in defeat.

ASK Riga - Lietuvos 87-108
Lietuvos Rytas bumped ASK Riga in Latvia. Riga jumped to an early lead but lost the second quarter 6:29 and never recovered afterwards. Arturas Jomantas netted 18 points and dished out 6 assists for the Vilnius team. Marijonas Petravicius had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Bruno Sundov finished with 24 points for ASK Riga in the loss.

Kalev/Cramo - TU/Rock 73-63
Nate Fox scored 21 points and Kalev/Cramo held off their archrivals TU/Rock for the 8th win in the Elite Division season. John Linehan added 13 points for the winners. Tanoka Beard notched 15 points for TU/Rock in the loss. Giorgi Tsintsadze added 14 points and 8 assists as TU/Rock slipped at 5-8 record.

Valmiera - Siauliai 75-87
Siauliai outscored Valmiera on the road to improve at 5-6 record and caught up with their opponents in the ladder. Virginijus Praskevicius topscored with 22 points as Siauliai overcame a 6-point deficit after the starting frame. Hannah Stefhon added 15 points in his debut for a Robertas Giedraitis team. Ingus Bankevics scored 25 points to lead Valmiera.

Barons/LMT - Nevezis 69-65
Barons/LMY celebrated the fifth win in the Elite Division season as they held off Nevezis in Riga. Demetrius Alexander tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds for winners. Kaspars Berzins added 14 points for Barons/LMT. Valdas Dabkus and Benas Veikals answered with 12 points each in the eleventh loss for Nevezis.



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  BELGIUM   


D1 Round: 14 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Charleroi - Gent 76-62
Spirou Charleroi celebrated 14-point home win against Optima Gent improving on 10-2 record in D1. Jerry Johnson and Wess Wilkinson top-scored for the winners with 18 points apiece. Len Matela helped with 14 points and 9 boards. On the other side, Brandon Freeman netted 22 points for Gent, who dropped on 3-10.

Aalstar - M.Hainaut 73-79
Nice road victory for Dexia Mons-Hainaut, who remains on top of D1 with 11-2. Charleroi is on the second place with 10-2. Kelvin Torbert was a key player for the winning side collecting 21 points and 7 rebounds. Mo Charlo and Matt Lojeski contributed with 18 points each in loss. Aalstar 9-3.

Verviers-Pep. - Antwerp 95-93
VOO Verviers-Pepinster escaped with a tiny home win against the Antwerp Diamond Giants thanks to Adrian Banks (191-G, college: NW Mississippi CC) and his 31 points. Bryan Hopkins shined in defeat with 27 pts and 4 rebounds. Pepinster now has 3-10 (same as Gent) while Antwerp fell on 7-6.

Liege - Leuven 84-67
Important victory for the hosts as both teams entered into this round with the same 4-7 record. Christopher Hill stepped up for Liege nailing 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. James JJ Miller was the leading player in Spoter Leuven with 22 pts.

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  BOSNIA   


Standings - BIH League
D1 Standings
 1. Igokea 11-1 
 2. Zrinjski MC 10-2 
 3. Sloboda Dita 10-2 
 4. BoracNektar 9-3 
 5. Siroki Eronet 7-5 
 6. SL IAT Leotar 7-5 
 7. Slavija 5-7 
 8. Mladost MG 5-7 
 9. Grude 4-7 
 10. Hercegovac 3-9 
 11. Posusje 3-9 
 12. Vitez 2-9 
 13. Novi Grad 0-11 
Will join on later stage:
 1. Bosna S. - 


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  BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Penn dominates Texas A&M but McNeese loses - by David Edole
COLLEGE STATION Texas A&M only scored one field goal in the final eight minutes of play but came away with a 57-52 victory over McNeese State on Saturday night.
That field goal, at the 2:30 mark, came on a shot by Josh Carter and it snapped a 52 all deadlock. The Cowboys, who didnt score a field goal in the final seven minutes of play, had trailed the Aggies by as many as 11 points in the second half but tied the game on a pair of free throws by Diego Kapelan with 3:20 left.
A 13-2 run enabled the Cowboys to deadlock the game.
The free throws by Kapelan were the last points in the game for the Cowboys. A&M went on to score three more points after Carters field goal, all at the free throw line.
I couldnt be more proud of them, Cowboy head coach Dave Simmons said of his players. we came out and played with everything we had and we did it on their home court. It was a battle and we got everything we wanted, we played tough against a tough team.
I thought that we had them at 52-52 but thats when the 12th man factor really came in and took over. It was so loud my point guard couldnt hear the calls.
WE still have some work to do but the intensity and effort was there that wasnt there last game. Were going to take tomorrow off and then get to work on Wiley Collee and then conference after that.
Carter, who scored A&M final basket, said of the Cowboys, McNees did a great job of taking us away from what we wanted to do. Kleon Penn (211-C-86) was huge and he moved better than I thought he did. His stats dont do him justice.
The win lifted the Aggies record to 13-1 and increased their winning streak to eight. McNeese fell to 5-7 and absorbed its fourth straight setback.
Kapelan, who got his first start of the season in the game, came up with 15 points for the Cowboys while 6-11 Penn had 15 points along with 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Carter had 13 points for the Aggies while Chinemelu Elonu scored 15.
The Cowboys held a 39-33 edge in rebounding and blocked nine shots.
McNeese will be back in action on Wednesday when the Cowboys host Wiley College.

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  CHILE   


Dimayor Finals: Liceo in control with a 2-0 lead - by Daniel Valencia

In a game dominated by the defense, Liceo Mixto defeated Boston College 78-75 and is now 2-0 in the Finals. Christopher Garnett (211-C-80, college: Indiana SE) led the offense for the winners with 19 points but the star of the night was Peter Kiganya (197-F-72, college: Abil.Christian). He came of the bench to dominate the boards and to score in the most important moments of the night. For Boston, the biggest surprise of the night was the bad perfomance by the shooting guard Joe Chapman (193-G-84, agency: AMI, college: Marquette), who ended the night with 5 points and shooting 2 for 12 form the field. For Boston, B.J. Puckett (205-F-83, agency: AMI, college: Clayton St.) led all scorers with 25. Lucas Costa (204-C/F-80) also was effective coming of the bench with 14 points.

Game 3 of the series will be played next weekend in Santiago

Game 2

Liceo Mixto 78 - Boston College 75
Lic: Christopher Garnett 19 pts. 7 reb. Lino Saez 15 pts. 4 reb. Brandon Lee 11 pts. 3 ast. Peter Kiganya 15 reb. 6 ast.
Bos: B.J. Puckett 25 pts. 14 reb. Eduardo Sepulveda 16 pts. Lucas Costa 14 pts. 7 reb. 5 ast.

1 17-15 - 2 18-14 - 3 18-20 - 4 25-27

Stats courtesy of www.solobasquet.cl



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  CHINA   


CBA Round: 22 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Beijing - Jilin 108-89
Dontae Jones became a hero of the round with 51 points and 11 rebounds to lead Beijing to a 108:89 victory over Jilin. Soumaila Samake had 31 points and 12 rebounds for Jilin.

Fujian - Zhejiang G. 114-80
Fujian beat Zhejiang Guangsha 114:80 as Chris Porter top-scored with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Rodney White collected 36 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for Guangsha.

Shanghai - DongGuan 97-117
Dongguan had 117:97 over Shanghai behind 33 points and 12 rebounds from Michael Harris. DaJuan Tate led Shanghai with 24 points.

Jiangsu - Guandong 95-104
Guandong overcame Jiangsu 104:95 in Regular Season Round 22 in a key game of the round. Wang Shipeng top-scored with 26 points for Guangdong and Zhu Fangyu had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Hu Xuefeng led Jiangsu with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 6 steals.

Shaanxi - Shanxi Zh. 103-92
Shaanxi outscored Shanxi Zhongyu 103:92 as Lee Benson had 43 points, 23 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks. Duan Jiangpeng had 28 in defeat and Wells had 21 points, 8 rebounds.

Qingdao DS - Yunnan 115-92
Qingdao beat Yunnan 115:92 as Liu Mingtao collected 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. Lu Keming had 23 points and 5 rebounds. Gabe Muoneke ended up with 28 points and 14 rebounds for the guests.

TianJin R. - Liaoning 97-107
Awvee Story finished the night with 29 points and 9 rebounds to lead Liaoning to a 107:97 win over Tianjin. Theron Smith produced 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for Tianjin.

Xinjiang - Shandong 96-90
Xinjiang defeated Shandong 96:90 for 20-2 record on top. Allen Myron had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals, whilst Mengke Bateer had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Tuck Mack scored 39 points in defeat and Garnett Thompson had 36 points and 18 rebounds.

Zhejiang C. - Bayi 92-84
Zhejiang edged Bayi 92:84 as Kirk Snyder had 42 points and 17 rebounds. Wang Lei ended up with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the losing effort.



Xinjiang Edges Shandong and Guangdong Tops Jiangsu - by Arthur Volbert
Allen Myron (180-G-79, college: Lee JC)en had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals as Xinjiang defeated Shandong 96-90. Mengke Bateer had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Juan Mendez had 12 points and 6 rebounds. Xu Guochong had 14 points and 5 rebounds. Xinjiang used Mulati instead of Makan today and he produced 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals. This year Mulati, another Xinjiang native, is equally as talented as Makan. But Mulati was born in 1985 and has likely achieved his potential while Makan, born in 1992, has the ability to outperform him in the future. Even Xue Yuyang contributed today with 9 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. Xinjiang's record is now 20-2. Mack Tuck had 39 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals for Shandong. Garnett Thompson had 36 points and 18 rebounds. But Shandong's best native player was Guo Lei with 7 points and 2 rebounds, accounting for Shandong's loss to the balanced Xinjiang squad.

Guandong defeated Jiangsu 104-95 in a battle of the CBA's second and third place teams. Guangdong's record rose to 18-4 while Jiangsu's dropped to 16-6. Wang Shipeng had 26 points for Guangdong and Zhu Fangyu had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Jason Dixon had 14 points, 16 rebounds and 3 steals. Du Feng had 14 points and 5 rebounds. Zhou Peng had 12 points and 3 steals. Liu Xiaoyu had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Hu Xuefeng led Jiangsu with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 6 steals. Donnell Harvey had 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jameel Watkins scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Meng Da had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Yi Li did not play.

Lee Benson vastly outplayed Bonzi Wells as Shaanxi defeaed Shanxi Zhongyu 103-92. Benson had 43 points, 23 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks. Brandon Robinson had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists. Zhang Wei added 21 points and 5 rebounds. Point guard Dai Yong had 13 points. Wells had 21 points on 8 of 26 shooting, 8 rebounds and 8 turnovers. Olumide Oyedeji had 15 points and 19 rebounds. Sun Chunlei also had 15 points. Duan Jiangpeng, born in September 1990, had 28 points and 4 rebounds. This is the time of year we begin to see which of the young players were mostly hype and which unhyped young players begin to emerge as stars. Duan looks like he belongs in the latter category.

Dontae Jones had 51 points and 11 rebounds to lead Beijing to a 108-89 victory over Jilin. David Harrison had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Xie Libin added 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Soumaila Samake had 31 points and 12 rebounds for Jilin. Leon Rogers had 28 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The next highest scorer was Yu Shulong with 7 points, as Jilin's native players failed to perform.

With both imports playing again, Zhejiang returned to winning ways and defeated Bayi 92-84. Kirk Snyder had 42 points and 17 rebounds. Samuel Hoskin, in 20 minutes, had 7 points and 3 rebounds. Ding Jinhui gave a stellar performance with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Luo Zhi had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Bayi, on the other hand, continued to be inept with Wang Zhizhi sidelined. Wang Lei had 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Mo Ke had 23 points and 8 rebounds. Bayi's next best player was Delehei with 9 points and 5 rebounds, as the Bayi talent pipeline no longer seems to be developing new stars for the team. Wang Lei was brought in from outside, and Bayi's real stars are aging, like Li Nan, or, like Li Ke and Chen Ke, no longer stars in the more rugged play of the CBA.

Awvee Story had 29 points and 9 rebounds to lead Liaoning to a 107-97 win over Tianjin. New import 7-footer Chris Alexander made his first appearance and produced 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Li Xiaoxu had 16 points and 7 rebounds. Yang Ming also scored 16 points and Zhang Qingpeng scored 13. Gu Liye played only 10 minutes and this once-promising big man, who was first heard of in the Albert Schweitzer tournament in 2002 playing alongside a very young Yi Jianlian, appears to be the odd man out with Alexander on board. Theron Smith had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for Tianjin. Darryl Watkins had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Wang Hao scored 19 and Li Gangfeng had 16. Xu Guijun scored 13 and Liu Hao added 10.

Liu Mingtao had 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists as Qingdao defeated Yunnan 115-92. Lu Keming had 23 points and 5 rebounds. Li Guang had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 7 steals. Frans Steyn had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Williams had 14 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Yu Gaofeng scored 12. Gabe Muoneke returned to the Yunnan lineup with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Keith Closs remained absent. Li Lin had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Li Tao had 19 points and 5 rebounds but also 11 turnovers. Wang Xinkai had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Chris Porter had 27 points and 11 rebounds as Fujian defeated Zhejiang Guangsha 114-80. Yang Chao scored 24 points and Gong Songlin scored 20. Lu Xiaoming had 18 points and 8 assists. Matt Frieje had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Zhao Tailong scored 11. Rodney White had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for Guangsha but also 9 turnovers. Nigel Dixon had 13 points in 23 minutes but only 3 rebounds. Jin Lipeng also scored 13.

Michael Harris had 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead Dongguan to a 117-97 win over Shanghai. Qiu Biao scored 23. Zhang Kai had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jamal Sampson played 16 minutes and had 11 points and 12 rebounds. DaJuan Tate led Shanghai with 24 points. Peng Fei and Wang Yong each scored 20. Cai Liang and Luo Xudong each scored 12. Liu Wei again did not play.

Liao Ning Signed their new import - by Robert Wang
Chris Alexander (216-C-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa St.) came back to China yesterday and sign the contract with his former team Liao Ning till the season over. Chris has played in China 3 years ago and he just played his game tonight. He received 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assist.
Keith Closs who played in Yun Nan just got released and went back home. Team is looking for other center to fill the spot. We will follow up who would be the next player for this team.

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  CYPRUS   


Cypriots Abroad: Round Up for the year 2008 - by Chris Mammides
The past year consider being the most successful, basketball wise, for the Cypriot players playing abroad as most of them are the stars in their teams, having the leading role in many categories and contribute to the best feasible way for the success and the positive results.
Eurobasket.com is presenting today the top eight Cypriot players playing abroad starting from the Greek league A1, where Cyprus is represented by just one player, Prodromos Nikolaidis (201-F-78) is the key player for his team Trikalla 2000, as he is the leading scorer (other than Americans) and everybody in Trikalla knows that a possible productive day of Nikolaidis means another victory for their team which is currently in the unfortunate last position in the league with the poor record of 2-10. Nikolaidis had many offers this summer after his excellent presentation last season but he preferred to go to Trikalla even though he knew about the difficulties of the newcomers in one of the most difficult leagues in the world. Nikolaidis is a steady value in the Greek league as his eight seasons in A1 finds him averaging double digits 13.5 points per game.
A2 league is represented by three Cypriot players who consider being among the top performers in the A2 league, being key players in their teams and among the top in the league. Starting from Aristides Koronides (188-G-82) who is currently having his best season in Greece (after four years) being currently the hero in Patras and leading his team to the one win after the other, he is currently the third scorer in the league (Behind Koutroulias and Kakiouzis, two veterans in the specific division). Aris is having the most mature season of his career, as he is also the leading passer in the league and among the top point guards in A2. It is most certain that the good years are still coming for the Cypriot guard.
Vasilis Kounas (195-G-84) is the second player whos currently having his best season in the Greek league with ICBS, Vassilis is the leading scorer of the international College and among the top 15 scorers in the league. IT seems that his injuries are now history ad that he is back to action more ready than ever. The presentation of his best friend in the same team, Andreas Sizopoulos (189-G-83) seems that helped both of them, lets not forget that these two players were team-mates in Apoel and since then, they became very good friends as they know each others game with closed eyes. Andreas Sizopoulos after his very good presentation in the Second division with Near East (he helped his team to win the championship and the promotion in A2). Sizopoulos had many injuries last season but it seems that he is back in action and with his presentation ICBS is looking towards more wins, Sizopoulos is among the top 20 leading scorers in the league even though he started quite slow, the last weeks is proving more and more that he is creating an amazing duet with Kounas.
Second Division league is represented by two Cypriot players, Iraklis Pittakas (194-F-84) is among the silent players of the team Anagennisi Floga but is among the steadiest in performance and full of real meaning, no wonder why he has been in the same team the last four years. Iraklis is the sixth player in the roster and his acting mostly as the added value in the team.
Panagiotis Barlas (193-G-76) is the second player playing in the second division, Panagiotis is having after many years a very good season in OFI, the Cretan team is among the favorites to be promoted and one of the reasons is Barlas, the experience point guard is among the top 20 leading scorers and his experience is helping his team to achieve its goals. Panagiotis is among the top point guards in the league as he is also among the leading figures in the assists and in steals.
Stamatis Makris (186-G-89) is the one of two players representing Cyprus in the NCAA courts. The talented point guard has moved from his colleges team, Auburn tigers, as he got red shirted. The talented point guard joined forces with JSU (Jacksonville State University) a team in NCAA 1.
Nikos Stylianou (200-F-88), the son of the legendary Costas Stylianou (great career in the Greek and Cyprus courts and ex assistant coach in BMC AEK Larnakas), got transferred this year in a much better college as he left NJCAA and team Navarro in order to join West Texas A&M University. Nikos stats in Navarro were very good as he had 8.4ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.3spg and 1.5apg. West Texas is an NCAA 2 team. It is worth mentioned that Nikos's stats are very good these first three months in his new team as he is in the starting five team.

*****************************************************
  D-LEAGUE   


D-League Round: 32 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Iowa - Ft.Wayne 117-121
The Mad Ants outsmarted Iowa Energy improving on 5-7 record. On the other side, the Energy faced with the second failure this season (8-2). Walker Russell (6'0''-G-82, college: Jacksonville St.) stepped up for the hosts with 25 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds. Alex Acker had 20 points, 8 boards and 5 assists, while DeWitt Scott added 19 pts. Cartier Sims nailed 37 points for the loosing side.

Erie - Sioux Falls 92-110
Keith Brumbaugh, who collected 34 points and 8 rebounds, paced the Skyforce to 10th victory of the season (10-5). Glen McGowan helped with double-double, 21 points and 12 boards. Erik Daniels top-scored in defeat with 18 points (also had 8 rebs). BayHawks 9-6.

Albuquerque - Rio Grande 116-105
Third win for the Thunderbirds, mostly owing to Will Conroy, who nailed 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. David Monds had 21 pts and 13 rebs, while David Noel also registered 21 pts, but with 11 rebs. Smush Parker scored 18 on the other side. Thunderbirds 3-10, Vipers 7-9.

Dakota - Anaheim 103-98
9-7 for the Wizards and 5-9 for the Arsenal after this game. Blake Ahearn once again was a key player for the winning side draining 27 points. Cedric Bozeman collected 28 pts and 8 rebounds for the hosts.

Austin - Idaho 94-97
Idaho Stampede celebrated against the Toros, thus both teams are on the same 11-4 record now. Jamaal Tatum, who came off the bench shined for the winners with 21 points and 10 assists. Andre Brown had 21 pts and 11 rebs in defeat.

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  EGYPT   


9th round:Gezira on top with Zamalek ..Itthad comes third after beating Ahly - by Mohamed Hafez

After the 9th round of the Egyptian league Gezira still on the top with a sole defeat and 8 wins after beating Smouha and sporting in the last week , Itthad came third with 7 wins and 2 deafeats after winning its last game at alexandria against Ahly 77-70

over all team position after adding to U16 results:

1. Al Ittihad 60

2. Sporting 55

3. Ahly 54

4. Gezira 54

5. Somouha 51

6. Zamalek 50

7. Shorta-Police 45

8. Geish Army 43

9. Shams 40

10. Shark ins. 36

11. Al Olympi 36

12. Gasco 34



Super League Standings
Superleague Standings
 1. Zamalek 8-1 
 2. Gezira 8-1 
 3. Al Ittihad 7-2 
 4. Ahly 6-3 
 5. Geish Army 6-3 
 6. Sporting 5-4 
 7. Somouha 4-5 
 8. Shorta-Police 4-5 
 9. Gasco 3-6 
 10. Shams 2-7 
 11. Al Olympi 1-8 
 12. Shark ins. 0-9 


*****************************************************
  EUROCUP   


Mark Strom interview - by Bruno Baltazar

Mark Strom (193-G-82, college: Apprentice) is a SG/G and just another example of what the market sometimes misses ,a good player without a team.The 26 years old has a great 3 pt shot,can score and play defense ,specially on the guy with the ball ,a aggressive player that was born to win. In the last 2 seasons you played in Mexico.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us more about your experience in Mexico and what you accomplished down there in those 2 years?
Mark Strom-The last 2 seasons in Mexico have been a great expierence for me because Mexico is one of the top Latin countries to play in.
Going threw my rookie season in San Luis helped me grow as a player which carried over to my second year. I feel that the LNBP league has a many great players and coaches, it is on the rise in the basketball world.

Eurobasket-Your mom is from Mexico City,besides you being american is it true you can play with the Mexico national team?
Mark Strom-Yes she was born in Mexico City and I have family that lives all over Mexico. I just received my Mexican citizenship and I will be eligable to play for the Mexico national team.

Eurobasket-What market you looking for right now and why?
Mark Strom-I do not have a preference on a country where I want to play right now, but I would like to play in a league where the competion is at a high level so that I can keep improving my game.

Eurobasket-What are your goals in the future?
Mark Strom-I plan on continuing to play at the professional level and make the most of every expierence that I am given. I would like to play in Spain someday because my grandfather is from there.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us a bit more about yourself as a player and as a person?

Mark Strom-As a player I am not concerned about how many points I score, I just want to win. I have always been a good scorer but I take the most pride in my defense. I am always looking for a challenge to shut some one down.
I am a people person, every team that I have played on I have built strong relationships that last a lifetime. In my spare time I value the time spent with friends and family.

Eurobasket-Why do you think a team should sign you and tell us how you play?
Mark Strom-I feel a team should sign me because I am a winner and I do whatever it takes to win. I also have a great attitude and plus I am a coachable player. I can score in many different ways and I am able to create open shots for my teammates. I take a lot of pride on the defense side of the ball, I was the best on the ball defender on the last 4 teams that I have played for. My natural position is a shooting guard but, I can also bring the ball up court and run the point position if necessary.


If anybody wants to know more about him check his website http://mstrom15.webs.com/ and contact him thru da_truth15@hotmail.com or thru cell phone number +1 541-331-6917.



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  FINLAND   


INTERNATIONAL: Gordon Herbert the most successful Coach - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Finnish Coaches in the world? Not very many, but a few anyway. And some success. The most successful right now Canadian-Finnish Gordon Herbert , 49,
(will be 50 on February 16) coaching as an assistant in the NBA (Toronto Raptors). Herbert came to Finland 1981 and played professionally on Finnish Top level
13 years untill 1994. Then started his coaching career. First a few years in Finland, but soon followed Austria, Germany, France and Greece. Even Georgian NT
2005-06. Coach of the Year in Austria (2000) and in France (2005), German Championship (2004), Cup winner (2007) in France etc.
Pekka Salminen , 45, has 'stuck' in Sweden (Solna Vikings). Coaching his fifth season at Solna right now. Vikings is on the top again, but the situation is not new
to Salminen. He has led Vikings into Swedish Championship 2003 and 2008 and was named Coach of The Year 2003.

Lars Ekstrom , 45, has just started his international coaching career in Sweden (Boras Basket) after coaching 5,5 years on top level (YMCA Lahti and Tarmo-Porvoo)

in Finland. Anton Mirolybov , 31, was under 30 years old, when he got started his coaching career in Germany. And good results will be noticed soon. So soon, that

Mirolybov was called during this Christmas break from German ProB league (Hertener Loewen) into ProA League (BV Chemnitz 99). The new start took place yesterday and Mirolybov led Chemnitz into 77-75 victory in the thriller over Bayern Munchen.

Coach Mika Turunen , 43, had a tough year 2008. After seven years on top level in Finland YMCA Lappeenranta fired Turunen in April because of Team's unclear financial situation. Luxembourg Top League (DBBL) newcomer US Heffingen signed with Turunen in the summer, but there were problems with the chemistry

between the team and the Finnish Coach, and Turunen got fired the second time during the same year at the end of November. US Heffingen record in the DBBL was

0-9 at the moment. Rafael Silva, 29, from Portugal replaced later Turunen in Heffingen.



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  FRANCE   


Aerick Sanders joins Interperformances - by Interperformances
6'8' Aerick Sanders (203-F-82, college: San Diego St.) has signed a representation contract with Interperformances. The 26 years old power forward knows well the game and is a great rebounder who has good moves in the paint with a bright future at a high level in Europe. He is currently playing with JDA Dion Bourgogne in the French Pro A league after having started the season in Turkey. Last year with ASK Riga in the ULEB Cup he averaged 10.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg. At San Diego State University he had an average of 16.1 ppg and 9.8 rpg.

Sciarra MVP in All-Star Game - by Gregory Caru
Last week,it was the All-Star Game in France,a big show in Bercy with 14500 onlookers,a very good result in France.The game was not really good but finally,the selection of strangers win the game 108-101, the MVP was Sciarra(Orleans)with 25pts 7rbs 9ast and 6/6 3FG.The scorers for french team: Sy 17,M'Baye 6,Foirest 5,Koffi 10,Bokolo 10 ,Risacher 11, De Colo 15,Traor 0,Samnick 2 and for the adversary: Banks 6,Wilson 23 and 10 rbs,Wright 18,Houston 8,Rush 13,Krupalija 0,Skinn 6,Campbell 15 Nichols 10,Troutman 9.But the show was mixed by Kevin Houston(Rouen)injury,out for the rest of the season!Tony Skinn(Gravelines) has won the Guard contest,Cedric Banks(Orlans)the 3 FG contest and Justin Darlington(Without team) the dunk contest.Laurent Sciarra (196-G-73)

*****************************************************
  GERMANY   


Bundesliga Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Telekom B. - Brose Baskets 81-76
Bonn survived a tough test as they took on Brose Basket at home court. Brandon Bowman nailed 21 points and Bonn remained on top of the ladder posting the 12th victory. Earl Rowland had 17 points for the winners. Eric Taylor responded with 27 points and 15 boards for Bamberg in the loss.

Goettingen - EnBW L'burg 76-68
Charles Lee scored 26 points to lead Goettingen past Ludwigsburg. Kyle Bailey added 14 points and 6 assists as the winners climbed at 11-3 record in the standings. Kelvin Gibbs fired 16 points for Ludwigsburg in defeat.

EWE Baskets - Walter Tigers 82-79
Oldenburg remained among the leaders after a tough win against Tuebingen. Jason Gardner came up with 19 points, 6 boards and 4 assists for EWE Basket. Rickey Paulding added 13 points and 6 assists in the win. The Tigers got 17 points from Michael Haynes and Richard Chaney each.

Art.Dragons - Duesseldorf 77-88
Duesseldorf shot down Artland Dragons claiming the eighth win. Brendan Winters knocked down 22 points to lead the charge. Marc Carter added 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Darren Fenn exploded with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Dragons as they fell at 8-8 record.

Bremerhaven - Noerdlingen 78-87
Bremerhaven were close to their second win in the season but finally lost the battle to Noerdlingen in overtime. Osvaldo Jeanty shone for the winners with game-high 39 points. Brian Butch and Danny Gibson added 11 points each for Noerdlingen. Craig Callahan secured 16 points for Bremerhaven in the loss.

Koeln 99ers - TBB Trier 73-77
Trier registered the sixth victory as they brought the positive result from Koeln. Norman Richardson nailed 22 points and 6 boards to pace Trier. George Evans contributed 15 points for the winners. Jeremy Hunt had 15 points for the 99ers in defeat.

ALBA - Dt.Bank SKY 87-71
ALBA maintained the pressure on the league leading Bonn as they gained the 11th win beating Skyliners at home. Aleksandar Nadjfeji scored 17 points for ALBA. Casey Jakobsen added 14 points in the win. Lorenzo Gordon answered with game-high 30 points and 8 boards for Frankfurt as they fell at 10-5 record.

8 Time BBL Champ Alba Berlin Bring The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Back Down To Earth 87 To 71 - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
After winning 13 of the last 16 games and letting the high expectations of winning expand greater than Pinocchios nose ever could with a lie, ALBA Berlin quickly brought The Deutsche Bank Skyliners back to reality with a commanding 87 to 71 victory. It was a game that ALBA Berlin controlled from the first minute and never let Frankfurt into the game and demonstrated that they are the favourite for the BBL title in 2009. 'We were clicking, ran our plays, and hit our shots. We wanted to protect our court. We put a lot of pressure on them and did not want to let them get in their comfort zone', warned American Immanuel McElroy (193-G-80, college: Cincinnati). The perplexed and resigned face of Murat Didin on the O2 Arena video cube, which reminded one of a sad cat not having recieved its evening milk spoke volumes about the fate of his club on this day. 'Congratulations to coach Luka Pavicevic , he deserved to win and really did a fine job. This was a bit of a job accident for us. When a team gives up 85-88 points, it is really difficult to win, even if you have a deep bench. Our poor defense really hurt us', explained Skyliner coach Murat Didin . ALBA Berlin continue to show that the transition from the Max Schmeling Arena to the O2 Arena has been as easy as when Jogi Low took over from Jurgen Klinsmann as the German National Soccer team skipper.

ALBA Berlin continue to stay unbeaten in the O2 arena. 'Our defense has always been strong in this arena. Each opponent that we have had has had problems. Frankfurt has a deep and good team and didnt always make life easy for us, but we played well', added ALBA Berlin manager Henning Harnisch. It was the first visit for Frankfurt in the new O2 arena, but not every player was in awe of the multi functional arena. 'This was not the best arena, that I have played in. I played in even better places in college. The atmosphere in the O2 arena was good, but I have seen a better atmosphere in Bamberg', said American Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi). The game also marked the return of Berlin fan favourite Julius Jenkins (187-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia Southern). 'I felt very good to come out on the court again and leave with a big win. I am not sure if my appearance effected the positive play of the team, but I felt I fitted in, and just did what I always did, taking my shots', commented American Julius Jenkins.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners wanted to step on the court and set the tone right away, but instead were met by a very unfriendly Berlin welcoming committee, who quickly exhibited that nobody is welcome on their court. 'We wanted to start well and dictate the game and show our presence inside', said Skyliner assistant coach Engin Gencoglu . However It wasnt Frankfurt that set the pace, but ALBA Berlin, who sped out to a 8-0 lead. Adam Chubb (207-F/C-81, college: Pennsylvania) scored with a running hook, followed by a difficult three pointer by Steffen Hamann (194-G-81) and a pick and pop jumper by ex NBA player Casey Jacobsen (198-G/F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Stanford). ALBA Berlin was playing with much concentration, while Frankfurt seemed a bit overwhelmed by the surroundings leading to two early turnovers. Frankfurt retaliated with a Greg Jenkins (206-F/C-82, college: Iona) hoop inside and a pretty one handed shot by American Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City). Gordon had some problems in the early going getting his rhythm, but would soon start to create havoc in the Berlin zone. Soon the first quarter was overshadowed by frequent foul calls and unsportsmanlike calls. Frankfurt was able to stay in the game with made foul shots. However the turning point of game came at 12-10 as ALBA Berlin climbed out on a 19-2 run to lead 31-12 after one quarter. 'That run really hurt us. When a team scores so many points in one quarter, it is really difficult to win. We tried coming back cutting the lead down to 14-12 points, but they kept bonus of first quarter and won', described Murat Didin .

The ALBA Berlin run was supported by hot shooting from Casey Jacobsen and the total domination by Serb Aleksandar Nadjfeji (203-F-76), who scored four times in the zone. The conjoined game and perfect comprehension of each others game of ex Cologne Players Aleksandar Nadjfeji and American Immanuel McElroy, can remind one of the combined play of ex Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan (199-F-63, college: N.Carolina) and Scottie Pippen (202-G/F-65, college: Cent.Arkansas) back in the 90s. Berlin has so many talented and strong players, but the signings of Mcelroy and Nadjfeji could easily be the two most important signings that Berlin have ever done, because they are winner personalities and top player characters that are seldom seen in professional Basketball. 'Nadjfeji is one of the best players in the league. He did his job on the pick and role getting easy baskets', expressed Derrick Allen. It was no surprise for anyone, that the remaining 30 minutes would require 180% from Frankfurt, because Frankfurt was having to work too hard for points. Frankfurt was shooting an abominable 22% from the field and an unacceptable 0% from three point land. Frankfurt was having massive problems getting shots, due to the potent Berlin defense. ALBA Berlin were shooting the O2 Arena lights out with 69% from the field and 57% from three point land. The rebounds were knotted at six a piece, but the seven turnovers by Frankfurt were uncalled for. ALBA Berlin was playing Frankfurts game plan outscoring the opponent 14-2 in the paint. 'The 8-0 run hurt us from the start as did our poor defense. They were very clever not letting us get momentum back', said German National player Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton).

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were looking for a turnaround after the very languid first quarter and started to slowly find their rhythm leading in the early quarter scoring 9-7, but the biggest problem for Frankfurt was not being able to limit the Berlin offense for a longer period of time. ALBA Berlin lost a little intensity, but was still strong enough to keep a huge lead over Frankfurt. ALBA Berlin was playing intelligent and show time Basketball at the same time. The fans were fed a highlight as 2004 Indiana Pacers draft pick Rashad Wright (189-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia) came in from the wing faked a pass to Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) and layed it in instead. Berlin led 38-17, but American Lorenzo Gordon finally put on his game face in the second quarter and quickly emerged into a human wrecking crew in the Berlin zone. It seemed like almost everything he touched, went in. The only thing missing from Lorenzo Gordons forehead were two horns, because he was playing like a hungry bull. 'Lorzeno Gordon had a good night. Our bigs couldnt stop him. One guy can always get hot, but that doesnt guarantee a win', warned 2008 BBL MVP Julius Jenkins.

But ALBA Berlin kept scoring. It didint matter, who it was, every guy contributed. Frankfurt couldnt cover the always dangerous shooting Ansu Sesay (206-C/F-76, college: Mississippi) or Aleksandar Nadjfeji, who was making life extremely tough for Murat Didin making the Frankfurt zone his exclusive feeding area for baskets. American Derrick Allen contributed with a tip in and spin move, but Berlin still led 52-31 at half time. Frankfurt continued to lead a strike in playing defense, as Berlin was getting too many easy baskets. 'We miss communicated too much on defense and just were not focused. They executed well on offense and knew where to make the open pass', added Derrick Allen. Frankfurts shooting was still in the cellar at 36% from the field and only 20% from three point land. ALBA Berlin was still shooting a staggering 67% from the field and 54% from three point land. Frankfurt was controlling the boards 16-10, but Berlin had more control with the ball turning it over only three times, while Frankfurt did nine times.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners rebounded a bit from the disastrous first half by jumping out on a 9-2 run to cut the Berlin lead to 54-40. Frankfurt was led by Lorenzo Gordon, who continued his scoring onslaught with three of the four Frankfurt buckets. On his last hoop, a mini hook shot, it looked so easy as if he could make it like that in his sleep. However it is never easy to stop a well tuned offensive machine like Berlin for many minutes. ALBA Berlin countered with a Adam Chubb hook shot and a Casey Jacobsen three pointer despite a Keith Simmons (196-G-85, college: Holy Cross) hand in his face. Berlin was up again by 19 points and Frankfurt had to start all over again with a new run, which naturally was costing energy. ALBA Berlin had a lot more options on offense in this phase and were scoring on a better rate than Frankfurt. Adam Chubb scored inside receiving a quick pass from Nadjfeji, who could easily be classified as one of the best forward passers in the BBL and Rashad Wright finished a fast break on a nice feed from Immanuel McElroy. ALBA Berlin kept the high lead 63-45 as Frankfurt simply only had one very very consistent scorer with Gordon, but no supporting cast.

Captain Pascal Roller (180-G-76) had been quiet on the scoring front and escaped the last second on the shot clock, by finishing a runner in the lane. The last score of the quarter, let out a big eruption in the O2 arena from the fans as they witnessed a Basketball delicacy that is seen on a regular basis on BBL Allstar Day. Step aside David Copperfield and David Blaine, as it was time for the Basketball wizards Julius Jenkins and Immanuel McElroy to hook up with a tasty alleyop. Mcelroy made a perfect pass to Jenkins for the hoop. Berlin led comfortably 67-49 after three quarters. Frankfurt was shooting better from the field at 44%, but sill lackluster from three point land with 13%. ALBA Berlin was shooting weaker from the field at 44%, but upped their consistency from three point land with 63%. Frankfurt kept the upper hand under the hoops with a rebounding edge of 23-15. Berlin had increased their turnovers to eight, while Frankfurt had 13 turnovers. 'We always controlled the game, despite letting up a bit in the third quarter, but we pushed until the end and kept making our shots', added Immanuel McElroy.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had few options if any besides Lorenzo Gordon, so why change a successful thing if it was working. Gordon continued to be an unstoppable monster in the zone making a hoop. But every comeback start by Frankfurt was halted by the Berlin offense. After a Julius Jenkins three pointer, ALBA Berlin found another attraction for the fans as Steffen Hamann gave Aleksandar Nadjfeji a spicy behind the back pass on a 2 and 1 fast break. Berlin led 72-51 and the only enemy besides the strong Berlin defense was the clock, which was winding down. Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.), who had been extremely quiet followed with a three pointer. A big luxury that coach Luka Pavicevic has, is not only a huge bench, but 12 guys, who always seem to perform. Steffen Hamann played only 16 minutes, but unwrapped everything from shooting outside, making a penetration hoop, making acrobatic passes and not letting Pascal Roller play his game. Hamann could easily pass a Harlem Globetroter test, because he kept unravelling mind boggling plays.

However his teammate Julius Jenkins also could apply for a Globetrotter job, because he can also make the flawless pass as he did on an alleyop pass to Hamann. Julius Jenkins has been primarly a scorer all his life and never averaged more than 3,0apg from college until last season, but this season he is leading the BBL in assists with 5,7apg. 'Well I think my secret to my increase in assists are our great post players. Nadjfeji gets me a lot of assists and my reading of the defenses has helped me pass better', commented Julius Jenkins.

Berlin still led 77-56 and Frankfurt continued to have no answer for the dangerous Berlin attack After another Jenkins three pointer, Pavicvic put in little used German National player Philip Zwiener (198-F-85, agency: Court Side), who responded with another three pointer. Berlin led 83-61 and at this point, the game was as good as decided with possible first Frankfurt thoughts coming as to how cold it might be in Moscow. Frankfurt closed out the game with a 10-4 run, but that was minor because those sort of runs should of come earlier and more frequently in the game for Frankfurt. Keith Simmons scored twice, Gordon once and Derrick Allen finished the game with a turn around jumper. 'Even though the score was clear cut, we had to work hard for every basket right until the end', said Henning Harnisch. 'We had no concentration today and way too many turnovers. It really hurt us that two of our most important players Pascal Roller and Titus Ivory couldnt play as well as usual. They are the leaders of the team', commented Murat Didin . Sometimes a loss can be better than a win, even if it is difficult to understand .'This was a wakeup call for us. We won many games at the end of 2008, but know where we stand now and need to work on many things', added Konrad Wysocki.

ALBA Berlin was led by Serb Aleksandar Nadjfeji with 17 points and three blocked shots. Casey Jacobsen added 14 points. American Adam Chubb chipped in with 12 points. Julius Jenkins scored 10 points. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were led by American Lorenzo Gordon with 30 points and eight rebounds. American Keith Simmons added 12 points. Derrick Allen chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners finished with 47% from the field and only 22% from three point land. ALBA Berlin had another outstanding shooting game averaging 61% from the field and 44% from three point land. Frankfurt dominated the rebounding fight 30-21, but had problems finding a healthy flow on offense getting too many turnovers. It seems like everybody talks about the powerful offense, but the Berlin defense oftens seems to go unnoticed, even though it is the second best behind Frankfurt. 'That is a big strength of our team. We didnt allow them to get too many easy baskets', stressed Julius Jenkins. 'Their defense was solid, but nothing special. The turnovers killed us and Jenkins and Wright were very quick getting steals', said Derrick Allen.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have a long and very important month ahead of them with five road games remaining. ALBA Berlin showed how powerful they are at the moment and Frankfurt need to forget this game as quickly as possible, but at the same time stay focused and not let a big loss like that affect them. 'In a way, this loss was important, because it was a wakeup call. After a long break, we need to be more focused and just be sharper. We will watch film in Moscow, look at our easy mistakes that we made and play better Basketball in Moscow and against The Artland Dragons', stressed Derrick Allen. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners go back to work in Eurochallenge play against Triumph Moscow on January 6th and return to BBL action on January 10th against The Artland Dragons.

Bundesliga Game Day 16: Weekend Results January 3rd and 4th! - by Michael Taylor

Bundesliga Game Day 16 tipped off the first basketball action in the New Year 2009 all over Germany and several classic Bundesliga matchups took place Saturday night. ALBA Berlin topped Deutsche Bank Skyliners while Telekom Baskets Bonn earned a solid win over brose Baskets Bamberg in entertaining games.

Saturday January 3rd
ALBA Berlin 87 Deutsche Bank Skyliners 71
Aleksandar Nadjfeji led 5 Berlin players in double figures with 17pt in ALBA's 87-71 victory Saturday night at O2 World in Berlin. Casey Jacobsen drilled 3 of 5 threes to finish with 14pt, Adam Chubb 12pt and Julius Jenkins chipped in 10pt in his return to the lineup. ALBA Berlin raced to a 31-12 lead after 1Q and maintained a 52-31 advantage at the half before cruising to the home win. In their excellent performance, ALBA hit 61% of their shots, made 11 of 25 threes (44%) and 14 of 29 FT (70%). Lorenzo Gordon led the Skyliners effort with a 30pt 8reb night. Keith Simmons added 12pt and Derrick Allen 10pt 6reb in the loss. Head Coach Luka Pavicevic and his ALBA Berlin team improved to 11-3 while Frankfurt fell to 10-5.

Telekom Baskets Bonn 81 brose Baskets Bamberg 76
Telekom Baskets Bonn earned their 12th win of the season with a hardfought 81-76 home win over brose Baskets Bamberg Saturday night at Telekom Dome in Bonn. Starting strong, Bonn built a 21-17 lead after 1Q before Bamberg battled back to take a 40-36 halftime lead. Bonn made a third quarter run retaking the lead 59-56 after three. In the 4th, this classic Bundesliga rivalry resulted in the hardfought home win for Bonn. Brandon Bowman topscored for Bonn with 21pt while PG EJ Rowland added 17pt and Winsome Frazier 14pt in the win. Veteran post man Eric Taylor enjoyed a big night for Bamberg totaling 27pt 15reb. Predrag Suput finished with 14pt 8reb, Jared Newson 12pt and Demond Greene 10 in the loss. Both teams shot well with Bonn hitting 49% from the floor and Bamberg at 50%. Bamberg outrebounded Bonn 38-26 in the game but suffered 14 turnovers to Bonn's 7. Head Coach Michael Koch and his Telekom Bonn team improved their record to a Bundesliga best 12-4 while Bamberg slipped to 8-7.

Dusseldorf Giants 88 Artland Dragons 77
Brendan Winters nailed 5 of 6 threes for a game best 22pt in leading Dusseldorf Giants to a terrific 88-77 road win over Artland Dragons Saturday afternoon at Artland Arena. Winters led 6 double digit Dusseldorf scorers as TJ Carter added 19pt 9reb, Brant Bailey 15pt, Matt Lottich 11pt 6ast, Logan Kosmalski 11pt 11reb and Pete Campbell 10pt in the win. Dusseldorf opened with a 22-18 lead after 1Q but the Giants broke the game open with a strong 2Q building a 44-31 halftime lead. Artland responded out of the lockerroom in an uptempo 3Q outscoring Dusseldorf 28-24, but the Giants maintained a 68-59 advantage heading into the 4th. Relying on clutch shots and an active 2-3 zone, Dussledorf maintained their lead throughout the 4th to earn the impressive road win. The excellent Dussledorf production resulted in 47% shooting, 11 of 26 threes (42%) and 25 of 30 FT (83%) while outrebounding Artland 39-32. Darren Fenn led the Dragons with a 21pt 10reb double double while Artland received 15pt apiece from Drew Neitzel and Adam Hess along with 14pt from Chad Prewitt. With the road win Head coach Achim Kuczmann and his team upped their record to 8-8 while Artland also evened at 8-8.

BG74 Gottingen 77 EnBW Ludwigsburg 68
Chalres Lee hit 4 of 5 threes for a game best 26pt leading BG74 Gottingen to an exciting 77-68 home win over EnBW Ludwigsburg Saturday night at Lokhalle in Gottingen. Ludwigsburg opened the game strong taking a 22-15 lead after 1Q and eventually holding a 39-34 lead at half. Gottingen trimmed the margin by two with a solid 3Q and Ludwigsburg's lead was 52-49 heading into the 4th. Gottingen's late game run helped them overtake their guests and earn the hardfought home win. Kyle Bailey added 14pt 6ast in the Violets win. For Ludwigsburg, Kelvin Gibbs posted 16pt, Domonic Jones 14pt, Brandon Woudstra 12pt and Christopher Schlatter 10pt in the loss. Gottingen shot 47% from the floor to Ludwigsburg's 44% and the Violets enjoyed a slight advantage from the foul line making 16 of 27 (57%) to 10 of 11 (90%). Ludwigsburg outrebounded Gottingen 36-31. Head Coach John Patrick and his Gottingen team improved to 11-3 while Ludwigsburg slipped to 8-7.

Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 82 Walter Tigers Tubingen 79
Jason Gardner led 5 players in double figures with 19pt as Ewe Baskets Oldenburg held off a strong Walter Tiger Tubingen comeback in Saturday nights 82-79 Thunderbird win at Ewe Arena in Oldenburg. The hosts took an early lead going up 26-16 advantage after 1Q and 45-32 lead at half. Tubingen bounced back in the third outscoring Oldenburg 23-15 setting the score at 60-55 before the final ten minutes. Oldenburg held off the Tiger comeback for the tight home win. Rickey Paulding finished with 13pt 6ast and Milan Milanovic also tallied 13pt for Oldenburg. Ruben Boumtje Boumtje and Je'kel Foster added 11pt apiece in the win. Tubingen was led by Michael Haynes and Richard Chaney who had 17pt each and Rasko Katic's 14pt 10reb double double in the loss. Oldenburg shot 51% from the floor and outrebounded Tubingen 32-29. The Thunderbirds also sank 23 of 34 FT (67%) to Tubingen's 7 of 12 (58%). Head Coach Predrag Krunic and his Oldenburg team upped their record to 11-4 while Tubingen dropped their 6th straight falling to 5-11.

Sunday January 4th

Nordlingen 87 Eisbaren Bremerhaven 78 OT

Osvaldo Jeanty drilled 8 of 10 threes to finish with a Bundesliga season-best total of 39 points in leading Nordlingen to an important 87-78 overtime road win over Eisbaren Bremerhaven Sunday afternoon at Stadthalle Bremerhaven. With recently promoted assistant Algirdas Milonas taking over the team coaching his first game since Dr Sarunas Sakalauskas re-signed earlier in the week and a revamped lineup, Bremerhaven was focused to snap their losing streak in the first game of the new year. Energy was on the Bremerhaven side early in the game as veteran shooter Zygimantas Jonusas hit two three pointers in the 1Q pushing the Eisbaren to a 23-12 lead. Nordlingen bounced back in the 2Q outscoring Bremerhaven 30-12 taking a 42-35 halftime advantage. Osvaldo Jeanty's 20 first half points sparked the turnaround. Bremerhaven responded in the 3rd regaining momentum behind Craig Callahan and Jared Reiner in the paint. Heading into the 4th, Nordlingen led 61-59. Both offenses struggled in the 4th with Nordlingen fighting for another road win as an 'aufsteiger' and Bremerhaven determined to earn the win. Nordlingen missed several free throws down the stretch and led by one when Callahan went to the line with 17sec to play shooting two. But Callahan made one of two and regulation ended even at 68. In the OT it was Osvaldo Jeanty's clutch 3pt shooting that broke the game open as he sank back to back three's before Derrick Lang banked one in to beat the shot clock buzzer and seal it. Along with Jeanty's 39pt, Nordlingen received 11pt 6reb from Brian Butch, 11pt from Danny Gibson and 10pt 7reb from Omari Westley in the win. Craig Callahan led Bremerhaven with 16t 8reb, Zygimantas Jonusas added 15pt on 5 of 9 threes and Jared Reiner posted 14pt 10reb. Both teams shot 39% from the floor and Nordlingen made 10 of 32 threes (31%) while Bremerhaven hit 7 of 21 (33%). Both teams shot 68% from the foul line but Nordlingen held an advantage making 31 of 45 FT (68%) to Bremerhaven's 13 of 19 (68%). Head Coach Andreas Wagner and his Nordlingen team upped their record to 7-9 while Bremerhaven fell to 1-15.


TBB Trier 77 Koln 99ers 73

Norman Richardson returned to Trier's lineup with an instant impact scoring a game-best 22pt 6reb leading TBB Trier to an exciting 77-73 road win over Koln 99ers Sunday evening at Rheinenergie Dome in Koln. Both teams featured new players as Koln unveiled recent signing Edin Bavcic and Trier was excited about the return of former PG and All Star MVP Brian Brown. Returning to play his former team Trier PG Derek Raivio (9pt 4ast) also made his first appearance as a guest in the Rheinenergie Dome. Trier edged ahead 23-21 after 1Q and built a 47-40 halftime lead. Koln stayed in striking distance through the 3rd and heading into the 4Q Trier's lead was 60-54. Trier's George Evans (15pt 4reb) was productive in the paint and Norman Richardson made several key baskets to help his team maintain their lead. Jamal Shuler's (10pt) FT iced the game and Julian Terrell's last second top of the key three was not enough as Trier took the 77-73 road win. In the win, Trier made 46% of their shots and 5 of 12 threes (41%) along with 24 for 31 (77%) from the foul line. Koln was led by Jeremy Hunt's 15pt while Edin Bavcic chipped in 14pt, Jamon Gordon 14pt 7ast and Julian Terrell 12pt. The 99ers shot 43% for the game, made 9 of 22 threes (40%) and 18 of 27 FT (67%) while outrebounding Trier 29-25 in the loss. Head Coach Yves Defraigne and his Trier team improved to 7-9 while Koln dropped to 4-12.



Wednesday January 7th
ratiopharm Ulm @ Paderborn Baskets 8pm tip

Thursday January 8th
NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig @ LTi Giessen 46ers 8:15pm tip BBL.TV



*****************************************************
  GREECE   


A1 Round: 12 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Kavala/P. - Panathinaikos 55-94
The reigning champion trashed Kavala on the road with plus 39. Olympiakos also celebrated in this round meaning that the Greens and the Reds remain on top of A1 with 11-1 record. Big guy Mike Batiste shined for PAO nailing 20 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic and Dusan Sakota netted 11 pts apiece. Will Daniels collected 16 points and 7 rebounds for the hosts. Kavala dropped on 4-8.

AEK - C.C. Marousi 75-84
Nice road win for Marousi, who jumped on 7-5 (fourth place, same as Panionios). Jarod Stevenson and Loukas Mavrokefalides scored 18 points each for the winners. Konstantinos Charalampidis had one point less. AEK got 15 points and 5 rebounds from Travon Bryant, falling on 5-7.

PAOK - VAP Kolossos 104-79
Important win for PAOK as both teams entered into this round with 5-6. Costas Vasiliadis came up with 20, while Damir Mulaomerovic and Kenny Gregory posted 16 points apiece. Steven Smith was the best in loss collecting 23 points and 8 rebounds.

Olimpia L. - AEL 1964 68-67
Olimpia grabbed tiny home win against AEL mostly owing to Michael King and Marios Batis, which combined 31 points. Actually, these two players were the only ones with double-digits in scoring for the hosts. Samuel Meija shined on the other side with 19 points and 5 rebounds. With this very important win Olimpia moved up on 4-8, while AEL has 2-10.

Aris - Panionios 71-59
Aris continues with great performances in A1. This time the players of Andrea Mazzon were better than Panionios On Telecoms improving on 10-2 (third place). Aris now has two wins more than third ranked Panellionios. Keydren Clark stepped up for the hosts with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Blagota Sekulic added 13 pts and 8 boards. Lonny Baxter was totally the best in defeat draining 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Panionios 7-5.

ESTIA Egaleo - Trikalla 78-71
Important win for the survival by the host squad. Donell Taylor scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for Egaleo, while Vassilis Soulis helped with 17 points and 5 rebs. The last ranked Trikalla got 21 points from Dimitris Bogdanos. Egaleo 3-9, Trikalla 1-11.

Olympiakos - Panellinios 92-77
Ex NBAer Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford), who drained 20 points for 26 minutes, paced his Olympiakos to home win against dangerous Panellinios. The Reds and PAO remain on top with 11-1. Giorgos Printezis followed Childress with 14 pts. The same number of points also scored Jurica Golemac as well as Manolis Papamakarios, but for the loosing side. Panellinios 8-4 (fourth place).

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  HOLLAND   


Eredivisie Round: 21 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Hanzev.Cpt - Eiff.Towers 90-79
Hanzevast Capitals grabbed important win against dangerous Eiffel Towers staying the second ranked team in the league with 13-6 record. Rogier Jansen and Will Whittington collected 26 points and 5 rebounds apiece for the hosts. Julian Khazzouh helped adding 13 points and 10 boards. Anthony Richardson led the scorers in Eiffel Towers with 20 pts. He also had 7 boards. The team from Den Bosch dropped on 11-7 (same as Rotterdam).

ZZ Leiden - West-Brabant 75-73
ZZ Leiden outsmarted West-Brabant Giants moving up from the bottom of Eredivisie, 5-12. David Chiotti and Bubba Walther combined 42 points for the winners. Chiotti also grabbed 9 rebounds finishing the game without any missed shot. Patrick Pope shined in defeat with 28 points. West-Brabant Giants now have 9-10.

M.Magix - Landstede 89-83
Gerrit Brigitha (204-F/C-82, college: Cent.Michigan) stepped up for Matrixx Magix delivering 31 points and grabbing 5 rebounds for 32 minutes. Eric Nelson also was on high level collecting 17 points and 10 boards for the winning squad. Landstede got the most from Robby Bostain, 21 pts, 4 rebs and 4 as. Matrixx Magix 12-7 (third place), Landstede 8-12.

Amsterdam - Upstairs Weert 104-81
Easy one for Amsterdam, who remains on top of Eredivisie with 14 wins in 16 appearances. Stefan Wessels top-scored for the hosts with 18 points. Peter Van Paassen and CC Harrison drained 17 points apiece. Nick Stapleton answered with 14 points in defeat. His Weert fell on 6-12.

*****************************************************
  HUNGARY   


Standings - A Division
A Division Standings
 1. Albacomp 8-2 
 2. Dombovar 8-3 
 3. Atomeromu 7-2 
 4. Falco 7-3 
 5. PVSK Panth. 7-4 
 6. Kormend 7-5 
 7. ZTE KK 6-4 
 8. Univer KSE 6-4 
 9. Soproni 6-5 
 10. Kaposvari 4-7 
 11. Szolnok 4-8 
 12. Marso-Vagep 3-7 
 13. Debreceni 1-9 
 14. EnterNet-NTE 0-10 


Market movements during the Christmas break - by Tamas Deri

The management of Pecs decided to break the contract of american guard Jermaine Spivey (189-G-72, college: New Orleans). The 36 years old, very well known guard played 9 games for the Panthers and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebonuds and 1.3 in 18.9 minutes per game.

Manix Auriantal (187-G-80, college: NYIT) will not be back to Kormend as the management of the team terminated his contract during the break. The canadian guard was on a tryout during the season 2007-08 in Kormend, but the team could not sign him because of the deadline of transfers. Auriantal came in August to our country and had some very great games during the pre-season. In two games of the Eurochallenge against dutch team Eiffel Towers he averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 29 minutes per game. He could not put up the same numbers during the regular season, he averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.9 minutes.

The team of Szolnok started the season as expected, they are with 4-8 on the 11th place. For this reason the management of the club worked very hard during the Christmas break to make the necessary movements to get the team into the playoffs, so they terminated the contract of Donald Wilson (193-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) and Jerome Coleman (185-G-81, agency: CAA Sports, college: Rutgers). Coleman, who played mainly as point guard, averaged 16.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He was the best scorer on the roster, but the coaching staff needs a player, who is more a playmaker. Wilson was out for a month because of one injury and played only 9 games: 12.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists in 31.6 minutes per game.

The new players on the roster are Ronnie Ross (187-G-79, college: Utah St.) and Ken Tutt (185-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: ORU). Ross is a 187 cm tall playmaker, and has already european experiences from Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia. Ken Tutt graduted on the Oral Roberts University in 2007 and had one excellent senior season: 16.2ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 41.2%, 3Pts: 38.7%, FT: 73.3% in 34 games. He signed his first professional contract with Nantes in Pro B and was the 4th best scorer of the league with 16.7 points per game. During the summer he signed with Macabbi Rishon in Israe's Premier League, where he played 8 games: 8.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game.

The management of NYKK broke the contract with american guard Andre Burton (195-G-83, agency: Court Side, college: Evansville) and signed Darko Vujacic (201-G-79). The 29 years old, 201 cm tall wingman from Montenegro played for Radnicki Novi Sad and averaged 10.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this season in Serbia.




First games of the New Year - by Tamas Deri
It was a sold out game in Dombovar between the first and second place teams. The guests could rule the game from the beginning, but the home team could always tie the game. In the last quarter they also came up from minus ten points, but in the last two minutes they made bad mistakes (missed shoots, turnovers), so they lost the first home game this season.
Anthony Dill had a double double with 23 points and 12 rebounds again, from the guests hungarian point guard Balazs Simon had one excellent game with 20 points.

PLANET LEASING DOMBOVAR KC - ALBACOMP 79-87
(24-26, 19-23, 17-20, 19-18)
Dombovar, Att.: 1500, Referees: Foldhazi, Kiraly, Torok
DOMBOVAR : LeGrange 15, McCullough 15/9, Ivory Clark (198-F-85, agency: Global Sports Plaza) 10, Bodi 11/3, Anthony Dill (200-F-81, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Texas St.-San Marcos) 23/9, Szoke 2, Deak 3/3, Balogh L., Vas, Coach: Balind Jozsef
ALBACOMP: Balazs Simon (188-G-80, agency: Court Side) 20/3, Adam Hanga (201-G-89, agency: FCM) 13/3, Velibor Radovic (202-F/G-72, agency: Beo Basket) 23/6, Bell 18/6, Morrison 13, Doyne, Gobi, Keller, Coach: Peresztegi Nagy Akos


The team of NYKK - with Roy Booker's amazing 42 points (8/13 3pointers, 5/8 2pointers, 8/10 free throws) - could beat the 'hungarian' team of Hegyvidek by 49 points.

MARSO-VAGEP NYIREGYHAZA KK - ENTERNET-NTE HEGYVIDEK 116-67
(21-15, 31-22, 32-17, 32-13)
Nyiregyhaza, Att.: 800, Referees: Cziffra, Pozsonyi, Balogh Gy.
NYKK: Branko Savic (181-G-79) 18/12, Roy Booker (191-G/F-84, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: SE Missouri St.) 42/24, Wehner 4, Erno Sitku (208-C-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 24/3, Z. Helbich 10, Lekli 5, Siska 3/3, Attila Farkas (209-F-87) 10, Nagy K., Makrai M., Mohacsi, Coach: Kmezic Zoran
HEGYVIDEK: Rujak 5/3, Beak 10, Hajmasy 5/3, Kovas R., Gabor Fulop (206-C-80, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 21, Krasznai 4, Nandor Simon (196-F-81) 12/3, Lazar, Will 10, Coach: Hartai Tamas

*****************************************************
  ITALY   


Cantu wins again on saturday night - by Gianni Pascucci
In the anticipated game of the Serie A Round 13, played yesterday night in Bologna, NGC Cantu continued the stunning run of the last weeks defeating home team GMAC Bologna 87-87. This is the fourth win in a row for Cantu, that becames now a legitimate Italy Cup Final Eight pretender. The guest team stayed ahead in the score almost all the game, and only a fourth quarter played with great intesity by GMAC at both ends of the court put the final result in jeopardy. But it was' t enough. With 22 points (8/10 from the field), 1 rebound, 2 steals and 1 assist, Barry Elder (193-G-82, college: Georgia Tech) was the game MVP, Sundiata Gaines (185-G-86, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Georgia) added 19 pts, 3 rebs and 3 assists. Bologna confirmed to be again on the stocks, suffered a poor defense in the first half and had the best players in Stefano Mancinelli (203-F-83, agency: Megasport) and Darryl Strawberry (196-G-85, college: Maryland), both at 17 points

SerieA Round: 13 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Montepaschi - La Fortezza 107-81
Romain Sato exploded with 37 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Montepascho to the 13th straight win in Seria A. Ksistof Lavrinovic added 20 points as Siena outscored La Fortezza at home court. Bologna answered with 23 points from Guilherme Giovannoni.

Air AV - Scavolini 82-78
Air Avellino held off Scavolini at home court to improve at 7-6 record. Marko Tusek nailed 21 points to lead the hosts. Chris Warren added 12 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Ramel Curry tallied 20 points, 6 boards and 5 assists for Scavolini. Michael Hicks had 17 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Premiata - Banca Tercas 73-75
Banca Tercas escaped from Montegranaro with a narrow win claiming the 8th success in the season. Brandon Brown provided 19 points, while Guiseppe Poeta was helpful with 18 in the win. Ricky Minard scored 18 points for the hosts but it was not enough in this one.

Fortitudo - NGC Cantu 87-88
Jamont Gordon missed a free throw in the closing minute of the game and NGC Canty escaped with a narrow victory over Fortitudo on the road. Barry Elder scored 22 points, while Sundiata Gaines added 19 for the winners as they improved at 7-6 record. Darryl Strawberry and Stefano Mancinelli had 17 points apiece for Fortitudo in defeat.

Benetton - Snaidero 88-70
Benetton stayed in the second position in the table edging Snaidero in Treviso. Gary Neal nailed 20 points for the winners. Bobby Dixon and Domen Lorbek contributed 15 points apiece for the hosts. Hector Romero secured 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Udine team. Joseph Forte had 15 points in the loss.

Angelico BI - Carife FE 98-93
Angelico Beilla scored the fifth win in the tournament as they knocked down Carife Ferrara. James Gist fired 23 points to lead Biella. Joe Smith contributed 19 points and 8 assists in the winning effort. Rick Apodaca answered with 19 points for Carife as they fell at 3-10 record.

Solsonica - Eldo Caserta 60-59
Jerry Green buried a late three-pointer to propel Solsonica Rieti past Eldo Caserta at home. Pervis Pasco and Folarin Campbell netted 13 points each to lead the winners. Ronald Slay chipped in 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Eldo Caserta as they suffered the 8th loss in the league.



Lega2 Round: 14 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Basket LI - Crabs RN 84-90
Rimini Crabs took care of Livorno away from home. German Scarone was impressive scoring 30 points for the winners. Phil Goss accounted for 17 points as Rimini Crabs improved at 6-8 record. Jermaine Boyette answered with 26 points and 7 boards for Livorno.

Aget IM - Trenkwalder 81-93
Trenkwalder fired down Aget Imola making it five wins for the visitors in the round. Alvin Young led all scorers with 29 points. Bryant Smith had 17 points as Reggio Emilia clinched a 9-5 record. Joseph Bunn replied with 25 points and 7 rebounds for Aget Imola in the loss.

Harem SC - Edimes PV 86-97
Edimes Pavia upset Harem Scafati on the road to post just the fifth win this season. Paul Marigney exploded with 30 points, 6 boards and 5 steals in the win. Thomas Mobley contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds for the visitors. Ronald Davis topscored with 21 points for Harem.

Fileni JE - Prima VE 65-73
Prima Veroli climbed at 8-6 record after they handled Fileni Jesi on the road. Afik Nassim was on fire hitting for 24 points in the win. Kyle Hines contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds for Veroli. Michael Cuffee provided 26 points and 12 boards for the home team.

Fastweb CM - Umana Reyer 84-76
Jamar Smith canned 21 points to lead Fastweb Casale past Umana Reyer. Donte Mathis and Zabian Dowdell had 14 points each for the winners. Kristaps Janicenoks answered with 19 points for Venezia.

Seven 2007 - Enel Brindisi 64-71
Enel Brindisi shot down Seven 2007 Roseto behind 20 points from Marcus Hattten. Roberto Feliciangeli delivered 14 points in the 5th win for Enel Brindisi. Danilo Pinnock had 16 points, 6 boards and 6 steals for Roseto in the losing effort.

Cimberio VA - Vanoli SO 65-49
The league leaders thrashed Vanoli Soresina for the tenth success in the league. Randolph Childress paced balanced offensive effort with 14 points and 6 steals. Simone Cotani and Lorenzo Gergati added 10 points apiece off the bench. Reyshawn Terry knocked down 25 points for Soresina in defeat.



Standings - SerieA
SerieA Standings
 1. Montepaschi 12-0 
 2. La Fortezza 8-4 
 3. Premiata 7-5 
 4. Banca Tercas 7-5 
 5. Lottomatica 7-5 
 6. Benetton 7-5 
 7. NGC Cantu 7-6 
 8. Armani MI 6-6 
 9. Scavolini 6-6 
 10. Air AV 6-6 
 11. Eldo Caserta 5-7 
 12. Fortitudo 5-8 
 13. Snaidero 4-8 
 14. Angelico BI 4-8 
 15. Solsonica 3-9 
 16. Carife FE 3-9 


*****************************************************
  JORDAN   


Orthodox signs Little - by Mohammed Malas
Orthodox club management decided to agree with the american center Theo Little (208-C-84, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Arkansas St.) to join the te basketball team for Premier League season 2008/2009 under the coacing of Muntaser Abu Al-Tayyeb .

Little was graduated from Arkansas St. University (US-NCAA) in 2007, He played in Germany, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

The last season's runner-ups are preparing very well for the new season, They'll have camp in Lebanon in the coming few days then they will be back to play in Jordan Cup which will start on the 13th of January.

Some local players had joined the team recently such as US-based Louay Obeidi (198-F/G-90) and Shadi Abu Sara (190-G/F-83).

*****************************************************
  MOROCCO   


News from Morocco D1 - by Nour Amri
ASS Sal - IRT Tangier : 89-76
Sale hosted last week the most waited game of this season. Defending champions players failed to shine and showed an unorganized offense and inconsistent defense, while ASS players were simply at their best, confirming their excellent state of preparation. The hosts had couple of players in a game mood, but the best one was Zouita, who nailed 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Beside this negative results, IRT stayed sole leader of this a first part of the league.

After his last defeat, IRTs head coach Bilal Fayed surprisingly resigned from his position. IRT management appointed Nizar Mesbahi as new head coach and agreed terms with Ait Ou Ali for a technical director position. Both coaches resigned from their national team coaching position.

Day 8 Results - by Nour Amri
The game of the week was in Rabat where unlucky FUS was about to create the surprise versus IRT. Coach Uariachis players managed to stop IRTs top players with a very strong, aggressive and smart defense. IRT did not know how to react in the last quarter to FUS nice run and jump defense, and thanks to a very polemical referee decision forced the extra time. FUS players lost then their motivation and tempo and experienced IRT players controlled better the game and end up winning the game by only one point (57-58).
The rest of the results saw ASS crushing ASE (64-61) and RCA edge past WAC (72-64). CMCs player showed better basketball but missed the victory versus unknown and unmotivated MAS (71-70).
Day 8 Results:
FUS-IRT : 57-58 / ASS-ASE : 74-61 / MAS-CMC : 71-70 / RCA-WAC : 72-64 / KAC-IRAN : Postponed

Day 9 Results - by Nour Amri
IRT Tangier - ASE Essaouira : 73-60
As it was expected, the reigning champion trashed ASE in Tangier finishing 2008 on top of D1 with perfect 8-0. Papis shined for the winners with 25 points and 9 rebounds.

IRAN Nador - FUS Rabat : 63-62
IRAN celebrated against FUS in very exciting game jumping on 5-9 record. This is the third close score loss for coach Uariachi who congratulated the opponent and complained about referees decisions and mistakes at the end of the game.

MAS Fes - RCA Casablanca : 85-72
MAS registered comfortable 13 points vs RCA confirming new coach Ouahidi's nice job with his players. International player Bassim Houari stepped up for MAS with 22 points and 13 boards.

ASS Sale - CMC Casablanca : 85-67
ASS outsmarted CMC on the road securing the second place in the league. Zouita drained 19 points, while Zakaria Mesbahi stepped up with 16 points and 6 rebounds. CMC players still did not find their rhythm this season becoming a serious candidate for the relegation.

WAC Casablanca - KAC Kenitra : 59-50
Extremely important home win for WAC who showed some sign of improvement in their team spirit. KAC finished this first part of D1 in 6th place while WAC is in the 9th trouble position.

*****************************************************
  NBA   


NBA Round: 66 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Rockets - Hawks 100-103
Atlanta Hawks grabbed this one thanks to Michael Bibby's 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining. Josh Smith was the leading scorer for the hosts with 29 points. Joe Johnson added 14 points and 14 assists, while Ronald Murray collected 17 points. Bibby had 10 pts before the game-winning triple. Von Wafer netted 17 points in loss. Ming Yao had 16 pts and 15 boards, while Luis Scola also registered double-double, 16 points and 11 rebounds. Hawks 22-11, Rockets 21-14.

Bucks - Bobcats 92-102
The Bobcats celebrated against the Bucks jumping on 12-22 record. On the other side, visitors fell on 16-19. Gerald Wallace shined for the hosts delivering 24 points. Boris Diaw had 3 points less, but including 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Richard Jefferson answered with 19 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Kings - Pacers 117-122
122 points by the Pacers were more than enough for the home victory on Saturday night. Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) was a key player for the winning squad collecting 35 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The Kings got fantastic 45 points and 6 assists from Kevin Martin, who came off the bench (36 minutes on the floor). Pacers 12-21, Kings 8-26.

Nets - Heat 96-101
Dwayne Wade stepped up for the Heat with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Takhouba Diawara also was on high level netting 19 pts and grabbing 5 boards. Keyon Dooling replied with 23 pts, 5 rebs and 7 as. Vince Carter added 20 pts, 9 rebs and 6 as. Heat 18-14, Nets 16-18.

Timberwolves - Bulls 102-92
Nice road win for the Timberwolves, which now have 8-25 score. Randy Foye netted 21 points, while Al Jefferson helped with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Kevin Love also delivered 18 points, but including 12 boards. Derrick Rose shined in loss with 22 pts and 5 as. Bulls 14-20.

76ers - Spurs 106-108
Tony Parker grabbed an offensive rebound with less than a second to go, turned and drained a 15-footer at the buzzer for the final 108-106 win. Parker finished the game with double-double, 15 points and 10 assists. Tim Duncan had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Manu Ginobili netted 21 points. Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala combined 53 points for the loosing side. Spurs 22-11, 13-20.

Hornets - Nuggets 100-105
Carmelo Anthony, who poured in 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, paced his Nuggets to home victory against the Hornets. On the other side, Chris Paul shined with double-double, 30 points and 11 assists (also 5 rebs). Nuggets 23-12, Hornets 20-10.

Interview with Mark Strom - by Bruno Baltazar

Mark Strom (6'4''-G-82, college: Apprentice) is a SG/G and just another example of what the market sometimes misses ,a good player without a team.The 26 years old has a great 3 pt shot,can score and play defense ,specially on the guy with the ball ,a aggressive player that was born to win. In the last 2 seasons you played in Mexico.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us more about your experience in Mexico and what you accomplished down there in those 2 years?
Mark Strom-The last 2 seasons in Mexico have been a great expierence for me because Mexico is one of the top Latin countries to play in.
Going thru my rookie season in San Luis helped me grow as a player which carried over to my second year. I feel that the LNBP league has a many great players and coaches, it is on the rise in the basketball world.

Eurobasket-Your mom is from Mexico City,besides you being american is it true you can play with the Mexico national team?
Mark Strom-Yes she was born in Mexico City and I have family that lives all over Mexico. I just received my Mexican citizenship and I will be eligable to play for the Mexico national team.

Eurobasket-What market you looking for right now and why?
Mark Strom-I do not have a preference on a country where I want to play right now, but I would like to play in a league where the competion is at a high level so that I can keep improving my game.

Eurobasket-What are your goals in the future?
Mark Strom-I plan on continuing to play at the professional level and make the most of every expierence that I am given. I would like to play in Spain someday because my grandfather is from there.

Eurobasket-Can you tell us a bit more about yourself as a player and as a person?

Mark Strom-As a player I am not concerned about how many points I score, I just want to win. I have always been a good scorer but I take the most pride in my defense. I am always looking for a challenge to shut some one down.
I am a people person, every team that I have played on I have built strong relationships that last a lifetime. In my spare time I value the time spent with friends and family.

Eurobasket-Why do you think a team should sign you and tell us how you play?
Mark Strom-I feel a team should sign me because I am a winner and I do whatever it takes to win. I also have a great attitude and plus I am a coachable player. I can score in many different ways and I am able to create open shots for my teammates. I take a lot of pride on the defense side of the ball, I was the best on the ball defender on the last 4 teams that I have played for. My natural position is a shooting guard but, I can also bring the ball up court and run the point position if necessary.


If anybody wants to know more about him check his website http://mstrom15.webs.com/ and contact him thru da_truth15@hotmail.com or thru cell phone number +1 541-331-6917.



*****************************************************
  NCAA1   


Eagles shock Tar Heels - by Kevin Cochran

Tyrese Rice (6'1''-G-87) and Boston College put an end to all that talk of whether No. 1 North Carolina could go unbeaten.

Rice scored 25 points in his second straight big game against the Tar Heels to help the Eagles stun North Carolina 85-78 on Sunday, likely ending its run atop the early season polls.

Rakim Sanders added 22 points for the Eagles (13-2, 1-0), who led by six points at halftime and pushed the lead to as many as 15 before holding off a frantic rally from the Tar Heels (13-1, 0-1) in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

'We had to have the discipline in order to execute what it is we needed to do,' Boston College coach Al Skinner said. 'There were going to be breakdowns and there were, but guys were able to refocus and not compound those mistakes.'

Tyler Hansbrough scored 21 points to lead North Carolina, which shot 29 percent from the field in the second half and was just 15-for-27 at the foul line for the game.

North Carolina had won its first 13 games by an average of 26 points, with the closest margin being 15 points. But on this day, the Tar Heels looked out of sync against the Eagles' physical defense and had no answers for Rice, who burned them for 46 points last season.

In that game, North Carolina rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit for a 90-80 victory as Rice was the only BC player to reach double figures.

Rice again caused North Carolina plenty of trouble, though this time he had early help from Sanders along with a key contribution from Reggie Jackson (17 points) in the decisive run. There would be no blown lead this time, just the sight of the BC bench spilling onto the court in celebration as the horn sounded.

'Needless to say, it hurts,' North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. 'We just never could get over the hump, didn't get them to turn it over very much. Then we had some guys - including myself - who didn't have as good of a day that we hoped we'd have.'

Sanders scored 18 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer right in front of the North Carolina bench just before the horn that gave the Eagles a 46-40 lead. Then, after North Carolina closed the gap to two points four times, they answered with a spurt that had the Tar Heels chasing them the rest of the game.

First came a 3 from Joe Trapani. Then Jackson had a spinning score followed by a 3 of his own before capping a 12-2 run with a layup past Ellington that made it 70-58 with 10:09 to play.

Two possessions later, Trapani made an uncontested layup after a turnover by Will Graves that made it 74-60 with 9:22 left - capping a run of five straight scoring possessions.

The Tar Heels, meanwhile, just looked lost. Hansbrough struggled to consistently find space against Josh Southern and frequent double-teams. Frontcourtmate Deon Thompson, who came in averaging 14 points per game, was a no-show and sat on the bench while Graves earned his minutes late. And no one seemed able to make a big shot when the Tar Heels desperately needed one, most notably when they missed three open 3s on one possession in the final 3 minutes.

North Carolina hung in the game with a frantic defensive effort in the final minutes and whittled the lead to 82-78 on a free throw from Hansbrough with 46.2 seconds left, but got no closer. Rice went 3-for-4 at the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

Rice finished 7-for-13 from the field and had eight assists with five rebounds to outperform counterpart Ty Lawson, who had 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting.

Ellington had 16 points, while Thompson had five points on 2-for-6 shooting for the Tar Heels.

Courtesy: Tarheelblue.cstv.com



*****************************************************
  PBL   


Other weekend results - by Gianni Pascucci
In the PBL opening night on Friday 2, the Quebec city Kebs lost 108-110 their regular season home opener at the Pavillon de la Jeuneusse by the score of 108-110 to the the Halifax Rainmen. Charles Fortier (6'4''-G-79) inspired the Kebs for a nice comeback in the second half, but could not stop the Rainmen rush. Brian Silverhorn (6'6''-G-84, college: Georgetown, KY) paced Halifax withh 25 points, Glen Dandridge (6'6''-F, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Lambuth) had 17 and Kevin Hammack (6'1''-G-84, agency: Promotex, college: Citadel) 15 at the winning side. The Augusta Groove made a winning debut yesterday by defeating the Premier Basketball League reigning Champions, Rochester RazorSharks, 127-116 at Richmond Academy in Augusta, Georgia. The RazorSharks leading scorer was James Reaves (6'8''-F-82, college: Niagara) with 32 points and 6 rebounds, Sammy Monroe (6'6''-F-85, college: Newberry) added 22 pts and 3 rebs. The Groove's leading scorer was Miguel 'AJ' Millien (6'7''-F-83, college: Idaho St.)< (6'7''-F-83, college: Idaho St.) with 33 points and 7 rebounds; behind him was Demetrius Howard (6'5''-G-85, college: Augusta St.) with 21 ps. The RazorSharks ended the first half ahead 58-54, but the Groove went up with 1 minute left in the 3rd quarter, 85-82 and both teams battled well into the 4th quarter. The Groove pulled away, 100 - 90 with 7:16 left in the 4th quarter and led the rest of the game. The other PBL opening weekend game results were: Montreal Sasquatch - Manchester Millrats 100-97 (Daryl Rufus (6'10''-C-82, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Fayetteville St.) 24), Detroit Panthers - Mid Michigan Destroyers 114-111 (Brian Woodland (6'0''-G-75, college: Henderson St.) 27, Ogdra Bobo (6'6''-F, college: Oakland CC) 29) and Buffalo Stampede - Wilmington Sea Dawgs 98-95 (Lamar Castile (6'2''-G-82, college: Beaver County CC) 19)

Standings
PBL Standings
Atlantic Division
 1. Halifax R. 1-0 
 2. Montreal S. 1-0 
 3. Vermont FH 0-0 
 4. Quebec Kebs 0-1 
 5. Manchester 0-1 
Central Division
 1. Detroit P. 1-0 
 2. Battle Creek K. 1-0 
 3. M. Michigan 0-1 
 4. Chicago T. 0-1 
Eastern Division
 1. Augusta G. 1-0 
 2. Buffalo S. 1-0 
 3. Wilmington SD 0-1 
 4. Rochester R. 0-1 
Exhibition-Touring
 1. Maryland N. 0-0 


*****************************************************
  POLAND   


1Liga Round: 17 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
AZS AWF K-ce - Big Star 64-85
Big Star remained in the second spot after they eased past Katowice on the road. Lukasz Pacocha tallied 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for Big Star. Damian Kulig added 16 points for the winners. Gregorz Szybowicz answered with 18 points for Katowice in the loss.

Prokom II - Znicz Basket 76-62
Prokom II celebrated the sixth win as they rallied past Znicz Basket. Przemyslaw Zamojski led all scorers with 29 points. Hrycaniuk added 18 points and 12 boards in the win. Grzegorz Malewski and Tomasz Briegmann had 16 points apiece in the losing effort.

MOSiR Kr. - Zastal ZG 66-71
Lukasz Wisniewski secured 17 points and Zastal held off MOSiR Krosno on the road. Pawl Wiekiera added 13 points and 7 rebounds to lead the visitors to the most surprising result of the round. Marcin Salamonik answered with 15 points for MOSiR as they stayed on top of the ladder despite the upset.

Resovia - AZS Kalisz 54-69
Kalisz bettered Resovia to post the 7th win. Przemyslaw Pozniak and Slawomir Buczyniak knocked down 16 points apiece for the winners. Lukasz Olejnik had 13 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Sebastian Balcerzak netted 20 points for Resovia in the loss.

Polonia 2011 - LKS Lodz 81-80
Polonia denied a 17-point halftime deficit to force overtime and later celebrated a tough win against Lodz at home court. Dardan Nerisha scored 22 points to lead Polonia. Leszek Karwowski had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Jakub Dluski notched 14 points and 12 boards for Lodz in defeat.

Stal SW - Zubry 69-68
Stal almost wasted a 7-point lead at the interval before pulling away with a narrow win against Zubry at home. Tomasz Andrzejewski knocked down 19 points to lead Stal. Marek Piechowicz added 16 points and 9 boards for the winners. Andrzej Misiewicz had 26 points and 12 boards for Zubry as they suffered the 7th defeat in the season.

Sudety JG - Sokol L. 62-64
Sokol snatched a last-ditch effort victory over Sudety on the road. Bartosz Dubiel provided 18 points for the winning team. Michal Kulyk contributed 13 points in the victory. Sudety replied with 16 points from Rafal Niesobski.



DBE Round: 19 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Atlas Stal - Bank BPS 67-75
Bank BPS got 24 points from Tony Weeden and shot down Atlas Stal. Chris Garner added 14 points to lift BPS Basket to the 6th victory. Alan Daniels nailed 14 points and collected 7 rebounds for Atlas Stal.

Polpharma - PBG Basket 79-74
Polpharma gained the 12th win and remained on top of the standings. They defeated PBG Basket at home court. Erick Barkley notched 20 points for Polpharma. Michael Hicks contributed 16 points for the winning team. Adam Wojcik netted 18 points for PBG Baskets in the loss.

Znicz J. - AZS Koszalin 94-87
Znicz Jaroslaw used 22 points and 6 assists from Quinton Day to rally past Koszalin. Chad Timberlake produced 17 points and 5 steals in the winning effort. George Reese tallied 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals for Koszalin.

Anwil - Polonia 83-69
Anwil outgunned Polonia at home court and cleared off from their today's opponents in the ladder. Paul Miller led balanced offense with 22 points and 10 boards. Stipe Modric added 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. The visitors responded with 21 points from Greg Harrington.

Gornik W. - Sportino I. 54-65
Sportino clinched a tough win over Gornik in a low-scoring battle in Walbrzych. Eddie Miller scored 21 points to lead the charge. Ivars Timermanis and Kyle Landry scored 9 points each in the win. Kamil Chanas had 12 points for Gornik.



*****************************************************
  PORTUGAL   


Fechas new player in Barcelos - by Luis Rocha
After a very good season in Vitoria, Carlos Fechas (180-G-81) find some difficulties to perform at the same level on the same team, and after some 'talks' with his employers went out. Barcelos (Proliga) will be his new home. It seems a good change for player and teams, Fechas can now step up and improve his performances,helping Barcelos to stay in Proliga and avoida relegation. Vitoria saw a player that wasnt completely happy in the roster go away, and that can certainly benefit the atmosphere inside the locker room.

*****************************************************
  ROMANIA   


Shock in Medias: four players and the coach were fired - by Vasile Racovitan
Gaz Metan Medias decided to make serious changes in their team in this winter break. No less than five players and the head coach were fired.
Following an analysis of the team's progress in the first part of the regular season, the management decided to part ways with four of the foreign players. Ognjen Samardzija (192-G-86), Marko Dimitrijevic (190-G-78), Nikola Glisovic (209-C-73) and Zeljko Bubanja (210-C-73) are no longer part of the setup.
Also, Gaz Metan Medias parted ways with head coach Mladan Jojic .
'We had a meeting and decided to take these measures, because the results were not as expected', managing director Corin Ciondrea said.

Steve Rich leaves Cluj - by Vasile Racovitan
Steve Rich (208-C-72, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Miami, FL) is no longer part of the Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca setup. The management decided to part ways with the player, who sustained an injury in December.
Rich joined Cluj in November and only spent one month with the reigning vice-champions.
'We are sorry that he got injured exactly when he had to show us what he can do for the team. We cannot afford to wait for his recovery, considering that we have a lot of medical problems in the team. On the other hand, we must admit that we need a more energic and powerful player', executive president Mircea Cristescu said for the team's official website.

*****************************************************
  SLOVENIA   


Rudar replaces coach, Glavas leaves Polpharma - by Zeljko Zule

Rudar (B-1) have parted ways with coach Marjan Knaus and immediately replaced him by Igor Pucko ex Celjski KK (D2).

Mitja Nerat was announced as the new coach of Celjski KK (D-2).
Polpharma Starogard released Nejc Glavas (192-G-86). He averaged 12,5 minutes, 3,5 points (2P 10-20, 3P 3-20, FT 13-17), 0,9 rebounds, 2,2 assists, 1,2 steals and 0,1 blocks in 12 games of Polish League.

.



*****************************************************
  SOUTH KOREA   


KBL Round: 20 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
KT&G Kites - Orions 100-87
KT&G Kites improved to 15-12 after the win over Orions 100:87. Hwang Jin-Won paced the winners with 23 points and Chandler Marquin netted 21. Joiner Michael finished the night with 24 points for the guests.

SK Knights - KCC Egis 82-90
SK Knights was beaten by KCC Egis 82:90 as Brand Micah top-scored for the winners with 32 points and 13 boards. Collins DeAngelo collected 19 points and 18 caroms in the losing effort.

KTF M.Wings - ET Land B.Sl. 89-93
ET Land tied their record at 14-14 after 93:89 over KTF M.Wings. Powell Carlos led the winners with 28 points and Seo Jang-Hoon posted 23. Song Young-Jin and Yang Hee-Seung netted 18 points each in defeat.

Samsung Th. - LG Sakers 73-76
Samsung lost to LG Sakers 73:76 and fell at 15-12. Ki Seung-Ho paced the winners with 23 points, while Johnson Ivan added 14. Leather Terrence shined with 32 points and 12 boards for the hosts.

ET Land B.Sl. - SK Knights 91-87
Powell Carlos led ET Land over SK Knights in a 91:87 win with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Bang Sung-Yun posted 24 in defeat and Shannon Terrence scored 22.

Mobis Phoebus - Dongbu Promy 70-72
The thriller between Mobis Phoebus and Dongbu Promy was the key one in Regular Season Round 20. Dongbu Promy became the only leader on top with 70:72 road win. Pyo Myung and White Wendell led the winners with 19 points apiece. Dunston Bryant collected 20 points and 21 boards in defeat.

LG Sakers - Mobis Phoebus 82-88
LG Sakers lost to Mobis Phoebus 82:88 in sent them to 17-10 on the second place in Regular Season Round 20. Dunston Bryant led the winners with 27 points and Kim Hyo-Bum scored 20. Cho Sang-Hyun nailed 25 points in defeat.



*****************************************************
  SPAIN   


ACB Round: 16 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Kalise G.C. - CB Murcia 87-64
Carl English drained 30 points for Granca pacing it to nice home win against CB Murcia. James Augustine and Melvin Sanders helped the hosts delivering 11 points apiece. Pedro Robles scored 18 points for the loosing squad. Granca currently share the fifth place with Real Madrid (10-5). On the other side, Murcia fell on 4-11 (same as Estu and Zaragoza).

CAI Zaragoza - DKV Joven. 84-87
DKV Joventut grabbed 3-point road win against CAI Zaragoza jumping on 11-4 record. Except of Joventut, Barca and Unicaja also have the same numbers. Demond Mallet and Eduardo Hernandez-Sonseca nailed 25 points each for the winners. Sonseca also had 7 more rebounds. Jan-Hendrick Jagla netted 14 pts. Paolo Quinterso was totally the best in defeat with 31 pts. CAI Zaragoza 4-11.

A.G. Fuenla - Iurbentia B. 88-86
Brad Oleson once again was a key player for his Fuenla draining 25 points (4/9 from behind the arc). Javier Salgado answered with 18 pts on the other side. Fuenla 7-8, Bilbao 6-9.

Regal Barca - Tau 70-74
In derby game of Round 16 Tau celebrated against Regal Barca at the Palau Blaugrana remaining on top of ACB with 14 wins and just 1 defeat. Sergi Vidal (198-F/G-81) shined for Tau netting 18 points and grabbing 4 rebounds for 25 minutes (4 of 5 for 3-pts). Fernando San Emeterio scored 10 pts. JC Navarro came up with 19 points for Barca (11-4).

MMT Estudia. - Cajasol 96-74
Estu drained 96 points against the last ranked Cajasol Sevilla improving on 4-11 score. Pancho Jasen and Iker Iturbe poured in 15 pts each for Estu, while Petar Popovic helped them with one point less. Tyrone Ellis top-scored in defeat with 17 pts. Sevilla 2-13.

ViveMenorca - Real Madrid 65-80
Real Madrid cruised past ViveMenorca on the road registering the 11th win in 15 appearances. Big guy Felipe Reyes stepped up for Real with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jeter Pooh scored 15 for the hosts (5-10).

Ricoh Man. - Bruesa 80-62
8-8 for Manresa and 6-9 for Bruesa after this round. Josh Asselin once again stepped up for Manresa nailing 28 points and grabbing 7 rebounds for 29 minutes. Lou Roe and Ricardo Uriz posted 12 pts each for Bruesa.

Unicaja - Granada 90-66
Unicaja demonstrated excellent performance against Granada becoming the third team in ACB with 11-4. Boniface Ndong, who came off the bench, led the scorers in this game with 19 points. Marcus Haislip added 17 pts and 10 boards. Granada got 15 pts from Filip Videnov falling on 7-8.

LEB Gold Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Vic - Los Barrios 75-74
CB Vic escaped with a tiny home victory against Los Barrios, thus both teams are on the same record now, 7-8. Mattew Kiefer stepped up for the hosts with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Albert Sabat also shined with 16 pts, including 6 rebs. Levi Rost nailed 18 points for the loosing side.

La Palma - Mallorca 85-69
La Palma grabbed this one thanks to Thomas Terrell and Ignacio Yanez. Terrell nailed 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Yanez helped the hosts with 21 pts and 6 boards. Juan Riera answered netting 22 pts for Mallorca. Both teams now have 6-9.

Rosalia - Cl.Rincon 61-100
Clinicas Rincon gave a real basketball lesson to last ranked Rosalia. Vitor Faverani was the best for the winners with 18 points and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor. Rosalia got 14 pts from Kammron Taylor.

Alicante - Illescas 90-60
Jorge Garcia scored 20, while Taylor Coppenrath and Jose Urtasun delivered 15 points each for Alicante. Jose Alonso contributed with 21 pts in loss.

Melilla - Gandia Basq. 72-56
Cuthbert Victor (196-G-83, college: Murray St.) led his Melilla to 12th victory of the season pouring in 24 points. Melilla remains on top of LEB Gold, together with Alicante (12-3). Jason Robinson netted 13 pts for Gandia.

Tenerife - Burgos 97-75
Tenerife was too strong for Burgos mostly owing to Patrick Carrol, who delivered 25 points (7 of 8 from behind the arc). Visitors got 18 points fro Diego Garcia. Tenerife 10-5, Burgos 8-7.

Valladolid - Leon 79-69
Valladolid hade couple of players in a game mood against Leon, but the best one was Victor Baldo, who scored 14 pts for 22 minutes. Clarence Gilbert netted 20 for the visitors.

Caceres - Plus Pujol 67-76
Plus Pujol outplayed Caceres on the road jumping on 9-6 record in LEB Gold (sixth place). Jose Arco was a key player for the winners with 22 points. Wayne Simien also netted 22, but for Caceres.

Leche Rio - La Laguna 86-77
Alberto Corbacho came up with 19, while Brian Cusworth and Spencer Gloger netted 17 points each for the winners. Cusworth had 9 more rebounds. La Laguna got double-double from Jakim Donaldson, 25 points and 10 boards.

*****************************************************
  SYRIA   


Coaching changes in the clubs - by Mohammed Malas
- Al Ittihad Aleppo club decided to change the Nigirian coach Fredrick Oniga with the american one Laurian Watkins ...

Watkins had a previous experience in the region with Al Nahda Club in Saudi Arabia for 2 seasons adding to his career in China, Guatimala, Costa Rica and the american high school.

- The lebanese head coach Marwan Khalil will take over Al Yarmouk Club for the reminder of the season...

Khalil was the coach of Blue Stars of Lebanon last season, His head coaching career in Lebanon was also with Sporting Feytroun (Season 2004-2005) and Tadamon Zouk (Season 2000-2001).

Standings - D1
D1 Standings
1. Jalaa 8-0
2. Jeish 8-0
3. Wehda 8-1
4. Yarmouk 6-4
5. Ittihad 5-4
6. Talee'a 5-5
7. Hurriya 4-5
8. Wathba 4-5
9. Kasyoun 3-7
10. Nawayeer 3-7
11. Karameh 2-8
12. Hutteen 0-10


*****************************************************
  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   


Standings - Men
Super Ten Standings
 1. Shaq Attack 4-0 
 2. Jazz 4-0 
 3. UTT 4-2 
 4. Defence Force 3-2 
 5. Raptors 3-3 
 6. NFM 2-2 
 7. All-Stars 2-2 
 8. Lions 2-5 
 9. Heat 1-4 
 10. Mirak Stars 1-5 
 11. Pacers 0-0 
 12. Clippers 0-7 


Shak Attack ,Jazz keep on rolling in super 10 - by Don Farrell
Detour Shak Attack and Petrotrin Jazz extended their unbeaten records to 5-0 when they registered comfortable victories against Marabella Raptors and Valencia Heat respectively when competition in the Stag Super 10 Basketball League continued on Saturday night at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex.



Jazz took care of business first when they whipped the 2008 East Zone champion Team Valencia Heat 121-76, the biggest margin of victory so far registered in the 2008-09 season.



Jazz, the 2008 South losing finalist, took command of the contest from the jump-ball, but their lead was just 22-2 1 when the first quarter ended. However, by half-time it was swelled to ten points 50-40.



Jazz yet to qualify for a SBL Big-Four finals for more than a decade gave themselves a 20-point cushion at the end of the Third quarter 75-56 and the contest was over as five players reached double digits for the second match for the team.



Forwards Curland Dottin led the assault with 25 points, a league best, Michael Dottin had 19, Louie Davis and guard Edison Chance had 18 each and centre Miguel Williams finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.



For Heat who falls to 1-5, the hard working forward Wayne Richards helped himself to 19 points, David Langton scored 15 and Fabrice Fisher 14.



In the featured match Shak Attack stopped Raptors 99-85.



Shak Attack the 2008 North Zone champion Team was led to victory by guard-forward Kurt Koto Christian, who converted 24 points, forward Ancil Olliverrie, who connected for 23 points and six rebounds and Terrence Mayers, who converted three of four three to finish with 12 points, was playing for the first time in over five months.



For Raptors, the reigning South Zone champions, who trailed 55-41 at half-time after the first quarter ended with the honours even at 28-all, forward Ako Pascall top-scored with 22 points despite receiving a cut under his left eye. He also seven turnovers, centre Damian Caton maintained his consistency with 21 points. He was perfect from the free-throw line with seven consecutive shots and he also pulled down four rebounds, Kendell Britto had 12 points and Derrick Hands Lewis scored ten as they tasted their first loss in four matches.

*****************************************************
  TURKEY   


Standings - TBL
TBL Standings
 1. Efes Pilsen 12-1 
 2. Galatasaray 11-2 
 3. Fener.Ulker 9-4 
 4. T.Telekom 8-5 
 5. Antalya 8-5 
 6. Banvit 8-5 
 7. Mersin 7-6 
 8. Aliaga 7-6 
 9. Karsiyaka 7-6 
 10. Besiktas 6-7 
 11. Oyak Renault 5-8 
 12. Darussafaka 5-8 
 13. Selcuk Uni. 5-8 
 14. Erdemir 3-10 
 15. Kepez Bld 2-11 
 16. TED Koleji 1-12 


*****************************************************
  VENEZUELA   


Venezuelans Abroad - Update - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuelans playing in foreign countries continued to have starring roles in their respective teams and saw some action in the last week around the world. Here's a short summary of their performances:

MEXICO (LNBP)
-Keving Palacios (203-F/C-84) played in two straight defeats of his team, Barreteros de Zacatecas, against Panteras de Aguascalientes, the first one 98-95 and the second one, 91-66. In the first game, he played 26 minutes and ended up with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, a block and 3 fouls. In the second match, he played 20 minutes and led his team with 14 points, 8 rebounds, an assist, a turnover and 2 fouls.The games correspond to Matchdays 39 and 40.

-Amber Marin (208-C-81) came off the bench for Bucaneros de Campeche in a defeat against Estrellas Indebasket, 97-90, as part of Matchday 39. Marin played 18 minutes and scored 13 points with 7 rebounds, a steal, 3 blocks and 5 fouls.

-Juan Herrera (197-F-81) was a started for Santos Reales de San Luis in a victory over Pioneros de Quintana Roo, 111-93, in Matchday 39. He played 32 minutes and finished up with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, a block and 2 fouls

-Hernan Salcedo (198-F-80) was a starter in Matchday 39 for Angeles de Puebla, as they lost against Halcones de Cordoba, 95-82. He played 35 minutes and scored 22 points with 12 rebounds in a defeat of Angeles de Puebla against Dorados de Chihuahua, 73-64.

-Gregory Vargas (182-G-86) was a starter in Matchday 39 for Angeles de Puebla, as they lost against Halcones de Cordoba, 95-82. He played 33 minutes and finished up with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, 3 turnovers, a block and 3 fouls

-Pedro Brito (202-F/C-82) played in two consecutive victories of his Panteras de Aguascalientes over Barreteros de Zacatecas, 98-95 and 91-66. In the first game, he played 18 minutes and chipped in 4 points, a rebound and 3 fouls. In the second match, he added 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls.


ARGENTINA (TNA)

-Axiers Sucre (198-F-78) last played on December 22nd, during the last Matchday of TNA's first round, in which his team, Union Sunchales, finished up at first place and did so with a triumph against Asociacion Italiana de Charata, 80-58. He was a starter and supported his team with 16 points and 9 rebounds.


SPAIN (LEB Gold - EBA A - U20)
-Javier Roman (207-F/C-80) was a starter for Leche Rio Breogan Lugo as they won against Ciudad La Laguna, 86-77, in Matchday 15. He played 24 minutes and had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, a turnover and 4 fouls.

-Jhornan Zamora (194-F-89) last played on December 14th and was a starter for Zarzuela Maristas Boecillo in EBA A, as his team lost against Estudiantes de Lugo, 87-81. He played 31 minutes and had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, a block and 4 fouls.

-Javinger Vargas (206-C-90) came off the bench for Beirasar Rosalia in the U20 tournament, during a victory, 71-62, over Caja Canarias Ciudad de Telde. Vargas played 13 minutes and finished up with 4 points, 6 rebounds, a steal, 2 turnovers, a block and 3 fouls


ITALY (LEGA A)

-Hector Romero (202-F-80) came off the bench in Matchday 13 of the 2008-2009 season for Snaidero Udine, as his team lost against Benetton Treviso, 88-70. He played 32 minutes and finished up with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, 3 fouls and a block.

-Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76) was a starter in Matchday 13 of the 2008-2009 season for Snaidero Udine, as his team lost against Benetton Treviso, 88-70. Torres played 29 minutes, and ended up with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 turnovers and a foul.


FRANCE (PRO A)

-John Cox (195-G-81) and his team, Sluc Nancy Basket, were defeated by Vichy, 82-79, in Matchday 12 of the 2008-2009 season. Cox played 21 minutes and supported his team with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a turnover, and 2 fouls



Venezuelans in USA Leagues - Update - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- The following notes are an update on the status of Venezuelan players currently seeing action in the United States college, junior college, prep school and high school leagues.

NCAA I
-Greivis Vasquez (198-G-87), guard of the Maryland Terrapins was a starter in a victory over Charlotte 49ers, 85-75. He played 34 minutes and finished up with 27 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a turnover and a foul
-David Cubillan (183-G-87), shooting guard of the Marquette Golden Eagles, came off the bench to play 9 minutes with no points and a rebounds, while his team topped Cincinnati, 84-50.
-Gregory Echenique (206-F-90), power forward and center of Rutgers Scarlet Knights, had a great game though his team lost against Connecticut Huskies, 80-49. He played 26 minutes and was impressive with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, a steal and 4 fouls as a starter.
-Robert Palacios (185-G), guard of the Northern Colorado Bears, came off the bench in an overtime defeat against Weber State, 88-84, as visitors. He played 15 minutes and scored 2 points with a rebound, a steal and a turnover.
-Luis Valera (201-F-90) forward of the Texas Pan-American Broncs, was a starter in a defeat of his team against the UTEP Miners, 60-42. He played 15 minutes and ended up with 3 points, 3 rebounds, a turnover and 5 fouls.

NAIA
-Rene Farias (188-G-86), of the Wayland Baptist Pioneers, came off the bench to play 29 minutes with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls, in a triumph over Oklahoma City, 74-71.





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Women News

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  BELGIUM - Women  


Croatia get closer to EuroBasket - by Eurobasket News
Croatia - Belgium 103:81

Ana Lelas (183-G/F-83) knocked down 23 points and Croatia thumped Belgium in the Additional Qualifying Round to EuroBasket opener in Group B. Only the winner of the group will make it to the Final Round. The first step was made by Croatia today in Sibenik. Anda Jelavic (175-G-80) stepped up with 19 points and 8 assists for the hosts. Marija Vrsaljko (195-C-89) contributed 16 points as the hosts improved at 1-0 record. Belgium were not rescued by game-high 29 points from Sara Leemans (178-G/F-88). Laurence Van Malderen (193-C-81, agency: LBM Management) had 17 points and 9 boards in defeat.
Croatia got to an aggressive start as three-pointers from Jurcevic and Ivankovic set the hosts in front. Back-to-back trebles from Ana Lelas and Jurcevic gave Croatia a 25:12 lead with just over 3 minutes left in the starting stanza. The hosts looked solid and piled up a 34:15 advantage at the first intermission. Laurence Van Malderen and Sara Leemans started to wake the visitors up late in the half. They cut the deficit to 10 points before Ana Lelas and Marija Vrsaljko made it 51:37 at the interval.
Anda Jelavic and Mazic lifted the hosts to a 20-point lead early in the third frame and Croatia maintained the advantage throughout the period. Belgium found themselves trailing by 18 points at the start of the final quarter. However the intrigue was never revived as Croatia cruised to a comprehensive win at the end. They will now take on Italy on January 10. Belgium will try to bounce back against the Azzurri in Liege next Wednesday.

Croatia: Ana Lelas 23, Anda Jelavic 19, Marija Vrsaljko 16
Belgium: Sara Leemans 29, Laurence Van Malderen 17

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  BULGARIA - Women  


Ukraine bring victory from Bulgaria - by Eurobasket News
Bulgaria - Ukraine 76:81

Ukraine opened the Additional Qualifying Round of EuroBasket with an impressive come-from-behind win in Rouse. Thus they made the first step towards qualifying to the Final Round of the main European tournament.
Ukraine jumped to an early lead as Iryna Biryuk (178-G-78, agency: Promotex), Olena Zherzherunova (191-F-78, agency: LBM Management) and Olexandra Gorbunova (186-F-86) accounted for points. Soon Olexandra Gorbunova drained a three-pointer to give the visitors a 15:9 lead. However the hosts closed the frame on a 9:1 run to lead by 2 points at the intermission. The hosts dominated in the second frame as Natalia Topalova-Shopova (187-F-80) and Gergana Slavcheva (186-F-79) stretched the margin to 7 points. Tomova, Gergana Slavcheva and Zornitza Kostova (176-G-82) then ballooned the gap to 12 points. Ukraine finally broke the silence as Korovnikova and Olga Dubrovina (170-G-87, agency: Promotex) secured a 7-point distance between the teams at halftime.
Bulgaria maintained the lead early in the third quarter but the visitors found the rhythm soon. They went on a 19:3 rally to close the frame leading by 8 points 67:59. Bulgaria trimmed the deficit to 6 points with just over two minutes remaining but a timely bucket from Olexandra Gorbunova sealed the deal in this one.
Olexandra Gorbunova paced the victors with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Iryna Biryuk added 16 points for Ukraine. Noelle Quinn (183-G-85, college: UCLA) responded with 19 points for Bulgaria. Gergana Branzova-Erdenay (193-F/C-76) came up with 18 points in defeat.
Ukraine will next face Germany in Kyiv. Bulgaria will play against the German team on January 10.

Bulgaria: Noelle Quinn 19, Gergana Branzova-Erdenay 18
Ukraine: Olexandra Gorbunova 22+11 boards, Iryna Biryuk 16, Olga Dubrovina 10

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  CROATIA - Women  


Croatia get closer to EuroBasket - by Eurobasket News
Croatia - Belgium 103:81

Ana Lelas (183-G/F-83) knocked down 23 points and Croatia thumped Belgium in the Additional Qualifying Round to EuroBasket opener in Group B. Only the winner of the group will make it to the Final Round. The first step was made by Croatia today in Sibenik. Anda Jelavic (175-G-80) stepped up with 19 points and 8 assists for the hosts. Marija Vrsaljko (195-C-89) contributed 16 points as the hosts improved at 1-0 record. Belgium were not rescued by game-high 29 points from Sara Leemans (178-G/F-88). Laurence Van Malderen (193-C-81, agency: LBM Management) had 17 points and 9 boards in defeat.
Croatia got to an aggressive start as three-pointers from Jurcevic and Ivankovic set the hosts in front. Back-to-back trebles from Ana Lelas and Jurcevic gave Croatia a 25:12 lead with just over 3 minutes left in the starting stanza. The hosts looked solid and piled up a 34:15 advantage at the first intermission. Laurence Van Malderen and Sara Leemans started to wake the visitors up late in the half. They cut the deficit to 10 points before Ana Lelas and Marija Vrsaljko made it 51:37 at the interval.
Anda Jelavic and Mazic lifted the hosts to a 20-point lead early in the third frame and Croatia maintained the advantage throughout the period. Belgium found themselves trailing by 18 points at the start of the final quarter. However the intrigue was never revived as Croatia cruised to a comprehensive win at the end. They will now take on Italy on January 10. Belgium will try to bounce back against the Azzurri in Liege next Wednesday.

Croatia: Ana Lelas 23, Anda Jelavic 19, Marija Vrsaljko 16
Belgium: Sara Leemans 29, Laurence Van Malderen 17

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  LEBANON - Women  


Standings - Women League
Div.1 Standings
1. Homentmen A. 5-0
2. Antranik 4-0
3. Antoura 2-2
4. Al Riyadi 2-1
5. Al muttahed 1-4
6. Homentmen B. 0-4
7. Anibal 0-3


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  UKRAINE - Women  


Ukraine bring victory from Bulgaria - by Eurobasket News
Bulgaria - Ukraine 76:81

Ukraine opened the Additional Qualifying Round of EuroBasket with an impressive come-from-behind win in Rouse. Thus they made the first step towards qualifying to the Final Round of the main European tournament.
Ukraine jumped to an early lead as Iryna Biryuk (178-G-78, agency: Promotex), Olena Zherzherunova (191-F-78, agency: LBM Management) and Olexandra Gorbunova (186-F-86) accounted for points. Soon Olexandra Gorbunova drained a three-pointer to give the visitors a 15:9 lead. However the hosts closed the frame on a 9:1 run to lead by 2 points at the intermission. The hosts dominated in the second frame as Natalia Topalova-Shopova (187-F-80) and Gergana Slavcheva (186-F-79) stretched the margin to 7 points. Tomova, Gergana Slavcheva and Zornitza Kostova (176-G-82) then ballooned the gap to 12 points. Ukraine finally broke the silence as Korovnikova and Olga Dubrovina (170-G-87, agency: Promotex) secured a 7-point distance between the teams at halftime.
Bulgaria maintained the lead early in the third quarter but the visitors found the rhythm soon. They went on a 19:3 rally to close the frame leading by 8 points 67:59. Bulgaria trimmed the deficit to 6 points with just over two minutes remaining but a timely bucket from Olexandra Gorbunova sealed the deal in this one.
Olexandra Gorbunova paced the victors with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Iryna Biryuk added 16 points for Ukraine. Noelle Quinn (183-G-85, college: UCLA) responded with 19 points for Bulgaria. Gergana Branzova-Erdenay (193-F/C-76) came up with 18 points in defeat.
Ukraine will next face Germany in Kyiv. Bulgaria will play against the German team on January 10.

Bulgaria: Noelle Quinn 19, Gergana Branzova-Erdenay 18
Ukraine: Olexandra Gorbunova 22+11 boards, Iryna Biryuk 16, Olga Dubrovina 10