EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/4/2009

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Men News

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  ARAB CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS   


Day 9 (Quarter Finals) - 22nd ACC - by Mohammed Malas
* Sunday 3/5:

# Group D:

Zain (JOR) 91 - ASU Sports Club (JOR) 90 (Qs: 21-27, 43-55, 65-72 & 91-90)
- Best scorers:
Zain [Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) '30 pts', Roderick Riley (210-C-81, college: Prairie View A&M) '16 pts, 9 reb' & Ayman Idais (205-C-78) '11 pts']
ASU [Chudney Gray (188-G-78, college: St.John's) '25 pts, 7 ast', Adam Parada (213-C-81, college: Cal-Irvine) '23 pts, 10 reb' & Tim Pickett (193-G/F-81, college: Florida St.) '13 pts']

# Group E:

Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut (LEB) 101 - Al Manama (BHR) 96 (Qs: 29-20, 57-41, 79-72 & 101-96)
- Best scorers:
Sagesse [Marcus Melvin (203-F-82, college: N.Carolina St.) '19 pts, 10 reb', Rolando Howell (206-C/F-82, college: S.Carolina) '17 pts' & Sabah Khoury (196-G-82) '16 pts']
Manama [Johnny Taylor (206-F-74, college: Chattanooga) '28 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast', Jarred Merrill (206-F-81, college: Oklahoma Christian) '25 pts' & Mohd Hussein '19 pts']

# Day 10 - 22nd ACC (+3 GMT):
- Monday 4/5:
18:00 Riyadi X ASU
21:00 ASPTT X Sagesse

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  ARGENTINA   


La Union became the first TNA finalist - by Eurobasket News
La Union - San Mart.C. 97-76
La Union blasted San Martin C last night ending the semifinal series with 3-1. Leandro Portillo (185-G-85) top-scored for the winners with 23, Ariel Pau had 16, while Pablo Barrios and Javier Caceres added 15 pts each. Alex Carcamo responded with 13 pts in loss.

Ciclista - Union 74-79
Union celebrated 79-74 and it is 2-2 in the semis now. W Mac Farlan was a key player for the winners with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Byron Wilson had 24 pts in defeat. Game No.5 - May 5.

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  BARBADOS   


Schoolboys keep Patriots winless - by Justin Marville
THEY MAY SHARE the same Husbands court with Lakers, but thats about all the listless Patriots seem to have in common with the reigning Premier League champs.
Prolific Sagicor Tridents shooting guard Keefe Birkett scored a game-high 23 points, including the eventual game-winner with 23 seconds remaining, as the schoolboys edged the winless Patriots 68-66 in the Barbados Amateur Basketball Associations top flight at the Wildey Gymnasium.
Renowned for late-game collapses, Patriots performance in Thursdays contest was no different, as the recently promoted Husbands squad wasted yet another opportunity to register that ever-elusive Premier League victory.
Even after starting centre Kevin Lashleys close-line tackle of Tridents guard Manuel Alleng early in the fourth quarter led to a 15-point deficit (58-43), Patriots were still in the game up until its dying moments.

Sparked by former schoolboys swingman George Farrell, Patriots responded with a subsequent 13-2 run, scoring ten unanswered points at one stage to cut into Tridents once substantial lead.
Diminutive schoolboy point guard Akeem Williams appeared to halt the slide when he hooked up with his namesake Nicholai on two successive drive-and-dish plays to push the advantage to eight (64-56).
But an uncontested lay-up by Rawle Conway in transition, followed by Anthony Whites strong and-one basket on the inside, pulled Patriots within one point with just under two minutes to go.
However, White missed the ensuing free throw attempt, just as he did on the previous four visits to the line, and then aimlessly sat by and watched Alleng waltz all the way to the ring on the following possession during Patriots customary fourth-quarter meltdown.
A timely Gregory Simmons three-pointer appeared to put the Husbands men in with a shout but Birkett replied with a short jumper at the other end to stretch the lead to three points (68-65) with 23 seconds left.
White went on to spilt two free throws after being fouled on the subsequent possession but Patriots never got a chance to set up a final game-tying effort as Simmons was forced to throw up a wild half-court heave at the buzzer.
Mark Bridgeman chipped in with ten points for Tridents, while White led the winless Patriots (0-4) with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
In the nights first game, national forward/centre Akeem Marsh recorded the first 20 and 20 game of the season, getting a season high 29 points and 21 rebounds to lead title contenders Roll-A-Way Storm and Security Shutters St Johns Sonics to a hard-fought 73-62 victory over British American Insurance Jackson.
Playing without the services of injured star shooting guard Jefferson Trotman, St John struggled for the first two-and-a-half quarters, falling behind by as many as 15 points at one stage. But the 6-foot-9 Marsh erupted for 13 third-quarter points to lead a furious second-half rally that saw the Sonics take control of the game.
Marsh also had seven steals and two blocks, while rookie forward Roland Lovell added ten points. Levar Greaves 14 points was the top score for Jackson.

Barbados' arch rivals set to miss CBC tournament - by Justin Marville
BARBADOS will be missing an added piece of inspiration when they touch down in Tortola for this years Caribbean Basketball Championships.
Long-time rivals Trinidad and Tobago were not among the eight mens teams slated to participate in Junes regional tournament when the two groups were released earlier this week.
This was confirmed yesterday by the Caribbean Basketball Federations vice-president of technical operations, Glyne Clarke, who also serves as manager for Olympic operations at the Barbados Olympic Association.
Having waited until the April 15 deadline to express interest in participating, both Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent will miss out on the regional tournament after seven other countries had already confirmed months in advance.
The two squads have subsequently been named as alternates to replace any of the registered teams who don't meet the requisite requirements.
Dating back to the early 1970s, Barbados ardent rivalry with their southern neighbours has produced several enthralling contests in that span, culminating with a nail-biting 69-68 victory at the last tournament in 2007 hosted by Puerto Rico.
That one-point thriller, on the first night of the competition, wasnt decided until the games final whistle as Zahir Motara sank two crucial free throws to regain Barbados advantage with three seconds remaining.
The contest also served as the breakout performance for the unassuming 6 foot-9-inch forward George Haynes, who justified the selectors faith by leading the side with a team high 14 points and seven rebounds in his impressive national debut.
Barbados have been grouped with the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and 2006 champs Jamaica in Group A, while Group B consists of hosts British Virgin Islands, regional powerhouses Cuba, Antigua and first-timers Bermuda.
After missing the 2007 tournament in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, who won on home soil three years ago, return to regional competition bolstered by the addition of new coach Sam Vincent, the former head coach of NBA franchise Charlotte Bobcats.
A past player with the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics, the high-profiled 45-year-old was awarded a two-year contract last week and will be assisted by Clifford Ray an assistant to the Boston Celtics, who is renowned as one of the best big men coaches in the NBA.
But Barbados can take solace that reigning title holders Puerto Rico, along with the United States Virgin Islands will also be missing from action, as both have already qualified for next years Centrobasket because of their respective first and second place finishes last year in Mexico.
The top three teams at CBC earn automatic spots at the Centrobasket tournament for the following year.
There has been no confirmation of a venue or date for this years womens championship as yet.

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  BELGIUM   


D1, Round 33: No changes on top - by Eurobasket News
M.Hainaut - Aalstar 104-69
Caleb Green (203-F-85, college: ORU) shined for the second ranked Dexia Mons-Hainaut scoring 26 points with just two missed shots for the game (21 minutes). Kelvin Torbert followed him with 19 pts. Aalstar got 17 pts from Pablo Gonzales. Mons 22-8, Aalstar 19-10.

Liege - Leuven 77-74
Liege outsmarted Leuven at home improving to 13-6 record (5th place). Christopher Hill (191-G-83, college: Michigan St.) top-scored in victory with 17 and Jamar Wilson added 2 points less. Darren Fells and DeMario Anderson combined 37 points in defeat.

Gent - Charleroi 69-77
No.1 Charleroi cruised past Gent on the road jumping to 23-6 record. This time Matt Walsh (197-F/G-82, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Florida) was a key player in Charleroi collecting 19 points and 6 rebounds (4 triples of 5 attempts). Brandon Freeman netted 26 pts for Gent (8-21).

Verviers-Pep. - Antwerp 66-86
17-13 for Antwerp and 7-23 for Pepinster after this game. Timothy Black (178-G-81, agency: LimeLight, college: Barton (NC)) and Christophe Beghin led the scorers with 19 pts each. Marcus Dove answered with 15 for the last ranked Pepinster.

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  BOSNIA   


Prasovic & Kadic lead Bashkimi to Kosovo finals - by Sead Buljina
Elnis Prasovic (203-SF-84) and Aldin Kadic (208-F/C-86) led Bashkimi to the win in the semifinal series against Peja in Kosovo's championship play offs. Bashkimi won the series 2:1 and qualified for the finals. Bosnian players arrived in Prizren just in time to help their new team accomplish a tough task of beating favored Peja, a 2nd placed team after the regular part of the season. Kadic had arrived to Bashkimi from Slovenia and Prasovic got a call immediately upon finishing season in Bosnian D1. Namely, team leader Ado Kahrimanovic got hurt and Bashkimi needed a player like Prasovic to replace former Bosnian NT member. In the semifinal games vs. Peja both Bosnians played well, being selected into semifinals 1st team. Aldin Kadic has played extremely well in third, decisive game scoring 25 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. Kadic did it against such strong opponents such as Alen Trepalovac (214-C-85) and Ersid Ljuca (209-C-81). After that performance, Aldin Kadic was announced the MVP of the semifinal round. Prasovic had 18 points and 7 rebounds. Our players will play in Kosovo play off finals against SIGAL Pristina.

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  BRAZIL   


Nene leads Nuggets to 1-0 against Mavericks - by Eurobasket News
Hilario Nene (6'10''-C-82) kept the Denver Nuggets in it until his teammates could turn this one into another runaway.

Hilario Nene scored 18 of his career playoff-high 24 points in the first half and the Nuggets raced past the Dallas Mavericks 109-95 yesterday in the first day game in the Pepsi Center's 10-year history.

Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) scored 23 points, including a dunk off J.R. Smith's (6'6''-G-85) behind-the-back assist that rocked the arena in the closing minutes. Smith added 15 points, leading a bench that outscored Dallas' celebrated reserves 38-24 before both teams emptied their benches in the meaningless final minutes.

Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) led Dallas with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Howard (6'6''-F-80, college: Wake Forest), Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) and Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77, college: Arizona) each scored 15.

Game 2 is scheduled Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets have won 14 straight, including four in the playoffs. All four have been blowouts.

The Nuggets, who trailed by nine early, looked as if they were going to pull away late in the third period when their defense led to several fast-break baskets and an 81-72 lead.

But Antoine Wright's 26-foot 3-pointer to beat the shot clock jump-started the Mavericks, who pulled to 82-80 in the first minute of the fourth quarter when Terry hit a 3 and Nowitzki swished a fadeaway jumper.

The Nuggets responded with a 15-4 run that iced it.

It began with two free throws and a bucket from Chris Andersen and two fouls shots and a jumper from Anthony that make it 90-82.

From there on, it was the brand of basketball that the Nuggets have been playing all season, with Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) leading the way at both ends of the floor, blocked shots leading to fast-break baskets and 3-pointers that broke the Mavericks' spirit.

Howard, who missed two 11-game stretches this season with a bum left ankle and probably needs surgery, turned his right ankle in the second quarter when he got tangled up with Billups. He went to the locker room but returned before halftime.

Hilario Nene, whose career has been dogged by serious injuries and testicular cancer, played more minutes than ever this season and over the last month he really hit a wall. In Denver's five-game series against New Orleans in the first round, he averaged 9.0 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Courtesy of www2.journalnow.com

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  BULGARIA   


NBL, Round 28: The regular season in over, Lukoil is No.1 again - by Eurobasket News
Spartak P. - Yambol 115-86
Spartak devastated Yambol at home ending the regular season on the 4th place with 13-11 record. Cherno More is No.3 and Rilski is No.5 with the same digits. Hrisimir Dimitrov (197-G/F-74, agency: Interperformances) stepped up for the winners collecting 23 points and 11 rebounds. Pavel Marinov netted 18 pts for Yambol (7-17, 6th place).

Rilski S-list - Sliven 102-51
Rilski Sportist finished the season with two wins but that didn't help the team to move from the fifth place. The loss from Cherno More is now worth more because the teams of Rilski, Spartak and Cherno More are with equal records. In this case the advantage is for the team from Varna that has the most win between the teams in their head to head matches. Today the players of Aleksandar Todorov defeated Sliven 102-51 and recorded their 13th win of the season. The coach used all his players and they all except Dragoslav Papic scored at least one point. The Serbian who is one of the best players of the team came back after missing the last game due to illness. The captain Aleksandar Gruev (187-G-83, agency: Interperformances) was the top scorer with 17 points adding also 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. * More comments for this game already posted by the local correspondent Valentin Anguelov

ChernoMore - Lukoil A. 66-89
Cherno More lost its last home game of the regular season but thanks to Rilski Sportist finished 3rd in the standings. The players of Daniel Dimitrov lost 66-89 at home against Lukoil Academic. Willie Deane (186-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Purdue) hit four 3-pointers to finish with 26 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Tencho Banev added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. * More comments for this game already posted by the local correspondent Valentin Anguelov

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  CHILE   


Dimayor: saturday night results - by Daniel Valencia
Liceo Mixto continues the winning streak after saturday night victory against Sagrados Corazones. Patrick Saez (191-G/F-71) and Fernando Gutman (203-F/C-78, agency: Next Level) combined for 37 points. CD Universidad de Concepcion defeated Provincial Llanquihue, the last unbeaten team in the south zone, with Eduardo Marechal (186-G-85) leading the scorers with 19 points and winning the game from the free throw line with 3 seconds remaining in the clock. Valdivia, led by Jonathan Heard (198-G/F-86, agency: Passing Lane) (27), defeated Provincial Osorno 90-75. In the last game of the night, Universidad Catolica outscored Everton 72-48, with Felipe Contreras (183-G-81) scoring 23 points in the winning side.

Saturday night results

Sagrados Corazones 58 - Liceo Mixto 80
Sag: Marcos Hubner 14 pts. Joaquin Oliver 14 pts.
Lic: Patrick Saez 21 pts. Fernando Gutman 16 pts.

Universidad Catolica 72 - Everton 48
Uc: Felipe Contreras 23 pts. Sascha Frings 12 pts.
Eve: Ricardo de Bem 29 pts. Felipe Oyarzun 9 pts.

CD Universidad de Concepcion 66 - Provincial Llanquihue 65
Ucon: Eduardo Marechal 19 pts. Nelson Mendez 17 pts.
Llan: Jose Luis Campos 14 pts. Carlos Sepulveda 14 pts.

Deportivo Valdivia 90 - Provincial Osorno 75
Val: Jonathan Heard 27 pts. Francisco Bravo 18 pts.
Oso: Rodrigo Zuniga 35 pts. Sebastian Figueroa 12 pts.

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  CHINA   


Guangdong Wins CBA Title - by Arthur Volbert
Guangdong won the CBA title by defeating Xinjiang 106-95. Guangdong won four out of five games in the finals.

Xinjiang jumped off to a 32-23 first quarter advantage but Guangdong came back to lead 50-48 at the half. Guangdong led 78-68 after three quarters. Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) led Guangdong with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Smush Parker had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Zhou Peng had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Jason Dixon had 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Su Wei (212-C-89) had 10 points and 16 rebounds, showing dominance inside. Listed as born in 1989, Su has the potential to be a second-round NBA draft choice if he performs this way consistently next year. But young Wang Zheng also deserves major playing time at center, and 35-year-old Jason Dixon is still going strong.

Juan Mendez led Xinjiang with 33 points and 6 rebounds. But he stationed himself outside, hitting 9 of 17 three-pointers. This let Guangdong outrebound Xinjiang 47-34. Mengke Bateer had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, but fouled out in 41 minutes and lost the rebounding battle to Su, 16-10. Mulati scored 17 points but fouled out in 27 minutes. Myron Allen had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals but hit only 1 of 7 three-pointers. Xu Guochong scored only 3 points, hitting 1 of 8 shots. Mai Wulan scored 8 points in 14 minutes.

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  EL SALVADOR   


Leones defeat San Miguel - by Jaime Arevalo
In the last Round of Liga Superior (LSB), Leones Automoto prevailed over San Muguel 74-53, with Isidro Andaluz (178-G-88) leading the way at 15 points and Josue Rivera adding 10. Jose Aparicio and Gerson Lanza were the best in San Miguel, with 12 and 11 pts, respectively, but this last team is again alone at the bottom, with no wins. Instead, thanks to this win Leones surpassed San Marcos and is now at the 5th place.

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  ESTONIA   


Valga advance into KML semifinal - by Eurobasket News
Valga - Tallinna Kalev 59:57

Valga came back from 1-2 deficit in the quarterfinal series against Tallinna Kalev to book the spot in the semis. Valga claimed a narrow 59:57 victory earlier today to succeed in the series 3-2. Reinar Hallik (208-C-84) and Richard Anderson (199-F-77, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Simon Fraser) scored 17 points apiece to lead Valga. Tallinna Kalev looked solid in the opening frame and limited the hosts to just 7 points in ten minutes. The visitors earned a 15:7 advantage into the first intermission. Tallinna Kalev maintained the pressure and arrived at halftime leading by 9 points 29:20.
Valga however rebounded after the major break. Reinar Hallik fueled a comeback effort for the hosts as they trimmed the margin to 5 points with ten minutes to go. Tallinna Kalev turned nervous at the dying minutes and could not stop the home team. Valga sneaked to a decisive victory in the final seconds and made it into the next round. Raido Roos (185-G-84) had 13 points for Valga in the win. Gert Dorbek (190-G-85) answered with 12 points for Tallinna Kalev. Ardo Armpalu (207-F/C-80, agency: Court Side, college: Marshall) netted 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the loss.
Valga will now be tested by TU/Rock in the semis.

Valga: Reinar Hallik 17, Richard Anderson 17, Raido Roos 13
Tallinna Kalev: Gert Dorbek 12, Ardo Armpalu 11+13 boards

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  EUROLEAGUE   


FMP win Nike International Junior Tournament - by Eurobasket News
FMP - Lietuvos Rytas 123:110

Serbian FMP became the junior Euroleague champions for the second straight time! They defeated Lithuanian Lietuvos Rytas in the Grand Final that took place in O2 Arena in Berlin earlier today. Dejan Musli (212-C-91) knocked down 31 points and grabbed impressive 17 rebounds to lead junior FMP squad. Filip Duran provided 23 points for the winners. Mantas Kadzevicius (193-G-91) responded with 25 points for Lietuvos Rytas.
FMP wasted little time taking a 34:28 after the opening frame. Lietuvos Rytas slowed the Serbian down in the second stanza but could not get any closer. FMP arrived at halftime leading by 8 points. The decisive third quarter was marked by FMP dominance as the Serbian youngsters stretched the margin to 17 points and never looked back en route to the success.
Branislav Dekic nailed 20 points and pulled down 6 rebounds for FMP. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Lietuvos Rytas in defeat.
FMP took care of Alba Berlin, Unicaja and Montepaschi Siene to pave the way into the championship game. Lietuvos Rytas was simply unstoppable in the preliminary round as they thrashed Gran Canaria and Olimpia Ljubljana. The Lithuanian team also eked out a 74:71 win over the last seasons finalist Hemofarm.
Dejan Musli was trumped the first ever two-time MVP of the tournament.

FMP: Dejan Musli 31, Filip Duran 23, Branislav Dekic 20
Lietuvos Rytas: Mantas Kadzevicius 25, Jonas Valanciunas 22+13 boards

Vassilis Spanoulis was named the MVP of Euroleagues Final Four! - by Chris Mammides
The 2008-09 Euroleague champ is Panathinaikos 73-71 CSKA in another stone thriller before a stunned crowd of 13,200 at o2 World in Berlin. A 23-point second-half lead by Panathinaikos dwindled to a single point several times as CSKA roared back, but Ramunas Siskauskas' game-winning three try rimmed out. Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) was named MVP of the Final.
Panathinaikos Athenss star guard Vassilis Spanoulis was selected Euroleague Basketballs 2009 Final Four MVP after leading the Greens to a 73-71 victory over defending champion CSKA Moscow in the title game on Sunday night at O2 Arena in Berlin. Spanoulis was selected in a vote of media after leading the winners with 31 total points in the Final Four, including 13 in the final. At his very first Final Four, Spanoulis showed no signs of nervousness, scoring his teams first basket and 7 points overall in the first quarter to keep the Greens in the game when CSKA started strong. He added another three late in the second period in helping his team to a 20-point halftime lead and scored his final basket with just less than three minutes to play, helping Panathinaikos stave off CSKAs final surge en route to lifting the Euroleague crown for the first time. It is worth mentioned the fact that this is Spanoulis first time participation in a Final Four! Spanoulis tried to play in NBA and made his dream true, after a not so godd season, Spanoulis return back to Greece and Panathinaikos.

Sunday at Berlin and O2 arena; before the game of the third place - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com is for another day at O2 arena at Berlin in order to transmit you everything happening here. The game between Olympiacos and Barcelona will open today's program and the big final, the repetition of 2007's final, between Panathinaikos and CSKA will follow. At about 10 minutes the first game will begin with two teams almost upset from the Friday's result. Olympiacos has many players off its today's roster, since Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM) still faces the known problem with his back (which may need a surgery), Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford) faces an injury after the semi-final (at a last moment's news, he stated that he does not still know whether he will stay at Piraeus next year, since money is not everything and he is very disappointed after the last result). Few fans are at the arena, with the most of them supporting Panathinaikos.

Barcelona at the third place! - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Barcelona entered the game with a bigger will and leaded with 14-4 and 19-8 later, taking advantage of its inside game through Daniel Santiago (216-C-76, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) (7 points). The Reds achieved to reduce at three points, with a 11-3 serie, (19-22) after Thodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) entered the game transimitting a concentration in his team's game. The first period ended at 19-26 for Barcelona.

This 4-0 Spanish serie extended to 9-0 two minutes after the beginning of the second period (19-31), after the consecutive mistakes of the Reds, of which Barca took advantage in its fast breaks. And then even more: 15-0 (19-37) while Olympiacos at this time (6:08 minutes) did not even score a single point. The difference reached even the 21 points for Barcelona (23-44) with 1:56 remaining, before Olympiacos making a 7-0 serie to reduce it to 14 (30-44). The half time's score, 30-46, was quite normal according to its whole picture; the Reds' players were obviously out of the field, very disappointed. The percentages were a proof: 10/33 while the Spanish ones were 16/28. And, it should also be mentioned that Olympiacos had Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) and Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) with 3 fouls.

The second half seemed to be different. At least at its six first minutes. It was the time that the Reds decided to play basketball; they reduced the difference at 8 points (46-54 and 48-56) due mainly to Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) (12 points) and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) (16 points). At that time, though, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) and Roger Grimau scored 3p shots and the difference at the end of the third period was shaped again at 15 points (58-73) although it was even bigger before (52-69).

The last period had therefore nothing interesting. Both teams tried some plays, having their interest at their domestic champioships. The final 79-95 was just a reflection that Barcelona wanted the third place more than Olympiacos; and it took it

Olympiacos: Thodoros Papaloukas 8, Pelekanos 3, Nikola Vujcic 12, Milosevic, Giannis Bourousis 17, Halperin , Lynn Greer 19, Vougioukas, Giorgos Printezis 4, Erceg 11, Teodosic 5,
Barcelona: Basile 3, Barret 4, Trias 5, Barton 6, Jaka Lakovic 14, Juan Carlos Navarro 14, David Andersen (212-C-80) 20, Vazquez 3, Daniel Santiago 10, Roger Grimau 5, Sada 4, Ilyasova 7

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  FINLAND   


Korisliiga Round: 2 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Pyrinto - Kataja 98-66
Pyrinto proved that the elimination of Kouvot was not a mere coincidence as they thumped Kataja to level the semifinal series. Chris Hester (192-G-79, college: E.Washington) and Kenny Lowe (191-G-80, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Purdue) stepped up with 21 points each to lead the charge. Damon Williams contributed 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. Sami Lehtoranta responded with 18 points for Kataja.

Namika Lahti - Honka 70-67
Namika Lahti overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the game to defeat Honka for the second straight time in the semifinal series. Jason Conley (196-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri) nailed 17 points and collected 12 boards to lead Lahti. Kurtis Rice provided 13 points for the winners. Jukka Matinen responded with game-high 28 points for Honka. Akeem Scott had 14 points in the loss.

KORISLIIGA: YMCA Lahti defeated Honka again - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Semi-finals, Game # 2: YMCA Lahti defeated again 2007 and 2008 Finnish Champion Honka (Espoo). Today the contest took place in Lahti and the final
difference was three points: 70-67 (29-38). Quarters: 16-24, 13-14, 20-8, 21-21. Honka and NT F Jukka Matinen (203-F-78) got an excellent start and Honka dominated the game during the first quarter. Matinen scored 17 pts in 10 minutes! But YMCA Lahti came back to the game especially during the third quarter (20-8). One of the
key players was Ville Vesala (188-G-83), who didn't miss a shot and netted in double digits (11 pts). Jason Conley (196-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri) led the hosts with 17 pts and 12 rbs. Jukka Matinen scored game high 28 pts (treys 5/8). Only Akeem Scott (186-G-83, college: High Point) (14) and Ben Perkins (200-F-79, college: Mc Neese St.) (11) joined Matinen in double figures. NT players Tuukka Kotti (205-F/C-81, college: Providence) and Kimmo Muurinen (202-F-81, college: UALR) combined only 10 pts. YMCA Lahti - Honka now 2-0. The Game # 3 on Monday, May 4 in Espoo.

YMCA Lahti - Honka 70-67 (29-38) (Jason Conley 17/12, Kurtis Rice 13, Vesa Makalainen 12, Ville Vesala 11 - Jukka Matinen 28, Akeem Scott 14, Ben Perkins 11).



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  FRANCE   


Pro B, Round 31: Wins for Paris-Levallois, Poitiers, Clermont and Limoges - by Eurobasket News
Brest - Paris-Levall. 69-70
Paris-Levallois grabbed 70-69 road win against Brest remaining on top of Pro B standings alone with 25-6 record. Nigel Wyatte (204-F/C-81, agency: Court Side, college: Wagner) led the guests in scoring with 14, while Rodney Elliott and Adolphe Michel Jean-Baptiste added 12 pts apiece. Sherman Gay and Aaron Cel combined 41 pts and 19 boards in defeat.

St.Vallier - Poitiers 73-84
Kenny Younger (203-F-77, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Houston) was on fire last night for Poitiers scoring 22 points. He also grabbed 9 rebounds beside that leading his team to 23-8 record (2nd place). Lamine Kante was behind him with 15 and Pierre-Yves Guilard added 2 pts less. The hosts got double-double from Cedric Melicie, 18 pts and 11 rebs.

St.Quentin - Antibes 76-91
15-16 for Antibes and 8-23 for Saint-Quentin after this game. Gabriel Kennedy (205-F/C-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: UAB) had 21, Julien Doreau scored 20, while John McCord added 17 pts and 15 rebs. Shaun Fein netted 19 pts in loss.

Le Portel - St-Etienne 79-64
Le Portel grabbed nice 79-64 home win vs Saint-Etienne mostly owing to Jean-Philippe Ludon (200-F-83), who drained 22 points. Georges Phillips had the same number, but in the loosing squad. Le Portel 11-20, Saint-Etienne 18-13.
Maurienne - Boulazac 88-82
Maurienne was too strong for Boulazac jumping to 15-16 record (same as Antibes and Nanterre). Rashard Sullivan (203-F/C-84, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: S.Indiana) came up with 23 points and 16 rebounds, while Yannick Gaillou added 21 pts. Visitors got 16 from William Knight.

Evreux - Quimper 84-75
Earnest Shelton (191-G-82, college: Alabama) shined in victory with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. LucArhtur Vebobe also demonstrated nice performance collecting 20 pts and 13 rebs. Andrius Ragauskas responded with 16 pts for the last ranked Quimper. Evreux 12-19, Quimper 5-26.

Clermont - Charleville 73-70
Tiny win for Clermont, enough to stay on third place alone with 22-9 record. Errick Craven (188-G-83, college: USC) was the most important player for the hosts netting 24 pts and pulling down 8 rebs. Chris Davis delivered 18 pts for Charleville.

Nanterre - Bourg 87-82
Edwin Jackson (190-G-89) drained 4 triples (25 pts in total) for the winners. Ivan Almonte had 16 pts, plus impressive 18 rebounds (10 off). Justin Ingram delivered 26 pts in defeat. Nanterre 15-16, Bourg 20-11.

Limoges - Nantes 81-75
20-11 for Limoges and 17-14 for Nantes after this game. That was Alhaji Mohammed (192-G-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) who led Limoges once again. This time he collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Johan Passave and Darnell Hinson combined 37 pts. Visitors had Chris Pearson on fire with 22.

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


Adam Hess(Artland Dragons) 2009 Euroleague Final 4 Thoughts - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Adam Hess (201-G/F-81, college: William & Mary) is a 28 year old 201cm shooting guard/small forward playing his second season for the Artland Dragons. He played a year at Eastern Michigan from 2000-2001 before heading to William & Mary where he played his last three years. He started his Basketball career in 2004 for CEZ Basketball Nymburk. In his first season, he averaged in 34 games: 15.2ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.2apg, 2FGP-2( 61.3%), 3FGP: 36.4%. In his second season for Nymburk, he averaged in 43 games: 14.7ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.8apg, 2FGP: 64.8%, 3PT: 40.9%, FT: 77.5%. He won the league title both years and the cup in 2005. He then departed to Germany for his first stay with the Artland Dragons in the 2006-2007 season. He averaged in 43 games: 14.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 50.2%, 3FGP: 36.5%, FT: 80.0%. He reached the BBL and cup final in 2007 with the Artland Dragons. Last season, he went south to France and played for Chorale de Roanne Basket averaging in 30 games: 9.6ppg, 5rpg, 1.5apg, 2FGP: 44.3%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 80.9%. This season, he is back with the Artland Dragons fighting for the last playoff spot. He gave Eurobasket his thoughts to the Euroleague Final 4 in Berlin.






Adam, what an exciting Euroleague final Four. Both semi final games were decided by a combined six points. Were the two semi final games as good as it can get, or have you seen two more exciting games in your lifetime?



I have seen many more exciting games in my lifetime, because I wasn't actually watching. I just checked the stats and read about the games later.





Were you rooting for FC Barcelona or CSKA Moscow? Who did you tip to win?






I was rooting for Barcelona, no reason, just was, glad I did not bet on the game.....or any games ever, that is wrong!







FC Barcelona started very strong, but CSKA Moscow held with them and outscored the Spaniards in the fourth quarter to reach the final. Were you surprised by the outcome or were you thinking that CSKA Moscow had enough gas in their tank to pull out the win?




Again, was not actually watching, both teams are very deep and I do not feel like in a 40 minute game, having enough gas to finish strong should be a problem.







One could say that Ramunas Siskaukas was in the zone scoring 29 points and helping Moscow to the win. Is their typically anything a defense can do to try to stop a player that is so hot besides intentionally trying to injure the player which nobody ever wants to witness on the court.





Intentionally injuring a player is definitely frowned upon, annoying him by playing super physical, double teaming him and being a general nuisance is not, I am sure Barcelona was trying all of those tactics.







The second semi final between Panathinaikos and Olympaikos Piraeus was a gift from the Basketball gods to the fans around the world. The game had everything except a flasher and it went down to the wire with Panathinaikos pulling out a 84-82 win. Who was your heart with down the wire and did you think that Piraeus could pull out the win?






I wanted Olympiacos to win because than it justifies the massive contract given to Childress and thus maybe more people will offer more super large deals to Americans. My heart was with neither team, it is hard for me to get behind any team that is not the team I am actually playing for at the time.







Sarunas Jasikevicius was the energizer in the second half. What was the difference in the crunchtime that brought Panathinaikos to victory?





Not sure the difference, again, was not watching. We actually had the day off, so I was exploring Hamburg, was eating a bratwurst and watching the ships go by while the game was being played. But I am sure Jasikevicius was a key factor, statistically it looked like that and I think he is a great pg, so he was probably one of the many keys that allowed them to get the Win.





Nikola Pekovic reminds one of a tough Bull who only has one goal to get the reward behind the redcape/basket. He was very efficient scoring 18 points in 19 minutes. How would you have to deal with him if he was coming at you in the lane?





Move out of the way, more seriously, hope that a big man on your team is guarding him as well so that I am only the help guy. Seriously, how can I answer this question, of course I would try to get in front of him, but he scores over all big men in Europe, so my only hope would be to meet him early so he takes a deeper shot. Defensive tactics are not usually run through me though.





CSKA Moscow Panathinaikos in the 2009 Euroleague final. What is your prediction for the game and what will be vital for winning the game?




Moscow. Most vital part will be who scores more points, I would bet 100 percent of my money that the team that scores more points will win.


You guys play the Eisbaren Bremerhaven Tuesday. The first game was a tight 80-76 win for you. What will be important for winning at home? Bremerhaven are a bit shorthanded with Jared Reiner and Frank Elegar being out with injuries and the team has been playing very spirited in the last weeks winning in Ulm recently.




Bremerhaven has a lot of talented players and should have more wins. Our goal should be to remind ourselves of that fact before we play.





The Deutsche Bank Skyliners face off against Czech champion Nymburk Monday in an exhibition game. What will be vital for Frankfurt in winning?




Not sure anything will be vital. I think what is most important is that both teams stay healthy, the real season at this point is more important.



Nymburk is 39-1 and in the semi final of the playoffs. Do you still follow your old team and have contact with players?




I still follow the team, more so during the international game time, because I already know what they are going to do in domestic games.




The Boston Celtics grinded out a tough seven game series against The Chicago Bulls. Many players wanted Chicago, but were you surprised how far the series went?





No, Rose is a great PG and Celtics are playing with out a great player.





What is your prediction for Boston-Orlando?




I have no predictions, I just hope that Orlando wins so the 'Polish Hammer' gets more playing time.




Everybody loves Darius Hall. What is a positive and funny secret about him that you can reveal?




How could I ever give away a Darius Hall secret. Ok I will. hmmm. He went to the zoo the other day, the Serengety park where the animals roam free and a Baboon jumped on his windshield. It has been reported by sources at the scene that he was extremely scared and squirted windshield fluid on the poor defenseless animal to get him off the car. Is that positive?



Rule Change in ProA and ProB - by Manuel Schust
ProA and ProB care for german players!
The AG 2. Bundesleague agreed on a new rule that will be effective for the upcoming 2009/2010 campaign:
In ProA games there must be at least 2 german players per team on the court at any time and in ProB games every team needs to play with even 3 germans.
This is the result of a meeting that took place at Berlin. 23 of 30 attendants voted for this new rule that is especially made to guarantee playing time for young german players. National coach Dirk Bauermann , who attended the meeting as well, was very satisfied with this result.
Last season the teams agreed on a rule that each team in ProA needs to play at least one german and each team in ProB two germans. Club managers seem to have liked this experience and agreed to extend the number of germans with guaranteed playing time.
It will be very interesting to see how managers and coaches handle this new situation, because the new rule forces them to hire more domestic players to deepen the roster.

From next season on in BBL every team needs to have at least 4 german players on the 12 man roster. But there is no rule that forces coaches to let at least one of them play.
Many experts and fans hoped for a 6 and 6 rule (6 domestic and 6 import players), but such plans were declined by the majority of BBL officials and managers.

A Quick 2009 Euroleague Final Four Response From Ilian Evtimov(Deutsche Bank Skyliners) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) is a 201cm forward that has the French/Bulgarian Nationality. He started his Basketball career at The University of North Carolina State where he averaged in 31 games: 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 89.5% in his senior year. He started his career in Italy for VidiVici Bologna where he averaged in 15 games: 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. he didnt get much playing time so he left and signed with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the summer of 2007. Lasts eason he averaged in 13.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 86.2%. His stats have dipped a bit this season, due to a deeper roster than last season. He gave Eurobasket his thoughts about the 2009 Euroleague Final Four






Evti, what an exciting Euroleague final Four. Both semi final games were decided by a combined six points. Were the two semi final games as good as it can get, or have you seen two more exciting games in your lifetime?




These games were what basketball is all about.The difference is so little between any team, however it seems that the teams that get to the Final 4 are always the same.





Were you rooting for FC Barcelona or CSKA Moscow? Who did you tip to win?




CSKA




One could say that Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) was in the zone scoring 29 points and helping Moscow to the win. Is their typically anything a defense can do to try to stop a player that is so hot besides intentionally trying to injure the player which nobody ever wants to witness on the court.





You wouldnt want to hurt anyone. Part of the game is to have respect for the other players. And if that day they are better than you, it means you got to get in the gym and work harder.





Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) was the energizer in the second half. What was the difference in the crunchtime that brought Panathinaikos to victory?






He is an incredible player. Keeps proving why he is one of the best players in Europe. The challenge and competition doesnt get any higher than the Final 4 of the Euroleague.






Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) reminds one of a tough Bull who only has one goal to get the reward behind the redcape/basket. He was very efficient scoring 18 points in 19 minutes. How would you hav eto deal with him if he was coming at you in the lane?







Since he is so big, perhaps try to take a charge and hope he doesnt injure me hahaha.







Both teams have legendary coaches with Zeljko Obradovic and Panagiotis Yannakis . These guys are actually pretty young, but probably played against your dad in the 80s. Did he ever tell you stories about them?





My dad played against Yannakis. They are friends, we ran into him once in a hotel. Basketball is a small world.





CSKA Moscow Panathinaikos in the 2009 Euroleague final. What is your prediction for the game and what will be vital for winning the game?





CSKA
CSKA wins a tight game, down to the wire.




One could call you Mr. Skyliner GQ. You are by far the best dressed player on the team. Who taught you to dress so well and how important is that for you?





I just like clothes. It is important to look nice especially when you represent an organization such as the Deutsche Bank Skyliners.



The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Face Off Against Nymburk in Exhibition Game May 4th - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
In a Basketball life during a regular season going 13 days without a league game is not long, but for Basketball fanatics of The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, it could feel as long as actress Lindsay Lohan not staying absent from a scandal or for a restless child counting down the days on a calendar from December eleventh to the twenty fourth leading up to Christmas and the favourite part of opening presents. In the last week, there were some BBL catch up games and the European Basketball highlight with the Euroleague Final Four in Berlin, but The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were idle. They have a 13 day wait until the season ending road game against The Artland Dragons. If Frankfurt wins, then they will remain in fifth place, but if they lose and Ratiopharm Ulm wins, then Frankfurt will slip to position six. Frankfurt hopes to carry over the momentum from The Alba Berlin win into the Artland Dragons game, but will need to block out their 13 day inactivity in league play. 'We have to keep our rhythm and coach has done a fine job scheduling some practice games. We have been playing well the last weeks and need to keep doing that heading into the playoffs', stressed Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.). 'A team that doesnt play for a long time also needs to be careful not to loose their conditioning', warned Giessen center Jannik Freese (208-F/C-86, agency: Liman Sports)

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had the weekend off as coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ) was in Berlin at the Euroleague Final Four making Basketball contacts and watching brilliant Basketball and was accompanied by Skyliner Sports director Kamil Novak , who is still recovering from his unfortunate pick up Basketball injury of tearing his Achilles tendon. However Frankfurt was not idle the whole week as they were hard at practice preparing for the last game of the season against The Artland Dragons. 'We had some good days of practice. We were working on a lot of individual things like shooting, but were also working on our strength lifting weights', stressed Skyliner forward Ilian Evtimov. One thing that The Deutsche Bank Skyliners cant practice is getting team chemistry, because that is something that they need to have at this stage of the season. 'Our team chemistry has always been good. We showed how good our chemistry is with the win against Alba Berlin and that we are ready for the playoffs. We proved with the win against Alba Berlin that we can beat anyone and that should help us in the playoffs', reflected Ilian Evtimov.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will play two exhibition games this week against the Czech champion Nymburk Monday and against Top Turkish and Euroleague team Efes Pilsen on Wednesday. Frankfurt tested against Nymburk last season at the same stage in the season before their last season game in Trier. They won the first game 86-81 as American Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi) pounded Nymburk with 28 points, but lost the second encounter 85 to 73 despite 32 points and nine rebounds from Ilian Evtimov.

Nymburk has dominated the Czech league the last years, winning the league title the last five years and the cup three times, the same way Formula one driver Michael Schumacher dominated winning the drivers title from 2000-2004. This season, they have been almost flawless posting a 39-1 record losing only to USK Praha 103-70. They stand in the semi final of the Czech playoffs awaiting the winner of the Prostejov-Liberec series that is knotted at 2-2. The strong play of Nymburk in the Czech league is no secret to ex Nymburk players. 'I still follow the team, but more in international games, since I know how they will do in domestic games', joked Artland Dragon American Adam Hess (201-G/F-81, college: William & Mary).

Nymburk has a healthy player pool of six players from the Czech Republic, three Americans, two Slovenians and one German/Polish. The most notable player is American Arthur Lee (185-G-77, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Stanford) who reached the NCAA final four with Stanford in 1998. He also has the highest free throw percentage of 93% in NCAA tournament history making 58 of 62 free throws. That gains respect even from a three point sniper like Ilian Evtimov. 'He deserves a lot of respect if he can shoot like that. Those are impressive numbers. We will have to make sure not to put him on the free throw line', warned Ilian Evtimov. He has played all over Europe including Turkey, Italy, Israel, France, Greece etc. He is averaging 11,9ppg, 1,6rpg and 2,7apg and is shooting 92% from the free throw line. He is complemented by fellow American Guards Justin Gray (188-G-84, agency: Octagon, college: Wake Forest) and Blake Schilb (201-G-83, college: Loyola, IL). Gray played at Wake Forest together with Braunschweig center Kyle Visser (211-C-85, agency: Octagon, college: Wake Forest) and reached the NCAA sweet 16 in 2004. He played in Belgium the last two years at Verviers Perpinster and Dexia Mons Hainut. This season Gray is averaging 11,7ppg, 1,9rpg and 2,5apg.

Blake Schilb went to Loyola University and won the league and cup title last season with Nymburk. He is averaging 13,0ppg, 4,2rpg and 2,9apg. Slovenian Goran Jagodnik (202-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) is the most experienced Nymburk player starting his career in 1991. He has played many years in Poland and Slovenia, but also played for Russian elite club Dynamo Moscow. He is a five time Polish allstar and took part in the 95, 97 and 99 European Championship for Slovenia. This season he is averaging 11,5ppg, 4,0rpg, and 1,2apg. 27 year old Czech power forward Petr Benda (203-F/C-82, agency: Court Side) is averaging 10,0ppg, 4,9rpg and 1,2apg. He has played in 42 International games in club play and is a good rebounder that can defend bigger opponents. 31 year old Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) is averaging 8,0ppg, 3,2rpg and 1,0apg. He has been with Nymburk since 2004 and has played 67 International games.

28 year old Radek Necas (204-F-80) is playing his second season in Nymburk and is averaging 4,6ppg, 4,0rpg and 1,7apg. He is a six time Czech allstar and is a solid rebounder, but an up and down shooter. 25 year old guard Matjei Venta is averaging 5,0ppg, 1,9rpg and 1,7apg. He reached the Uleb Cup final 2003 with Krka Telekom Novo Mesto. 28 year old 214cm Ales Chan (214-C-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Seton Hill) is responsible for making room in the zone and banging under the boards. He is averaging 4,4ppg and 2,2rpg. It will be interesting how Skyliner center Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City) handles the good post defense, shot blocking and the nice touch around the basket from Chan. 24 year old Pavel Slezak (185-G-84) is averaging 4,5ppg. German/Polish Robert Tomaszek (205-F-81, college: Texas Tech) may only be 28 years old, but he has experienced very much in his life. It started with going to Aspen high school in Aspen Colorodo, the St Moritz of the United States where one could bump into Arnold Schwarzenegger or Paris Hilton on main street or into Kate Hudson on the ski slopes. He then visited Eastern Wyoming and Texas Tech University before heading back to Europe. He played two seasons with the Eisbaren Bremerhaven and also played for Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne. He is an aggressive, but average defender. 27 year old Michel Kremen is averaging 3,7ppg and 1,8rpg. He has played for Nymburk since 2006.

Exhibition games are always useful for testing things that you might not normally do in a league game and simply working on things that need to get better. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have played strong and mostly consistent basketball in the last weeks winning five of six games. Nymburk will be a very competitive team as they are getting ready to play the semi final of the Czech playoffs. Frankfurt showed how dangerous their offensive game can be against Alba Berlin and have played consistent defense for most of the season holding teams to under 60 points 12 times. Pat Riley always stressed that winning championships can be done with top defense. If Frankfurt can really get their offense going complimented with their feisty defense, then they could make noise in the playoffs. Ilian Evtimov loves movies and offers a parallel of how the Frankfurt defense will need to be in the down stretch with two movies. 'There are two movies of how I could compare our future defense being like. In the movie The Patriot, it is about a bunch of guys that never give up and that is how we have to play. In the movie Braveheart, they fought for freedom and fought until the end never giving up. That is the mentality that we have to have on defense never giving up', stressed Skyliner Ilian Evtimov. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners host Nymburk May 4th in an exhibition game at their training facility BCM at 19:00. <<>><<>>

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  GREECE   


Standings - A2
A2 Standings
 1. Ilysiakos 22-5 
 2. DASH Perist. 22-5 
 3. Dafni 20-7 
 4. Iraklis 17-10 
 5. Near East 16-11 
 6. Rethymno 16-11 
 7. HSBC Pagrati 13-14 
 8. Apollon 13-14 
 9. KAOD 12-15 
 10. ICBS 12-15 
 11. Xanthi 11-16 
 12. Olimpias 10-17 
 13. Ermis L. 10-17 
 14. Panerythrai. 9-18 
 15. Keravnos Aigio 9-18 
 16. MENT 4-23 


Barcelona at the third place! - by Eurobasket News
Barcelona entered the game with a bigger will and leaded with 14-4 and 19-8 later, taking advantage of its inside game through Daniel Santiago (216-C-76, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) (7 points). The Reds achieved to reduce at three points, with a 11-3 serie, (19-22) after Thodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) entered the game transimitting a concentration in his team's game. The first period ended at 19-26 for Barcelona.

This 4-0 Spanish serie extended to 9-0 two minutes after the beginning of the second period (19-31), after the consecutive mistakes of the Reds, of which Barca took advantage in its fast breaks. And then even more: 15-0 (19-37) while Olympiacos at this time (6:08 minutes) did not even score a single point. The difference reached even the 21 points for Barcelona (23-44) with 1:56 remaining, before Olympiacos making a 7-0 serie to reduce it to 14 (30-44). The half time's score, 30-46, was quite normal according to its whole picture; the Reds' players were obviously out of the field, very disappointed. The percentages were a proof: 10/33 while the Spanish ones were 16/28. And, it should also be mentioned that Olympiacos had Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) and Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) with 3 fouls.

The second half seemed to be different. At least at its six first minutes. It was the time that the Reds decided to play basketball; they reduced the difference at 8 points (46-54 and 48-56) due mainly to Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) (12 points) and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) (16 points). At that time, though, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) and Roger Grimau scored 3p shots and the difference at the end of the third period was shaped again at 15 points (58-73) although it was even bigger before (52-69).

The last period had therefore nothing interesting. Both teams tried some plays, having their interest at their domestic champioships. The final 79-95 was just a reflection that Barcelona wanted the third place more than Olympiacos; and it took it

Olympiacos: Thodoros Papaloukas 8, Pelekanos 3, Nikola Vujcic 12, Milosevic, Giannis Bourousis 17, Halperin , Lynn Greer 19, Vougioukas, Giorgos Printezis 4, Erceg 11, Teodosic 5,
Barcelona: Basile 3, Barret 4, Trias 5, Barton 6, Jaka Lakovic 14, Juan Carlos Navarro 14, David Andersen (212-C-80) 20, Vazquez 3, Daniel Santiago 10, Roger Grimau 5, Sada 4, Ilyasova 7

A2: Week 27 Round Up - by Chris Mammides

The most wanted road win succeeded by Stergios Koufos team, Ilysiakos beat Peristeri with 75-79 and right now the two teams are (most probably) the teams which will be participating in the A1 league. Ilysiakos was more solid and focused in the most crucial game of the season. At the same time It seems that for another season, Dafni will simply remain in the third position as last night after two extra times lost the game in METS against the team of Pagrati.
Further to the three top positions the battle in the bottom line is still on as Keravnos Aigio succeeded the road win in Patras against Apollon with 83-86 and at the same time Olympiada Patras succeeded the road win in Thessaloniki against the team of ICBS with 59-60 while Rethymno beat easily the team of Ermis Lagkada and made the overall situation in the relegation zone even more complicated. MENT has already relegated while there are four teams with the same chances to be relegated as Keravnos Aigiou, Panerythraikos, Olympiada Patras and Ermis Lagkada will fight until the very last minute.
The results and the scorers are as follows:

.

Peristeri - Ilysiakos 75-79
Quarters: 19-18, 35-37, 54-60, 75-79.
Peristeri: Despos 14, Moshovitis 13, Lewis 14, Bucci 13
Ilysiakos: Karydas 16, Athanasoulas 14, Stelios Ioannou (200-F-87) 18

Pagrati - Dafni 74-71
Quarters: 13-17, 22-32, 40-47, 52-52 , First OT 65-65, Second OT 74-71.
Pagrati: Koukas 15, Voulgaris 15, Costas Mahairas (205-C-85) 18
Dafni: Kakiouzis 14, Kerasovitis 19, Gizogiannis 13

Xanthi - Iraklis 76-74
Quarters: 23-19, 46-39, 62-53, 76-74.
Xanthi: Ivan Jelenic (190-G-85) 27, Koukouravas 13
Iraklis: Christou 19, Daniel 13

Near East - Panerythraikos 90-79
Quarters: 19-16, 48-35, 66-53, 90-79.
Near East: Papantoniou 15, Dimos Fotiou (197-F-82) 24, Koutroulias 19
Panerythraikos: Psathas 17

Rethymno - Ermis Lagkada 79-66
Quarters: 21-13, 36-22, 52-48, 79-66.
Rethymno: Kostas Kakaroudis (204-C-83) 23, Panagiotopoulos 16
Ermis: Nisiotis 16, Dimitriadis 13

ICBS - Olympiada Patras 59-60
Quarters: 9-14, 27-34, 40-49, 59-60.
ICBS: Kourtis 17, Sivorotka 13
Olympiada Patras: Dimitris Spanoulis (192-G-79) 19, Georgaros 13.

Apollon Patras Keravnos Aigiou 83-86
Quarters: 21-26, 38-42, 55-57, 83-86.
Apollon Patras: Koronidis 24, Lianos 17, Georgitsis 24
Keravnos: Amato 18, Kostas Kefalas (185-F-81) 27, Orfanos 22

MENT - KAOD 82-90
Quarters: 16-24, 37-44, 59-75, 82-90.
MENT : Benas 16, Tzakopoulos 17, Makris 15.
KAOD: Kartelo 16, Zupic 23, Kitsoulis 14, Rodostoglou 24



Sunday at Berlin and O2 arena; before the game of the third place - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Eurobasket.com is for another day at O2 arena at Berlin in order to transmit you everything happening here. The game between Olympiacos and Barcelona will open today's program and the big final, the repetition of 2007's final, between Panathinaikos and CSKA will follow. At about 10 minutes the first game will begin with two teams almost upset from the Friday's result. Olympiacos has many players off its today's roster, since Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84, agency: FCM) still faces the known problem with his back (which may need a surgery), Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford) faces an injury after the semi-final (at a last moment's news, he stated that he does not still know whether he will stay at Piraeus next year, since money is not everything and he is very disappointed after the last result). Few fans are at the arena, with the most of them supporting Panathinaikos.

Barcelona at the third place! - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Barcelona entered the game with a bigger will and leaded with 14-4 and 19-8 later, taking advantage of its inside game through Daniel Santiago (216-C-76, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) (7 points). The Reds achieved to reduce at three points, with a 11-3 serie, (19-22) after Thodoros Papaloukas (200-G-77, agency: Interperformances) entered the game transimitting a concentration in his team's game. The first period ended at 19-26 for Barcelona.

This 4-0 Spanish serie extended to 9-0 two minutes after the beginning of the second period (19-31), after the consecutive mistakes of the Reds, of which Barca took advantage in its fast breaks. And then even more: 15-0 (19-37) while Olympiacos at this time (6:08 minutes) did not even score a single point. The difference reached even the 21 points for Barcelona (23-44) with 1:56 remaining, before Olympiacos making a 7-0 serie to reduce it to 14 (30-44). The half time's score, 30-46, was quite normal according to its whole picture; the Reds' players were obviously out of the field, very disappointed. The percentages were a proof: 10/33 while the Spanish ones were 16/28. And, it should also be mentioned that Olympiacos had Giannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) and Giorgos Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) with 3 fouls.

The second half seemed to be different. At least at its six first minutes. It was the time that the Reds decided to play basketball; they reduced the difference at 8 points (46-54 and 48-56) due mainly to Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances) (12 points) and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) (16 points). At that time, though, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) and Roger Grimau scored 3p shots and the difference at the end of the third period was shaped again at 15 points (58-73) although it was even bigger before (52-69).

The last period had therefore nothing interesting. Both teams tried some plays, having their interest at their domestic champioships. The final 79-95 was just a reflection that Barcelona wanted the third place more than Olympiacos; and it took it

Olympiacos: Thodoros Papaloukas 8, Pelekanos 3, Nikola Vujcic 12, Milosevic, Giannis Bourousis 17, Halperin , Lynn Greer 19, Vougioukas, Giorgos Printezis 4, Erceg 11, Teodosic 5,
Barcelona: Basile 3, Barret 4, Trias 5, Barton 6, Jaka Lakovic 14, Juan Carlos Navarro 14, David Andersen (212-C-80) 20, Vazquez 3, Daniel Santiago 10, Roger Grimau 5, Sada 4, Ilyasova 7

Panathinaikos added his fifth European star - by Chris Mammides

Panathinaikos beat CSKA 73-71 and won his fifth European title! Panathinaikos and its players broke quite a number of records with this title. Firstly, Alvertis Fragiskos is the player with 5 European titles while the Serbian super coach Zeljko Obradovic , is the coach who succeeded to win the European title with four different teams increasing his personal record to six European titles and became the 'Lord of the rings' of the European Basketball. Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) became the first ever player who wins Euroleague title with three different teams (Barcelona, Maccabi Tel Aviv twice, and now Panathinaikos).

Panathinaikos becomes the third team in Europe in the trophy list after Real Madrid (8 titles) and CSKA (6 titles). Panathinaikos won five titles in the last 13 years an unbelievable record for a team which comes from such a small country such as Greece.



GREENS ARE THE NEW CHAMPIONS - by Kostas Papadopoulos
And here is the final!!! Incredible beginning by CSKA; 12-7 four minutes in the game with 6/8 shots while Panathinaikos has already made two mistakes. Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) at 7 points from Greens' nine later (9-12). And with Pekovic and Nicholas at 13-12. The Greens want to hit from inside the paint and although CSKA found ways to defense initially then the whole situation changed. And the serie had not stopped; 10-0 and the score at 17-12 while the Green fans are in an ecstasy. Finally the Russians found some solutions, mainly with Holden, and the period ended at 21-16. CSKA found a lot of difficulties in the last five minutes. It should be mentioned its 0/4 3p shots. Siskauskas almost invisible, just as Smodis (no scoring).
At the first 3:27 minutes of the second period Panathinaikos dominated. With two consecutive successive 3p shots from Jasikevicius and Diamantidis and a basket from Nicholas it took a 12 point difference (31-19) and the Russians seemed incapable to stop the Green 'tsunami', which palys without his clear center (Pekovic) but with Batiste and Tsartsaris who give it the chance to run even faster. At that time CSKA committed three turnovers. The difference edged even the 15 points (36-21), with 2:32 remaining after another successful 3p shot from Diamantidis. At that time, CSKA (in 7:28 minutes had scored only 5 points). But it was not the biggest yet; 17 points later, and 20 at the buzzer, after four more 3p shots by Fotsis, Vassilis Spanoulis, Jasievicius and Nicholas (48-28). That was the final score of this incredible first half.
And it was so since Panathinaikos had 7/10 successful 3p shots at the second period, while CSKA did not score a single one in throughout the whole half. The Greens run a lot, Siskauskas had only one basket,just like Smodis and Langdon and only Holden fought with his 12 points. Obradovic was the dominator while his friend Messina seemed that he had to hear his wife complaining him again.
The third period began at the same exactly tempo: a 3p shot from Jasikevicius (51-28). A 5-0 serie brought the Russians to 18 points (51-33) then but the Greens responded with their 5-0 and another 3p shot from Fotsis; 10/17 their percentage. 7-0 then again for the Russians (56-40) with 3:30 remaining, which, at last with their first successful 3p shot, was extended to 10-0 by Langdon. The explanation? Messina at last changed his defense system, abandoning the zone. Obradovic took a time-out but the Russians have returned (?). Three lost offenses for the greek team but the Russians did not succeed in a single one; only in a free throw (56-44). But Panathinaikos fourth consecutive lost offense brought CSKA even closer. 56-46, with the serie extended to 13-0. the third period ended at this 10 point difference, with Panathinaikos not having scored for 6 whole minutes.
And the serie went up to 15-0 (56-50) 1:55 after the beginning of the last period. The game has restarted for sure!!! Fotsis broke it with his third 3p shot (59-50). Perperoglou's 6 consecutive points brought the difference again to 13 points (65-52) with 5:38 remaining. But a 8-0 serie brought the Russians again to 5-point difference (65-60). Which was reduced even more after a successful 3p shot from Khryapa (70-66), 40,9 seconds before the end. He lost though two crucial free throws immediately after, but Diamantidis made a mistake. Siskauskas succeeded in another 3p shot for the point-difference (70-69) 26,2 sec. for the end. Diamantidis won the foul, scored the two free throws (72-69), Siskauskas in his owns (72-71), Jasikevicius lost though one (73-71) and CSKA had 5,8 seconds to attack. Siskauskas lost the 3p shot and the GREENS ARE THE NEW CHAMPIONS

Panathinaikos: Vassilis Spanoulis 13, Perperoglou 6, Batiste 6, Fotsis 13, Nicholas 7, Tsartsaris 2, Diamantidis 10, Pekovic 6, Jasikevicius 10
CSKA: Smodis 9, Siskauskas 13, J.R. Holden 14, Langdon 13, Kaun 3, Khryapa 9, Zisis, Lorbek 5, Planinic 5, Morris

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  GUATEMALA   


SAT overwhelms Elite Sport and remains undefeated at Liga Metro - by Victor Padilla
With a 98-81 convincing victory over the Elite Sport, SAT Cybertech proved once more that is in serious business towards claiming this year's Torneo de Apertura as theirs, as they did just a year ago. Oscar Salguero (196-F-87), with 24 points, led his team at the offensive end with his characteristic strong play in the paint. But the support from his teammates was more than evident as 5 other players (Amaya, Samayoa, Padilla, Cano and Rosales) scored double digits against an Elite Sport's defense that could not stop neither the winners' post play or their perimeter shooting, an area where they scored nine 3-pointers, most of them in the second half of the game, against only five from last year's champions. This last fact is indeed surprising, as Elite Sport is dominant in their 3-point shooting offensive. But surely SAT's defense is to claim merit in shutting down key players like Jose Luis Burbano (186-G/F-85) and Alejandro Carrillo (191-F-88), which scored only 10 and 9 points each, leaving a lonely Mynor Aquino (175-G-90) take the charge for his team with 19 points in a brave and comendable effort. Now It is yet to see how the configuration for the Final Four will end. This final round is scheduled to start on May 9th, and these two teams are surely to meet again. But a word of warning for all: High seeded, D-Team is ending strong this Qualifiying Round, so fans of all three favorite teams must remain vigilant to cheer their own towards the championship of this first semester of the year.

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  HOLLAND   


FEB Results: Semifinals FEB Playoffs - by Sanders Jackson

This weekend in Game #1 of the FEB semifinals, both defending Dutch champion Eclipse Jet/MyGuide and Eiffel Towers got the job done in Game #1 at home, with Eclipse Jet/MyGuide breaking away from feisty West-Brabant Giants late in the 4th quarter to win, and Eiffel Towers prevailing over Hanzevast Capitals.

Saturday in the Sporthallen-Zuid, Eclipse Jet/MG found themselves in a dogfight vs. West-Brabant Giants, were down most of the 1st half until in the 3rd quarter, when they took a 47-45 lead that gave them the lead for good, winning finally 84-72. Eclipse Jet/MG finally found some breathing room with 3 minutes remaining after a Peter Van Paassen (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) basket that gave Eclipse Jet/MG a 68-59 lead. From then on the Giants had no more chance. Orien Greene (193-G-82, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: La-Lafayette) led Eclipse Jet/MG with 17 pts. and 5 assists, with van Paassen and Teddy Gipson (193-G/F-80, agency: 540 Sports, college: Arkansas) adding 16 pts. each. Aaron Johnson (203-F-83, college: N.Mexico) led the Giants with 16 pts. and 10 rebounds. Game #2 will be in Bergen-op-Zoom on Tuesday night.


In the Maaspoort in the Eiffel Towers-Hanzevast Capitals matchup, after a close 1st quarter, Eiffel built a comfortable margin in the 2nd quarter thanks to a 15-2 run, and did not panic when faced with a strong Hanzevast 3rd quarter run, not relinquishing the lead en route to winning 70-62. Eiffel's 15-2 run was fueled by the strong efforts of Anthony Richardson (201-F-83, agency: 540 Sports, college: Florida St.) and Larry Abney (206-F/C-77, college: Fresno St.). Eiffel would lead 40-31 at halftime. In the 2nd half, Hanzevast would come twice to one point, to 44-43 with 3:09 remaining after a Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side), and with 5:31 remaining in regualtion after a Torey Thomas (180-G-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Holy Cross) three-pointer to make it 59-58 for Eiffel, but unfortunately could not get over the hump. Eiffel managed to hold the fort with big baskets and Richardson making a difference inside with strong rebounding. Eiffel did well in crunch time making free throws with PG Dean Oliver (180-G-78, college: Iowa) making 4 of 4. Richardson led all scorers with 24 pts., with Abney snatching down 15 rebounds. Thomas led Hanzevast with 15 pts. Game #2 is Tuesday night in Groningen.



Standings - Promotie Divisie
Prom.Divisie Standings
 1. MyGuide 2 23-3 
 2. MSV 22-4 
 3. Landstede 2 17-9 
 4. Gorinchem 17-9 
 5. BV Rooi 15-10 
 6. Initial H5 14-12 
 7. Leiden 2 12-14 
 8. Groene 11-15 
 9. Akrides 10-16 
 10. Punch 10-16 
 11. Red Giants 10-16 
 12. EBBC 10-16 
 13. Cangeroes 5-21 
 14. Pigeons 5-21 


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  IBL   


Lightning ride Murray's 26 to season-opening win - by Serafim Karaiskakis
Lamond Murray (6'7''-F-73, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: California) tossed in 26 points with eight rebounds Saturday night, leading the Los Angeles Lightning to a 108-102 pro basketball victory over the Edmonton Energy.

Ronell Mingo added 18 points and eight boards for the Lightning, who captured their IBL season opener at Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Sports Arena. Fred Vinson and Bryon Russell chipped in with 16 apiece while Phil Givens had 12 points in 14 minutes.

The Lightning led by nine, 97-88, with 6:21 left but the Energy rallied to cut the margin to 103-100 on shot in the lane by Skouson Harker. Murray drew a foul on a 3-point try with 1:10 to go and made all three free throws.

Murray, a 6-7 forward, canned 7-of-15 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and 9-10 from the free-throw line.

The Energy nailed 8-11 from 3-point range in the first quarter and L.A. fell behind 45-27 in the second period. Vinson started an 11-0 run with a 19-footer and capped it with a 3-pointer.

L.A. finished the half on a 24-7 run, shaving the deficit to one (52-51). Murray gave the Lightning its first lead at 53-52 on two free throws to open the third quarter.

'It felt pretty good for the first game, even though I got here late,' said Murray, a former first-round NBA pick of the L.A. Clippers. 'We have a lot of young guys on this team and the veterans have come in and set a good example.

'We're older but we still have some game left.'

State Senator Tony Strickland, a former WhittierCollege standout, entered the game to rousing applause with 6:43 to go in the third quarter. Two minutes later, he canned a 15-footer from the right side on his only attempt.

Kamran Sufi had 12 assists for the Lightning. Harker led the Energy (0-1) with 17 points.

The same teams will battle on Sunday at Cal Luthernan with tip time set for 5:30 p.m.

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  IRELAND   


Neptune : Each One Teach One Coaching Seminar. - by Li Zhang
Each One Teach One :

All roads lead to Cork and The Neptune Stadium at Blackpool this Summer (July 15th 16th ,17th & 18th) as Coach ,s converge for what is sure to be the highlight of the off-season coaching wise at Neptune ,s Each One Teach One Coaching Seminar. With a new and vibrant club committee recently installed Ireland ,s most successful club is charting a new course towards even more success.

Featured coach ,s at Each One Teach One Include C W Post ,s Jim Cluess , former Neptune, and Ireland Women,s coach Sasa Puntesevac , former Star and Ireland Men , s Danny Fulton who is making a return to Superleague this season , with more names to follow. (comprehensive biographies to follow also). Topics to be covered can include Organization and Training Schedules and Bench Coaching.

Players too with the goal of playing at Neptune 09/10 season may be interested as several Superleague Coach ,s will be in attendance. It may also be possible for these players to help out during Coaching sessions.

A minimum cover charge is applicable for this not to be missed get together at The Stadium.
For further enquiries E-mail : neptuneb@eircom.net or Call club Secretary Mr Cathal O Flaherty at +353 87 2389778

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  ISRAEL   


Premier L. Round: 2 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Jerusalem - Ironi Nahariya 92-79
Omar Sneed (196-F/C-76, college: Memphis) poured in 28 points and grabbed 9 boards to lead Jerusalem to the second consecutive win over Ironi Nahariya. Sharon Shason provided 19 points for the victors. Ron Lewis exploded with game-high 39 points for Nahariya.

Hapoel Holon - Galil Gilboa 63-61
Hapoel Holon nearly wasted a 12-point halftime advantage before eking out a tough home win over Galil Gilboa. Brian Tolbert (188-G-74, agency: Ronsport, college: E.Michigan) scored 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for Hapoel Holon. Uri Kokia contributed 13 points and 9 boards for the winners. Brian Roberts responded with 15 points for the visitors.

Maccabi T-A - Ashkelon 86-69
Maccabi Tel-Aviv bounced back after the starting loss to Ashkelon claiming a home win in the second game. Lior Eliyahu (205-F-85, agency: ZAG Advocates) provided 20 points to pace the hosts. Marcus Brown added 17 points in the victory. Rahshon Turner and CJ Bruton produced 12 points each in defeat.

Macc.Haifa - Bnei Hasharon 75-71
Davon Jefferson (203-F-86, college: USC) knocked down 21 points and grabbed 11 boards to lead Haifa to the first win in the series against Bnei Hasharon. Doron Perkins added 17 points, 11 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Bnei Hasharon responded with 20 points and 8 rebounds from Ira Newble.

National League Round: 1 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Bar.Netanya - Hod Hasharon 89-76
Netanya earned a comfortable home win over Hod Hasharon to surge ahead in the semifinal series. Tony Washam (198-F/G-82, college: St.Vincent) knocked down 25 points and pulled down 9 rebounds to lead the winners. Eliran Gueta had 19 points for Netanya. Hod Hasharon responded with 19 points from Oded Brandwein.

Hap.Afula - Lev Hashar. 82-89
Lev Hasharon opened the semifinal series with a road win over Hapoel Afula. Amit Simhon (197-G-89) stepped off the bench to nail 28 points for the visitors. Adrian Uter provided 17 points and 12 board for Lev Hasharon. Dennis Carr and Ilan Nenikashvili netted 21 points apiece for Hapoel Afula in the loss.

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  IVORY COAST   


Top referees, match commissioners goes to school in Abidjan - by Olusegun Ikuesan
From this Tuesday through Friday, Cote dIvoire Basketball Federation, FIBB will play host to FIBA graded referees and match commissioners from the African continent for a 4-day refresher course ahead its major championship this year.

According to a release the Secretariat of the continental ruling body, FIBA Africa signed by the Secretary General Dr. Alphonse Bile, the Ivorian federation will provide all the needed logistics for the course while each of the referee and match commissioner are to pay a course fee of $400 which covers their accommodation and course fee.

The working languages for the course are English and French.

In conformity with the conditions required by the Technical Commission of FIBA Africa the candidates to the clinic shall be the international Referee (Except the successful candidates of 2008 clinics).

Exceptionally cases can be allowed only to the Zone Referees (37 year old maximum) of countries which do not have international referees upon a request by their National Federation.

At the end of the clinic, a Theoretical, Oral and Practical exam with Physical Test will be organized under the supervision of the experts to ascertain the fitness level of each the referees while the match commissioners are only to write a theoretical and oral examination.

Each participant is expected to send the registration form signed by his/her federation to FIBA Africa with copy to the organizing federation, FIBB. The candidates shall provide a copy of their international passport and three full sized passport photographs to the local organizing committee of the clinic.

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  JAPAN   


Evessa, First to Advance to Final Four - by John Scribe
Moriguchi, Osaka--

With the Ryukyu Golden Kings and Hamamatsu Phoenix making a run during the regular season, it seemed easy for everyone to assume that the Osaka Evessa was through with its reign as the four-year leagues first dynasty.
The three-time and only BJ League Champions proved that once again, they are not to be undone and won its first round series against the Takamatsu Arrows in three games this weekend at Moriguchi Gymnasium in Osaka. The Evessa won its series 2-1, as they defeated the Arrows 88-81 on Saturday and lost its second game in a 88-64 blow out, sunday.
In game one, Osakas Japanese players Jun Nakanishi and Shota Konno came up big as they scored 18 points and 19 points, respectively. Konno, a scarcely used shooting guard, replaced veteran Naoto Nakamura, whose been nagged by injuries. Konno have taken advantage of his opportunity to score double figures in the last two games, and showed up big in his first major playoff appearance.
In game two, Takamatsu used a balanced attack and tenacious defense to shut down both Nakanishi and Kouno to five points combined. They were also successful in holding Lynn Washington to only 14 points. All-Star Gordon James and Yu Okada lead the scoring for the Arrows as they rallied to tie the series.
This season, the BJ League have instituted a new, 10-minute game of two-5 minute quarters to serve as the third and tie-breaking game, after the conclusion of the second game.
In the final 10 minutes, Osakas Washington, the two-time League MVP went to work as he scored 16 points in the final two stanzas and ended Takamatsus playoff hopes early, with a dominating 31-17 win.
As a result, the Arrows take another early first round exit, like they did against Fukuoka in last seasons wildcard game.
On the other hand, Osaka will be advancing to the Final Four in Tokyo to meet up with this seasons favorite Ryukyu (Okinawa) to defend its crown.
The Evessa had a down year in the regular season, but they are proving that any league contender must go through them in the second season.
Game One:
Evessa 88-81Five Arrows

Leaders
Osaka:
Lynn Washington- 28 pts. 13 reb.
Shota Konno- 19 pts. 4 reb.
Jun Nakanishi- 18 pts. 2 ast. 3 reb.
Takamatsu:
Boubacar Camara- 30 pts. 10 reb.
Rasheed Sparks- 24 pts. 7 ast. 5 reb.
Gordon James- 18 pts. 11 reb.
Game Two:
Five Arrows 88-64 Evessa

Leaders
Takamatsu:
Gordon James- 19 pts. 12 reb.
Yu Okada- 15 pts. 6 ast. 5 reb.
Osaka:
Ryan Blackwell- 22 pts. 11 reb.
Lynn Washington- 16 pts. 7 reb.
Game Three:
Evessa 31-17 Five Arrows

Leaders
Osaka:
Lynn Washington- 16 pts. 7 reb.
Nile Murry- 7 pts. 2 reb. 2 ast.
Takamatsu:
Rasheed Sparks-6 pts. 4reb.
Boubacar Camara- 4pts. 6 reb.


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  LATVIA   


LBL Round: 2 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Barons/LMT - ASK Riga 88-85
Barons/LMT put ASK Riga on the brink of elimination claiming the second straight win in the semifinal series. Armands Skele (192-G-83, agency: Agency No 10) came up with an outstanding all-around performance tallying 26 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals for Barons/LMT. Kaspars Berzins nailed 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the winners. Raitis Grafs answered with 25 points for ASK/Riga. Ernests Kalve finished with 22 points in the loss.

VEF Riga - Ventspils 79-84
Ventspils earned a 2-0 lead on VEF Riga after claiming a road success. Bernard King (196-G-81, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Texas A&M) scored 19 points, while Ronalds Zakis added 13 for Ventspils to take a comfrotable lead in the semis. Jurijs Aleksejevs responded with 17 points for VEF Riga.

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  LITHUANIA   


FMP win Nike International Junior Tournament - by Eurobasket News
FMP - Lietuvos Rytas 123:110

Serbian FMP became the junior Euroleague champions for the second straight time! They defeated Lithuanian Lietuvos Rytas in the Grand Final that took place in O2 Arena in Berlin earlier today. Dejan Musli (212-C-91) knocked down 31 points and grabbed impressive 17 rebounds to lead junior FMP squad. Filip Duran provided 23 points for the winners. Mantas Kadzevicius (193-G-91) responded with 25 points for Lietuvos Rytas.
FMP wasted little time taking a 34:28 after the opening frame. Lietuvos Rytas slowed the Serbian down in the second stanza but could not get any closer. FMP arrived at halftime leading by 8 points. The decisive third quarter was marked by FMP dominance as the Serbian youngsters stretched the margin to 17 points and never looked back en route to the success.
Branislav Dekic nailed 20 points and pulled down 6 rebounds for FMP. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Lietuvos Rytas in defeat.
FMP took care of Alba Berlin, Unicaja and Montepaschi Siene to pave the way into the championship game. Lietuvos Rytas was simply unstoppable in the preliminary round as they thrashed Gran Canaria and Olimpia Ljubljana. The Lithuanian team also eked out a 74:71 win over the last seasons finalist Hemofarm.
Dejan Musli was trumped the first ever two-time MVP of the tournament.

FMP: Dejan Musli 31, Filip Duran 23, Branislav Dekic 20
Lietuvos Rytas: Mantas Kadzevicius 25, Jonas Valanciunas 22+13 boards

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  LUXEMBOURG   


Etzella destroys Sparta by 25! Amicale bows out, ending season by edging Contern! - by Alex Meyers

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sparta 54 - Etzella 79

Bertrange, Luxembourg
Sparta was blown away by Etzella last Saturday evening in Bertrange. Smothering Etzella defense in the middle two quarters cost Sparta the 25 point loss. Nelson Delgado (185-G-80) and Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, agency: Interperformances, college: Montevallo) shared scoring honors with 18 points each. DelGado also grabbed 13 rebounds 2 steals and had 2 assists. Kennedy also had a double double with 10 rebounds and contributed 2 blocked shots, 3 steals and 3 asssists. Tim Giver helped out with 16 points. Etzella led by as many as 34 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. Larrie Smith (195-F-75, college: Tennessee Tech) was held to 11 points and 9 rebounds for Sparta. Pit Hoffmann had 2 blocked shots, 15 points and 11 rebounds. Again, Christian Wulff did not play. Sparta will not make the final four for the first time in a very long while Etzella is now the favorite for the title.

Sparta: 21 field goals, 3 three pointers, 9 for 16 free throws, 36 rebounds, 20 fouls and 16 turnovers
Smith 11, De Marchi 2, Hoffmann 15, Hublart 8, Evans 2, also Engel 6, Klein, Palumbo, Wulff, Wolzfeld, Wagner 5 and Nittler 6
Etzella: 27 field goals, 7 three pointers, 18 for 23 free throws, 46 rebounds, 17 fouls and 10 turnovers
N. DelGado 18, Kennedy 18, J. DelGado 9, Giver 16, Schroeder 6, also Albaladejo 4, Benseghir 0, E. Ferreira 7, Garganese 1 and Wilson 0

Score by quarters: 1st Q 14-21, Halftime 20-39, 3rd Q 30-64, Final 54-79
415 Spectators



Amicale 82 - Contern 78


Steinsel, Luxembourg

Amicale lept out to a 14 point 1st quarter lead and let Contern back into the game just before the half. In a game meaningless for Amicale other than pride, they seemed focused and determined to play spoiler and continued to fight to the end. By the end of the 3rd period, Contern pulled to within 1 point. It was a tight race to the finish with Amicale taking the slight edge notching their final win and ending their season at 16-12. Contern, with the loss, now has to play T71 in the semi-final best of 3 series with a home court advantage as they finished in second place. Forward/Center Michael Tuck (201-F-83, college: Loyola, MD), replacement player for Travis DePree, scored 26 points to lead the winners from Steinsel. Raul Birenbaum and Chris Scholtes added 12 points each, followed by Tom Rausch with 10 points. For Contern, Brandon Gary (202-F-83, agency: Passing Lane, college: Hutchinson CC) and Ken Diederich each scored 26.


Amicale: 29 field goals, 5 three pointers, 19 for 25 free throws, 18 fouls
Rausch 10, Ney 4, Tuck 26, Schartz 8, Scholtes 12, also Jones 4, Haan 6, and Birenbaum 12
Contern: 26 field goals, 10 three pointers, 16 for 21 free throws, 20 fouls

Becker 4, Fasbender 0, Jeitz 9, Diederich 26, Gary 26, also Torres Dos Santos 6, Bissener 4 and Braun 3


Technical fouls: 37' and 40' Becker(Con); Fouled out: 40' Becker(Con)
Score by quarters: 1st Q 27-14, Halftime 40-36, 3rd Q 58-57, Final 82-78
210 Spectators



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  NBA   


Hawks won first Game 7 ever played in Atlanta, advance to semis - by Eurobasket News
The final blowout went to Atlanta, so it's the Hawks who'll get a shot at LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A series totally devoid of drama ended in appropriate fashion. After a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with Atlanta ahead 20-18, the Hawks pulled out to a 49-36 lead by halftime.

They might as well have started the celebration right then. There were only 15 lead changes in seven games -- not one of them after the opening period. Every game was decided by at least 10 points, and this one wasn't nearly as close as the final margin.

Joe Johnson (6'8''-F-81, college: Arkansas) got off to a sluggish start but came alive when the Hawks needed him. His most dramatic shot was a long 3-pointer over Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) from out near Atlanta's winged logo at center court, which left the Miami star standing there with a look of disbelief.

The Hawks turned the contest into a laugher in the final quarter. Flip Murray hit a 3-pointer to give Atlanta its biggest lead, 85-66, and both teams cleared their benches in the closing minutes as Miami's reserves outplayed the home team's substitutions to make the end result somewhat respectable.

Things got ugly in the closing minutes while the Hawks fans chanted 'Hey, hey, hey, goodbye!' Zaza Pachulia (7'0''-C-84), who provided more quality minutes off the bench, drove to the hoop and was collared around the neck by Udonis Haslem. The Miami forward was tossed out of the game for a flagrant foul, while Atlanta coach Mike Woodson charged onto the court to make sure no punches were thrown.

The Hawks will need everyone for the Cavaliers, the top seed in the playoffs. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.

The Heat is done, their finale epitomized by Haslem's inglorious exit. He ripped off his jersey on the way to the locker room, throwing it into the crowd before he disappeared down the tunnel.

Still, it was quite a comeback season for Dwyane Wade and the Heat, who bounced back from a dismal 15-67 record to make the playoffs as the fifth seed in the East.

Dwyane Wade scored 31 points but the majority of those came after the Hawks had already built a comfortable lead. Bothered by back spasms throughout the series, he didn't have enough help from his young teammates to get through to a matchup against James in the second round.

Instead, it's the Hawks moving on. Red and silver streamers fell from the roof of Philips Arena as the horn sounded, celebrating the team's first playoff series win since a five-game triumph over Detroit in 1999. That team was swept by New York in the next round and then drifted into irrelevance, enduring nine straight losing seasons before this year's 47-35 mark was good enough for home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

A year ago, the Hawks learned the benefits of playing Game 7 at home. After taking the eventual NBA champion Celtics to the limit, Atlanta was blown out in the decisive game at Boston. This time, the Hawks got to play at home, and the doled out the same treatment to Miami.

Michael Bibby (6'2''-G-78, college: Arizona) might have been the Hawks most valuable player in the series. He scored 11 points, including a couple of 3s, and doled out six assists. He even stood up to Woodson when the coach complained about Josh Smith (6'9''-F-85) putting up an errant 3-pointer from the corner.

When Woodson called his point guard over, Bibby shot back with an expletive. 'Y'all tell him to move,' Bibby growled. Woodson simply turned away, rubbing his goattee and smiling slightly.

Josh Smith played well despite the occasional gaffe, finishing with 21 points and, as usual, a couple of thunderous dunks that brought the less-than-sellout crowd to its feet.

Michael Beasley (6'9''-F-89, college: Kansas St.) had 17 points and Haslem 14 -- the only other Miami players in double figures.

As if playing a Game 7 in Atlanta wasn't unusual enough, the Hawks actually won one for the first time since 1961 -- when the franchise was still in St. Louis. That Bob Pettit-led team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the decisive contest before losing to Boston in the finals.

Courtesy of www.sportsya.com

Nene leads Nuggets to 1-0 against Mavericks - by Eurobasket News
Hilario Nene (6'10''-C-82) kept the Denver Nuggets in it until his teammates could turn this one into another runaway.

Hilario Nene scored 18 of his career playoff-high 24 points in the first half and the Nuggets raced past the Dallas Mavericks 109-95 yesterday in the first day game in the Pepsi Center's 10-year history.

Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) scored 23 points, including a dunk off J.R. Smith's (6'6''-G-85) behind-the-back assist that rocked the arena in the closing minutes. Smith added 15 points, leading a bench that outscored Dallas' celebrated reserves 38-24 before both teams emptied their benches in the meaningless final minutes.

Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) led Dallas with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Howard (6'6''-F-80, college: Wake Forest), Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) and Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77, college: Arizona) each scored 15.

Game 2 is scheduled Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets have won 14 straight, including four in the playoffs. All four have been blowouts.

The Nuggets, who trailed by nine early, looked as if they were going to pull away late in the third period when their defense led to several fast-break baskets and an 81-72 lead.

But Antoine Wright's 26-foot 3-pointer to beat the shot clock jump-started the Mavericks, who pulled to 82-80 in the first minute of the fourth quarter when Terry hit a 3 and Nowitzki swished a fadeaway jumper.

The Nuggets responded with a 15-4 run that iced it.

It began with two free throws and a bucket from Chris Andersen and two fouls shots and a jumper from Anthony that make it 90-82.

From there on, it was the brand of basketball that the Nuggets have been playing all season, with Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) leading the way at both ends of the floor, blocked shots leading to fast-break baskets and 3-pointers that broke the Mavericks' spirit.

Howard, who missed two 11-game stretches this season with a bum left ankle and probably needs surgery, turned his right ankle in the second quarter when he got tangled up with Billups. He went to the locker room but returned before halftime.

Hilario Nene, whose career has been dogged by serious injuries and testicular cancer, played more minutes than ever this season and over the last month he really hit a wall. In Denver's five-game series against New Orleans in the first round, he averaged 9.0 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Courtesy of www2.journalnow.com

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  NEW ZEALAND   


Nelson handle Christchurch for top spot - by Eurobasket News
Nelson defeated Christchurch to overtake the leading position in the NBL ladder. Veteran Phill Jones (196-G-74) knocked down 32 points to lead the Giants to the very top of the classification. The victory marked an 8-2 record for Nelson, while the Cougars fell at 7-2.
The hosts were first to strike as they grabbed a 9:0 lead early in the game. Nelson continued their onslaught and secured a 24:11 advantage at the first intermission. The Cougars were able to slow the home team down in the second period. But the visitors could not trim the deficit trailing by as many as 14 points at halftime.
Nelson looked sloppy in the third stanza and the Cougars capitalized. Paul Henare (182-G-79) tied the score late in the frame and then Tim Behrendorff then gave Christchurch a 56:51 lead with a quarter remaining. Phill Jones hit two treys early in the fourth term to regain the lead for Nelson. Jones kept the hosts in charge and the Giants never surrendered the lead. Tony Rampton (213-C-76, college: Iowa St.) tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Giants. Jared Lloyd (194-G-82, college: Hope International) contributed 14 points in the victory. Gerard Bowden had 17 points for the Cougars. Trenton Wurtz (203-F-83, college: Indiana St.) and Paul Henare had 12 points apiece in defeat.

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  NIGERIA   


Top referees, match commissioners goes to school in Abidjan - by Olusegun Ikuesan
From this Tuesday through Friday, Cote dIvoire Basketball Federation, FIBB will play host to FIBA graded referees and match commissioners from the African continent for a 4-day refresher course ahead its major championship this year.

According to a release the Secretariat of the continental ruling body, FIBA Africa signed by the Secretary General Dr. Alphonse Bile, the Ivorian federation will provide all the needed logistics for the course while each of the referee and match commissioner are to pay a course fee of $400 which covers their accommodation and course fee.

The working languages for the course are English and French.

In conformity with the conditions required by the Technical Commission of FIBA Africa the candidates to the clinic shall be the international Referee (Except the successful candidates of 2008 clinics).

Exceptionally cases can be allowed only to the Zone Referees (37 year old maximum) of countries which do not have international referees upon a request by their National Federation.

At the end of the clinic, a Theoretical, Oral and Practical exam with Physical Test will be organized under the supervision of the experts to ascertain the fitness level of each the referees while the match commissioners are only to write a theoretical and oral examination.

Each participant is expected to send the registration form signed by his/her federation to FIBA Africa with copy to the organizing federation, FIBB. The candidates shall provide a copy of their international passport and three full sized passport photographs to the local organizing committee of the clinic.

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  PALESTINE   


Standings - Men
PBBA Standings
Gaza Group
 1. Gaza SC 4-1 
 2. Rafah 4-1 
 3. Khadamat B. 4-1 
 4. Khadamat DA. 2-3 
 5. Khadamat KY. 1-4 
 6. Khadamat J. 0-5 
West Bank Group
 1. Ibdaa D. 11-0 
 2. Sarriyet 10-1 
 3. Orthodox R. 9-2 
 4. Orthodox BJ 9-2 
 5. De La Salle 8-2 
 6. Qalandia 8-4 
 7. Hiteen 7-3 
 8. Al Ahli 7-4 
 9. Catholic A. 6-5 
 10. Ebal 5-5 
 11. AlBireh 4-6 
 12. Islami 4-7 
 13. Huwara 3-7 
 14. RaI AlSaleh 3-9 
 15. Thaqafi BS 2-9 
 16. Al Fara 2-9 
 17. Thaqafi T. 0-9 
 18. Balata 0-12 


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  PHILIPPINES   


Last games (4): Purefoods outsmarts Santa Lucia, first loss for San Miguel - by Eurobasket News

Santa Lucia - Purefoods 91-93
Purefoods grabbed tiny 93-91 victory so both teams now have 6-4 record (2nd/3rd place). Kerby Raymundo (199-C-81) stepped up for the winners with 19 points and 12 rebound. James Yap also was pretty close to double-double adding 17 pts and 7 rebs. Anthony Johnson responded with 26 pts and 16 boards in loss.

Talk N Text - Ginebra 90-97
Ginebra celebrated 97-90 once again mostly owing to David Noel (198-G/F-84, college: N.Carolina), who registered 21 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists. Billy Mamaril followed him with 18 pts and 10 rebs. Mark Cardona and Ranidel de Ocampo combined 41 pts in defeat. Both teams are on 5-5, together with Burger King.

Burger King - Bara ko Bull 99-89
Gary David (187-G/F-78) led the scorers in victory with 30, Arwind Santos had 22 points and 6 boards, while Shawn Daniels and Wynne Arboleda stopped on 10 pts each. Barako Bull got 20 pts from Carlo Sharma. Burger King 5-5, Barako Bull 2-8 (last place).

Rain or Shine - San Miguel 82-78
The box-score will be available soon. Rain or Shine 6-5, San Miguel 8-1.



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  POLAND   


PLK Round: 6 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
En.Czarni - PGE Turow 83-91
Dragisa Drobnjak notched 21 points to lead Turow Zgorzelec into DBE Finals. Damir Miljkovic (194-G-80) provided 14 points as Turow overcame Energa Czarni in the sixth encounter. Demetric Bennett answered with 18 points for brave Energa Czarni. Mateo Kedzo had 15 points in defeat.

Anwil - Asec.Prokom 63-86
Prokom entered DBE finals after they held off Anwil in the sixth game of the series. Qyntel Woods (204-F/G-81, college: N.Mississippi JC) tallied 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the reigning champions. Ronnie Burrell had 25 points and 12 boards in the victory. Paul Miller answered with 20 points and 6 rebounds for Anwil.

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  PORTUGAL   


Raposo in NBA draft - by Portugal Eurobasket
Fernando Raposo (206-F-89) declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA draft. The Pau-Orthez player - whose father is portuguese - can be the second portuguese player to attend the north american draft on June 25th after Joao Betinho Gomes did the same in 2007 although he wasn't chosen in the two rounds. Raposo plays forward/center, has 18 years old and was born in Stuttgart (Germany), becoming a great prospect in European basketball after 2007 when he won the French Cup in youths. He know plays in Pau-Orthez first team and former National Team coach Valentyn Melnychuk has traveled to France to watch the player two years ago.

Matt Nover is back - by Portugal Eurobasket
After losing Ricardo Hill due to suspension, Vagos has decided to sign Matt Nover (203-F/C-70, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Indiana) - a known center who used to play in Benfica, Aveiro Basket, Ovarense and Vagos last season - to give some leadership to the team that is facing tough problems in play-offs. Pedro Nuno, Hugo Mota and Nuno Silva are all injured and after Hill's suspension the team lost to Academica, having another chance today to draw the series. Nover is portuguese and practices sometimes with Vagos squad, having know the chance to help his teammates.

LPB Round: 2 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Benfica - Porto Ferpinta 54-58
Porto Ferpinta made it loud as they stunned Benfica on the road handing the hosts the first loss in the season. Christian Burns (203-F-85, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Philadelphia) came up with 21 points and 7 rebounds for Porto as they drew things level in the series. Joao Figueiredo added 18 points for the visitors. Seth Doliboa answered with 17 points and 8 rebounds for Benfica.

AD Vagos - Academica 76-82
Academica upset AD Vagos once again to pile up a 2-0 lead in the quarterfinal series. Manuel Johnson (201-F-83, agency: Court Side, college: Tex.A&M-Comm.) fired 23 points and 6 boards for Academica. Karlton Mims secured 19 points and 9 rebounds for the visitors. Joao Balseiro managed 21 points for AD Vagos in defeat.

CAB - VSC Guimar. 86-65
CAB Madeira scored the second straight win over Guimaraes as Bobby Madison (198-F-82, agency: Duran International, college: W.Michigan) netted 21 points. Lance Soderberg added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Donte Minter chipped in 17 points for Guimaraes.

Ovarense - Barreirense 80-76
Ovarense grabbed a 2-0 lead against Barreirense claiming the second win in a row. Gregory Stempin (203-F-79, agency: Duran International, college: Toledo) fired 21 points and grabbed 7 boards to lead Ovarense. John Waller provided 18 points in the winning case. Joao Santos replied with 18 points for Barreirense in defeat.

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  PUERTO RICO   


Last games (6) - Another very exciting week-end in BSN - by Eurobasket News
Guaynabo - Arecibo 80-91
Arecibo (4-3) grabbed this one mostly owing to Marcus Fizer (203-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa St.) and David Cortes, which drained 27 and 23 points respectively. Angel Figureoa also had very important role in this win registering double-double, 16 pts and 10 rebs. Carlos Escalera responded with 30 pts in loss, while Lee Benson collected 25 pts and 17 boards.

Santurce - Guaynabo 92-80
In the last game of the night, it was the Santurce Crabbers with a win over Guaynabo Conquistadors 92-80. Guaynabo took an early lead in the 1st quarter 29-18 but the Crabbers took over the lead in the 2nd quarter and maintained the Conquistadors at bay to get the win. For Santurce, Rick Apodaca (192-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency, college: Hofstra) scored 22 points followed by Ricardo Dalmau with 17 points. For Guaynabo Lee Benson with 28 points and 17 rebounds followed by Gabriel Muoneke with 18 points. (by Luis Ramirez)

Ponce - Caguas 101-102
The Ponce Lions have not had too much luck this year closing out games and fell to 2-5 last night as the Caguas Criollos beat the Lions with a buzzer beating shot 102-101. The game started out with the Criollos taking the 1st qtr 24-23 and they had a 7 point lead at the half 52-47. The Lions came out with determination in the 3rd quarter and took command of the game 76-71. This set up the stage for the nail biting win by the Criollos over the Lions. For the Caguas, Angel Vasallo (196-F-86, college: Virginia Tech) scored 26 points followed by Rafael Perez with 19 points. For Ponce, Lee Nailon scored 22 points and 13 rebounds followed by Bobby Joe Hatton with 21 points and 14 assists. (by Luis Ramirez)

Quebradillas - Humacao 106-100
Over at Humacao, the Quebradillas Pirates beat the Humacao Grays 106-100. It was Humacao who took the initial lead by taking the 1st quarter 27-22. The 1st half also ended in favor of the Grays 51-45, but in the 2nd half it was the Pirates who came out with a lot of determination and took command of the game, they held the Grays at bay during the 4th quarter to take the win. For Quebradillas, Shawn Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Arizona St.) scored 21 points followed by Marcus Williams with 20 points and 10 assists. For Humacao, David Monds scored 30 points and captured 16 rebounds while Ansel Guzman scored 25 points. (by Luis Ramirez)

San German - Ponce 85-80
Jesse Pellot-Rosa (193-G-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Va Commonwealth) and Ruben Wolkowisky stepped up for San German in this game combining 45 points. Omar Alvarado was the last one with double-digits in scoring - 11 pts. Ponce got double-double from Lee Nailon, 28 points and 15 rebounds. Ponce 2-5, San German 3-4.

Carolina - Humacao 100-93
5-2 for Carolina and 2-5 for Humacao after this game. Alejandro Carmona (194-G/F-83, agency: Next Level) once again was the most important player in Carolina collecting 25 points and 9 rebounds. Kennel Sanchez scored 18 and Angelo Reyes added 15 pts, plus 13 rebounds. Ansel Guzman delivered 28 pts in the loosing squad.

Lions lose another close game - by Luis Ramirez
The Ponce Lions have not had too much luck this year closing out games and fell to 2-5 last night as the Caguas Criollos beat the Lions with a buzzer beating shot 102-101. The game started out with the Criollos taking the 1st qtr 24-23 and they had a 7 point lead at the half 52-47. The Lions came out with determination in the 3rd quarter and took command of the game 76-71. This set up the stage for the nail biting win by the Criollos over the Lions.

For the Caguas, Angel Vasallo (196-F-86, college: Virginia Tech) scored 26 points followed by Rafael Perez with 19 points. For Ponce, Lee Nailon scored 22 points and 13 rebounds followed by Bobby Joe Hatton with 21 points and 14 assists.

Over at Humacao, the Quebradillas Pirates beat the Humacao Grays 106-100. It was Humacao who took the initial lead by taking the 1st quarter 27-22. The 1st half also ended in favor of the Grays 51-45, but in the 2nd half it was the Pirates who came out with a lot of determination and took command of the game, they held the Grays at bay during the 4th quarter to take the win. For Quebradillas, Shawn Redhage scored 21 points followed by Marcus Williams with 20 points and 10 assists. For Humacao, David Monds scored 30 points and captured 16 rebounds while Ansel Guzman scored 25 points.

In the last game of the night, it was the Santurce Crabbers with a win over Guaynabo Conquistadors 92-80. Guaynabo took an early lead in the 1st quarter 29-18 but the Crabbers took over the lead in the 2nd quarter and maintained the Conquistadors at bay to get the win. For Santurce, Rick Apodaca scored 22 points followed by Ricardo Dalmau with 17 points. For Guaynabo Lee Benson with 28 points and 17 rebounds followed by Gabriel Muoneke with 18 points.

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  ROMANIA   


Div.A Round: 2 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Otopeni - Timisoara 93-72
Otopeni cruised past Timisoara to tie the series at 1-1. Andrei Capusan (201-F-83, agency: Court Side, college: Lafayette) knocked down 24 points to lead Otopeni. LeVar Seals contributed 22 points for the winners. Nenad Markovic and Dan Paltinisanu responded with 15 points each for Timisoara.

CSU Atlassib - Ploiesti 78-75
CSU Atlassib narrowly defeated Ploiesti to take a huge step towards Division A Final. Cortney Scott (196-F-82, college: Oakland) nailed 19 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and made 5 steals to lead the hosts. Bryant Matthews added 16 points in the second straight win for Atlassib. Arvydas Cepulis responded with 23 points for Ploiesti. Darius Hargrove had 16 points in defeat.

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  SERBIA   


FMP win Nike International Junior Tournament - by Eurobasket News
FMP - Lietuvos Rytas 123:110

Serbian FMP became the junior Euroleague champions for the second straight time! They defeated Lithuanian Lietuvos Rytas in the Grand Final that took place in O2 Arena in Berlin earlier today. Dejan Musli (212-C-91) knocked down 31 points and grabbed impressive 17 rebounds to lead junior FMP squad. Filip Duran provided 23 points for the winners. Mantas Kadzevicius (193-G-91) responded with 25 points for Lietuvos Rytas.
FMP wasted little time taking a 34:28 after the opening frame. Lietuvos Rytas slowed the Serbian down in the second stanza but could not get any closer. FMP arrived at halftime leading by 8 points. The decisive third quarter was marked by FMP dominance as the Serbian youngsters stretched the margin to 17 points and never looked back en route to the success.
Branislav Dekic nailed 20 points and pulled down 6 rebounds for FMP. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Lietuvos Rytas in defeat.
FMP took care of Alba Berlin, Unicaja and Montepaschi Siene to pave the way into the championship game. Lietuvos Rytas was simply unstoppable in the preliminary round as they thrashed Gran Canaria and Olimpia Ljubljana. The Lithuanian team also eked out a 74:71 win over the last seasons finalist Hemofarm.
Dejan Musli was trumped the first ever two-time MVP of the tournament.

FMP: Dejan Musli 31, Filip Duran 23, Branislav Dekic 20
Lietuvos Rytas: Mantas Kadzevicius 25, Jonas Valanciunas 22+13 boards

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  SLOVENIA   


Liga UPC Round: 12 (Elimination Round, with box-scores) - by Eurobasket News
Elektra - Polzela 101-85
Balsa Radunovic scored 30 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, Dejan Cup (202-F/C-83) had 25 points on shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 10 rebounds and Nikola Ivanovic added 23 points and handed out 6 assists to lead Elektra Esotech to their first home win in League Play-Off. Elektra opened the game with a 16-3 run and went on a 21-5 run in the third period to take a lead 82-63. Hopsi led as many as 11 points in the second quarter and commited 21 turnovers. Nemanja Jelesijevic collected 18 points and 10 rebounds and Vladimir Anzulovic and Marko Samanic added 15 points each. (by Zeljko Zule)

Luka Koper - Zlatorog 71-72
Tadej Kostomaj drained a pair of free throws with 12 second left in overtime to lift Zlatorog to a 72-71 win. He finished with just 4 points, Vincent Hunter (208-F-84, college: Arkansas) had 21 points and 9 rebounds, Ante Masic scored 16 points and Uros Lucic collected 15 points and 11 rebounds. Koper extended their losing streak to 10 games. Drazen Bubnic posted 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Miha Cmer added 20 points. Slavku Duscak missed a potential game winning 3-point with a buzzer. (by Zeljko Zule)

U.Olimpija - Slovan 102-65
Olimpija never trailed and shot 63-percent from the field (37-of-59) including 68-percent (13-of-19) behind the arc. Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) recorded his fourth straight double-double with 20 points on shooting 8-of-9 and 10 rebounds, Marko Maravic scored 20 points and Saso Ozbolt added 17 points. Slovan's bench players scored just 6 points in the contest. Sasa Doncic finished with 18 points, Dejan Cigoja posted 15 and Zoran Dragic 12. (by Zeljko Zule)

Helios - Krka 75-60
Helios guaranted at least a second place finish in Regular Season with a win over direct rival Krka. Alvin Snow (187-G-81, college: E.Washington) netted 28 points, Matej Krusic 15 and Nicholas Jacobson 14 while Bojan Krivec led the guest with 16 points. Davor Marcelic added 15. (by Zeljko Zule)

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  SOUTH KOREA   


KCC Egis Hold Fourth Champion Trophy - by Bill Park

The KCC Egis head coach finally achieved their long-term hope, the champion trophy, by nailing the Samsung Thunders at the end of Game 7 in the best-of-seven Korean Basketball League (KBL) championship series, Friday in Jeonju.
The third ranked Egis, which allowed the last game as they lost two straight games in a row, blew out the fourth ranked Thunders 98-82.
The Thunders should be satisfied as a runner-up for two straight years.
The Jeonju based Egis veteran forward Choo Seung-gyun led their young and potent players with 24 points.
The 34-year-old, Choo, who set a new record with his team, Egis, by grabbing a fourth champion trophy in KBL history, was also selected the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the championship series.
The Egis rookie center Ha Seung-jin also aided recording double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Egis head coach Huh became the first basketballer who held the trophy as a player as well as head coach. Huh took the title in the 2002-2003 season with the TG Sambo - a predecessor of the Dongbu Promy.
During the first 19 minutes the Seoul based Thunders kept taking a lead over the home team.
The white jersey wearing Egis had few chances to reverse the game, however each chance was dissipated by the Egis own error or a Thunders' steal.
However, the Egis made their home fans wild with enthusiasm as they reversed the game 46-44 by their rookie guard Kang Byng-hyun's 3-point buzzer beater.
After The Egis changed the situation, the ascendant team started overwhelming the Thunders.
Though the Thunders import Terrence Leather, who was named top in the score and rebound race in the KBL regular season, scored 34 points, his brilliant performance was overshadowed by the team's defeat.


By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter


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  SPAIN   


LEB Gold, Round 32: Valladolid keeps the top - by Eurobasket News
Mallorca - La Palma 92-100
Both teams entered to this game with the same 12-19 record. La Palma grabbed it thanks to Sebastian Arrocha (180-G-76), who drained 26 points (6 triples). Martin Kohlmaier and Pedro Sala added 15 pts each. Carles Bivia also scored 6 triples (26 pts), but in defeat.

Cl.Rincon - Rosalia 88-84
Clinicas Rincon outplayed the last ranked Rosallia reaching 18-14 record. Paulo Prestes (210-C-88) shined with double-double, 28 pts and 11 rebounds, while Pablo Movilla helped with 15 pts and 5 as. Kammron Talor scored 25 for Rosallia.

Illescas - Alicante 50-67
Alicante was too strong for Illescas staying on the second place in LEB Gold, together with Melilla (23-9). Pedro Llompart (190-G-82) this time led the winners in scoring with 13 points. Dexter Lyons had one more for the hosts. They remain on the bottom of the standings with Rosallia (7-25).

Gandia Basq. - Melilla 80-95
Nice 15-point win for Melilla (23-9, same as Alicante). David Fergerson (184-G-78, college: St.Louis) and Keith Waleskowksi stepped up for the guests scoring 16 pts each. Jason Robinson delivered 21 in the loosing squad. (10-22).

Burgos - Tenerife 100-98
Burgos escaped with tiny 100-98 home win jumping to 18-14 record (same as Clinicas Rincon, 6th/7th place). Raul Mena (177-G-82) and Cesar Sanmartin combined 30 points in this victory. Julio Alberto Gonzalez netted 22 pts in defeat.

Leon - Valladolid 78-82
No.1 Valladolid grabbed valuable road win vs Leon improving to 24-8 record. Federico Van Lacke (191-G-80) came up with 16, Dimitri Jorssen had 14 and Victor Baldo added 12 pts. Leon got 16 pts from Anthony Stacey, dropping to 16-16.

Plus Pujol - Caceres 72-64
Troy DeVries (193-G-82, college: N.Mexico) came up with 16, Dmitri Flis had 14 and Ondrej Starosta helped the hosts with 10 pts in this game. Diego Guaita scored 13 for the guests. Plus Pujol 17-15, Caceres 15-17.

La Laguna - Leche Rio 74-76
21-11 (4th place) for Leche Rio and 14-18 for La Laguna after this game. Brian Cusworth (213-C-84, college: Harvard) was a key player in victory collecting 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jakim Donaldson answered with 24 pts and 13 rebs for the hosts.

Los Barrios - Vic 72-60
Los Barrios got 13 points from Jesus Chagoyen (200-C-78), 12 from Ricardo Guillen and 10 pts from Levi Rost, as well as from Jesus Castro. Vic had Mattew Kiefer with 13 pts. Los Barrios 17-15, Vic 14-18.

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  TURKEY   


Standings - TBL
TBL Standings
 1. Efes Pilsen 27-2 
 2. T.Telekom 21-8 
 3. Fener.Ulker 21-8 
 4. Galatasaray 20-9 
 5. Besiktas 17-12 
 6. Antalya 16-13 
 7. Mersin 15-14 
 8. Oyak Renault 13-16 
 9. Karsiyaka 13-16 
 10. Darussafaka 13-16 
 11. Erdemir 12-17 
 12. Banvit 12-17 
 13. Kepez Bld 10-19 
 14. Selcuk Uni. 10-19 
 15. Aliaga 9-20 
 16. TED Koleji 3-26 


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  UKRAINE   


Superleague Round: 1 (Semi-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
BC Kyiv - BC Donetsk 55-70
Donetsk claimed the initial win in the series against BC Kyiv. Andres Rodriguez (182-G-81, college: American) scored 17 points and dished out 8 assits as Donetsk celebrated the road win in opener. Milutin Aleksic added 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. BC Kyiv played without their captain Artur Drozdov and had little chances to succeed. Nikola Vasic nailed 13 points in defeat.

Azovmash - Khimik 75-62
The Superleague defending champions got to a confident start in the semifinals as they held off ambitious Khimik in Mariupol. Dijon Thompson (201-G/F-83, college: UCLA) scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the hosts. Simonas Serapinas added 11 points for the winners. Olu Famutimi and Wykeen Kelly responded with 16 points apiece for Khimik.

UBL Round: 1 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Budivelnyk - Hoverla 105-77
Tomas Delininkaitis (192-G-82, agency: Interperformances) notched 27 points to pace Budivelnyk to a cruising win over Hoverla. Denis Ikovlev finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds in the victory. Tate Decker canned 23 points for Hoverla in defeat.

Kryvbasbasket - Ferro-ZNTU 93-82
Kryvbasbasket overcame Ferro-ZNTU for a 1-0 lead in the quarterfinal series. Dmitri Korablev (198-F-77) notched 17 points to pace Kryvbasbasket. Milos Pavlovic added 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for the winners. Jason Fontenet answered with 19 points and 6 boards for Ferro-ZNTU in defeat.

BC Odessa - Dnipro 68-67
BC Odessa claimed the win in the quarterfinal series opener against Dnipro. Artem Butskyy (185-G-81) came up with 20 points as Odessa prevailed in overtime. Darius Pakamanis contributed 13 point for the winners. Devin Green responded with 25 points and 14 rebounds for Dnipro. Patrick Beverley finished with 13 points and 16 boards in the loss.

Politek.Lviv - DniproAzot 101-89
Politekhnika-Halychyna eased past DniproAzot to take the lead in the quarterfinals. Gediminas Navickas (180-G-84) nailed 23 points to pace the Lviv outfit. Alexander Kudrautsau had 17 points for the winners. Jerel Allen answered with 33 points for DniproAzot in the loss.

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


BBL Championship Play-off Semi-finals: Eagles 93 - Plymouth Raiders 71 - by George Manousidis
Newcastle Eagles 93 (17,46,66) (Moore 25, Bridge 22, Jackson 16)
Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 71 (16,30,48) (Noel 21, Robinson 14, Moore 10)

Newcastle Eagles became the first team to book their place in the BBL Championship Play-off Final, with their 93-71 victory over Airwaves Plymouth Raiders at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.

It was a tentative start to the game, with both team scoreless for the best part of the first two minutes. Player/coach Fab Flournoy broke the deadlock, netting for Newcastle and the Eagles led 7-5 early doors. Plymouth went on an 11-3 tear with Noel, Moore, Martin and Lasker sharing the load - Charles Smith scored Newcastle's only points in that tear.

An Andrew Bridge three pointer edged Eagles closer, before a Smith bucket and two free throws from Reginald Jackson saw Eagles take the lead at 17-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Eagles kept their momentum going in the second quarter and took the first double digit lead of the game at 33-23 with five minutes to go It was part of a 16-4 Eagles run, which saw them take a 39-24 lead.

Andrew Bridge was Newcastle's stand-out scorer in the first half, with 16 personal points, as they took a 46-30 lead into the second half.

In the third quarter, the teams traded baskets early on. With the score at 50-37 Newcastle went on an 8-0 run with Jackson scoring half of Eagles' point in that tear. Plymouth rallied briefly, bagging six of the next nine points, but still trailed 61-43. A buzzer-beating three pointer from Gerald Robinson cut the deficit still further to 66-48 by the end of the quarter.

Plymouth reduced the arrears to 14 points in the final stanza, but Newcastle's Trey Moore (192-G-75, college: Mississippi St.) stepped up and scored seven points in quick succession to extend Eagles lead to 82-61. There was no way back for Plymouth and the game ended 93-71 to Newcastle.

Trey Moore was the game's top scorer with 25 points, as the game lived up to its seeding as BBL Champions winners booked their place in Sunday's Final.

BBL Championship Play-off Semi-finals: Tigers 81 - Leicester Riders 65 - by George Manousidis
Everton Tigers 81 (27,46,61) (Richard Midgley (191-G-83, college: California) 24, Gross 20, Bailey 16)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester City Riders 65 (19,36,47) (Missere 16, James 15, Swanson 12)

Everton Tigers join Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Championship Play-off Final after beating Jelson Homes DMU Leicester City Riders 81-65 in their Semi-final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.

Everton edged the early exchanges, scoring six of their first eight points. Riders rallied and hit the next eight points without reply to lead 10-6; Duane James scoring four of those eight points for Riders. After trading the next few baskets, Andrew Richard Midgley stepped up his game; he scored two of his five first-half three-pointers in a 14-1 run that gave Tigers the lead at 24-17.

Everton led 27-19 going into the second quarter. They extended their lead to 12 points at 36-24, but Westbrook, Missere and Swanson pulled Riders closer. Leicester scored eight unanswered points to cut the deficit to four points at 36-32 to Everton. A 6-0 run for Tigers re-established a double-digit lead for them and they went in at the break 46-36 to the good.

In a low scoring third quarter, Leicester looked to get back into contention. They got back to within six points at 52-46, but Everton immediately responded with a Olu Babalola bucket and a Richard Midgley three pulling Tigers lead back out to 13 points at 59-46.

With the score at 61-47 going into the final quarter, it was a tall order for Leicester to overhaul their deficit and it proved too much for them. 13 points from Josh Gross, including three spectacular dunks, saw Everton through with a final score of 81-65.

Gross finished the game with 20 personal points, topped only by team-mate Richard Midgley's 24 points, as the second seeds set up a Play-off Final with top seeds Newcastle Eagles.

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  URUGUAY   


Montevideo maintained the leadership - by Hector Lopez
Montevideo maintained the lead for the Metropolitan League after beating Larranaga 80-76, with 20 points and 12 rebounds by Marques Lewis (203-F-83, college: UAB). For Larranaga Sebastian Vazquez (195-F-85) netted 17 points. Results and main players:
Yale 86 - Leandro Taboada (180-G-86) 23 points, Howard Wilkerson (198-F-84, college: Wofford) 12 rebounds
Nacional 69 - Julio Solano (202-F/C-76) 15 points and 8 rebounds
- - -
Capitol 70 - Sebastian Izaguirre (207-C/F-85) 15 points and 9 rebounds
Urunday 52 - Nicolas Borsellino (202-C-86) 14 points
- - -
Olivol Mundial 81 - John Huggins (188-G-82, college: Amer.Internat.) 30 points and 7 rebounds
Welcome 80 - Ollie Bailey (201-F-85, college: Oklahoma City) 24 and 10 rebounds
- - -
25 de Agosto 97 - Alejandro Francia (199-F/C-67) 23 points
Verdirrojo 85 Jeff Fahnbulleh (200-C/F-85) 30 points and 21 rebounds

Stats Leaders - LUB
Metro Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Lewis (MON) 24.8
Huggins (OLI) 24,5
Bailey (WEL) 23.4
Rebounds Per Game
Lewis (MON) 17.0
Fahnbulleh (VER) 15.6
Amaro (LBG) 14.0
Assists Per Game
Vidal (NAC) 7.8
Cambon (MON) 6.8
Silveira (25A) 6.0


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  VENEZUELA   


LPB 2009 - All Star Game: Imported Players defeat Nationals, 114-110. Herrera honored - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Carl Elliott (193-G-83) scored nine of his 23 points in a key third quarter en route to becoming Most Valuable Player of the game, while Mark Bortz (208-F/C-82) added nine of his 17 points in those 10 minutes, as the Imported Players defeated the National Players, 114-110, in the 32nd edition of Venezuela's LPB All-Star Game, played at El Limon Colisseum of Maracay, Aragua, the home of Toros de Aragua, and played in honor of the first Venezuelan NBA player, Carl Herrera (206-C-66).

The Criollos started with Diego Guevara (184-G-77), Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82), Eduardo Torres (195-F-81), Luis Bethelmy (200-C-86) and Pablo Machado (207-C-77), while the Foreigns did so with Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72), Carl Elliott, Rogers Washington (198-F-77), Alejandro Flores (202-F-81) and Mark Bortz. The first quarter was won by Criollos, 31-28, thanks to 8 points of Amber Marin (208-C-81) and 7 of Torres.

Then, in the second quarter, a 15-minute delay was caused to problems with electricity, since the whole country was undergoing intensive rains for several hours in a very cloudy Sunday afternoon and night. When the game restarted, Imported players had the scoreboard in favor, 55-54, and they increased the lead to 63-56 at halftime, thanks to consecutive baskets of Michael Gale (193-G-82) and Kenya Capers (194-F-73).

In the third, the lead was extended to 18 points (77-59) till head coach Nestor Salazar asked for a timeout. Elliott and Bortz were unstoppable at the moment but Venezuelans Marin, Torres and Vargas answered back and the quarter ended with a closer 98-87.

Heissler Guillent (191-G-86) scored 10 of his 18 points in the last 10 minutes and helped the Nationals get back in the game towards the last 30 seconds of play (114-110), but missed a key three-point shot at the end. He had also provided several assists for dunks of Richard Lugo (209-C-73) and Marin.

Contests
-Heissler Guillent defeated Carl Elliott in the Special Skills contest, 5-3
-Jesus Centeno (190-G-85) defeated Michael Gale in the Three-Point Shots Challenge, 9-5.
-Deivis Ananguren (192-F-85), special guest for the Dunks Contest, defeated former champion Luis Bethelmy by jumping over a motorcycle.
-Carl Herrera, first NBA player of Venezuela, got a shirt with number 11 on it from former teammate at Venezuela's Senior NT, Victor David Diaz (195-F-68).

The quote
'I thought this day would never come. I thank God for my career and I thank all the fans and appreciate the support I got from them. We'll continue working in basketball, but now as an assistant coach'
Carl Herrera

Imported Players 114 - National Players 110
El Limon Colisseum - Maracay, Aragua

Quarter by quarter
IMP: 28-35-36-16= 114
NAT: 31-25-31-23= 110

Scorers
IMP: Carl Elliott 23 points, 8 assists and 9 steals, Kenya Capers 18 points, Mark Bortz 17 points and 8 rebounds, Michael Gale 17 points, Hatila Passos (212-C-86) 11 points and 11 rebounds, Alejandro Flores 10 points and 7 rebounds, Ruben Nembhard 8 points, Rogers Washington 6 points, Brian Latham (184-G-83) 4 points, Gustavo Barrera (194-G-85) 0 points, Torraye Braggs (203-F/C-76) 0 points, Mike Campbell (197-G/F-75) 0 points. Head coach: Guillermo Narvarte . Assistant coach: Manolo Cintron
NAT: Heissler Guillent 18 points and 9 assists, Amber Marin 18 points and 6 rebounds, Richard Lugo 17 points and 4 blocks, Jose Vargas 16 points, Eduardo Torres 16 points, Luis Bethelmy 12 points, Victor David Diaz 6 points, Carlos Morris (194-G-75) 3 points, Pablo Machado 2 points, Jesus Centeno 2 points, Ruben Pachano (185-G-76) 0 points, Diego Guevara 0 points. Head coach: Nestor Salazar. Assistant coach: Carl Herrera

Venezuela's U18 team training in Barquisimeto for tournament in Uruguay - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- After a successful stint in Valencia, Carabobo, the U18 National Team of Venezuela is now training in Barquisimeto, Lara, towards the U18 South American Championship of Trinidad, Uruguay, to be played from May 25th till the 29th.

Head coach Daniel Centeno and assistant coach Alfredo Madrid are working with players Jose Silvera and Alexander Morillo (Aragua), Jose Matias Aranguren (Lara), Drexler Mejias, Israel Blanco, Jose Cubiano and Abrouse Acosta (Miranda), Angel Urbina, Anthony Sucre and Erick Bermudez (Sucre), Edyn Calatayud and Alfredo Alfredo Flores (Carabobo) and Leonardo Betancourt (Trujillo). The staff is completed with doctor Hugo Lugo, locker room chairman Jose Duran and delegate Antonio Badaraco.

A physical trainer is being provided by Lara's Basketball Association for the upcoming weeks of trainings, which will be split between Domo Bolivariano, home of the rising Guaros de Lara in LPB 2009 and Napoleon Rodriguez Arena, the home of the 2008 LNB champions, Duros de Lara.

Centeno, who started the year as assistant coach in Guaiqueries de Margarita, coached Venezuela's U18 team last year in the U18 FIBA Americas Tournament played in Formosa, Argentina, in which the team ended up out of the race at the first round with a 1-2 record against Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the United States. <<>><<>>

Rafael Perez lifts Caguas past Ponce in Puerto Rico, Torres scores 2 points in Turkey - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Rafael Perez (193-G/F-82) lifted Criollos de Caguas (3-5) over Leones de Ponce (2-5) in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) on Saturday night, by scoring 19 points in a tight victory, 102-101.

Perez played 28 minutes, scored 6 of 10 from the two-point stance, 1 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free-throws, grabbed 2 rebounds, gave 3 assists, stole 2 balls, lost 3 and fouled 4 times. Angel Vasallo (196-F-86) added 26 points and 7 rebounds, Matt Freije (206-F-81) helped with 18 points and 9 rebounds, Ryan Humphrey (203-F-79) scored 18 and Francis Han 11. For Ponce, Lee Nailon (204-F-75) netted 22 points with 13 rebounds, Roberto Jose Hatton (187-G-76) added 21 points and 14 assists, Ricardo Melendez (180-G-83) followed them with 15 points, Gabriel Colon (200-G/F-84) with 13 and both Raul Orta (196-G-85) and Samuel Villegas (198-G-83) with 11.

Torres in Turkey
Meanwhile, Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76) came off the bench to help with 2 points in the comfortable victory of Turk Telekom Ankara (21-8) over Selcuk (10-19), 85-64. Torres and his team have one last game remaining in the regular season prior to the beginning of the playoffs, to which they're already qualified. Torres arrived to Ankara three weeks ago after starting the season as member of Snaidero Udine in Italy's Lega A.



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Women News

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  CYPRUS - Women  


Kalia Papadopoulou is doing great in the French league! - by Chris Mammides
Kalia Papadopoulou (166-G-80) who was not 'good enough' for the Cyprus league is doing great in the French league Pro B. The Cypriot guard (rumors are bringing her in the Greek A1 next seazon) is among the top players of the legue and of course in her team, the team of Laveyron.
The Cypriot player is averaging 12.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game and 2.4 steals per game. Kalia is an all around palyer and has an amazing team spirit, she is definately the player that all the coaches are looking to add in their rosters. She is scoring, rebonding, organising and assisting the overall team. She is a real coachin the court.

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  DENMARK - Women  


Aabyhoj spark intrigue in the Final - by Eurobasket News
Aabyhoj - Amager 67:54

Aabyhoj did not allow Amager to sweep the Dameligaen final series claiming the initial win today. Aabyhoj hosted the encounter and managed to trim the deficit in the match-up. The hosts opened the game aggressively and closed the visitors defensively. Amager were able to score just 9 points in the first term and trailed by as many as 9 after ten minutes of action. Aabyhoj never loosened the grip in the second stanza and stretched the margin to 10 points at halftime. The complexion of the game did not change in the second half. Aabyhoj continued to stress defense and succeeded once again holding their opponents to only 9 points in the third quarter. The home team headed into the fourth period ahead by 11 points and never looked back en route to the vital victory.
Ida Krogh (181-G/F-91) scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Aabyhoj. Ida Tryggedsson (174-G-90) delivered 14 points in the winning effort. Sussie Kruuse (192-C-83) notched 18 points and 11 rebounds for Amager. Emilie Ramberg (173-G-79) had 14 points in defeat.
Amager overwhelmed the hosts on the boards 40:34 but sank miserable 11% from beyond the arc and 25% from the field.
The teams will meet again on May 6 with Amager hosting the clash.

Aabyhoj: Ida Krogh 16+11 boards, Ida Tryggedsson 14, Emilie Hesseldal (185-F/C-90) 10
Amager: Sussie Kruuse 18+11 boards, Emilie Ramberg 14

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  GREECE - Women  


Standings - Women
A1 Standings
 1. Athinaikos 26-0 
 2. Esperides 24-2 
 3. Panathinaikos 18-8 
 4. Apollon K. 18-8 
 5. P.Faliro 17-9 
 6. Apollon P. 14-12 
 7. Ano Liosa 14-12 
 8. Panionios 14-12 
 9. Paghiakos 8-18 
 10. Olympiada L. 8-18 
 11. M.Aleksandros 8-18 
 12. Aris H. 8-18 
 13. Siemens 5-21 
 14. Kastoria 0-26 


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  ITALY - Women  


Simona Ballardini paces Umana Reyer to 1-0 in the final - by Eurobasket News

FINAL
Umana Reyer - Taranto 74-62
The team from Venice grabbed 1-0 lead in the big final against the regular season champion Cras Taranto. Simona Ballardini (183-F-81) was the most important player in the winning squad draining 24 points. Mariangela Cirone (171-G-76) had 12 and Essence Carson (183-G-86, college: Rutgers) helped with 2 points less. Taranto got 15 pts from Megan Mahoney (183-F-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Kansas St.) and 14 from Suzy Batkovic (193-C-80). Next game is scheduled for Tuesday and Taranto will be the host.

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  PORTUGAL - Women  


Olivais Coimbra is 1-0 up on AD Vagos - by Eurobasket News
Olivais Coimbra claimed the first win over AD Vagos in Liga Feminina Final. Coimbra took a narrow lead after ten minutes of action despite AD Vagos stayed contestant and kept it close. The hosts ensured a 19:17 advantage after the starting quarter. Olivais stepped on the gas in the second frame and enlarged the advantage to 8 points 38:30. Coimbra took over in the third stanza. The home team controlled the tempo and eased to a 19-point lead heading into the fourth period. AD Vagos fought till the final buzzer and managed to win the last period but it never allowed them to threaten Olivais. Ambrosia Anderson (186-F-84, college: BYU) notched 29 points to topscore for Coimbra. Aja Parham (183-G/F-84, college: Boston Coll.) provided 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Ana Fonseca (168-G-78) had 12 points in the victory. Fernanda Neves Beling (180-F-82) responded with 18 points for AD Vagos. Carla Nascimento (171-G-86) canned 16 points in the loss.
The third game is scheduled for May 3.

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  TURKEY - Women  


Fenerbahce grab the first win against Mersin - by Eurobasket News
Fenerbahce - Mersin 87:61

Fenerbahce opened the TBBL finals with a comfortable win. Today the defending champions outgunned Mersin at home court to step in front in the final series. The teams traded baskets in the starting minutes before Fenerbahce closed the first frame with a 6:2 run to take a 22:12 advantage. Mactabene Amachree (186-F-78) helped Mersin to trim the margin to 6 points early in the second frame before Fenerbahce took over again. The hosts unleashed a 9:3 run to stretch the lead to as many as 12 points. Fenerbahce maintained the pressure and ensured a 48:30 lead at the interval.
The home team went off the dressing room firing from all guns. Fenerbahce tipped off the third quarter with a 14:5 rally to balloon the lead to 27 points. Fenerbahce dominated throughout the third frame and claimed a 71:44 advantage before the fourth term. Mersin failed to threaten the home side in the dying minutes and had to surrender at the end.
Katie Smith (180-G-74, college: Ohio St.) knocked down 17 points to pace Fenerbahce. Tammy Sutton-Brown (193-C-78, college: Rutgers) and Nevin Nevlin (196-F/C-85, college: Stanford) added 13 points apiece for the winners. Mactabene Amachree responded with 12 points for Mersin. Olympia Scott (188-C/F-74, college: Stanford) had 10 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.
Fenerbahce and Mersin will clash on May 5 in Game 2 of the series.

Fenerbahce: Katie Smith 17, Tammy Sutton-Brown 13, Nevin Nevlin 13
Mersin: Mactabene Amachree 12, Olympia Scott 10

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  VENEZUELA - Women  


Distrito Capital wins National U18 Tournament - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Distrito Capital defeated Yaracuy 75-73 in extra time, to revalidate their reign as champions of Venezuela's U18 Women Tournament, played at VIlla Olimpica Arena of San Juan de los Morros, Guarico.

Angelie Frontado scored 25 points and Lauren Garcia added 17 for the young girls of the green shirt team, while the top scorers for Yaracuy were Sharon Guzman with 20 points and Mariana Duran with 14.

In the third place match, Lara defeated Cojedes 67-56. The team coached by Abraham Granado, with assistant coaches Eligio Liscano and Isidro Suarez, were led by Gipsy Torres with 19 points, Karjumi Alvarez and Enny Suarez with 16 points each. For Cojedes, Maria Salcedo and Sharon Alvarez scored 16 points each and Maria Rodriguez added 14.

Distrito Capital 75 - Yaracuy 73
Quarter by quarter
DC: 15-16-25-9-10= 75
YAR: 23-11-11-20-8= 73

Lara 67 - Cojedes 56
Quarter by quarter
LARA: 8-20-18-21= 67

COJ: 18-13-12-13= 56