Estonia - Sweden 76:73
Estonia and Sweden met in Tallinn as the part of the preparations for the upcoming 2011 EuroBasket Qualifying games. The hosts proved strength as they snatched a narrow victory at the end. Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) paced Estonia with 15 points.
Estonia started the game bravely. They built a 20:12 lead at the first intermission. The hosts maintained it throughout the second quarter and arrived at halftime up by 9 points 39:30. The Scandinavian side worked their way back into contest in the second half. They narrowed the deficit at just 5 points into the fourth quarter. Sweden got even closer in the final frame but Estonia hung on to seal 76:73 victory at the end. Rain Veideman (192-G-91) netted 12 points for the winners. Rait Keerles (201-F-80) notched 10 points in the victory. Jonathan Skjoldebrand (203-C/F-83) replied with 23 points for Sweden. Joakim Kjellbom (213-C/F-79, college: N.Arizona) netted 10 points in the loss. Estonia will now take on Latvia on Monday.

Estonia: Kristjan Kangur 15, Rain Veideman 12, Rait Keerles 10
Sweden: Jonathan Skjoldebrand 23, Joakim Kjellbom 10

Kaspars Berzins (213-F/C-85, agency: FCM) became the new player of VEF Riga. The 24-year-old centre is coming back to Latvia from Spain. Last season Kaspars Berzins started in Fuenlabrada. He notched 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in ACB. Later he was sent to Caceres 2016 in LEB Gold. Kaspars Berzins averaged 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per LEB Gold appearance. Kaspars Berzins used to play in Skonto (then Barons/LMT Riga) in Latvia. The centre was the part of the Latvia NT at 2009 EuroBasket. He tallied 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in Poland.

The Hellenic NT of Coach Georgios Vlassopoulos was the winner in one of most offensive games of the tournament untill now.In a great derby, the Hellenic NT with an amazing quartet consist of Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (205-F-92), Spyridon Motsenigos (194-G/F-92), Georgios Mavrogiannis (193-G-92) and Anastasios Antonakis (204-C/F-92) beat in all the aspects the Italian NT and overcome the amazing Alessandro Gentile (198-G/F-92)'s performance. The Hellenic team was much better nearly in all the statistical aspects, in the rebounding area the Italians dashed down 30 while the Hellenes 41, in the assists 12 on behalf for the Italian NT and 20 for the Greeks and 3 block shots for the Greeks against 0 blocks from the Italians.
Top performer and scorer was Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos with 25 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Spyridon Motsenigos with 20 points, Georgios Mavrogiannis with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals but with an amazing fourth quarter and last but not least Anastasios Antonakis who scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in a total basketball night for the young forward of AEK Athens. The Greek NT is now leading the group F with a record of 2-1.


DIV B: Finland to win Group A. - by Rangi Gescheit
Finland to win Group A.
Despite a weak start, falling short to the Orangemen from Netherlands at the opening night, the young but big physically and mentally the Finland U-18 NT of Gordon Gordon Herbert had an amazing journey.
They pulled 3 wins in a row.
The very next day they stood bravely to the Slovak Giants, ran them up and down and did not let them settle for set offense. This way there main advantage, the size, was not a factor. At the beginning of the 3rd quarter the White and Blue fighters extended their advantage to 38:22. Viktor Timko with few determined actions withdrew fouls, was sent to the line, converted them to points and nevertheless was forcing Coach Gordon Herbert for some changes due to foul trouble. The Slovaks, which that was their first game of the championships, felt they might have a chance had an impressive run to cut their deficit to 35:40 two and a half minutes to the end of the 3rd quarter. Finland Forward Cato made a big 3 point shot in transition to finish the quarter.
Throughout the 4th quarter the Slovaks find it too hard to get any closer and Finland just did anything they can to avoid making any mistake allowing them back to the game. They kept them just less than 10 points to secure the game.
After the game coach Gordon Herbert told me that he was satisfied with the effort of his players but was looking for more consistency. I said that a coach told me once that a basketball team, especially a young one is measured by their ability to make a good run and gain off of it. Coach Gordon Herbert said: Well, it is true but sometimes it is more important to minimize your opponents run, and we did not do a good job on that today. We played better than yesterday vs. Netherlands but still, today the Slovaks had a run on us during the 3rd quarter and we brought them back to the game. We should not allow that. They are good but it should not happen today.
The Slovak Coach Urban said after the game: We have a young team that is still trying to get to know each other. We have very young and talented big guys and our guards are great. We play with second and shooting guards as point guards because we dont have any, so we have to compromise.
After one day of rest Finland came back to play Switzerland and after a close game during 3 quarters and a tie 47 and the end of it, Markus Molenius score an old fashioned 3 point play (out of his 20 for the game) to take the lead which Finland never dropped again 71:66 at the end of regulation.
Today Finland won over the Czech Republic 65:55 to secure the top of the Group A.
The final standing:
Team W/L Points
1. Finland. 3/1 7
2. Czech Republic 3/1 7
3. Netherlands 2/2 6
4. Switzerland 1/3 5
5. Slovak Republic 1/3 5


Div. B Day: 5 (Preliminary Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group A

Czech Republic - Finland 55-65
Finland won the preliminary Group A at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Czech Republic to occupy the top spot. Czech Republic finished in the second position despite the loss. Both teams will now head for the Qualifying Round to fight for the semifinal spots. The lead changed hands throughout close first quarter. Finland capped the frame with 7 points in a row to take a 17:12 lead. Molenius drained a three-pointer at the start of the second quarter to boost the lead. Finland stayed in charge throughout the period and posted a 35:23 advantage at halftime. Czech Republic began the second half with eight consecutive points to narrow the deficit. Finland did not allow their opponents to get too close as they finished the third frame up by 6 points 43:37. Svejda revived the intrigue as he poured in a three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter. The Czech team narrowed the gap to a single point midway through the fourth quarter but Finland stayed calm. Osku Heinonen (194-F/G-92) and Villematti Kopio (182-G-92) organized a 12:3 run that propelled the team to a comfortable 10-point lead they never surrendered. Villematti Kopio nailed 18 points, issued 6 assists and grabbed 5 boards to lead Finland. Osku Heinonen and Kilian Cato (201-F/C-92) added 17 points each for the winners. Michal Sotnar (190-G-92) responded with 14 points for Czech Republic. Jaromir Bohacik (198-F-92) netted 10 points in the loss.

Holland - Slovakia 45-47
Slovak Republic posted the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They narrowly outscored Netherlands to improve at 1-3 record in Group A. Netherlands in the meantime suffered a bitter loss as they now can miss Qualifying Round of the tournament. Slovak Republic pulled ahead early in the game. They soon recorded a 17:7 lead late in the opening quarter. Viktor Timko (195-F-92) stretched the gap to 15 points early in the second stanza. Slovak Republic earned a 26:15 lead at halftime. Kysela and Boris Bojanovsky (215-C-93) posted a 14-point advantage for Slovak Republic midway through the third stanza. Netherlands trailed by 12 points at the final break 28:40. But the Dutch team proved character. They narrowed the gap to just 5 points midway through the fourth term. Benjamin Jegen (92) scored four points in a row to narrow the deficit at just one point 45:46 with 42 seconds to go. However Netherlands could not score a point in the reminder of the contest and Slovak Republic escaped with the win. Viktor Timko finished with 12 points for Slovak Republic. Boris Bojanovsky added 11 points and 8 rebounds in the victory. Benjamin Jegen tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds for Netherlands. Ivan Filipan (192-F-92) and Sven Burger (193-G/F-92) had 7 points each in the loss.

Group B

Hungary - Bosnia 59-61
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 wrapped up their preliminary round campaign at the European Championship in Division B with win. They narrowly defeated Hungary to occupy the second position in Group B. Thus Bosnia and Herzegovina stayed in the race for Division A promotion. The lead changed hands at the start of the opening quarter. But Bosnia and Herzegovina capped the period with 10 points in a row to grab a 25:12 lead. Hungary denied the deficit in the second stanza. But Mirza Bulic (204-F-92) capped the period with a three-pointer to give Bosnia and Herzegovina a narrow 32:31 advantage. The seesaw action continued in the third quarter. Bence Narai (206-F/C-92) gave the lead back to Hungary however their opponents answered with 16 points in a row to enter the fourth stanza up by 14 points. But it was not the end of the story. Hungary went on a desperate rescue mission in the final stanza. They narrowed the gap to minimum in the dying seconds. Bence Delity (193-G/F-92) had a chance to win the game for Hungary but missed a three-pointer at the end of the game. Mirza Bulic knocked down 21 points to lead the winners. Dino Begagic (193-G-92) added 16 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bence Narai answered with 12 points for Hungary. Bence Delity and Norbert Timko (210-C/F-92) provided 10 points each in the loss.

Portugal - Scotland 58-71
Scottish U18 National Team recorded an important victory at the European Championship in Division B. They held off Portugal to improve at 2-2 record in Group D. Scotland thus climbed to the second spot in the ladder and would wait for the outcome of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Hungary clash to know if they made it to the Qualifying Round. Portugal slipped at 1-3 record in the ladder. Grant Mackay (195-F-94) helped Scotland to a 10:0 start to the game. They maintained the lead throughout the starting stanza and were up by 9 points at the first break 20:9. Scotland went on a 10:0 run early in the second quarter to boost the margin at 17-point mark. Scotland drove confidently as they registered a 38:20 halftime advantage. Guimaraes lit up hope for Portugal in the third term. He knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to narrow the deficit at just 13-point mark. Miguel Cardoso (182-G-93) added another one as Portugal pulled even closer. Miguel Cardoso knocked down two more triples as Portugal trailed by just 4 points heading into the fourth frame. Rafael Wildner (204-F/C-92) and Guimaraes drew things level at 50 early in the final quarter. But then Scotland went on a 13:2 run to restore a safe cushion. Portugal could not answer in the dying minutes and the Scots rolled to the win at the end. Alasdair Fraser (201-C-92) exploded with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for Scotland. Lee Reilly (182-G-92) provided 16 points in the victory. Miguel Cardoso answered with 25 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for Portugal. Rafael Wildner had 13 points and 11 caroms in the loss.

Group C

Israel - Belarus 95-76
Israel remained undefeated at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They shot down Belarus to improve at 4-0 record on top of Group C. Belarus fell at 2-2 record in the third position in the ladder. Guy Lavie (187-G-92) fired 31 points and made 6 steals to pace the hosts. Belarus stormed into the game. They accounted for the opening 7 points in the encounter. Israel needed a 13:0 run midway through the term to grab the lead. Israel poured in 31 points in the quarter to build a 31:22 lead. Belarus answered with an 8:0 run to open the second quarter. Azaare drained a triple late in the second term as the visitors took a 38:37 lead. But Israel managed to eke out a 44:41 advantage at halftime. The teams kept it close in the third frame. Israel capped the period with an 8:2 run to clear off to an 8-point distance 70:62. Guy Lavie and Sean Labanowski (203-F-92) ensured a quick start for the home team in the final stanza as they boosted the lead to as many as 19 points and never looked back on the way to the victory. Noam Laish (195-G/F-93) knocked down 19 points for Israel. Sean Labanowski added 17 points in the winning effort. Vitali Liutych (198-G/F-92) accounted for 16 points for Belarus. Henadziy Zakhar (198-F-92) had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Denmark - Romania 80-72
Denmark posted the initial win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Romania in the final game of the preliminary round. Denmark improved at 1-3 record, while Romania slipped at 0-4 in Group C. Anders Haas (185-G-92) and Kevin Larsen (204-F-93) stepped up with 22 points each to pace Denmark. Romania looked better at the start. They went on a 10:0 run late in the opening quarter to build a 24:14 lead. But Denmark opened the second frame with 14 points in a row to pull in front. Denmark maintained the lead and recorded a 39:37 lead at halftime. Christian Benzon (190-G-93) and Kevin Larsen helped the Scandinavian team earn a 45:40 advantage midway through the third quarter. Denmark cleared off to a 13-point buffer at the final break. Romania never got closer then 10 points in the fourth term and surrendered at the end. Tue Leth Nielsen (200-F-92) produced 14 points for Denmark. Christian Benzon finished with 13 points in the victory. Aurelian Toth (210-C-92) answered with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks for Romania. Octavian Crainic (201-F/C-92) provided 12 points in the losing case.

Group D

Georgia - Montenegro 60-68
Montenegro earned the fourth straight win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The victory helped Montenegro clinched the top position in Group D. Georgia in the meantime suffered the fourth straight defeat at the tournament. Montenegro confidently opened the game. They quickly surged ahead and won the starting quarter 14:11. Georgia used a 15:0 run early in the second frame to spur in charge. Montenegro stopped the bleeding but Georgia rolled to a 32:25 advantage at halftime. Nodar Tenieshvili (198-F-92) and Eliadze kept Georgia in charge in the third term. Finally Montenegro erased the deficit as Marko Mugosa (195-F-93) drew things level at 47 with the teams heading into the fourth quarter. Three-pointers from Grabovica and Djordan trigged an 11:0 run from Montenegro as they grabbed a 60:52 lead. Georgia never recovered and Montenegro rolled to the win at the end. Radosav Spasojevic (204-F-92) tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds for Montenegro. Marko Mugosa notched 15 points in the victory. Nodar Tenieshvili responded with 15 points for Georgia. Duda Sanadze (196-G-92) had 13 points in the loss.

Austria - Luxembourg 74-66
Austria posted the second win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Luxembourg opponents to improve at 2-2 recor din Group D. Luxembourg slipped at 1-3 record in the ladder. Daniel Friedrich (180-G-92) notched 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace Austria. Luxembourg looked solid in the starting frame. They piled up a 17:9 lead late in the first quarter. Luxembourg posted a 22:16 lead at the first pause. Rados dragged Austria within 5 points late in the second period. Daniel Friedrich and Ferdinand Saukel (199-F-92) teamed up for 12 points early in the third quarter as Austria took a 40:37 lead. Austria maintained the lead and entered the fourth quarter up by one 50:49. Carlos Novas (197-F-92) ignited an 8:0 run from the Austrian team in the fourth stanza as they built a 61:54 lead. Luxembourg never recovered as Austria coasted to the win at the end. Ferdinand Saukel notched 15 points and 10 rebounds for Austria. Carlos Novas added 12 points in the win. Alex Laurent (195-C-93) and Gilles Polfer (187-F-93) netted 15 points each for Luxembourg. Max Schmit (182-G-92) had 11 points in the loss.


M-Standings - Group B

Standings Div.B

Group A 1. Czech Repu. 3-1 2. Finland 3-1 3. Holland 2-2 4. Switzerlan. 1-3 5. Slovakia 1-3 Group B 1. Belgium 4-0 2. Bosnia 2-2 3. Scotland 2-2 4. Hungary 1-3 5. Portugal 1-3 Group C 1. Israel 4-0 2. U.Kingdom 3-1 3. Belarus 2-2 4. Denmark 1-3 5. Romania 0-4 Group D 1. Montenegro. 4-0 2. Estonia 3-1 3. Austria 2-2 4. Luxembourg. 1-3 5. Georgia 0-4

Standings Division A

Standings

Group E 1. Lithuania 3-0 2. Poland 2-1 3. Latvia 2-1 4. Slovenia 1-2 5. Spain 1-2 6. France 0-3 Group F 1. Greece 2-1 2. Russia 2-1 3. Serbia 2-1 4. Turkey 1-2 5. Italy 1-2 6. Croatia 1-2 Group G (Classif.) 1. Germany 1-0 2. Sweden 1-0 3. Ukraine 0-1 4. Bulgaria 0-1

Stats Leader

• PPG
• RPG
• APG
• SPG
• BPG

Points Per Game

Vitali LIUTYCH   (198-G/F-92)   Avg: 20.5

1. Liutych, BLR 20.5   2. Fraser, SCO 19.3   3. Sanadze, GEO 18.0   4. Laurent, LUX 17.8   5. Novas, AUT 16.8   6. Spasojevic, MNT 16.8   7. Djurisic, MNT 16.3   8. Joesaar, EST 16.3   9. Lavie, ISR 16.0   10. Benzon, DEN 15.5

Rebounds Per Game

Ondrej BALVIN   (215-C-92)   Avg: 13

1. Balvin, CZE 13.0   2. Laurent, LUX 10.3   3. Rados, AUT 10.3   4. Zakhar, BLR 9.8   5. Fraser, SCO 9.0   6. Larsen, DEN 9.0   7. Toth, ROM 8.8   8. Joesaar, EST 8.8   9. Dolenc, FIN 8.8   10. Suhaniaka, BLR 8.8

Assists Per Game

Bar TIMOR   (192-G-92)   Avg: 6.8

1. Timor, ISR 6.8   2. Van Oostrum, ENG 6.0   3. Maksimovic, BIH 5.0   4. Lavie, ISR 5.0   5. Vancura, AUT 4.3   6. Steinbach, BEL 4.0   7. Bunyan, SCO 3.8   8. Sotnar, CZE 3.8   9. Grabovica, MNT 3.8   10. Friedrich, AUT 3.8

Steals Per Game

Guy LAVIE   (187-G-92)   Avg: 4.3

1. Lavie, ISR 4.3   2. Ojomoh, BEL 3.5   3. Hot, MNT 3.3   4. Van Oostrum, ENG 3.0   5. Reilly, SCO 2.8   6. Kysela, SVK 2.8   7. Sanadze, GEO 2.8   8. Raap, EST 2.5   9. Savoy, SUI 2.5   10. Zivanovic, SUI 2.3

Blocks Per Game

Ondrej BALVIN   (215-C-92)   Avg: 3.8

1. Balvin, CZE 3.8   2. Bojanovsky, SVK 3.3   3. Toth, ROM 2.5   4. Chuku, ENG 2.5   5. Dobos, HUN 2.5   6. Laurent, LUX 2.3   7. Zakhar, BLR 1.8   8. Markovic, BIH 1.5   9. Dolenc, FIN 1.5   10. Mumladze, GEO 1.5

Stats Leaders Div. A

• PPG
• RPG
• APG
• SPG
• BPG

Points Per Game

Alessandro GENTILE   (198-G/F-92)   Avg: 28.8

1. Gentile, ITA 28.8   2. Valanciunas, LTU 21.0   3. Chrysikopoul., GRE 17.5   4. Dukulis, LAT 17.0   5. Heckmann, GER 16.5   6. Pukis, LTU 16.3   7. Omic, SLO 15.3   8. Len, UKR 15.0   9. Tomas, ESP 14.5   10. Ponitka, POL 14.5

Rebounds Per Game

Jonas VALANCIUNAS   (210-C-92)   Avg: 12.3

1. Valanciunas, LTU 12.3   2. Gospodinov, BUL 12.3   3. Len, UKR 10.5   4. Karnowski, POL 9.0   5. Dukulis, LAT 8.8   6. Gobert, FRA 8.3   7. Chrysikopoul., GRE 8.0   8. Neumann, GER 7.5   9. Pajic, SLO 7.5   10. Marchenko, UKR 7.0

Assists Per Game

Vytenis CIZAUSKAS   (189-G-92)   Avg: 5.8

1. Cizauskas, LTU 5.8   2. Grochowski, POL 4.8   3. Varnakov, RUS 4.5   4. Kulagin, RUS 4.5   5. Kwiatkowski, POL 4.3   6. Span, SLO 4.0   7. Sabbatino, ITA 4.0   8. Gentile, ITA 4.0   9. Person, SWE 4.0   10. Artamonov, UKR 3.5

Steals Per Game

Dmytro MARCHENKO   (202-F-92)   Avg: 3.3

1. Marchenko, UKR 3.3   2. Barrera, ESP 2.5   3. Gentile, ITA 2.5   4. Leon, FRA 2.5   5. Varnakov, RUS 2.3   6. Ponitka, POL 2.3   7. Rupnik, SLO 2.3   8. Cizauskas, LTU 2.0   9. Ventura, ESP 2.0   10. Kulagin, RUS 2.0

Blocks Per Game

Olexiy LEN   (210-C-93)   Avg: 5.5

1. Len, UKR 5.5   2. Valanciunas, LTU 2.5   3. Bobrov, UKR 1.8   4. Gobert, FRA 1.8   5. Dumic, SRB 1.8   6. Niedzwiedzki, POL 1.5   7. Nastic, SRB 1.5   8. Bertans, LAT 1.5   9. Chrysikopoul., GRE 1.3   10. Karnowski, POL 1.3

Day: 4 (Qualifying Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group E

Slovenia - Latvia 76-74
Slovenia handed Latvia their first loss after three perfect games in Vilnius. Slovenia overcame the Baltic State 76:74 at the U18 European Championship on Monday. Latvia as it was expected started with the lead and took 4:0 in the opening tip. They were in front for the majority of the period, while Besedic gave Slovenia 14:13 at the end of the first quarter. Bertans took the lead back early in the second, while Timma scored for 22:17. Omic later tied it at 28:28 and Vasl gave Slovenia 38:32 as the squads went to the lockers. Timma later brought the advantage back to the Baltic State and Dukulis made it 47:45. Dimec tied it all at 55:55 at the end of the third frame. The last quarter became the real thriller in the court but Slovenia deserved the win more than the opponents. They led in the majority of the period and won the game. Omic paced all the winners with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Klemen Prepelic (190-G-92) nailed 14, while Hodzic scored 9. Dukulis responded with 16 points in the losing effort as Latvia fell at 2-1 in the group. Timma netted 15, whilst Misters scored 14.

France - Lithuania 63-104
Lithuania U18 proves the ambitions for the top place at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. The home side became the only undefeated team and improved to 3-0 record in Group E destroying failing France 104:63. Lithuania started with 8-0 run in the game and enjoyed 13:2 when Ulanovas made a lay-up for the hosts. Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) brought 21:13 and Ulanovas gave Lithuania 26:20. Gobert managed to keep the French side alive at the end of the first period at 26:22. The lead continued to grow in the second period as France had no match for the favorites. Jonas Valanciunas scored for 41:28 and Cizauskas delivered two for 52:36. Sabonis nailed three to send the teams to the lockers as Lithuania had 55:38. The third quarter became defensive in the game and France tried hard to stop the hosts. Lithuania won anyway the frame 19-15 and increased to 74:53 after three quarters. In the last stanza it was just one team in the court as Lithuania smashed the opponents with 30-10. Tadas Mazelis (194-G/F-92) made the last points for the winners to stay on top of the group. Jonas Valanciunas exploded with 34 points and 13 rebounds to lead the home side to another victory. Pukis notched 20, while Ulanovas and Redikas added 11 apiece. Diacono replied with 13 points in defeat and Invernizzi scored 12.

Spain - Poland 67-81
Spain U18 and Poland U18 met each other in the last game of the Qualifying Round on Monday. Poland won 81:67 and improved to 2-1 record in Group E of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. Niedzwiedzki and Oriola exchanged the baskets in the opening tip, while Karnowski gave Poland 13:8. Poland kept the advantage for good and won the opening quarter 22:17 as Niedzwiedzki was the last to post in the frame. Although Poland led in the whole frame in another 10 minutes Diaz reduced to 27:29. Sokolowski meanwhile sent the teams to the lockers for 36:33 deficit. Only in the third quarter Albert Ventura (196-F-92) gave Spain 38:37 advantage and another lay-up from the Spainish top-scorer remained 40:39 lead. Poland responded with 7-0 run and Niedzwiedzki brought his team 46:40. Sokolowski was the last to score at the end of the third period for 56:51. Spain could not come closer and lost the fourth period 16-25. Karnowski gave Poland their last points for another victory. Gielo poured in 17 points for the winners, while Sokolowski collected 14 points and 11 rebounds. Niedzwiedzki also scored 14 points to taste the first victory with his team at the Qualifying Round. Albert Ventura responded with 17 points in the losing effort. Tomas nailed 16, while Acosta scored 10.

Group F

Greece - Italy 97-88
Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (205-F-92) again was the key player for Greece U18 that beat Italy U18 in Vilnius. The Greek side produced a 97:88 victory over the opponents at the U18 European Championship. Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos scored the first 7 points for the winners, while Chillo made 9:7 for Italy. Kampouris brought Greece 14:13 and Psaropoulos drove a lay-up at the end of the period for 26:19. Motsenigos increased the lead to 33:25, while Pini scored for 40:30. Dermitzakis finished the half for 50:36 as Greece enjoyed 14-point advantage. Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos even gave Greece plus 16, but Italy managed to reduce the gap. Ondo cut it to 67:60 and Ceron closed the third quarter at 69:62. Greece needed 28-26 in the last frame to win the game. Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos was unstoppable with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Motsenigos followed him with 20 and Mavrogiannis scored 18. Gentile ended up with 21 points in the losing effort. Ceron notched 18, while Mian scored 17. The win gives the Greeks a big advantage in a group that started all tied, and now hold a 2-1 record while Italy dropped to 1-2. Tomorrow Greece and Turkey will go head to head while Italy will face Croatia.

Croatia - Russia 55-78
Russia edged Croatia at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. In their first game of the Qualifying Round Russia celebrated 78:55 win. Barac and Kulagin exchanged the shots in the opening tip, while Varnakov later closed his team run for 18:10. Kulagin nailed three at the end of the first frame for 21:12. With another 10-0 run Russia opened the second frame and never looked behind after. Bekkiev increased to 37:14, while Kuryshkin gave Russia 39:20. Stefan Zadravec (190-G-92) sent the squads to the lockers as the board showed 39:25 after his shot. Russia also won the third period and enjoyed 22-point deficit after Karasev drove a lay-up. Croatia tried hard to reduce but could not win even the last frame. With 17-16 Russia led to 78:55 total win. Kulagin top-scored for the winners with 16 points. Karasev and Loginov followed him with 13 points each in a win. Stefan Zadravec ended up with 12 points in the losing case, while Saric and Barac added 9 apiece. Following the win Russia holds a 2-1 record in the standings while Croatia is behind with 1-2. Tomorrow Russia will meet Serbia as Croatia will take on Italy.

Turkey - Serbia 49-63
Serbia limited Turkey to just 49 points in the last game of Group F of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. Serbia won 63:46 for 2-1 record on top of it. Geyik gave Turkey the first lead, while Serbia responded with 6-0 run. Vujosevic brought his team 13:7 and Besovic closed the first period at 15:13. Turkey climbed to 20:18, while Serbia needed another run for 30:18. Due to only 8 points in the frame Turkey trailed 21:35 at the halftime. In the last two quarters Turkey managed to score 14 in each. It was not enough in the third period when Serbia notched 17. The teams left the court before the final stanza as the board showed 52:35 for Serbia. Turkey won the last period 14-11 but could not score more than 50. Nikola Siladi (206-F-92) gave his side 63:47, while Korkmaz was the last to score in the game for 63:46. Nikola Siladi top-scored for the winners with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Besovic collected 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Lambic added 9. Korkmaz finished the night with 11 points in defeat, while Eroglu notched 10.

Group G

Ukraine - Germany 59-73
Germany made a step towards avoiding relegation at the U18 European Championship. They held off Ukraine at the start of the Classification round in Vilnius. Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) produced 24 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Bundesteam. Germany grabbed a 9:1 lead at the start of the game. They posted an 18:10 advantage at the first break. Germany enlarged the margin in the second quarter. They capped it with a 14:0 run to take a massive 39:18 advantage at halftime. Wendt opened the second half with a three-pointer to aggravate the damage. Ukraine struggled to find the rhythm as they faced an 18-point deficit before the fourth stanza. Prokopenko and Klym Artamonov dragged the Ukrainian side within 14 points early in the final term but Germany stayed calm and eased to the win at the end. Martin Breunig produced 14 points for Germany. Patrick Heckmann added 12 points in the win. Olexiy Len delivered 20 points and 17 rebounds for Ukraine. Klym Artamonov netted 13 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Sweden - Bulgaria 88-66
Sweden opened the Classification Round at the U18 European Championship with victory. They toppled Bulgaria to improve at 1-0 record in Group G. Marcus Eriksson (196-G-93) nailed 20 points to pace the effort. Bulgaria tipped off the game with five points in a row. Soon Bulgaria posted a 19:10 lead midway through the first stanza. They won the opening quarter by three points 22:19. Sweden answered with a 16:0 run in the second period to spur in front. The Scandinavians ensured a 35:32 lead at halftime. Sweden maintained the lead throughout the third stanza. They arrived at the final break up by 21 points 67:46. Bulgaria never recovered in the fourth stanza and gave up at the end. Charles Barton notched 15 points and 8 assists for Sweden. Jonathan Person netted 14 points in the winning case. Planimir Dafinov and Hristo Gospodinov nailed 12 points each in the loss. Dimitar Dimitrov accounted for 11 points and 6 rebounds for Bulgaria.


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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U20

Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Division B Awards 2010 - by Eurobasket

All-Tournament 1st Team
#s#	Mahalbasic	Person	Pamula	Czyz	Georgiev	#e#5

MVP: Rasid Mahalbasic (210-F/C-90)
Best Guard: Andreas Person (188-G-91)
Best Forward: Aleksander Czyz (201-F-90)
Best Center: Rasid Mahalbasic (210-F/C-90)
Best Defensive Player: Akaki Dvalishvili (206-C-91)
Best Coach: Werner Sallomon

1st Team
G: Andreas Person (188-91)
G: Piotr Pamula (195-90)
F: Aleksander Czyz (201-90)
F: Aleksandar Georgiev (203-90)
F/C: Rasid Mahalbasic (210-90)

2nd Team
G: Moritz Lanegger (188-90) of
F: William Neighbour (203-90)
F: Thomas De Thaey (197-91) of
F/C: Janos Eilingsfeld (198-91) of
C: Jacob Cohen (210-90)

3rd Team
G: Sasu Salin (190-91)
F: Ovie Soko (203-91)
F/C: Ferdinand Morgen (206-90)
C: Akaki Dvalishvili (206-91)
C: Jakub Wojciechowski (211-90)

Honorable Mention
Christoffer Ryan (196-G-90)
Romed Vieider (196-F-91)
Bozhidar Avramov (196-G-90)
Yotam Shiran (198-F-90)
Roope Ahonen (186-G-90)
Aksel Bolinz (206-F-90)
Giorgi Sharabidze (208-C-90)
Bogdan Tibirna (208-C-91)


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FINLAND

Finland beat Czech Republic to win Group A - by Eurobasket News
Finland U18 - Czech Republic U18 65:55

Finland won the preliminary Group A at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Czech Republic to occupy the top spot. Czech Republic finished in the second position despite the loss. Both teams will now head for the Qualifying Round to fight for the semifinal spots.
The lead changed hands throughout close first quarter. Finland capped the frame with 7 points in a row to take a 17:12 lead. Molenius drained a three-pointer at the start of the second quarter to boost the lead. Finland stayed in charge throughout the period and posted a 35:23 advantage at halftime. Czech Republic began the second half with eight consecutive points to narrow the deficit. Finland did not allow their opponents to get too close as they finished the third frame up by 6 points 43:37. Svejda revived the intrigue as he poured in a three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter. The Czech team narrowed the gap to a single point midway through the fourth quarter but Finland stayed calm. Osku Heinonen (194-F/G-92) and Villematti Kopio (182-G-92) organized a 12:3 run that propelled the team to a comfortable 10-point lead they never surrendered.
Villematti Kopio nailed 18 points, issued 6 assists and grabbed 5 boards to lead Finland. Osku Heinonen and Kilian Cato (201-F/C-92) added 17 points each for the winners. Michal Sotnar (190-G-92) responded with 14 points for Czech Republic. Jaromir Bohacik (198-F-92) netted 10 points in the loss.

Finland U18: Villematti Kopio 18, Osku Heinonen 17, Kilian Cato 17
Czech Republic U18: Michal Sotnar 14, Jaromir Bohacik 10


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FRANCE

Scotland too good for Monaco - by Eurobasket News
Scotland U16 - Monaco U16 81:33
Scottish U16 team opened their European Championship in Division C campaign victoriously. They toppled Monaco for the first win in Andorra. Jack Nicholson nailed 19 points to lead the effort.
Scotland jumped into the lead early in the game. They built an 18:9 lead ten minutes into the game. The teams slowed down a bit in the second quarter. Scotland however maintained the margin and arrived at halftime up by 13 points 31:18. The third term saw Scotland take off. They fired 22 points to leave their opponents far behind. The Scottish team entered the fourth frame up by 28 points and did not look back en route to the victory.
Scott Rooney produced 12 points for the winners. Michael Secker added 11 points in the win. Jules Ba netted 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Monaco. Manuel Robinaud had 7 points in the loss.

Scotland U16: Jack Nicholson 19, Scott Rooney 12, Michael Secker 11
Monaco U16: Jules Ba 10, Manuel Robinaud 7


Lithuania U18 is the only undefeated team in the home tournament - by Eurobasket News
France U18-Lithuania U18 63:104

Lithuania U18 proves the ambitions for the top place at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. The home side became the only undefeated team and improved to 3-0 record in Group E destroying failing France 104:63.
Lithuania started with 8-0 run in the game and enjoyed 13:2 when Edgaras Ulanovas (197-F-92) made a lay-up for the hosts. Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) brought 21:13 and Edgaras Ulanovas gave Lithuania 26:20. Gobert managed to keep the French side alive at the end of the first period at 26:22. The lead continued to grow in the second period as France had no match for the favorites. Jonas Valanciunas scored for 41:28 and Cizauskas delivered two for 52:36. Sabonis nailed three to send the teams to the lockers as Lithuania had 55:38. The third quarter became defensive in the game and France tried hard to stop the hosts. Lithuania won anyway the frame 19-15 and increased to 74:53 after three quarters. In the last stanza it was just one team in the court as Lithuania smashed the opponents with 30-10. Mazelis made the last points for the winners to stay on top of the group.
Jonas Valanciunas exploded with 34 points and 13 rebounds to lead the home side to another victory. Deividas Pukis (193-G/F-92) notched 20, while Edgaras Ulanovas and Dovydas Redikas (193-G-92) added 11 apiece. Lambert Diacono (194-G/F-92) replied with 13 points in defeat and Hugo Invernizzi (196-F/G-93) scored 12.

France U18: Lambert Diacono 13, Hugo Invernizzi 12
Lithuania U18: Jonas Valanciunas 34+13 rebs, Deividas Pukis 20, Edgaras Ulanovas 11, Dovydas Redikas 11

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GEORGIA

Montenegro win Group D in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Montenegro U18 - Georgia U18 68:60

Montenegro earned the fourth straight win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The victory helped Montenegro clinched the top position in Group D. Georgia in the meantime suffered the fourth straight defeat at the tournament.
Montenegro confidently opened the game. They quickly surged ahead and won the starting quarter 14:11. Georgia used a 15:0 run early in the second frame to spur in charge. Montenegro stopped the bleeding but Georgia rolled to a 32:25 advantage at halftime. Nodar Tenieshvili (198-F-92) and Eliadze kept Georgia in charge in the third term. Finally Montenegro erased the deficit as Marko Mugosa (195-F-93) drew things level at 47 with the teams heading into the fourth quarter. Three-pointers from Grabovica and Djordan trigged an 11:0 run from Montenegro as they grabbed a 60:52 lead. Georgia never recovered and Montenegro rolled to the win at the end.
Radosav Spasojevic (204-F-92) tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds for Montenegro. Marko Mugosa notched 15 points in the victory. Nodar Tenieshvili responded with 15 points for Georgia. Duda Sanadze (196-G-92) had 13 points in the loss.

Montenegro U18: Radosav Spasojevic 21+11 boards, Marko Mugosa 15, Nemanja Djurisic (202-F-92) 11+13 boards
Georgia U18: Nodar Tenieshvili 15, Duda Sanadze 13


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GERMANY

Nic Wise To do Playmaking With The Telekom Baskets Bonn - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The Telekom Baskets Bonn change a veteran with Jared Jordan and find a BEKO BBL rookie with Nic Wise (178-G, agency: Buck Andre) for the playmaking duties. Bonn fans might have memories of a Jason Gardner when they see Wise for the first time in uniform since he belongs to the short breed of point guards as he is only 178cm. Wise played at Arizona (NCAA) from 2006-2010 and in his senior year played 31 games: 14.4ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 38.6%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 87.8%. Bonn head coach Michael Koch had contact to the American in his vacation in Florida and seems very pleased with landing the talented guard. 'Without a question Nic will really help us. With many different head coaches in the last years, he had to have responsibility and it shows in his playing style. His stats went up in each year. Just because he is short, you cant underestimate his three pointer', stressed Bonn coach Michael Koch . Wise has played for the USA U-18, U-20 and U-21 National teams. He won the bronze in Dallas at the Global games in 2006 and was an All-Pac-10 1st Team 2010 with Arizona.

Source: www.telekom-baskets-bonn.de
.

Guido Grunheid Gets Contract Extension With MBC - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

MBC made an important step for the upcoming season by extending the contract of Guido Grunheid (209-F/C-82, agency: Court Side). Grunheid is a 27 year old 209cm power forward/center who will have to help secure the hole of Anatoly kashirov who left the team. Last season, Grunheid played 34 games: 8.6ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 58.3%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 58.0%. He is a an in-betweener forward with the height (but not the size) of a 4 and the quickness (but not the ball handling and the shot) of a 3. A good rebounder and a hustler. Grunheid has a lot of experience as he played four seasons with Alba Berlin winning 3 BEKO BBL titles and one cup and winning the league title in 2006 and cup in 2007 with Rhein Energie Cologne. It was no secret that head coach Bjorn Harmsen wanted to keep him in Weissenfels. ' With the help of the sponsors, we are able to keep him another season here. He can score from inside and outside. He also gives the team some calmness with his expereince which will always help a young team like this', warned MBC coach Bjorn Harmsen. Gruinheid is also happy about staying at MBC. 'MBC is the best situation for me. Everything fits together here. It was also important in my decision that coach Harmsen stayed. We have some important pieces from last season and I am sure that we will be successful this seasona s well', stressed Guido Gruinheid.

Source: www.mitteldeutscherbc.de

Germany open Classification Round with win over Ukraine - by Eurobasket News
Germany U18 - Ukraine U18 73:59

Germany made a step towards avoiding relegation at the U18 European Championship. They held off Ukraine at the start of the Classification round in Vilnius. Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) produced 24 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Bundesteam.
Germany grabbed a 9:1 lead at the start of the game. They posted an 18:10 advantage at the first break. Germany enlarged the margin in the second quarter. They capped it with a 14:0 run to take a massive 39:18 advantage at halftime. Wendt opened the second half with a three-pointer to aggravate the damage. Ukraine struggled to find the rhythm as they faced an 18-point deficit before the fourth stanza. Prokopenko and Klym Artamonov (176-G-93) dragged the Ukrainian side within 14 points early in the final term but Germany stayed calm and eased to the win at the end.
Martin Breunig (203-F-92) produced 14 points for Germany. Patrick Heckmann (196-G/F-92) added 12 points in the win. Olexiy Len (210-C-93) delivered 20 points and 17 rebounds for Ukraine. Klym Artamonov netted 13 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Germany U18: Philipp Neumann 24, Martin Breunig 14, Patrick Heckmann 12
Ukraine U18: Olexiy Len 20+17 boards, Klym Artamonov 13


Brose Baskets Bamberg Give Contract Extensions To Coach Chris Fleming And John Goldsberry - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The Brose Baskets Bamberg made an important step for securing possible extended success by extending the contracts of coach Chris Fleming and point guard John Goldsberry (191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington). Fleming who led The Artland Dragons to the bEKO BBL cup win in 2008 in Hamburg didnt have instant success in his first season in 2008-2009 reaching the semi finals of the BEKO BBL playoffs, but in the 2009-2010 season, Fleming led his team to the double winning the cup and league title against The Deutsche Bank skyliners and reaching the Top 16 in Eurocup play. 'The charm to coach here is still as big as the first day where I signed the contract. Bamberg is a great basketball town. I am happy that we could build so much in the last two years and hope to continue to do so', stressed Bamberg coach Chris Fleming . Fleming will coach the next two years in Bamberg. Assistant coach Arne Woltmann also got his contract extended.

American point guard John Goldsberry got a two year contract extension. Last season, he played : EuroCup: 11 games: 5.3ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 35.5%, FT: 76.5%; German League: 39 games: 6.4ppg, 1.9rpg, 3.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 71.1%. The 27 year old 191cm guad from Ohio started his career in Leverkusen and won the 2008 BEKO BBL cup with The Artland Dragons. He will play Euroleague for the first time this season.

Source: www.brose-baskets-bamberg.de

Stahnsdorf adds Moosmann - by Moritz Korff
Alex Moosmann (183-G-88) will play his first season as a professional basketball player at RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (2. Bundesliga Pro B). The 22-year-old combo guard from Washington, Mo. graduated from Central Missouri (NCAA2) earlier this year, where he spent his junior and senior season. He had earlier attended Miami University (NCAA1). Moosmann is a lefty who can play both guard positions. During the 2009-10 season he averaged 15.4 points (FGP: 50.1%, 3Pts: 46.4%, FT: 81.7%), 3.9 assists as well as 2.1 boards per contest for the Mules.

Paderborn signs fourth American import - by Moritz Korff
The Webmoebel Baskets Paderborn (2. Bundesliga Pro A) have boosted their roster by recruiting Trey Hampton (201-F-87) from Hoover, Alabama as their fourth American player for the 2010-2011 season. Hampton is a 2010 Georgia State graduate. He played 32 games for the Panthers in this past season, tallying 8.5 points and 5 rebounds per encounter. The 23-year-old spent his first two years of college basketball at the University of Mississippi, before transfering to GSU following the 2006-07 campaign.

Nick Freer to compete for Salzkotten - by Moritz Korff
Nick Freer (198-G/F-85, college: Grand Valley St.) will strenghten the roster of Regionalliga West outfit TV Salzkotten in the upcoming 2010-2011 season. Freer is a 24-year-old guard/forward from Stevensville, MI. He played college-basketball Eastern Michigan (NCAA1) until 2007 and then transfered to D2 school Grand Valley State for his senior year (he averaged 7.0ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 29.2%, FT: 77.9% through 37 games during the 2007-08 season). Following his NCAA career Freer turned pro and previously played for Holland Blast (IBL) and the Newcastle Hunters of Australia.

German Talents Jonas Wohlfarth And Fabian Thulig Remain In Rhondorf - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
PRO A team Rhondorf will be able to rely on two important players for the upcoming season as German youngsters Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann and Fabian Thulig (196-F-89) will be able to play another season with Rhondorf. Both players have recieved extended experience with Rhondorf and have become more and more interesting to cooperation partner Telekom baskets Bonn. Both guys will also play for the BEKO BBL team so the search for finding time to play for both teams each weekend will continue. Wohlfarth-Botterman is a 20 year old 207cm center that played 26 games averaging 9.2ppg, 5.5rpg, Blocks-3 (1.4bpg), FGP: 53.8%, FT: 52.5% in PRO B play last season. Thulig is a 20 year old 196cm forward that started his basketball career in 2006 with The Telekom baskets junior team. Last season, he played 23 games: 8.2ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 86.3% for The Soba Dragons Rhoendorf. '

Source: www.dragons.de

Rasta Vechta Sign Andreas Kronhardt, Marc Stertenbrink And Paul Heitzhausen - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

PRO B team Rasta Vechta found three new players for the upcoming season by signing a center with Andreas Kronhardt (204-C-89)t, a forward with Marc Stertenbrink and a guard with Paul Heitzhausen. Kronhardt is a 20 year old 204cm center that weighs 105 kilos. In 2008-2009, he played for BSG Ludwigsburg (Regionalliga), in Sep.'08 moved to Walter Tigers Tuebingen (1.Bundesliga), and also played at SV03 Tuebingen 2nd team (2.Regionalliga): 22 games: 13.3ppg. Last season, he played for Walter Tigers Tuebingen (1.Bundesliga): 6 games: 0.3ppg, also have a license to play at SV03 Tuebingen 2nd team (Regionalliga): 28 games: 12.8ppg.

Marc Stertenbrink is a 18 year old 203cm forward that weighs 95 kilos. He last played for the Artland Dragons, in the NBBL and for TSV Quackenbruck in the Oberliga. He was the top rebounder in the NBBL with 133 averaging 11,1rpg. In the Oberliga, he averaged 10,5ppg in 15 games.

The club also signed Paul Heitzhausen who is a 21 year old 194cm 90 kilo shooting guard, but that can also play small forward. Last season, he played in the Regionaliga Nord for SG Oslebshausen playing 16 games and scoring 155 points averaging 9,7ppg.


Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje Goes To The Artland Dragons - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

The Artland Dragons didnt look far and found an old neighbor from the EWE Baskets Oldenburg signing ex NBA player Ruben Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown) to a one year contract. The 212 cm big man from Cameroun played the last three years in Oldenburg playing Euroleague: 10 games: 4.6ppg, 3.7rpg; German League: 37 games: 6.9ppg, 5.8rpg, Blocks-3 (1.2bpg), FGP: 58.9%, FT: 76.6%. 'We are happy that we could make our team stronger with Ruben. He has a great reputation as person and player in the BEKO BBL.He will make a difference under the boards on defense', stressed Dragons headcoach Stefan Koch .

Boumtje Boumtje started his basketball career at the well known Georgetown university in 1997 and played there until 2001and ranks fourth all-time in school history in blocks with 255 (behind Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo), 10th in total rebounds (710) and 15th in rebounding average (7.0 rpg). He was drafted by the Portland Trailblaziers in 2001 in the second round as the 50th pick. He played 35 games for the Portland Trailblaziers. He also made it on to the rosters of teams like the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers before coming ove rto Europe to extend his career. He played in Greece for Panellinios Athens (Greece-A1): 16 games: 10.4ppg, Reb-4 (9.0rpg), Blocks-3 (1.3bpg), 2FGP: 55.0%, FT: 76.0% in 2005-2006. He then played for 8 time BEKO BBL champion Alba Berlin in 2006-2007 playing ULEB Cup: 12 games: 4.1ppg, 3.3rpg; German League: 37 games: 6.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 2FGP: 52.2%, FT: 79.8%. He was German Bundesliga champion in 2009 with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Source: www.artland-dragons.de

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GREECE

Hellas - Italy 97-88 and another super day for Linos!! - by Chris Mammides

The Hellenic NT of Coach Georgios Vlassopoulos was the winner in one of most offensive games of the tournament untill now.In a great derby, the Hellenic NT with an amazing quartet consist of Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (205-F-92), Spyridon Motsenigos (194-G/F-92), Georgios Mavrogiannis (193-G-92) and Anastasios Antonakis (204-C/F-92) beat in all the aspects the Italian NT and overcome the amazing Alessandro Gentile (198-G/F-92)'s performance. The Hellenic team was much better nearly in all the statistical aspects, in the rebounding area the Italians dashed down 30 while the Hellenes 41, in the assists 12 on behalf for the Italian NT and 20 for the Greeks and 3 block shots for the Greeks against 0 blocks from the Italians.
Top performer and scorer was Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos with 25 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Spyridon Motsenigos with 20 points, Georgios Mavrogiannis with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals but with an amazing fourth quarter and last but not least Anastasios Antonakis who scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in a total basketball night for the young forward of AEK Athens. The Greek NT is now leading the group F with a record of 2-1.


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HOLLAND

Slovak Republic draw first blood in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Slovak Republic U18 - Netherlands U18 47:45
Slovak Republic posted the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They narrowly outscored Netherlands to improve at 1-3 record in Group A. Netherlands in the meantime suffered a bitter loss as they now can miss Qualifying Round of the tournament.
Slovak Republic pulled ahead early in the game. They soon recorded a 17:7 lead late in the opening quarter. Viktor Timko (195-F-92) stretched the gap to 15 points early in the second stanza. Slovak Republic earned a 26:15 lead at halftime. Kysela and Boris Bojanovsky (215-C-93) posted a 14-point advantage for Slovak Republic midway through the third stanza. Netherlands trailed by 12 points at the final break 28:40. But the Dutch team proved character. They narrowed the gap to just 5 points midway through the fourth term. Benjamin Jegen (92) scored four points in a row to narrow the deficit at just one point 45:46 with 42 seconds to go. However Netherlands could not score a point in the reminder of the contest and Slovak Republic escaped with the win.
Viktor Timko finished with 12 points for Slovak Republic. Boris Bojanovsky added 11 points and 8 rebounds in the victory. Benjamin Jegen tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds for Netherlands. Ivan Filipan (192-F-92) and Sven Burger (193-G/F-92) had 7 points each in the loss.

Slovak Republic U18: Viktor Timko 12, Boris Bojanovsky 11, Maurizio Galata (197-F-92) 7+11 boards
Netherlands U18: Benjamin Jegen 15, Ivan Filipan 7, Sven Burger 7


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HUNGARY

Bosnia and Herzegovina reach Qualifying Round in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 - Hungary U18 61:59
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 wrapped up their preliminary round campaign at the European Championship in Division B with win. They narrowly defeated Hungary to occupy the second position in Group B. Thus Bosnia and Herzegovina stayed in the race for Division A promotion.
The lead changed hands at the start of the opening quarter. But Bosnia and Herzegovina capped the period with 10 points in a row to grab a 25:12 lead. Hungary denied the deficit in the second stanza. But Mirza Bulic (204-F-92) capped the period with a three-pointer to give Bosnia and Herzegovina a narrow 32:31 advantage. The seesaw action continued in the third quarter. Bence Narai (206-F/C-92) gave the lead back to Hungary however their opponents answered with 16 points in a row to enter the fourth stanza up by 14 points. But it was not the end of the story. Hungary went on a desperate rescue mission in the final stanza. They narrowed the gap to minimum in the dying seconds. Bence Delity (193-G/F-92) had a chance to win the game for Hungary but missed a three-pointer at the end of the game.
Mirza Bulic knocked down 21 points to lead the winners. Dino Begagic (193-G-92) added 16 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bence Narai answered with 12 points for Hungary. Bence Delity and Norbert Timko (210-C/F-92) provided 10 points each in the loss.

Bosnia and Herzegovina U18: Mirza Bulic 21, Dino Begagic 16, Ernad Mujic (208-C-92) 8
Hungary U18: Bence Narai 12, Bence Delity 10, Norbert Timko 10


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ISRAEL

Israel tops Netherlands 83:96, Casspi led with 17 - by David Pick
Israel, with first ever NBA player Omri Omri Casspi (204-F/G-88, agency: Interperformances) hosted the national team of Netherlands and their NBA center, Francisco Elson (212-C-76, agency: Court Side, college: California), for the second game of the exhibition tournament which is took place tonight in Tel Aviv, Israel. as the game progressed the play became more physical as Elson dominated early with 8 quick points as the Netherlands ran ahead 35:24 but Israel rallied back behind 10 points from team captain, Tal Burstien, and 8 from Omri Omri Casspi who drew 8 fouls by halftime, the first two quarters ended 49:44 in favor of Israel. The third quarter began just like the game started, akrboom kees shot two consecutive threes which were answered by a power house dunk by lior eliyahu threes from casspi and naimy. Israel took the lead in again in the fourth quarter with three shots beyond the arc from yotam Halperin and guy pnini, and with 5:04 to go in the game Israel were up 71:82. Netherlands tried one last comeback with points from Elson and Kees but yotam Halperins shot clock buzzer beating three was just to much. Israel dominated the last few minutes of the game as they went on to their 5 victory in exhibition games and beat Netherlands 83:96

ISR: Omri Casspi 17, Pnini 14, Halperin and burshtein 12

NTL: Elson 15, 6 reb, Akerboom 19
In the earlier match Great Britain beat Belgium 80:84.

Israel knock down Belarus to stay perfect - by Eurobasket News
Israel U18 - Belarus U18 95:76

Israel remained undefeated at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They shot down Belarus to improve at 4-0 record on top of Group C. Belarus fell at 2-2 record in the third position in the ladder. Guy Lavie (187-G-92) fired 31 points and made 6 steals to pace the hosts.
Belarus stormed into the game. They accounted for the opening 7 points in the encounter. Israel needed a 13:0 run midway through the term to grab the lead. Israel poured in 31 points in the quarter to build a 31:22 lead. Belarus answered with an 8:0 run to open the second quarter. Azaare drained a triple late in the second term as the visitors took a 38:37 lead. But Israel managed to eke out a 44:41 advantage at halftime. The teams kept it close in the third frame. Israel capped the period with an 8:2 run to clear off to an 8-point distance 70:62. Guy Lavie and Sean Labanowski (203-F-92) ensured a quick start for the home team in the final stanza as they boosted the lead to as many as 19 points and never looked back on the way to the victory.
Noam Laish (195-G/F-93) knocked down 19 points for Israel. Sean Labanowski added 17 points in the winning effort. Vitali Liutych (198-G/F-92) accounted for 16 points for Belarus. Henadziy Zakhar (198-F-92) had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Israel U18: Guy Lavie 31, Noam Laish 19, Sean Labanowski 17
Belarus U18: Vitali Liutych 16, Henadziy Zakhar 16+12 boards


Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, interested in Travis Hansen and Louis Bullock - by David Pick

The two former American members of Real Madrid are now on coach David Blatt's radar for Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv. According to the Israeli media, Louis Bullock (186-G-34, college: Michigan) The American guard who was drafted 42nd in 1999 by the Minnesota Timberwolves who scored last season 6.9 points in the Euroleague and 9.9 points in the Spanish league. and American/Russian guard Travis Hansen (198-G/F-32, college: BYU) who was drafted 37th in 2003 by the Atlanta Hawks averaged 4.8 points in Euroleague and 7.1 in Spanish league last season are very much wated in Israel. Despite Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv being very close to signing Jaycee Carroll (188-G-27, agency: Priority Sports) who is still under contract with his team, Gran Canaria, who is making it very difficult for the yellow and blue to sign Jaycee Carroll. due to the fact that they realy want to see him play in Spain next season. Maccabi who targeted these three names for next season will eventually only land one. Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv has already acquired, Tal Burstein (198-G-30, agency: ZAG Advocates), Richard Hendrix (203-F-24, college: Alabama), Elishay Kadir (202-F-23, agency: Avi Zilberman), Jeff Foote (213-C-22, college: Cornell) and Mikhail Torrance (196-G-22, Coolege: Alabama).


Tyler Wilkerson singes with Galil/Gilboa - by David Pick
Tyler Wilkerson (203-F-22) will start his professional career in Israel. The American forward was signed to a one-year contract by Galil Gilboa, the current champion of the Israeli Super League. Wilkerson arrives to his new team after playing during the last four seasons for the Marshall University, averaging 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his senior year. Galil/Gilboa is trying to rebuild after loing star PG Jeremy Pargo (188-G-86, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga), human highlight real, Brian Randle (203-F-85) to Hapoel Jerusalem. Randle will play his third consecutive year under coach Oded Katash (agency: Arik Krayn Services ).

Israel ready for match vs. Italy - by David Pick
After the national Italian team had lost both friendly matches against Croatia (89-72 in Game 1, 80-71in game 2) despite leading performances from NBA stars Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-25) and Marco Belinelli (196-G-24) it doesn't seem to appear that the pizza and pasta's national squad is ready for their battle against the challenging Israeli team. Israel, with added strength in the likes of Israeli/American, David Blu, NBA rising star, Omri Casspi and Spanish league champion, Lior Eliyahu, emerges as a strong and talented squad. don't be surprised if you see the white and blue men securing a victory next week in Bari, where the first game of the Qualifying Round will take place, August 2.
Tonight July, 26th, Israel will host the Netherlands for a friendly at Hadar-Iosef Arena in Tel-Aviv, followed by two more games against, England (Aug 27th), and Belgium (Aug 28th) who previously lost to Israel this past Friday 79-55. Casspi 24 points (8-12 from the field, 6-6 line), Blu added 16 points, 6 boards.


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ITALY

A Dilettanti Last Transactions - by Armando Caporaso
The Bawer Matera has almost completed the roster in the last days with some arrivals and confirmations. After the ex player of Brindisi and Monferrato Riccardo Coviello (197-F-88) (7 points in 52 minutes in the last season in LegaA2) the team signed 2 new players: Sebastian Vico (190-G-86, agency: Players Group) and Andrea LaGioia (195-G/F-86, agency: Players Group). The argentinian playmaker, with italian passport, started his carrier at Novara and closed a great season at S.Antimo with 10.1 points and 2.7 steals (3 in standing in the group B) leading the team at the last playoff. LaGioia comes from Palestrina and, in the last season, scored 11.0 points with 3.6 rebounds. Also will remain for another year at Matera Federico Gilardi (190-G-79, agency: Players Group), Cristiano Grappasonni (204-F/C-72) and Fabio Lovatti (194-G/F-89). Francesco Amoroso (202-F-78) is a new player of Latina from Ostuni, played also at Osimo, Cento, Forl and Ferentino in his long carrier. The last year 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. Daniele Ricciardi (185-G-81) leaves the Tiber Roma and joins with Palestrina after a good season like second top scorer of the team in the group C of the B Dil. with 16.3 points and 42% by 3 points. Siena takes Stefano Spizzichini (202-F-90) from SAM Basket Roma on loan for the next 2 years. For the young pivot, ex Montegranaro and Lumezzane, the last year 1.4 points in 7.6 minutes at Ozzano. Maurizio Ferrara (185-G-86, agency: Players Group) is a new player of Agrigento. Born and grown at Avellino, played also at Caserta, R.Calabria and Novara while in the last season played 20 matches at Scafati (LegaA2) with 1.4 points in 6.6 minutes. Another new player at the Moncasa: Andrea Casella (197-G-90, agency: Interperformances) will play in Sicily in the next season. The last year 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds at Ozzano. Andrea Maggiotto (194-G-88) signs with Moncalieri (promoted by the B Dil.). In the 2009/2010 season 8 matches at Jesolo (10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals) and 3 matches at Biella in LegaA1 with an high of 6 minutes against Cantu'. Another important arrival at Piacenza: Federico Bolzonella (185-G-84) will be a player of the Copra Morpho in the next season! Grown in the young team of Varese, played also at Novara, Firenze and Casalpusterlengo; moreover, in the 2008, was called for the Italian National Team playing 15 matches. The last year at Imola 7.3 points with 7.7 of ranking in only 6 matches. Giacomo Bloise (187-G-90) arrives at Omegna from Cantu'. In the last 4 years at Cantu', in LegaA1, 14 matches and 10 minutes without points.

Cyprus shock San Marino in opener - by Eurobasket News
Cyprus U16 - San Marino U16 114:43

Cyprus got to an impressive start of their U16 European Championship in Division C campaign. They knocked down San Marino in Group B in Andorra. Papacostas came up with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge.
Cyprus marked their ambitions early in this one. They exploded with 32 points in the opening frame building a massive 27-point buffer ten minutes into the game. Cyprus kept on scoring willingly in the second quarter. They accumulated a 60:23 lead at halftime. San Marino could not match their opponents after the main break. The margin grew at 45-point mark with one quarter to go. Cyprus never loosened the grasp and they easily overcame a 100-point mark and cruised to the win.
Iliadis notched 19 points for Cyprus. Christodoulou added 15 points and 8 assists for the winners. Gualtieri netted 23 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for San Marino. Lorenzo Guerra (183-G-94) had 6 points in the loss.

Cyprus U16: Constantinos Papacostas 23, Stefanos Iliadis 19, Antreas Christodoulou 15
San Marino U16: Julian Gualtieri 23, Lorenzo Guerra 6


Chrysikopoulos lead Greece over Italy - by Eurobasket News
Greece U18-Italy U18 97:88

Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (205-F-92) again was the key player for Greece U18 that beat Italy U18 in Vilnius. The Greek side produced a 97:88 victory over the opponents at the U18 European Championship.
Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos scored the first 7 points for the winners, while Chillo made 9:7 for Italy. Kampouris brought Greece 14:13 and Psaropoulos drove a lay-up at the end of the period for 26:19. Spyridon Motsenigos (194-G/F-92) increased the lead to 33:25, while Pini scored for 40:30. Dermitzakis finished the half for 50:36 as Greece enjoyed 14-point advantage. Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos even gave Greece plus 16, but Italy managed to reduce the gap. Ondo cut it to 67:60 and Marco Ceron (192-G-92) closed the third quarter at 69:62. Greece needed 28-26 in the last frame to win the game.
Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos was unstoppable with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Spyridon Motsenigos followed him with 20 and Georgios Mavrogiannis (193-G-92) scored 18. Alessandro Gentile (198-G/F-92) ended up with 21 points in the losing effort. Marco Ceron notched 18, while Fabio Mian (195-F-92) scored 17.
The win gives the Greeks a big advantage in a group that started all tied, and now hold a 2-1 record while Italy dropped to 1-2.
Tomorrow Greece and Turkey will go head to head while Italy will face Croatia.

Greece U18: Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos 25+13 rebs, Spyridon Motsenigos 20, Georgios Mavrogiannis 18
Italy U18: Alessandro Gentile 21, Marco Ceron 18, Fabio Mian 17

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LATVIA

Sloveni handed Latvia their first loss at the U18 European Championship - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia U18-Latvia U18 76:74

Slovenia handed Latvia their first loss after three perfect games in Vilnius. Slovenia overcame the Baltic State 76:74 at the U18 European Championship on Monday.
Latvia as it was expected started with the lead and took 4:0 in the opening tip. They were in front for the majority of the period, while Besedic gave Slovenia 14:13 at the end of the first quarter. Bertans took the lead back early in the second, while Janis Timma (198-F-92) scored for 22:17. Alen Omic (213-C-92) later tied it at 28:28 and Vasl gave Slovenia 38:32 as the squads went to the lockers. Janis Timma later brought the advantage back to the Baltic State and Edmunds Dukulis (201-C-92, agency: Players Group) made it 47:45. Dimec tied it all at 55:55 at the end of the third frame. The last quarter became the real thriller in the court but Slovenia deserved the win more than the opponents. They led in the majority of the period and won the game.
Alen Omic paced all the winners with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Klemen Prepelic (190-G-92) nailed 14, while Alen Hodzic (192-F-92) scored 9. Edmunds Dukulis responded with 16 points in the losing effort as Latvia fell at 2-1 in the group. Janis Timma netted 15, whilst Andris Misters (192-G-92) scored 14.

Slovenia U18: Alen Omic 19, Klemen Prepelic 14, Alen Hodzic 9
Latvia U18: Edmunds Dukulis 16, Janis Timma 15, Andris Misters 14

Kaspars Berzins joins VEF Riga - by Eurobasket News
Kaspars Berzins (213-F/C-85, agency: FCM) became the new player of VEF Riga. The 24-year-old centre is coming back to Latvia from Spain. Last season Kaspars Berzins started in Fuenlabrada. He notched 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in ACB. Later he was sent to Caceres 2016 in LEB Gold. Kaspars Berzins averaged 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per LEB Gold appearance. Kaspars Berzins used to play in Skonto (then Barons/LMT Riga) in Latvia. The centre was the part of the Latvia NT at 2009 EuroBasket. He tallied 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in Poland.


Latvia edge Sweden in friendly - by Eurobasket News
Latvia - Sweden 91:68
Latvian NT continued their preparations for the upcoming 2011 EuroBasket Qualifying games. Lately they faced Sweden in Tallinn. Latvia dominated throughout the clash and recorded a well-deserved 91:68 win at the end. Latvia surged ahead right from the start and posted a 21:16 advantage at the first break. The margin kept on growing in the second quarter. The scoreboard read 46:29 for Latvia at halftime. The Baltic team did not allow their opponents to get any closer in the third stanza. Latvia recorded a 65:46 lead heading into the fourth period. Sweden never recovered in the final quarter and had to surrender at the end. Rihards Kuksiks (198-G/F-88) notched 18 points to lead Latvia. Rolands Freimanis (208-F-88, agency: Players Group) added 13 points in the winning effort. Brice Massamba (208-F/C-88) replied with 12 points for Sweden. Palmbland had 10 points in defeat.
Latvia will face Estonia later tonight.

Latvia: Rihards Kuksiks 18, Rolands Freimanis 13, Ingus Bankevics (195-G/F-85, agency: FCM) 9
Sweden: Brice Massamba 12, Martin Pahlmblad (193-G-86) 10


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LITHUANIA

Lithuania U18 is the only undefeated team in the home tournament - by Eurobasket News
France U18-Lithuania U18 63:104

Lithuania U18 proves the ambitions for the top place at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. The home side became the only undefeated team and improved to 3-0 record in Group E destroying failing France 104:63.
Lithuania started with 8-0 run in the game and enjoyed 13:2 when Edgaras Ulanovas (197-F-92) made a lay-up for the hosts. Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) brought 21:13 and Edgaras Ulanovas gave Lithuania 26:20. Gobert managed to keep the French side alive at the end of the first period at 26:22. The lead continued to grow in the second period as France had no match for the favorites. Jonas Valanciunas scored for 41:28 and Cizauskas delivered two for 52:36. Sabonis nailed three to send the teams to the lockers as Lithuania had 55:38. The third quarter became defensive in the game and France tried hard to stop the hosts. Lithuania won anyway the frame 19-15 and increased to 74:53 after three quarters. In the last stanza it was just one team in the court as Lithuania smashed the opponents with 30-10. Mazelis made the last points for the winners to stay on top of the group.
Jonas Valanciunas exploded with 34 points and 13 rebounds to lead the home side to another victory. Deividas Pukis (193-G/F-92) notched 20, while Edgaras Ulanovas and Dovydas Redikas (193-G-92) added 11 apiece. Lambert Diacono (194-G/F-92) replied with 13 points in defeat and Hugo Invernizzi (196-F/G-93) scored 12.

France U18: Lambert Diacono 13, Hugo Invernizzi 12
Lithuania U18: Jonas Valanciunas 34+13 rebs, Deividas Pukis 20, Edgaras Ulanovas 11, Dovydas Redikas 11

Raptors sign Linas Kleiza - by Eurobasket News
The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed forward Linas Kleiza (6'8''-F-85, college: Missouri) to a multi-year contract as all required paperwork has now been officially filed with the League Office. Kleiza's rights technically became property of the Raptors on July 17 when an offer sheet was not matched by the Denver Nuggets. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

We are very happy to add a tough-minded, hard-nosed forward who will certainly get a chance to contribute given the departure of Hedo Turkoglu, said Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. Linas has that unique inside/outside game that makes him a tough cover at a couple of different positions.

Kleiza played last season in Greece with Olympiakos after four seasons (2005-09) with the Nuggets. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 31 regular season games with Olympiakos. He shot .596 from the field, .374 from three-point range and .800 from the foul line.

In 22 Euroleague outings, Kleiza contributed 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. In the regular season he finished second in the Euroleague in scoring at 19.7 points per contest. He led Olympiakos to the Euroleague Championship game in Paris.

Kleiza averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 301 career games with Denver. He saw action in 26 postseason games, where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. He averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

Kleiza, 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, was born in Lithuanian, attended high school in Maryland and played collegiately at the University of Missouri. He was selected 27th overall by Portland in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Courtesy of www.insidehoops.com

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LUXEMBOURG

Austria occupy third spot in Group D - by Eurobasket News
Austria U18 - Luxembourg U18 74:66
Austria posted the second win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Luxembourg opponents to improve at 2-2 recor din Group D. Luxembourg slipped at 1-3 record in the ladder. Daniel Friedrich (180-G-92) notched 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace Austria.
Luxembourg looked solid in the starting frame. They piled up a 17:9 lead late in the first quarter. Luxembourg posted a 22:16 lead at the first pause. Rados dragged Austria within 5 points late in the second period. Daniel Friedrich and Ferdinand Saukel (199-F-92) teamed up for 12 points early in the third quarter as Austria took a 40:37 lead. Austria maintained the lead and entered the fourth quarter up by one 50:49. Carlos Novas (197-F-92) ignited an 8:0 run from the Austrian team in the fourth stanza as they built a 61:54 lead. Luxembourg never recovered as Austria coasted to the win at the end.
Ferdinand Saukel notched 15 points and 10 rebounds for Austria. Carlos Novas added 12 points in the win. Alex Laurent (195-C-93) and Gilles Polfer (187-F-93) netted 15 points each for Luxembourg. Max Schmit (182-G-92) had 11 points in the loss.

Austria U18: Daniel Friedrich 19+10 boards, Ferdinand Saukel 15+10 boards, Carlos Novas 12
Luxembourg U18: Alex Laurent 15, Gilles Polfer 15


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MALTA

Malta account for Gibraltar in Andorra - by Eurobasket News
Malta U16 - Gibraltar U16 63:35

Malta posted the first win at the U16 European Championship in Division C. They held off Gibraltar to improve at 1-0 record in preliminary Group B. Aaron Falzon tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the winners.
Malta showed their ambitions early in the game. They won the starting quarter 19:2. Gibraltar came back to life in the second frame but could not stop the bleeding. Malta rallied to a 21-point buffer at the interval. They maintained the pressure in the third quarter. The margin grew at 23-point mark with ten minutes to go. Gibraltar had nothing to answer with and eventually lost the battle. Robert Bonnici accounted for 12 points in the win. Christopher Cordina had 11 points and 5 steals for Malta. Adrian Bado replied with 7 points and 7 rebounds for Gibraltar. Ryan Rodriguez provided 6 points in the loss.

Malta U16: Aaron Falzon 15, Robert Bonnici 12, Christopher Cordina 11
Gibraltar U16: Adrian Bado 7, Ryan Rodriguez 6


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MEXICO

Mineros lead Madereros, 2-0, in CIBANE Finals - by Carlos Chapa
In game 1, Mineros de Fresnillo showed ambition to take the title with a striking and organized offense, making key three-point shots to develop streaks and periodically increase its advantage over Madereros de Durango, as shown by the halftime score of 61-32 favoring the local team. Coach Elizel Collazo, from Fresnillo, chose to make use of his bench in the third period, the substitutes responded well making long range shots and maintaining the lead until the last buzzer. The final score was 106-87; Glenn Stokes led all scorers with 33 points for Mineros, Santiago Nogueira recorded 25 for the visiting team. Swingman Marcos Dorado said that apart from their successful offense, they implemented a 1-3-1 zone defense that could not get figured out by Madereros de Durango.

History repeated in game 2, with Mineros de Fresnillo having a hot start and building a lead that would not be reversed, the visitors tried to keep the game close but most attacks were destroyed by Fresnillos zone defense; Glenn Stokes gave an impressive performance with 43 points, contributing to his team winning 84-71. The Finals will now shift to Durango, as Madereros will need to have a perfect pace to try and win it all. Fun fact: Mineros de Fresnillo has never won in Durango and Madereros de Durango has never won in Fresnillo.

CIBANE aims to expand
Paying a visit to the CIBANE Finals, the President of the league, Harold Valenzuela said he is satisfied by the level shown so far in the finals and the way the first edition of the tournament has turned out, likewise, he reported that the CIBANE circuit will have an expansion next season, with teams from Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi and Chihuahua showing interest in joining the league. Harold Valenzuela also recognized the support given by Dr. Modesto Robledo (President of the Ademeba Federation) to this tournament, both hoping to give young talent the opportunity of playing professional basketball and potentially increasing the level of national teams.


Puerto Rico too much for Mexico in Mayaguez - by Eurobasket News
CAC Games, Day One: Mexico - Puerto Rico 62-77

Puerto Rico opened the CAC Games in Mayaguez with comfortable 62-77 win against Mexico. These two teams are together with Jamaica placed to Preliminary Group A. Nathan Peavy (203-F-85, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: Miami (OH)) top-scored for the winners in this game with 18 points. Carmelo Lee (201-F-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Long Beach St.) had 17, while Angel Vasallo (196-G/F-86, college: Virginia Tech) helped with 12 points. In the loosing squad, Victor Mariscal (198-F-72) shined with 17 points and 8 boards. Jovan Harris (191-G/F-81, college: USF) and Hector Hernandez (206-F-85, college: Fresno St.) (11 rebs) delivered 12 and 8 points respectively.
Puerto Rico had a great start. They opened this meeting with quick 4-9 lead and later jumped to 8-15. They continued in the same rhythm for the next ten minutes and Mexico was already in trouble. After two periods of play, the hosts were 22-37 up and were looking comfortable. Mexico was not able to resists and they faced with 15-26 in Q3. Question about the winner was resolved and last ten minutes were just the formality. They belonged to Mexico 25-14 for the final 62-77 victory by the home side.
In Day Two, Puerto Rico will meet Jamaica. Mexico will have a day-off.

Mexico: Victor Mariscal 17+8 boards, Jovan Harris 12, Hector Hernandez 8+11 boards
Puerto Rico: Nathan Peavy 18, Carmelo Lee 17, Angel Vasallo 12

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MONTENEGRO

Montenegro win Group D in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Montenegro U18 - Georgia U18 68:60

Montenegro earned the fourth straight win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The victory helped Montenegro clinched the top position in Group D. Georgia in the meantime suffered the fourth straight defeat at the tournament.
Montenegro confidently opened the game. They quickly surged ahead and won the starting quarter 14:11. Georgia used a 15:0 run early in the second frame to spur in charge. Montenegro stopped the bleeding but Georgia rolled to a 32:25 advantage at halftime. Nodar Tenieshvili (198-F-92) and Eliadze kept Georgia in charge in the third term. Finally Montenegro erased the deficit as Marko Mugosa (195-F-93) drew things level at 47 with the teams heading into the fourth quarter. Three-pointers from Grabovica and Djordan trigged an 11:0 run from Montenegro as they grabbed a 60:52 lead. Georgia never recovered and Montenegro rolled to the win at the end.
Radosav Spasojevic (204-F-92) tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds for Montenegro. Marko Mugosa notched 15 points in the victory. Nodar Tenieshvili responded with 15 points for Georgia. Duda Sanadze (196-G-92) had 13 points in the loss.

Montenegro U18: Radosav Spasojevic 21+11 boards, Marko Mugosa 15, Nemanja Djurisic (202-F-92) 11+13 boards
Georgia U18: Nodar Tenieshvili 15, Duda Sanadze 13


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NBA

Nets name Bobby Marks assistant general manager - by Eurobasket News
The New Jersey Nets have promoted Bobby Marks to assistant general manager.

General manager Billy King made the announcement Monday. Marks had been the team's vice president of basketball operations.

Marks will work with King on salary cap management, scouting, player personnel and daily basketball operations.

Marks joined the Nets in 1995 as a public relations intern, and moved to the basketball operations department the following year. He was the team's VP of basketball operations for the past four years.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

Raptors sign Linas Kleiza - by Eurobasket News
The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed forward Linas Kleiza (6'8''-F-85, college: Missouri) to a multi-year contract as all required paperwork has now been officially filed with the League Office. Kleiza's rights technically became property of the Raptors on July 17 when an offer sheet was not matched by the Denver Nuggets. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

We are very happy to add a tough-minded, hard-nosed forward who will certainly get a chance to contribute given the departure of Hedo Turkoglu, said Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. Linas has that unique inside/outside game that makes him a tough cover at a couple of different positions.

Kleiza played last season in Greece with Olympiakos after four seasons (2005-09) with the Nuggets. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 31 regular season games with Olympiakos. He shot .596 from the field, .374 from three-point range and .800 from the foul line.

In 22 Euroleague outings, Kleiza contributed 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. In the regular season he finished second in the Euroleague in scoring at 19.7 points per contest. He led Olympiakos to the Euroleague Championship game in Paris.

Kleiza averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 301 career games with Denver. He saw action in 26 postseason games, where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. He averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

Kleiza, 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, was born in Lithuanian, attended high school in Maryland and played collegiately at the University of Missouri. He was selected 27th overall by Portland in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Courtesy of www.insidehoops.com

Phoenix Suns waive ex-Sooner Taylor Griffin - by Eurobasket News
Former Oklahoma player Taylor Griffin (6'7''-F-86, college: Oklahoma) was waived by the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the Arizona Republic reports.

Griffin was selected by Phoenix in the second round of the 2009 draft with the 48th overall pick. He played in eight games as a rookie last season, averaging four minutes per game and 1.3 points.

He started all five of the Suns' recent summer league games in Las Vegas, averaging 3.8 points per game and 20.6 minutes.

Courtesy of www.tulsaworld.com

Hornets GM confident Paul staying put - by Eurobasket News
Hornets general manager Dell Demps says star guard Chris Paul (6'0''-G-85, college: Wake Forest) did not request a trade during a meeting with New Orleans executives.

Demps says he is confident that Paul will be playing with the Hornets this season after Monday's meeting, which included new coach Monty Williams and team president Hugh Weber.

In a statement released by the team, Paul says he likes what he heard during the meeting from the Hornets about the 'direction they want to take the team.' Paul also says he hopes to remain with the team for years to come.

Paul has two years remaining before he can opt out of his current contract with the Hornets.

The Hornets prepared for their sitdown with Paul by turning away the latest round of trade calls from other teams, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

Sources told ESPN.com that teams inquiring about Paul's availability in recent days were greeted with the same resistance to Paul offers that the Hornets have maintained for months. Persistent media reports had suggested Paul would formally request to be traded at Monday's meeting.

'They say they aren't moving him,' one rival team executive said of the Hornets.

And Paul seems to have grown amicable to their intentions after the 11 a.m. ET meeting, which according to ESPN.com sources with knowledge of New Orleans' thinking also included Paul's new agent Leon Rose.

'The meeting went well,' Paul said in a statement. 'It was great to get an opportunity to sit down with Coach Williams, President Weber and our new general manager Dell Demps . I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team. I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come.'

ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reported Friday that Paul had been planning to furnish the Hornets with a list of teams to which he'd like to be traded.

Broussard also reported that the Orlando Magic top Paul's wish list of potential trade destinations, followed by trades to New York, Dallas or Portland. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Friday that Rose had reached out to all four teams in the past week.

But Williams has repeatedly expressed confidence in recent days that he and Demps -- former teammates in San Antonio and disciples of the Spurs' highly successful program established by coach Gregg Popovich and personnel chief R.C. Buford -- can reach Paul in spite of their shared inexperience as lead decision-makers.

If the Hornets do reach the point of shopping Paul, whether that's before the season starts or later, rival executives expect them to insist that any trade rids them of the onerous contracts possessed by big man Emeka Okafor (due $53 million-plus over the next four seasons) and possibly James Posey ($13 million-plus over the next two seasons) as well.

It's likewise believed that the Hornets would open up the bidding to the whole league in search of the most favorable deal, since Paul -- without the no-trade clause that Kobe Bryant possessed in 2007 when he asked the Los Angeles Lakers to trade him -- has no means to ensure that he lands in one of his preferred destinations.

Courtesy of ESPN

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NCAA1

Two Drexel players facing armed robbery charges - by Eurobasket News
Two Drexel University basketball players face robbery and weapons charges after an armed robbery at a fellow student's apartment in which they went looking for cash but came away only with two cell phones, police said.

Jamie Harris (5'10''-G), 21, the team's starting point guard and leading scorer, and Kevin Phillip (6'6''-F), 21, a backup forward, turned themselves in Monday, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said. A third man, Devon Bond, 21, also a Drexel student, was arrested last week.

Police allege the three hatched a bizarre scheme to take money that Bond believed to be in a west Philadelphia apartment.

Bond knocked on the door around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and asked to speak with the male roommate of the woman who answered, Walker said. Once inside, he and the woman discussed school for about 15 minutes.

When he left the building, Bond propped the outside door open and returned a few minutes later with Harris and Phillip, who were armed with handguns, police said. One of the players then forced Bond to the ground as part of a ruse to make it look as if he was being robbed, Walker said.

Harris and Phillip pointed their guns around the woman's apartment and kept asking where the money was, but they didn't find any, Walker said. The three men allegedly fled only with two cell phones.

'We think the roommate of the victim was being targeted,' Walker said. 'We believe Bond knew that there was money in that apartment.'

After the female student reported the robbery, Bond told police he had been the victim of a crime, Walker said. Police quickly found out that wasn't true, Walker said, and determined he had plotted the robbery with Harris and Phillip.

Bond was charged Friday, and warrants were issued for Harris and Phillip on Saturday. All three face robbery, theft and weapons charges, Walker said.

An attorney for Phillip declined to comment, and a message left for Harris' attorney was not immediately returned. It wasn't clear whether Bond had an attorney, and a telephone listing for him could not be found.

Harris, a 5-10 point guard out of New York City, started all 32 games for the Dragons last season and averaged 14.5 points a game. Phillip, a 6-6 forward from Brooklyn, averaged 2.9 points and 3.1 rebounds coming off the bench in 31 games.

A Drexel spokeswoman said the school would release a statement Monday afternoon.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

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NEW ZEALAND

Cameron to captain Tall Blacks - by Eurobasket News
Forward Pero Cameron (199-F-74, agency: Duran International) will travel to his third World Championships after being named as the captain of the New Zealand Tall Blacks team for Turkey.

Cameron had been in a desperate race against time to line up for the Tall Blacks due to the niggling foot injury which limited him to just 13 games for the Blaze last NBL season.

He managed to convince Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic of his fitness during trials on the weekend however and was subsequently selected in the New Zealand World Championship team.

The 36-year-old, who debuted for his country in 1994, joins fellow past and present NBL players Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand Breakers), Kirk Penney (New Zealand Breakers), Casey Frank (formerly Gold Coast Blaze), Craig Bradshaw (formerly Gold Coast Blaze), Phill Jones (Cairns Taipans), Alex Pledger (New Zealand Breakers), Mika Vukona (New Zealand Breakers), Jeremy Kench (formely Singapore Slingers and Wollongong Hawks) and Lindsay Tait (formerly (Wollongong Hawks and New Zealand Breakers).

Vucinic admitted there was a stage he seriously doubted Cameron would make it.

'Over the weekend I thought it was going to be a real struggle for him. (But) he came right completely. I think he was surprised himself,' Vucinic said when confirming his squad.

Cameron, who coached Wellington to the NZNBL crown in his maiden season in a coaching role this year, shared his coach's doubts.

'The last two sessions were my best sessions. I kept on getting better, it was a bit of a mental thing - am I able to keep turning it up? But there was progression and the confidence came with it.'

The squad leave Monday for Europe where they will sharpen their preparations for the championship by playing in tournaments in Turkey, Slovenia and Croatia. The world championships start in Turkey on August 28.

Tall Blacks 2010 World Championship Team
Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato), Benny Anthony Jnr (North Harbour), Craig Bradshaw (unattached), Pero Cameron (captain, Wellington), Casey Frank (Wellington), Phill Jones (Nelson), Jeremy Kench (Christchurch), Mike Fitchett (Nelson), Kirk Penney (vice captain, NZ Breakers), Alex Pledger (Waikato), Lindsay Tait (Wellington), Mika Vukona (Nelson).

Courtesy of www.nbl.com.au

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PARAGUAY

Paraguay National Team -10 - by Eurobasket

Starting five
#s#	Perez	Martinez	Zanotti	Araujo	Fabio	#e#5

4

Sergio Lopez

189-G/F-86

Felix Perez

5

Daniel Perez

190-G/F-84

Libertad

6

Javier Martinez

189-G-78

Regatas C.

7

Bruno Zanotti

197-F-82

Libertad

8

Gustavo Paniagua

186-G-80

Libertad

9

Gustavo Torres

175-G-80

Sol de Amer.

10

Aldo Acosta

192-F-76

Sol de Amer.

11

Guillermo Araujo

204-C-82

Olimpia

12

Adolfo Lopez

199-F

Felix Perez

13

Jose Fabio

198-F-77

Cerro Porteno

14

Carlos Luis Vallejos

183-G-92

Sol de Amer.

15

Cristian Rodas

202-C

Libertad

Arturo Alvarez

Head Coach

Lagun Aro GBC

Cerro is the 3rd Metro Comuneros Champion - by Santiago Maciel

In a very cold night and after having lost against Deportivo Sajonia in game 4, Cerro Porteno Asuncion finally got a hold on to championship title beating the very goo Deportivo Sajonia team 91-79.
With an outstandig Hugo Paredes (198-F-84) who hit 5 three pointers in first half, Cerro Porteno Asuncion began to build a victory that later was support by Jose Fabio (198-F-77) who netted 20 points and 16 rebonds for the red and blue team. Daniel ocampo played excellent game in the point, also supported by Jos Cabrera who played point guard but also had to hold a strong defense on Agustin Carnovale (195-G-86) who still connected 43 points for its cause.
Very little is what three insiders gave to Deportivo Sajonia, Mario Gonzalez, Daniel Bonhaure and Victor Molinas had no impact at all into Cerro Porteno Asuncion`s paint. However Fabio, Paredes and Adolfo Lpez destroyed Deportivo Sajonia`s inside game both in offense as in defense.
Francisco Yugovich (175-G-81), Sajonis excellent point guard was also totally out played by Dany Ocampo and at times by Joel Quevedo who also gave a couple of fast breaks to his team just when it needed it so.
Hugo Paredes ended up with 8 three pointers, for a total of 36 points, outstanding performance from the Pilar borned Cerro Porteno Asuncion player.
Great victory for a team who did things very well from the beginning to the end and of course very well commanded by Juan Pablo Feliu who took the team the last 3 months of the season.
Statistics:
Deportivo Sajonia: Daniel Bonhaure (4 ), Francisco Yugovich (2), Fernando Galeano (9), Agustin Carnovale (43) y Vctor Molinas, Mario Olmedo (12), Jos Moreno (2), M. Bogado, Mario Gonzlez (7), Willian Schaffer y Luis Araujo. Coach Rodrigo Insfrn. Asist: Juan C. Guilln.

Cerro Porteno Asuncion Porteo : JosE Cabrera (1 ), Daniel Ocampos (5), Jos Fabio (20), Hugo Paredes (37) y Adolfo LOpez (16), Rodrigo Fagundez (3), Edison Ortiz (2), Sebastin Frutos, Joel Quevedo (7) y Renzo Oru and Juan Gomez (DNP) Entrenador: Juan Pablo Feli.


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PHILIPPINES

Alaska takes 2-1 lead against Talk 'N Text - by Eurobasket News
LA Tenorio (178-G-84) exploded at the right place at the right time and Reynel Hugnatan (194-F-78) pulled off a big defensive stop down the stretch as Alaska dramatically pulled off a 90-86 come-from-behind win over Talk 'N Text in Game 3 of their PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Held down to just two points, Tenorio suddenly came to life in the final minute of the tight ball game and accounted for the Aces' last seven points, including a booming three-pointer in the final 44.8 seconds to put his team in front, 86-84.

Hugnatan, then, complemented Tenorio's offensive brilliance by drawing a big offensive foul off Ranidel de Ocampo (195-F-81).

In the next play, Talk N Text was forced to give up a foul on Tenorio, who calmly sank both charities and gave the Aces enough cushion, 88-84, virtually sealing the win for his team, which grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 4 is set Wednesday at the Astrodome, with the Aces seeking to further bury the top-seeded Tropang Texters.

'LA was calm as a cucumber out there,' said Alaska coach Tim Cone moments after the nip-and-tuck affair game.

'We didn't get rattled. We just kept battling and battling and then hit some big shots down the stretch.'

Diamon Simpson (201-F-87, college: St.Mary's, CA) paced the Aces with 31 points on 15-of-17 shooting from the foul line, while adding 20 rebounds in a performance Cone referred to as `monster.'

'It was tough, hard game. It wasn't easy, but I'm happy we're able to pull this one off,' said Simpson, a strong contender for the Best Import Award.

The Aces trailed by as many as 53-63 with 4:10 to go in the third period, but willed their way back behind Joe DeVance and Larry Fonacier, who played his best game of the series by finishing with 11 points.

The Tropang Texters were still on top, 84-83, following a long three-pointer by Jimmy Alapag (178-G-77, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) with 1:23 left, until Tenorio finally took charge for the Aces.

Mac-Mac Cardona, who failed to suit up in the Tropang Texters' 100-94 win in Game 2 on the day he got married with his long-time girlfriend, scored on tear-drop shot with 8.6 seconds to pull the team to within 88-86.

But again, Tenorio was there to answer for the Aces, banging two more free throws for the game's marginal score.

Hugnatan, hero in Alaska's win in the series opener, added 12 points.

De Ocampo poured in 18 to lead the Tropang Texters, who also got 17 points and nine assists from Alapag.

Courtesy of RCJ, www.GMANews.TV

Beermen rally past Llamados for 2-1 lead - by Eurobasket News
This time, it was San Miguel's turn to rally back from a big first half deficit, capping the comeback with a cold-blooded Arwind Santos (193-F-81) three-pointer to repulse Derby Ace, 74-70, for a 2-1 lead in their PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Santos hit the pressure-packed shot in the final 65 seconds to push the Beermen on top for good, 73-70, before hanging tough in the end and bouncing back from a heartbreaking 95-94 loss in Game 2 that saw them lost grip of an 18-point lead.

The Beermen, who trailed by as many as 28-45, highlighted the Game 3 win by limiting the Llamados to only two points in the final 4:45 and shackling top scorer James Yap (191-F/G-82), who was held without a field goal in the last 14:05.

'Give credit to our defense,' said San Miguel Beer coach Siot Tanquingcen. 'Talent can go only so far. You have to be able to make stops and give yourself a chance (to win).'

The defending champions outscored the Llamados in a grind-it-out fourth quarter, 17-12, but Derby Ace's 4-of-20 shooting in the period proved to be the big difference.

'It was pride which kept us in the game,' said Dondon Hontiveros (188-G-77), who topscored with 17 points, including a split from the foul line with 21.7 seconds that sealed the come-from-behind win.

' Gabriel Freeman (198-F-85, agency: Union Sports, college: Costa Mesa JC) was mad at halftime. He was yelling inside the dugout, `show some heart'. And that's what we did in the second half.'

Santos best typified it, knocking down the go-ahead trey as Freeman, who again was in foul trouble for the second straight game, played decoy and drew the defense on him before finding his wide-open teammate at the right quarter court.

Before hitting that huge three-pointer, Santos was 0-for-5 from the same spot.

'That's Arwind for you. He may miss a lot of shots, but remains confident in himself,' said Hontiveros of his lanky, power-forward teammate.

Tony Washam converted on a step-back jumper at the 1:23 mark to tie the game for the last time at 70.

But that proved to be the final stand of Derby Ace.

Shortly after Santos' conversion, the Llamados had several chances to make stride, but Washam bungled a left-handed drive, Roger Yap had a turnover off an inbound play, Chris Timberlake threw a wild shot on a drive and Washam hurled an ill-advised three-point shot that didn't even hit the rim.

Freeman played for only 29 minutes after incurring his fifth foul with 7:34 left to play, but still went away with 14 points and 20 rebounds for the reigning, defending champions, who also got 12 points and eight rebounds from Jay Washington.

Washam led Derby Ace with 22 points, but missed missed 19 of his 29 attempts.

Worst was James Yap, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting. His last field goal came at the 2:05 mark of the third quarter.

Courtesy of RCJ, www.GMANews.TV

PBA Stats Leaders

• PPG
• RPG
• APG
• SPG
• BPG

Points Per Game

Anthony JOHNSON   Santa Lucia   (197-G/F-79)   Avg: 29.2

1. Johnson, Santa L. 29.2   2. Penny, Coca-Cola 26.2   3. Simpson, Alaska 26.1   4. Monroe, Barako 26.0   5. Nealy, Rain or Shine 23.5   6. David, Coca-Cola 21.5   7. Freeman, San M. 20.5   8. Brown, Derby A. 20.1   9. Yap, Derby Ace L. 19.5   10. Mercado, Rain o. 17.0

Rebounds Per Game

Gabriel FREEMAN   San Miguel   (198-F-85)   Avg: 16.7

1. Freeman, San M. 16.7   2. Simpson, Alaska 16.3   3. Brown, Derby A. 14.8   4. Penny, Coca-Cola 13.8   5. Johnson, Santa L. 13.4   6. Daniels, Talk N. 13.2   7. Lewis, Rain or Shine 12.3   8. Nealy, Rain or Shine 11.1   9. Taulava, Coca-Cola 10.9   10. Monroe, Barako 9.3

Assists Per Game

Jimmy ALAPAG   Talk N Text   (178-G-77)   Avg: 7.5

1. Alapag, Talk N Text 7.5   2. Cabagnot, San M. 6.2   3. Reyes, Santa Lucia 4.6   4. Mercado, Rain o. 4.6   5. Tenorio, Alaska 4.5   6. Helterbrand, Gineb. 4.3   7. Cortez, Air21 4.1   8. Nealy, Rain or Shine 4.1   9. Monroe, Barako 4.1   10. Yap, Derby Ace L. 4.0

Steals Per Game

Shawn DANIELS   Talk N Text   (200-C-79)   Avg: 2

1. Daniels, Talk N. 2.0   2. Baguio, Alaska 1.7   3. Williams, Santa Lucia 1.7   4. Simpson, Alaska 1.5   5. Reyes, Santa Lucia 1.4   6. Norwood, Rain o. 1.4   7. Monroe, Barako 1.3   8. Arboleda, Air21 1.2   9. Yap, Derby Ace L. 1.2   10. Cortez, Air21 1.2

Blocks Per Game

James PENNY   Coca-Cola   (198-F-76)   Avg: 2.3

1. Penny, Coca-Cola 2.3   2. Daniels, Talk N. 2.1   3. Simpson, Alaska 1.8   4. Monroe, Barako 1.5   5. Johnson, Santa L. 1.4   6. Freeman, San M. 1.2   7. Reyes, Barako 1.0   8. Nealy, Rain or Shine 1.0   9. Santos, San Miguel 1.0   10. Hrabak, Rain o. 0.9

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POLAND

Spain U18 and Poland U18 met each other in the last game on Monday - by Eurobasket News
Spain U18-Poland U18 67:81
Spain U18 and Poland U18 met each other in the last game of the Qualifying Round on Monday. Poland won 81:67 and improved to 2-1 record in Group E of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius.
Piotr Niedzwiedzki (210-F-93) and Oriola exchanged the baskets in the opening tip, while Karnowski gave Poland 13:8. Poland kept the advantage for good and won the opening quarter 22:17 as Piotr Niedzwiedzki was the last to post in the frame. Although Poland led in the whole frame in another 10 minutes Diaz reduced to 27:29. Michal Sokolowski (195-G-92) meanwhile sent the teams to the lockers for 36:33 deficit. Only in the third quarter Albert Ventura (196-F-92) gave Spain 38:37 advantage and another lay-up from the Spainish top-scorer remained 40:39 lead. Poland responded with 7-0 run and Piotr Niedzwiedzki brought his team 46:40. Michal Sokolowski was the last to score at the end of the third period for 56:51. Spain could not come closer and lost the fourth period 16-25. Karnowski gave Poland their last points for another victory.
Tomasz Gielo (204-F-93) poured in 17 points for the winners, while Michal Sokolowski collected 14 points and 11 rebounds. Piotr Niedzwiedzki also scored 14 points to taste the first victory with his team at the Qualifying Round. Albert Ventura responded with 17 points in the losing effort. Tomas nailed 16, while Michel Acosta (201-F/C-92) scored 10.

Spain U18: Albert Ventura 17, Tomas 16, Michel Acosta 10
Poland U18: Tomasz Gielo 17, Michal Sokolowski 14+11 rebs, Piotr Niedzwiedzki 14

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PORTUGAL

Scotland post important win over Portugal - by Eurobasket News
Scotland U18 - Portugal U18 71:58

Scottish U18 National Team recorded an important victory at the European Championship in Division B. They held off Portugal to improve at 2-2 record in Group D. Scotland thus climbed to the second spot in the ladder and would wait for the outcome of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Hungary clash to know if they made it to the Qualifying Round. Portugal slipped at 1-3 record in the ladder.
Grant Mackay (195-F-94) helped Scotland to a 10:0 start to the game. They maintained the lead throughout the starting stanza and were up by 9 points at the first break 20:9. Scotland went on a 10:0 run early in the second quarter to boost the margin at 17-point mark. Scotland drove confidently as they registered a 38:20 halftime advantage. Guimaraes lit up hope for Portugal in the third term. He knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to narrow the deficit at just 13-point mark. Miguel Cardoso (182-G-93) added another one as Portugal pulled even closer. Miguel Cardoso knocked down two more triples as Portugal trailed by just 4 points heading into the fourth frame. Rafael Wildner (204-F/C-92) and Guimaraes drew things level at 50 early in the final quarter. But then Scotland went on a 13:2 run to restore a safe cushion. Portugal could not answer in the dying minutes and the Scots rolled to the win at the end.
Alasdair Fraser (201-C-92) exploded with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for Scotland. Lee Reilly (182-G-92) provided 16 points in the victory. Miguel Cardoso answered with 25 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for Portugal. Rafael Wildner had 13 points and 11 caroms in the loss.

Scotland U18: Alasdair Fraser 29+11 boards, Lee Reilly 16, Grant Mackay 12
Portugal U18: Miguel Cardoso 25, Rafael Wildner 13+11 boards


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PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico too much for Mexico in Mayaguez - by Eurobasket News
CAC Games, Day One: Mexico - Puerto Rico 62-77

Puerto Rico opened the CAC Games in Mayaguez with comfortable 62-77 win against Mexico. These two teams are together with Jamaica placed to Preliminary Group A. Nathan Peavy (203-F-85, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: Miami (OH)) top-scored for the winners in this game with 18 points. Carmelo Lee (201-F-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Long Beach St.) had 17, while Angel Vasallo (196-G/F-86, college: Virginia Tech) helped with 12 points. In the loosing squad, Victor Mariscal (198-F-72) shined with 17 points and 8 boards. Jovan Harris (191-G/F-81, college: USF) and Hector Hernandez (206-F-85, college: Fresno St.) (11 rebs) delivered 12 and 8 points respectively.
Puerto Rico had a great start. They opened this meeting with quick 4-9 lead and later jumped to 8-15. They continued in the same rhythm for the next ten minutes and Mexico was already in trouble. After two periods of play, the hosts were 22-37 up and were looking comfortable. Mexico was not able to resists and they faced with 15-26 in Q3. Question about the winner was resolved and last ten minutes were just the formality. They belonged to Mexico 25-14 for the final 62-77 victory by the home side.
In Day Two, Puerto Rico will meet Jamaica. Mexico will have a day-off.

Mexico: Victor Mariscal 17+8 boards, Jovan Harris 12, Hector Hernandez 8+11 boards
Puerto Rico: Nathan Peavy 18, Carmelo Lee 17, Angel Vasallo 12

Puerto Rico tops Mexico at Central American tournament - by Luis Ramirez
The Puerto Rico National team played their 1st game in the Central Americans games being celebrated in Mayaguez, PR. The PR team was to try to get some payback from Trinidad and Tobago, but this team did not make to the Central Americans games. Trinidad and Tobago was the only team that defeated the puertorican team at the Centro Basket tournament celebrated earlier this month in the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico opened playing against Mexico.

In the 1st quarter, Puerto Rico opened up with Jose Juan Barea, Carlos Arroyo, Daniel Santiago, Carmelo Lee and Ricky Sanchez. Mexico scored first on a 3 point play. Puerto Rico could not find the basket in the first couple of minutes; it was Carmelo Lee who scored the first basket for Puerto Rico a 3 pointer from long range. With 6:18 left in the quarter it was Mexico in the lead 4-3. Another 3pointer from Carmelo Lee gave the PR squad the lead, 6-4 with 5:31 left. It was an 11-0 run for Puerto Rico who took command of the game 11-4 with 3:10 left in the quarter. The quarter ended, 15-8 with Puerto Rico in the lead.

In the 2nd quarter, Puerto Rico once again had trouble scoring in the opening minutes and Mexico took advantage of that to cut the lead to just 2 points 15-13 with 7:28 left in the half. Both teams traded baskets, but then PR used it fast break to make consecutive baskets to put the score 31-18 with 3:07 left. The half ended 37-22 with Puerto Rico leading by 15 to close the 1st half.

In the 3rd quarter, Mexico came out aggressive but Puerto Rico long range shot from Carmelo Lee kept Puerto Rico leading by 20 with 47-27 with 6:44 left in the quarter. Puerto Rico continued to keep a comfortable lead and with 3:17 was still up by 10 points, 52-32. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was 63-37.

In the 4th quarter, tempers flared and Carlos Arroyo and Omar Quintero got into it and both took shots at each other and the game was halted, Arroyo was thrown out of the game and so was Quintero. The game was resumed moments later. With 7:21 Puerto Rico was up by 31 points, 71-40. Mexico had a 10 point rally with 4:18 left in the game; the score was 71-50. With 1:47 left the Mexican squad had cut the lead to 14 points, 75-61. The final score was, 77-62.

For Puerto Rico, Nathan Peavy (203-F-85, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: Miami (OH)) scored 18 points followed by Carmelo Lee with 17 points.

For Mexico, Victor Mariscal scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds followed by Jovan Harris with 12 points.


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ROMANIA

Denmark topple Romania in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Denmark U18 - Romania U18 80:72

Denmark posted the initial win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They held off Romania in the final game of the preliminary round. Denmark improved at 1-3 record, while Romania slipped at 0-4 in Group C. Anders Haas (185-G-92) and Kevin Larsen (204-F-93) stepped up with 22 points each to pace Denmark.
Romania looked better at the start. They went on a 10:0 run late in the opening quarter to build a 24:14 lead. But Denmark opened the second frame with 14 points in a row to pull in front. Denmark maintained the lead and recorded a 39:37 lead at halftime. Benzon and Kevin Larsen helped the Scandinavian team earn a 45:40 advantage midway through the third quarter. Denmark cleared off to a 13-point buffer at the final break. Romania never got closer then 10 points in the fourth term and surrendered at the end.
Tue Leth Nielsen (200-F-92) produced 14 points for Denmark. Benzon finished with 13 points in the victory. Aurelian Toth (210-C-92) answered with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks for Romania. Octavian Crainic (201-F/C-92) provided 12 points in the losing case.

Denmark U18: Anders Haas 22, Kevin Larsen 22, Tue Leth Nielsen 14
Romania U18: Aurelian Toth 17, Octavian Crainic 12


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RUSSIA

Russia edged Croatia at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius - by Eurobasket News
Croatia U18-Russia U18 55:78

Russia edged Croatia at the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. In their first game of the Qualifying Round Russia celebrated 78:55 win.
Boris Barac (204-F-92) and Dmitry Kulagin (195-G-92) exchanged the shots in the opening tip, while Varnakov later closed his team run for 18:10. Dmitry Kulagin nailed three at the end of the first frame for 21:12. With another 10-0 run Russia opened the second frame and never looked behind after. Bekkiev increased to 37:14, while Kuryshkin gave Russia 39:20. Stefan Zadravec (190-G-92) sent the squads to the lockers as the board showed 39:25 after his shot. Russia also won the third period and enjoyed 22-point deficit after Sergey Karasev (200-F-93) drove a lay-up. Croatia tried hard to reduce but could not win even the last frame. With 17-16 Russia led to 78:55 total win.
Dmitry Kulagin top-scored for the winners with 16 points. Sergey Karasev and Andrey Loginov (204-F-93) followed him with 13 points each in a win. Stefan Zadravec ended up with 12 points in the losing case, while Saric and Boris Barac added 9 apiece.
Following the win Russia holds a 2-1 record in the standings while Croatia is behind with 1-2. Tomorrow Russia will meet Serbia as Croatia will take on Italy.

Croatia U18: Stefan Zadravec 12, Saric 9, Boris Barac 9
Russia U18: Dmitry Kulagin 16, Sergey Karasev 13, Andrey Loginov 13

Lionel Chalmers stays in Russia - by Eurobasket News
Lionel Chalmers (183-G-80, college: Xavier) signed a one-year deal with Lokomotiv Kuban. The 29-year-old guard spent the previous season in Enisey. He tallied 16.2 points, 4.3 boards, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game in EuroChallenge. In Russian Superleague Lionel Chalmers notched 19.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per appearance. Lionel Chalmers had spells for AEK, TAU Ceramica, Benetton Treviso, Sassari and Universitet-Yugra Surgut.


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SCOTLAND

Scotland post important win over Portugal - by Eurobasket News
Scotland U18 - Portugal U18 71:58

Scottish U18 National Team recorded an important victory at the European Championship in Division B. They held off Portugal to improve at 2-2 record in Group D. Scotland thus climbed to the second spot in the ladder and would wait for the outcome of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Hungary clash to know if they made it to the Qualifying Round. Portugal slipped at 1-3 record in the ladder.
Grant Mackay (195-F-94) helped Scotland to a 10:0 start to the game. They maintained the lead throughout the starting stanza and were up by 9 points at the first break 20:9. Scotland went on a 10:0 run early in the second quarter to boost the margin at 17-point mark. Scotland drove confidently as they registered a 38:20 halftime advantage. Guimaraes lit up hope for Portugal in the third term. He knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to narrow the deficit at just 13-point mark. Miguel Cardoso (182-G-93) added another one as Portugal pulled even closer. Miguel Cardoso knocked down two more triples as Portugal trailed by just 4 points heading into the fourth frame. Rafael Wildner (204-F/C-92) and Guimaraes drew things level at 50 early in the final quarter. But then Scotland went on a 13:2 run to restore a safe cushion. Portugal could not answer in the dying minutes and the Scots rolled to the win at the end.
Alasdair Fraser (201-C-92) exploded with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for Scotland. Lee Reilly (182-G-92) provided 16 points in the victory. Miguel Cardoso answered with 25 points, 6 assists and 4 boards for Portugal. Rafael Wildner had 13 points and 11 caroms in the loss.

Scotland U18: Alasdair Fraser 29+11 boards, Lee Reilly 16, Grant Mackay 12
Portugal U18: Miguel Cardoso 25, Rafael Wildner 13+11 boards


Scotland too good for Monaco - by Eurobasket News
Scotland U16 - Monaco U16 81:33
Scottish U16 team opened their European Championship in Division C campaign victoriously. They toppled Monaco for the first win in Andorra. Jack Nicholson nailed 19 points to lead the effort.
Scotland jumped into the lead early in the game. They built an 18:9 lead ten minutes into the game. The teams slowed down a bit in the second quarter. Scotland however maintained the margin and arrived at halftime up by 13 points 31:18. The third term saw Scotland take off. They fired 22 points to leave their opponents far behind. The Scottish team entered the fourth frame up by 28 points and did not look back en route to the victory.
Scott Rooney produced 12 points for the winners. Michael Secker added 11 points in the win. Jules Ba netted 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Monaco. Manuel Robinaud had 7 points in the loss.

Scotland U16: Jack Nicholson 19, Scott Rooney 12, Michael Secker 11
Monaco U16: Jules Ba 10, Manuel Robinaud 7


FRASER's 40 MINUTE ROMP - by Sandy Sutherland
Three victories in Europe on the same day, and one of them the second half of an unprecedented back-to-back win in Euro B, gave Scottish basketball a second successive day of glory, spoilt only by a result they had no control over.
A superb personal tally of 29 points and 11 rebounds from States-bound Ali Fraser, who also had four assists, a steal and two blocks, led the Scottish junior men to a 71-58 win over Portugal in the U-18 men's Euro B tournament in Tel Aviv.
Falkirk Fury's Fraser and Lee Reilly (Edinburgh Kings), who had 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, both played the entire 40 minutes, while Jonny Bunyan (Falkirk) had 38 minutes for six rebounds, six assists and three steals and Grant MacKay (Edinburgh) 12 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
Yet Coach Doug Reilly and his team were deprived of a place in the top eight by one basket as Bosnia and Herzogovinia later edged Hungary 61-59 to beat the Scots by three points for the vital runners-up spot in the group.
In Andorra, Scotland beat Monaco in both cadet (under-16) Euro C tournaments, the men winning 81-33 and the women 66-37.




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SEBL

The unbeatens fall in the SEBL South Division... - by SEBL

#s#	Walker	Rogers	Downs	Robinson	Scott	#e#5

Morrow, GA - Last week in SEBL Metro A-League South Division action, the two undefeated teams fell. The results are posted below...

South Division Results on July 22, 2010:

BC Lakers 82 Reep 3 74... The Lakers got by an always competitive Reep squad. For Reep 3 Josh Montgomery downed 21 and Quinn Bivens tallied 16. Brandon Robinson (6'6''-F-89) had 22 points for the BC Lakers, while Timothy Downs (5'7''-G-89) drained 21 points.

D.O.T.S 81 Crusaders 67... DOTS got a much needed victory over the Crusaders. Joe Qwinn's 17 led the Crusaders, while Wintard Ivey hit 15. Brandon Thomas and Toby Smith (6'10''-C-85), paced DOTS, with 24 and 21 points, respectively.

Tri County 87 NC Angels 79... Tri-County rebounded from a loss to Black Monopoly earlier in the week and re-solidified that is the top runner in the South Division by handing the Norcross Angels its first loss of the season. The Angels had moved into sole first place after their easy win on Monday night against the Metro Stars, but Tri-County was looking to reclaim the top spot with a win over the Angels. In the end, Tri-County proved to be too strong, taking the eight point victory. Brian Green (6'4''-G-74) poured in a game-high 33 for the Angles, as Gayle Carey shot his way to 14. For Tri-County, worked his way to 18, while Derrick Allen (6'5''-G-85) 14 helped a contingency of well-balanced scoring.

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South Division Results on July 19, 2010 :

BC Lakers 86 Crusaders 56... The Lakers looking to shore up a good seed for the playoffs, cruised past the Crusaders. Domonique Philpett and Jerrett Smith had 15 and 12, respectively for the winless Crusaders. Brandon Robinson and Timothy Downs again led the BC Lakers, with 18 and 14 points.

Reep 3 80 D.O.T.S 78... Reep 3 garnered is second win of the season, with a hard fought win over DOTS. Brian Gates hit 18 and Garrick Whooten 15 for DOTS. For Reep, Scott Ferguson accounted for 23, while Ty Newman chippied in with 15 points.

NC Angels 75 Metro Stars 47... The Angels moved into sole first place, with a large pasting of the Metro Stars. Brannon Hopkins talled 18 for the Stars, while Alem Peljto collected 12. John Gunn (6'10''-F/C-81) led the Angels with 21 while Brian Green, who has had several monster games this season, tacked up a pedestrian 16 points.

Black Monopoly 72 Tri County 68... Black Monopoly came correct on this night, with a fully stocked roster. BM was able to hang in the end in what was a tight contest the entire way, and what turned out to be one of the most important matchups of the season in the South Division. Tri County was paced by Jon Rogers' 16 points, followed by Ernest Scott (6'7''-F-82), who had 12 points. Will Patterson led a balanced BM attack with 17, as Jonathan Walker (6'8''-F/C-84) of Black Monopoly chalked up 10 points.


Standings

SEBL Standings

North Div.  1. Marietta O. 5-0   2. RGS 3-2   3. BC Howren-1 1-4   4. Cartersville W. 1-4  South Div.  1. Tri-County 5-1   2. BC Lakers 4-1   3. Norcross Angels 4-1   4. Black Monop. 4-2   5. D.O.T.S. 2-3   6. Reep 3 2-4   7. Metro Stars 1-4   8. Crusaders 0-6

Atlanta the new hotbed for professional players? - by Bobby Rouse
Atlanta the new hotbed for professional players, When I heard this statement, at first I was shocked. But after thinking about it and having lived in the city for the past 5 years I now believe this statement. During summer games at Adamsville Rec Center and the SEBL games at Clayton State and Cartersville you will see a slew of NBA and overseas players taking to the court working on their game and staying fit for the upcoming season. With so many players raised in Atlanta, and the influx of big time NBA guys making their summer homes here, you understand the level of competion and fan fare of the summer league games. Fans who can't afford to take their kids or families to see professionals play, have the opportunity to do just that free of charge The guys seem to feel at home and normally show up to games solo or with just a friend or two instead of the security details and entourages most pro athletes are known for. For those of you who miss the summer games in and around Atlanta, you are missing basketball at its finest.


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SERBIA

Serbia limited Turkey to just 49 points - by Eurobasket News
Turkey U18-Serbia U18 49:63


Serbia limited Turkey to just 49 points in the last game of Group F of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. Serbia won 63:46 for 2-1 record on top of it.
Geyik gave Turkey the first lead, while Serbia responded with 6-0 run. Vujosevic brought his team 13:7 and Nemanja Besovic (221-C-92, agency: Beo Basket) closed the first period at 15:13. Turkey climbed to 20:18, while Serbia needed another run for 30:18. Due to only 8 points in the frame Turkey trailed 21:35 at the halftime. In the last two quarters Turkey managed to score 14 in each. It was not enough in the third period when Serbia notched 17. The teams left the court before the final stanza as the board showed 52:35 for Serbia. Turkey won the last period 14-11 but could not score more than 50. Nikola Siladi (206-F-92) gave his side 63:47, while Can Korkmaz (187-G-92) was the last to score in the game for 63:46.
Nikola Siladi top-scored for the winners with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Nemanja Besovic collected 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Petar Lambic (195-G-92) added 9. Can Korkmaz finished the night with 11 points in defeat, while Erbil Eroglu (195-G-93) notched 10.

Turkey U18: Can Korkmaz 11, Erbil Eroglu 10
Serbia U18: Nikola Siladi 11+10 rebs, Nemanja Besovic 10+10 rebs, Petar Lambic 9


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SLOVAKIA

Slovak Republic draw first blood in Israel - by Eurobasket News
Slovak Republic U18 - Netherlands U18 47:45
Slovak Republic posted the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They narrowly outscored Netherlands to improve at 1-3 record in Group A. Netherlands in the meantime suffered a bitter loss as they now can miss Qualifying Round of the tournament.
Slovak Republic pulled ahead early in the game. They soon recorded a 17:7 lead late in the opening quarter. Viktor Timko (195-F-92) stretched the gap to 15 points early in the second stanza. Slovak Republic earned a 26:15 lead at halftime. Kysela and Boris Bojanovsky (215-C-93) posted a 14-point advantage for Slovak Republic midway through the third stanza. Netherlands trailed by 12 points at the final break 28:40. But the Dutch team proved character. They narrowed the gap to just 5 points midway through the fourth term. Benjamin Jegen (92) scored four points in a row to narrow the deficit at just one point 45:46 with 42 seconds to go. However Netherlands could not score a point in the reminder of the contest and Slovak Republic escaped with the win.
Viktor Timko finished with 12 points for Slovak Republic. Boris Bojanovsky added 11 points and 8 rebounds in the victory. Benjamin Jegen tallied 15 points and 8 rebounds for Netherlands. Ivan Filipan (192-F-92) and Sven Burger (193-G/F-92) had 7 points each in the loss.

Slovak Republic U18: Viktor Timko 12, Boris Bojanovsky 11, Maurizio Galata (197-F-92) 7+11 boards
Netherlands U18: Benjamin Jegen 15, Ivan Filipan 7, Sven Burger 7


Darius Dimavicius is back in Prievidza - by Martin Bosko
Darius Dimavicius is the new coach of BC Prievidza. He changed on position of head coach Ivan Rudez. This Croatian coach was in Prievidza three season and now is in Cedevita Zagreb like assistant coach of Aleksandar Petrovic. Dimavicius has played for Prievidza in 90s and won championship in last season of Czechoslovakian league and two championship of Slovakian League. His huge success is from Olympic Games in 1992 where got bronze medal with Lithuania team. Dimavicius has coached two teams in Lithuania and now is coming back to the city, where belongs between heroes with Oleg Melescenko, Lubomir Uhnak, Lubos Jelacic. Team negotiates with some Slovak players about extension of contracts and import players for key positions. From last season team roster left: Jeremy Fears ( PBG Basket Poznan), Marek Jass (Nitra), Gabriel Szalay, Ali Thomas.

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SLOVENIA

Sloveni handed Latvia their first loss at the U18 European Championship - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia U18-Latvia U18 76:74

Slovenia handed Latvia their first loss after three perfect games in Vilnius. Slovenia overcame the Baltic State 76:74 at the U18 European Championship on Monday.
Latvia as it was expected started with the lead and took 4:0 in the opening tip. They were in front for the majority of the period, while Besedic gave Slovenia 14:13 at the end of the first quarter. Bertans took the lead back early in the second, while Janis Timma (198-F-92) scored for 22:17. Alen Omic (213-C-92) later tied it at 28:28 and Vasl gave Slovenia 38:32 as the squads went to the lockers. Janis Timma later brought the advantage back to the Baltic State and Edmunds Dukulis (201-C-92, agency: Players Group) made it 47:45. Dimec tied it all at 55:55 at the end of the third frame. The last quarter became the real thriller in the court but Slovenia deserved the win more than the opponents. They led in the majority of the period and won the game.
Alen Omic paced all the winners with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Klemen Prepelic (190-G-92) nailed 14, while Alen Hodzic (192-F-92) scored 9. Edmunds Dukulis responded with 16 points in the losing effort as Latvia fell at 2-1 in the group. Janis Timma netted 15, whilst Andris Misters (192-G-92) scored 14.

Slovenia U18: Alen Omic 19, Klemen Prepelic 14, Alen Hodzic 9
Latvia U18: Edmunds Dukulis 16, Janis Timma 15, Andris Misters 14

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SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Venezuela's Senior NT for the 2010 South American Championship - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- The following is a list with the member of Venezuela's Senior NT that will play in the 2010 ABASU South American Championship, to be played in Neiva, Colombia, from July 26th till the 31st, delivering 3 spots for the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and 4 spots for the 2011 FIBA Americas Pre Olympic Qualy Tournament in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

The team will miss key elements such as Greivis Vasquez (198-G-87) of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies due to compromises and injury, Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76) of Marinos de Anzoategui due to injury, Gregory Echenique (206-F-90) of the NCAA's Creighton Blue Jays and Nestor Colmenares (203-F) of the NCAA's Campbellsville Tigers due to college compromises, Jhornan Zamora (194-F-89) of Clinicas Rincon Axarquia (Spain) due to compromises, Carlos Cedeno (193-G/F-85) and Heissler Guillent (186-G-86) due to injury and others such as Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82) or Richard Lugo (209-C-73) due to technical decision.

David Cubillan (183-G-87) of Marquette Golden Eagles (NCAA, USA)
Jesus Centeno (190-G-85) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Gregory Vargas (182-G-86) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Rafael Perez (193-G/F-82) of Gallitos de Isabela (Puerto Rico)
Rafael Guevara (194-F-79) of Bucaneros de La Guaira
Juan Herrera (197-F-81) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Luis Valera (201-F-88) of UTPA Broncs (NCAA, USA)
Axiers Sucre (198-F-78) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Hector Romero (202-F-80) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Luis Bethelmy (200-C-86) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Jesus Urbina (201-F-84) of Toros de Aragua
Miguel Marriaga (208-C-84) of Trotamundos de Carabobo

Head coach: Nestor Salazar
Assistant coach: Nelson Solorzano


Standings

Standings

Group A 1. Brazil 1-0 2. Uruguay 1-0 3. Chile 0-1 4. Paraguay 0-1 Group B 1. Colombia 1-0 2. Venezuela 1-0 3. Ecuador 0-1 4. Argentina 0-1

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SPAIN

Spain U18 and Poland U18 met each other in the last game on Monday - by Eurobasket News
Spain U18-Poland U18 67:81
Spain U18 and Poland U18 met each other in the last game of the Qualifying Round on Monday. Poland won 81:67 and improved to 2-1 record in Group E of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius.
Piotr Niedzwiedzki (210-F-93) and Oriola exchanged the baskets in the opening tip, while Karnowski gave Poland 13:8. Poland kept the advantage for good and won the opening quarter 22:17 as Piotr Niedzwiedzki was the last to post in the frame. Although Poland led in the whole frame in another 10 minutes Diaz reduced to 27:29. Michal Sokolowski (195-G-92) meanwhile sent the teams to the lockers for 36:33 deficit. Only in the third quarter Albert Ventura (196-F-92) gave Spain 38:37 advantage and another lay-up from the Spainish top-scorer remained 40:39 lead. Poland responded with 7-0 run and Piotr Niedzwiedzki brought his team 46:40. Michal Sokolowski was the last to score at the end of the third period for 56:51. Spain could not come closer and lost the fourth period 16-25. Karnowski gave Poland their last points for another victory.
Tomasz Gielo (204-F-93) poured in 17 points for the winners, while Michal Sokolowski collected 14 points and 11 rebounds. Piotr Niedzwiedzki also scored 14 points to taste the first victory with his team at the Qualifying Round. Albert Ventura responded with 17 points in the losing effort. Tomas nailed 16, while Michel Acosta (201-F/C-92) scored 10.

Spain U18: Albert Ventura 17, Tomas 16, Michel Acosta 10
Poland U18: Tomasz Gielo 17, Michal Sokolowski 14+11 rebs, Piotr Niedzwiedzki 14

Malta account for Gibraltar in Andorra - by Eurobasket News
Malta U16 - Gibraltar U16 63:35

Malta posted the first win at the U16 European Championship in Division C. They held off Gibraltar to improve at 1-0 record in preliminary Group B. Aaron Falzon tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the winners.
Malta showed their ambitions early in the game. They won the starting quarter 19:2. Gibraltar came back to life in the second frame but could not stop the bleeding. Malta rallied to a 21-point buffer at the interval. They maintained the pressure in the third quarter. The margin grew at 23-point mark with ten minutes to go. Gibraltar had nothing to answer with and eventually lost the battle. Robert Bonnici accounted for 12 points in the win. Christopher Cordina had 11 points and 5 steals for Malta. Adrian Bado replied with 7 points and 7 rebounds for Gibraltar. Ryan Rodriguez provided 6 points in the loss.

Malta U16: Aaron Falzon 15, Robert Bonnici 12, Christopher Cordina 11
Gibraltar U16: Adrian Bado 7, Ryan Rodriguez 6


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SWEDEN

Sweden drop two in Tallinn - by Eurobasket News
Swedish NT traveled to Estonia to play a couple of exhibition encounters. The Swedish lost two games against Estonia and Latvia. Sweden first took on the hosts. Sweden had to overcome a slow start to the game. Estonia built a 20:12 lead at the first intermission. The hosts maintained it throughout the second quarter and arrived at halftime up by 9 points 39:30. The Scandinavian side worked their way back into contest in the second half. They narrowed the deficit at just 5 points into the fourth quarter. Sweden got even closer in the final frame but Estonia hung on to seal 76:73 victory at the end. Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) led the hosts with 15 points. Rain Veideman (192-G-91) added 12 points, while Rait Keerles (201-F-80) notched 10 points in the victory. Jonathan Skjoldebrand (203-C/F-83) replied with 23 points for Sweden. Joakim Kjellbom (213-C/F-79, college: N.Arizona) netted 10 points in the loss.
Next Sweden faced Latvia. This time the Swedish could hardly matched their opponents. Latvia dominated throughout the clash and recorded a well-deserved 91:68 win at the end. Latvia surged ahead right from the start and posted a 21:16 advantage at the first break. The margin kept on growing in the second quarter. The scoreboard read 46:29 for Latvia at halftime. The Baltic team did not allow their opponents to get any closer in the third stanza. Latvia recorded a 65:46 lead heading into the fourth period. Sweden never recovered in the final quarter and had to surrender at the end. Rihards Kuksiks (198-G/F-88) notched 18 points to lead Latvia. Rolands Freimanis (208-F-88, agency: Players Group) added 13 points in the winning effort. Brice Massamba (208-F/C-88) replied with 12 points for Sweden. Martin Pahlmblad (193-G-86) had 10 points in defeat.


Sweden shoot down Bulgaria - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18 - Bulgaria U18 88:66
Sweden opened the Classification Round at the U18 European Championship with victory. They toppled Bulgaria to improve at 1-0 record in Group G. Marcus Eriksson (196-G-93) nailed 20 points to pace the effort.
Bulgaria tipped off the game with five points in a row. Soon Bulgaria posted a 19:10 lead midway through the first stanza. They won the opening quarter by three points 22:19. Sweden answered with a 16:0 run in the second period to spur in front. The Scandinavians ensured a 35:32 lead at halftime. Sweden maintained the lead throughout the third stanza. They arrived at the final break up by 21 points 67:46. Bulgaria never recovered in the fourth stanza and gave up at the end.
Charles Barton (188-G-92) notched 15 points and 8 assists for Sweden. Jonathan Person (190-G-93, agency: JEMsports) netted 14 points in the winning case. Planimir Dafinov (181-G-92) and Hristo Gospodinov (199-F-92, agency: Interperformances) nailed 12 points each in the loss. Dimitar Dimitrov (203-F-93) accounted for 11 points and 6 rebounds for Bulgaria.

Sweden U18: Marcus Eriksson 20, Charles Barton 15, Jonathan Person 14
Bulgaria U18: Planimir Dafinov 12, Hristo Gospodinov 12+11 boards, Dimitar Dimitrov 11


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TAIWAN

Yao, Howard arrive in Taiwan for charity events - by Chris Wang
Yao Ming and Dwight Howard, star centers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) , arrived in Taiwan Monday for separate charity events.

Howard, a 2.11-meter four-time All-Star selection who plays for the Orlando Magic, returned to Taiwan for the first time since 2005 and met fans Monday in downtown Taipei before heading a children's basketball camp from July 27-30.

'I miss you guys. It's been five years, ' Howard told more than 300 screaming fans in a meet-the-fan event held in the plaza outside Vieshow Cinemas in eastern Taipei.

He also pleased the crowd by promising to persuade NBA commissioner David Stern to bring a regular season NBA game to Taipei.

Howard is visiting Taiwan as an ambassador of the 2010 Junior NBA Challenge, which is a part of the NBA-initiated charity program NBA Cares.

He is scheduled to personally train 60 schoolchildren aged 7-12 at a four-day camp, sponsored by Amway, before selecting six children for a special prize. The selected children will play two games with teams from China in August for a free trip to the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Yao, a 2.29-meter center who was the first Chinese player in the NBA and currently plays for the Houston Rockets, is visiting Taiwan for the first time since 2007 to play in a charity game at Taipei Arena on July 28 as part of his Yao Foundation Charity Tour.

After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport, the 29-year-old seven-time NBA All-Star headed directly to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan by high speed railway to meet with a group of children who suffered from the devastation of Typhoon Morakot.

The typhoon, which pummeled much of southern Taiwan last August, left more than 450 people dead and more than 190 others missing.

Yao shared his expertise at a basketball clinic and offered words of encouragement to the children, whose homes were wiped out by the worst typhoon to impact Taiwan in half a century.

Yao will be joined in the charity game by six active NBA players -- Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Hasheem Thabeet of the Memphis Grizzlies, DaJuan Summers of the Detroit Pistons, Amir Johnson of the Toronto Raptors and a pair of Yao's Houston teammates, Aaron Brooks and Chase Budinger.

Also participating in the event will be 14 players from the Shanghai Sharks, a team in China's professional league owned by Yao, and Taiwanese entertainers, including popular singer Jay Chou.


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TURKEY

Serbia limited Turkey to just 49 points - by Eurobasket News
Turkey U18-Serbia U18 49:63


Serbia limited Turkey to just 49 points in the last game of Group F of the U18 European Championship in Vilnius. Serbia won 63:46 for 2-1 record on top of it.
Geyik gave Turkey the first lead, while Serbia responded with 6-0 run. Vujosevic brought his team 13:7 and Nemanja Besovic (221-C-92, agency: Beo Basket) closed the first period at 15:13. Turkey climbed to 20:18, while Serbia needed another run for 30:18. Due to only 8 points in the frame Turkey trailed 21:35 at the halftime. In the last two quarters Turkey managed to score 14 in each. It was not enough in the third period when Serbia notched 17. The teams left the court before the final stanza as the board showed 52:35 for Serbia. Turkey won the last period 14-11 but could not score more than 50. Nikola Siladi (206-F-92) gave his side 63:47, while Can Korkmaz (187-G-92) was the last to score in the game for 63:46.
Nikola Siladi top-scored for the winners with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Nemanja Besovic collected 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Petar Lambic (195-G-92) added 9. Can Korkmaz finished the night with 11 points in defeat, while Erbil Eroglu (195-G-93) notched 10.

Turkey U18: Can Korkmaz 11, Erbil Eroglu 10
Serbia U18: Nikola Siladi 11+10 rebs, Nemanja Besovic 10+10 rebs, Petar Lambic 9


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UKRAINE

Germany open Classification Round with win over Ukraine - by Eurobasket News
Germany U18 - Ukraine U18 73:59

Germany made a step towards avoiding relegation at the U18 European Championship. They held off Ukraine at the start of the Classification round in Vilnius. Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) produced 24 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Bundesteam.
Germany grabbed a 9:1 lead at the start of the game. They posted an 18:10 advantage at the first break. Germany enlarged the margin in the second quarter. They capped it with a 14:0 run to take a massive 39:18 advantage at halftime. Wendt opened the second half with a three-pointer to aggravate the damage. Ukraine struggled to find the rhythm as they faced an 18-point deficit before the fourth stanza. Prokopenko and Klym Artamonov (176-G-93) dragged the Ukrainian side within 14 points early in the final term but Germany stayed calm and eased to the win at the end.
Martin Breunig (203-F-92) produced 14 points for Germany. Patrick Heckmann (196-G/F-92) added 12 points in the win. Olexiy Len (210-C-93) delivered 20 points and 17 rebounds for Ukraine. Klym Artamonov netted 13 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Germany U18: Philipp Neumann 24, Martin Breunig 14, Patrick Heckmann 12
Ukraine U18: Olexiy Len 20+17 boards, Klym Artamonov 13


Ukraine occupy second place in Tbilisi - by Eurobasket News
Ukraine clinched the second overall position at the international tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia. They faced the hosts on the final day of the tournament. Georgia eked out a narrow 87:84 victory dropping Ukraine to the second place in the ladder.
Georgia earned a narrow 22:21 lead at the first break. Manuchar Markoishvili (195-G-86) helped the hosts boost the lead in the second quarter. Georgia built a 7-point buffer at the interval. Ukraine could not get closer in the third frame. The home team wisely kept their opponents at bay. Georgia entered the fourth quarter up by 9 points. However Ukraine did not say die. They erased the deficit in the fourth stanza to draw things level 73:73. Georgia managed to snatch the victory. Taurean Green (183-G-85, college: Florida) drained a late three-pointer to bring victory to the hosts.
Manuchar Markoishvili paced Georgia with 23 points. Zaza Pachulia (212-C-84) and Taurean Green added 15 points apiece in the victory. Sergiy Gladyr (196-G/F-89) responded with 23 points for Ukraine. Dmitry Glebov (198-F-88) accounted for 17 points in the loss.


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UNITED KINGDOM

FRASER's 40 MINUTE ROMP - by Sandy Sutherland
Three victories in Europe on the same day, and one of them the second half of an unprecedented back-to-back win in Euro B, gave Scottish basketball a second successive day of glory, spoilt only by a result they had no control over.
A superb personal tally of 29 points and 11 rebounds from States-bound Ali Fraser, who also had four assists, a steal and two blocks, led the Scottish junior men to a 71-58 win over Portugal in the U-18 men's Euro B tournament in Tel Aviv.
Falkirk Fury's Fraser and Lee Reilly (Edinburgh Kings), who had 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, both played the entire 40 minutes, while Jonny Bunyan (Falkirk) had 38 minutes for six rebounds, six assists and three steals and Grant MacKay (Edinburgh) 12 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
Yet Coach Doug Reilly and his team were deprived of a place in the top eight by one basket as Bosnia and Herzogovinia later edged Hungary 61-59 to beat the Scots by three points for the vital runners-up spot in the group.
In Andorra, Scotland beat Monaco in both cadet (under-16) Euro C tournaments, the men winning 81-33 and the women 66-37.




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VENEZUELA

Venezuela's Senior NT for the 2010 South American Championship - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- The following is a list with the member of Venezuela's Senior NT that will play in the 2010 ABASU South American Championship, to be played in Neiva, Colombia, from July 26th till the 31st, delivering 3 spots for the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and 4 spots for the 2011 FIBA Americas Pre Olympic Qualy Tournament in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

The team will miss key elements such as Greivis Vasquez (198-G-87) of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies due to compromises and injury, Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76) of Marinos de Anzoategui due to injury, Gregory Echenique (206-F-90) of the NCAA's Creighton Blue Jays and Nestor Colmenares (203-F) of the NCAA's Campbellsville Tigers due to college compromises, Jhornan Zamora (194-F-89) of Clinicas Rincon Axarquia (Spain) due to compromises, Carlos Cedeno (193-G/F-85) and Heissler Guillent (186-G-86) due to injury and others such as Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82) or Richard Lugo (209-C-73) due to technical decision.

David Cubillan (183-G-87) of Marquette Golden Eagles (NCAA, USA)
Jesus Centeno (190-G-85) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Gregory Vargas (182-G-86) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Rafael Perez (193-G/F-82) of Gallitos de Isabela (Puerto Rico)
Rafael Guevara (194-F-79) of Bucaneros de La Guaira
Juan Herrera (197-F-81) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Luis Valera (201-F-88) of UTPA Broncs (NCAA, USA)
Axiers Sucre (198-F-78) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Hector Romero (202-F-80) of Marinos de Anzoategui
Luis Bethelmy (200-C-86) of Cocodrilos de Caracas
Jesus Urbina (201-F-84) of Toros de Aragua
Miguel Marriaga (208-C-84) of Trotamundos de Carabobo

Head coach: Nestor Salazar
Assistant coach: Nelson Solorzano


Greivis Vasquez will have ankle surgery, Memphis will miss him for 6 weeks - by Francisco Vega
Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Guard Greivis Vasquez (198-G-87), drafted in the 28th spot of the NBA 2010 Draft's first round by the Memphis Grizzlies, will undergo surgery on his right ankle to remove chip bones that have caused moderate pain in the area, an injury he played through in the recent 2010 Vegas Summer League and that would have him sidelined for an approximate of 6 weeks.

Vasquez, a 23 year-old, 1.96m tall point guard, averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 5 games, three of which he played as a starter. He was criticized by some specialists regarding his lack of quickness to move the ball over from to court, risky decision-making and lack of lateral movement on defense, but was also flattered for his on-court leadership, aggressive attitude and shooting performance, though he should have done better in the assist/turnover ratio (15/15).

'I have plenty of time to do rehab. It's good that this injury has happened right now and not prior to the draft. The team has given me lots of support at this time. I've had this surgery before and I know I'll come back with more confidence', said Vasquez, who played four years for the Maryland Terrapins in the NCAA with over 2.000 points, 600 rebounds and 700 assists.

Vasquez would be in time to participate in the official trainings and preseason for the upcoming 2010-2011 NBA season. 'In Las Vegas, I played with shyness because of the pain I was going through. Thanks to all the people that has sent me his best wishes', he added.


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WBA

Gwinnett Majic, Franklin Knights to battle for WBA championship - by Joe Myers
The seventh season of the World Basketball Association Exposure League (WBA) will conclude Saturday night when the Gwinnett (Ga.) Majic and Franklin (Tenn.) Knights square off for the WBA championship at Bogan Park in Buford, Ga. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The teams met three times in the regular season, with Gwinnett holding a 2-1 advantage. The Majic won the first game, 102-98, on May 14 at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Ga. Franklin took the second game, 105-88, at the A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin on June 5, but Gwinnett won the third meeting, 131-107, at Bogan Park in Buford on July 9.

Gwinnett - which is 21-4 in its last 25 games dating back to May 2009 - is looking to bring home its second straight WBA title the Majic enter the championship game on a roll, having won their last eight straight games. Gwinnett's last loss came back on June 5, when the Majic dropped a 105-88 decision to the Knights in Franklin. Since then, they've scored at least 110 points in all eight wins and won their final two regular-season games by an average of 32 points.

Franklin was only 1-2 against the Majic this season, but it excelled against the rest of the WBA, allowing the Knights to qualify for the championship game. Franklin - which started the season 0-2 and rebounded to qualify for the title game - was 7-2 against the remainder of the WBA, including posting three road wins and sweeping a late-season home-and-home series against the Marietta Storm, to make it to the title game in its first season as a WBA franchise.

Tickets to the WBA championship game are just $5 and for more information about the Majic, Knights and the WBA go to www.wbaball.net, www.gwinnettmajic.com and franklinknights.net.

The WBA Exposure League serves as a training ground to develop players on and off the court. Emphasis is placed on exposure, development, community involvement, and most importantly providing an exciting brand of basketball and entertainment. Hundreds of former WBA Players have gone on to play professional basketball all over the world including the D-League and NBA.
The Next Best Thing To The NBA!



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Women News

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AUSTRALIA - Women

U17 Australia beats U17 Spain for seventh place in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Seventh place: SPAIN - AUSTRALIA 48-74

Australia finished as the seventh ranked team in Toulouse. They blasted Spain on Sunday morning to take this place. Tayla Roberts (191-F/C-93) was the leading player in victory with double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds. Gretel Tippett (190-F-93) had 14 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, while Sara Blicavs (188-F-93) added 10 points and 5 boards. In the loosing squad, Yurena Diaz (176-G-93) delivered 14 points. She was followed by Andrea Vilaro (179-F-93) and Maria Gonzalez Grueso (177-G/F-93), who had 12 and 10 points respectively. Spain ended as No.8 at this event.
First quarter was the low-scoring and it was the only one which belonged to Spain in this game (12-8). Australia players woke up after that making nice 12-22 in the second frame. It means that Australia had 6-point lead at the halftime and that was just the beginning. They destroyed Spain in third period with 5-20 and question about the winner was resolved. Spain didnt have enough power to mount a comeback and actually last quarter was another one which belonged to Aussies, 19-24. At the end it was totally deserved 19-24 win for seventh place in Toulouse. Australia registered 4 wins and 3 defeats at this event.

Spain: Yurena Diaz 14, Andrea Vilaro 12, Maria Gonzalez Grueso 10
Australia: Tayla Roberts 25+14 boards, Gretel Tippett 14+6 boards+5 as, Sara Blicavs 10+5 boards

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BELGIUM - Women

U17 World Championship: China wins the Bronze - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Third place: CHINA - BELGIUM 85-73

China outplayed Belgium 85-73 winning the Bronze in Toulouse. Yu Dong (195-C/F-93) was totally the best player in this victory with 29 points and 13 rebounds. She reached valuation 32 and grabbed the MVP title for this meeting. Li Meng (185-G-95) had 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Ma XueYa (187-F-93) helped China with 11 points and 9 boards. Yang LiWei (175-G-95) stopped on 10 pts. On the other side, Julie Vanloo (172-G-93) scored 23 pts. Lien Delmulle (179-F-93) followed her with 17.
China was slightly better team at the beginning as they made minimum lead in the first quarter, 26-25. In the second frame it was Belgium who took control on their rivals. Julie Vanloo was on fire and mostly owing to her Belgium was 41-46 up at the halftime. China replied after the breather with 21-16 and everything was open again. In the last ten minutes Yu Dong and her teammates demonstrated wonderful performance. They drained 23 points, while stopping Belgium to just 11 for comfortable 85-73 victory at the end. Belgium stays without the medal in Toulouse.

China: Yu Dong 29+13 boards, Li Meng 16+8 boards, Ma XueYa 11+9 boards, Yang LiWei 10
Belgium: Julie Vanloo 23, Lien Delmulle 17

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BULGARIA - Women

U20 Sweden and U20 Bulgaria face with relegation from Division A - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Placed 13-16: SWEDEN - BULGARIA 80-51

Sweden was too strong for Bulgaria, but both teams faced with relegation from Division A. Sweden ended as No.15, while Bulgaria finished as the only winless team at this event. Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-F-90, college: Fayetteville) stepped up for Sweden with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Maryam Gultekin (165-G-90) helped with 19, while Stefanie Yderstrom (173-G-90) added 14 points. In Bulgaria, Aleksandra Kancheva (182-F-90) netted 11 points. Veronika Dzhikova (178-F-90) stopped on 10.
Sweden was a way better team in this game. They started with 21-17 in the first and continued with huge 31-17 in the second period. It means that Sweden was comfortable 52-34 up at the half time. Bulgaria slightly improved in Q3 (9-14), but that was not enough. Sweden switched into the fifth gear in the last period and destroyed Bulgaria with 19-3. At the end it was totally deserved 80-51 win for Sweden. Despite that, Sweden also faced with relegation and will compete in Division B next year. Sweden 3-3, Bulgaria 0-6 in Group G.

Sweden: Danielle Hamilton Carter 20+9 boards, Maryam Gultekin 19, Stefanie Yderstrom 14
Bulgaria: Aleksandra Kancheva 11, Veronika Dzhikova 10

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CHINA - Women

U17 World Championship: China wins the Bronze - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Third place: CHINA - BELGIUM 85-73

China outplayed Belgium 85-73 winning the Bronze in Toulouse. Yu Dong (195-C/F-93) was totally the best player in this victory with 29 points and 13 rebounds. She reached valuation 32 and grabbed the MVP title for this meeting. Li Meng (185-G-95) had 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Ma XueYa (187-F-93) helped China with 11 points and 9 boards. Yang LiWei (175-G-95) stopped on 10 pts. On the other side, Julie Vanloo (172-G-93) scored 23 pts. Lien Delmulle (179-F-93) followed her with 17.
China was slightly better team at the beginning as they made minimum lead in the first quarter, 26-25. In the second frame it was Belgium who took control on their rivals. Julie Vanloo was on fire and mostly owing to her Belgium was 41-46 up at the halftime. China replied after the breather with 21-16 and everything was open again. In the last ten minutes Yu Dong and her teammates demonstrated wonderful performance. They drained 23 points, while stopping Belgium to just 11 for comfortable 85-73 victory at the end. Belgium stays without the medal in Toulouse.

China: Yu Dong 29+13 boards, Li Meng 16+8 boards, Ma XueYa 11+9 boards, Yang LiWei 10
Belgium: Julie Vanloo 23, Lien Delmulle 17

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EGYPT - Women

Nigeria role out 12-players for U18 Women Championship - by Olusegun Ikuesan
The Nigeria Basketball Federation at the weekend release its final list of 12-players that will represent Nigeria at the 11th FIBA Africa Championship for U18 Women billed for Cairo, Egypt from July 29 through August 6.

Team Head Coach Adewumi Aderemi says he is confident the players will not disappoint the nation, 'I am confident the players will give a good account of themselves in Egypt.

The twelve players were selected after a careful selection from a pool of players invited to camp in Kaduna.

The twelve players include Ijeoma Frank Uchendu, Temitope Oladele, Atosu Upe, Oluwakorede Yetunde Sosanya, Juliet Osaume Igiebor, Sharon Rukeme Ogharanduku, Blessing Amos, Uju Nkiru Ugoka, Emmanuela Chukwuedo, Elo Edema Edeferioka, Kewwe Blessing Imomoh and Evawere Happiness Atunuwa.

Coach Aderemi who is the head coach of FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women, First Bank basketball club of Lagos will be assisted by Coach Peter Ahmedu of ASPAC basketball club of Cotonuo, Republic of Benin.

Nigeria is drawn in Group-B alongside defending champion, Mali. Other countries in the group considered to be the toughest of the two groups are, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire and Democratic Republic of Congo while Group-A is made up of host Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Angola and Kenya.

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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U20 - Women

Stats Leaders (Women)

• PPG
• RPG
• APG
• SPG
• BPG

Points Per Game

Marina SOLOPOVA   (180-G/F-90)   Avg: 21

1. Solopova, LTU 21.0   2. Malashenko, UKR 17.8   3. Iagupova, UKR 17.6   4. Niedola, LAT 16.9   5. Bigica, ROM 15.6   6. Shilova, RUS 15.2   7. Hamilton Car., SWE 15.1   8. Hamilton Car., SWE 15.1   9. Maznichenko, UKR 14.2   10. Klein, NED 14.0

Rebounds Per Game

Giedre PAUGAITE   (192-C-90)   Avg: 11.4

1. Paugaite, LTU 11.4   2. Canitez, TUR 9.9   3. Malashenko, UKR 9.6   4. Niedola, LAT 9.4   5. Iagupova, UKR 8.7   6. Manta, ROM 8.6   7. Misiuk, POL 8.6   8. Krnjic, SRB 7.7   9. Pavel, ROM 7.7   10. Filonchyk, BLR 7.4

Assists Per Game

Alina IAGUPOVA   (179-G-92)   Avg: 5.9

1. Iagupova, UKR 5.9   2. Popovic, SRB 4.0   3. Ouvina, ESP 3.8   4. Xargay Casad., ESP 3.7   5. Solopova, LTU 3.6   6. Klintsone, LAT 3.4   7. Logunova, RUS 3.2   8. Saylar, TUR 3.0   9. Bestagno, ITA 2.9   10. Priede, LAT 2.9

Steals Per Game

Alina IAGUPOVA   (179-G-92)   Avg: 3.1

1. Iagupova, UKR 3.1   2. Solopova, LTU 2.5   3. Ouvina, ESP 2.4   4. Tchatchouang, FRA 2.2   5. Bruns, GER 2.1   6. Bigica, ROM 2.0   7. Yderstrom, SWE 2.0   8. Klein, NED 2.0   9. Yderstrom, SWE 2.0   10. Niedola, LAT 2.0

Blocks Per Game

Giedre PAUGAITE   (192-C-90)   Avg: 2.3

1. Paugaite, LTU 2.3   2. Malashenko, UKR 1.6   3. Filonchyk, BLR 1.4   4. Gastaminza G., ESP 1.4   5. Manta, ROM 1.4   6. Ivashchanka, BLR 1.3   7. Petrushina, RUS 1.3   8. Paskalenko, RUS 1.2   9. Iagupova, UKR 1.2   10. Tchatchouang, FRA 1.2

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FRANCE - Women

U17 USA grabs the Gold in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Big Final: USA - FRANCE 92-62

USA blasted France to win the Gold medal in Toulouse. The powerful American squad got 20 points and 6 assists from Ariel Massengale (5'6''-G-93). Kaleena Lewis (6'0''-F-93) and Elizabeth Williams (6'3''-C-93) helped with 15 points and 5 rebounds each. In France, Sara Chevaugeon (5'10''-G-93) delivered 11 points. She was their only player with double-digits in scoring. USA celebrated at this event with the perfect 8-0 record.
USA took control on their rivals from the very beginning. Ariel Massengale and her teammates made nice 26-16 lead in the first quarter and were looking good. France improved in the next ten minutes, but still they needed a way more against strong Americans. USA ended Q2 with 24-24 for 12-point lead at the halftime. They dominated in Q3 as well finishing it with 25-16. At that time it was already clear who the winner of the night will be and France was without a chance. USA didnt stop and they made 17-8 in the last quarter for the final 92-62 victory and the Gold medal in Toulouse. The Silver belongs to France, who was the host of this event.

USA: Ariel Massengale 20+6 as, Kaleena Lewis 15+5 boards, Elizabeth Williams 15+5 boards
France: Sara Chevaugeon 11

U20 EC: Latvia beats France, wins the Bronze in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Third place: FRANCE - LATVIA 49-53

The host of this event managed to end it as No.3 winning the Bronze medal. They outsmarted France 49-53 in the last day of competition. Anete Steinberga (188-F-90) top-scored for Latvia with 14 points and she grabbed 6 rebounds beside that. Sabine Niedola (184-F-91) had 12 points and 9 boards. Third scorer in victory was Liene Priede (180-G-90) with 6 pts. In France, Hhadydia Minte (185-F-91) replied with 11 points and 13 boards. Margaux Okou-Zouzouo (185-G-91) had 10 points and 6 rebs, while her team stayed without the medal at this event.
France had a great beginning of this game. Hhadydia Minte and her teammates shined at the both sides of the court making 21-8 lead in the first ten minutes. They slowed down offensively in Q2 and Latvia won it by one, 10-11. Than after the breather, Latvia intensified defense and limited their rivals to just 6 points for the period. They drained 14 on the other side and the score was set to 37-33. Latvia was in and they continued with great performance for the last ten minutes. They made 42-45 turn and later reached plus 6. There was less than 40 seconds to go at that time and the game was already over for France.

France: Hhadydia Minte 11+13 boards, Margaux Okou-Zouzouo 10+6 boards
Latvia: Anete Steinberga 14+6 boards, Sabine Niedola 12+9 boards, Liene Priede 6

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GERMANY - Women

U20 EC: Germany outplays Romania, both survive in Division A - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Places 13-16: ROMANIA - GERMANY 68-75

Despite this loss, Romania finished as No.13 at this event, while Germany is No.14. Both countries survived in Division A. Pia Mankertz (170-G-90) led the winners with 13 points. Astrid Ramcke (184-F-91) had 11 points and was the last one with double-digits in scoring for Germany. Anna-lisa Rexroth (174-G-90), Stephanie Wagner (181-F-90) and Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (177-F/C-91) added 9 points each. Romania got 14 from Gabriela Munteanu (177-F-88). Andreea Pop (180-C-90) and Bianca Barbu (168-G-90) followed her with 13 points each.
Germany did a great job in first half. Pia Mankertz and her teammates opened the game with excellent 9-20 lead. Romania struggled at the both sides of the court, but managed to improve slightly in Q2. However, that was no enough as Germany ended this period with 16-22. It means that Germany held huge 25-42 lead at the halftime. Romania was better team in Q3 (16-13), but they needed a way more in order to treat. They drained 27 pts in the last ten minutes, but Germany replied with 20 to keep the safe distance and to end this championship with victory.

Romania: Gabriela Munteanu 14, Andreea Pop 13, Bianca Barbu 13
Germany: Pia Mankertz 13, Astrid Ramcke 11, Anna-lisa Rexroth 9, Stephanie Wagner 9, Sarah-Marie Frankenberger 9

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HOLLAND - Women

Netherlands post two victories against Great Britain - by Eurobasket News
Netherlands recorded back-to-back victories against Great Britain in the test games. The first clash finished with the Dutch team claiming a 72:62 victory. Netherlands got to the better start. They registered a 34:23 lead at halftime. Great Britain did their best to cut the margin to just 5 points with ten minutes remaining. But the hosts outscored their opponents in the final period and sealed the winning outcome at the end. Leonie Kooij (187-F-86) scored 20 points to lead the home team. Marlous Nieuwveen (196-C-80) added 18 points, while Myrthe Beld (183-G-89) finished with 15 points for the winners. Jenaya Wade-Fray (175-G-88) accounted for 18 points for Great Britain. Kimberly Butler (186-F-82, college: Oregon St.) finished with 15 points in the loss.
The second game was much tougher battle. The teams went neck and neck in the dying seconds before Netherlands iced a 78:76 victory at the end. Great Britain this time started the game confidently. They earned a 5-point lead at halftime. But Netherlands erased the deficit and pulled ahead late in regulation. Great Britain were unable to answer in the dying seconds and lost their second in a row. JulieAnne Page (188-F/C-83, agency: LBM Management, college: E.Washington) led all scorers with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Stefanie Collins (174-G-82, college: St.Bonaventure) and Natalie Stafford (173-G) provided 15 points each in the loss.

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ITALY - Women

Italy win Konya Tournament - by Eurobasket News
Italy - Slovak Republic 71:54
Italy posted the third straight win at the international Konya tournament in Turkey. Italy overcame Slovak Republic on the third day of action to finish the tournament undefeated. Raffaella Masciadri (185-F-80) knocked down 16 points to pace the effort.
Italy opened the game confidently. They outgunned Slovak Republic to earn a 21:14 lead at the first break. Slovak Republic stopped the bleeding in the second frame. They pulled closer to trail by just two points at the interval 35:37. Italy and Slovak Republic trailed baskets throughout the third frame. The Azzurri built a 4-point lead heading into the fourth stanza. Slovak Republic could not keep up the tempo. They accounted for only 7 points in the fourth frame and surrendered at the end.
Chiara Consolini (182-F-88) notched 10 points for Italy. Kathirin Ress (196-C-85, college: Boston Coll.) added 9 points in the winning effort. Lucia Kupcikova (184-F-84) nailed 14 points for Slovak Republic. Janka Mincikova (169-G-89) had 8 points in the losing effort.

Italy: Raffaella Masciadri 16, Chiara Consolini 10, Kathirin Ress 9
Slovak Republic: Lucia Kupcikova 14, Janka Mincikova 8

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JAPAN - Women

U17 WC: Japan blasts Russia in the second half, ends as No.5 in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Fifth place: RUSSIA - JAPAN 68-74

Japan won the fifth place in Toulouse. They outplayed Russia in the last day of the competition 68-74 to end on this spot. Of course, Russia finished as No.6 at this event. Moeko Nagaoka (180-F-93) exploded for Japan with 28 points and 9 rebounds. Yuki Miyazawa (181-F-93) is another player with wonderful role in this game: 26 points and 16 rebs. Actually she was the MVP of this meeting with valuation 30. On the other side, Russia got 12 points and 7 rebounds from Mariya-Margarita Davydova (189-F/C-93). Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-C/F-93) (8 rebs) and Anastasia Tochilova (168-G-93) added 10 points each.
Everything started good for Russia as they made nice 22-12 lead in the first ten minutes. Nothing has changed after that and Japan was in trouble. Mariya-Margarita Davydova and her teammates closed the second period with 19-14 for comfortable 41-26 lead at the half time. Russia was on the right way to victory and was looking great at that time, but they somehow stopped after the breather. Japan drastically improved at the both sides of the court and finished Q3 with 10-22. Everything was open again, but Russia still had 3-point lead. Moeko Nagaoka and Yuki Miyazawa had no mercy for Russia in the last ten minutes and they paced Japan to wonderful 17-26, what was enough for 68-74 victory and the fifth place in Toulouse.

Russia: Mariya-Margarita Davydova 12+7 boards, Ksenia Tikhonenko 10+8 boards, Anastasia Tochilova 10
Japan: Moeko Nagaoka 28+9 boards, Yuki Miyazawa 26+16 boards

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LATVIA - Women

Turkey topple Latvia at Konya tournament - by Eurobasket News
Turkey - Latvia 69:67

Turkey recorded the first win at the Konya International Tournament. They narrowly defeated Latvia to finish the competition at 1-2 record. Birsel Vardarli (175-G-80) notched 11 points to lead Turkey.
The Turkish team got to an aggressive start. They shot down their opponents 26:14 in the opening frame. Latvia slowed their opponents down in the second stanza. The Baltic team narrowed the deficit at 8-point mark at halftime. Latvia mounted the pressure in the third quarter. They nipped the distance trailing by just 5 points heading into the fourth frame. Latvia got even closer in the fourth term. However Turkey stayed cool in the dying seconds and sealed the winning outcome at the end.
Esmeral Tuncluer (175-G-80) and Bahar Caglar (188-F-88) finished with 10 points each for Turkey. Gogce Dogan (173-F-86) and Ceyda Kozluca (179-C-84) added 8 points apiece in the win. Zane Tamane (200-C-83, college: W.Illinois) responded with game-high 17 points for Latvia. Elina Babkina (172-G-89, agency: LBM Management) netted 14 points in the loss.

Turkey: Birsel Vardarli 11, Esmeral Tuncluer 10, Bahar Caglar 10
Latvia: Zane Tamane 17, Elina Babkina 14

U20 EC: Latvia beats France, wins the Bronze in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Third place: FRANCE - LATVIA 49-53

The host of this event managed to end it as No.3 winning the Bronze medal. They outsmarted France 49-53 in the last day of competition. Anete Steinberga (188-F-90) top-scored for Latvia with 14 points and she grabbed 6 rebounds beside that. Sabine Niedola (184-F-91) had 12 points and 9 boards. Third scorer in victory was Liene Priede (180-G-90) with 6 pts. In France, Hhadydia Minte (185-F-91) replied with 11 points and 13 boards. Margaux Okou-Zouzouo (185-G-91) had 10 points and 6 rebs, while her team stayed without the medal at this event.
France had a great beginning of this game. Hhadydia Minte and her teammates shined at the both sides of the court making 21-8 lead in the first ten minutes. They slowed down offensively in Q2 and Latvia won it by one, 10-11. Than after the breather, Latvia intensified defense and limited their rivals to just 6 points for the period. They drained 14 on the other side and the score was set to 37-33. Latvia was in and they continued with great performance for the last ten minutes. They made 42-45 turn and later reached plus 6. There was less than 40 seconds to go at that time and the game was already over for France.

France: Hhadydia Minte 11+13 boards, Margaux Okou-Zouzouo 10+6 boards
Latvia: Anete Steinberga 14+6 boards, Sabine Niedola 12+9 boards, Liene Priede 6

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LITHUANIA - Women

U20 EC: Ukraine blasts Lithuania to finish as No.5 - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Fifth place: LITHUANIA - UKRAINE 64-82

Fifth place in Liepaja belongs to Ukraine, who was too strong for Lithuania 64-82. Alina Iagupova (179-G-92) exploded with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. She reached valuation 30 and grabbed the MVP award in this meeting. The second scorer in victory was Olesia Malashenko (188-F-91, agency: LBM Management) with 21 points and she had 8 rebounds beside that. Olga Maznichenko (187-F-91) helped with 14 points and also 8 rebs. In Lithuania, Lina Pikciute (192-F-90) (6 rebs) and Gintare Mazionyte (186-C-91) (5 rebs) delivered 14 points each. Egle Siksniute netted 10 pts in this loss.
Except of the first quarter, Ukraine was a way better team in this game. First ten minutes belonged to Lithuania 18-12 and that was all from them. Alina Iagupova and her teammates replied with 20-25 in the second frame for minus one at the half time. They came out strong after the breather destroying their rival with 12-26. The score stood at 50-63 and there was ten minutes left in the game. At the halfway of the last quarter Ukraine jumped to 52-75 and the game winner was decided. Ukraine is No.5 and Lithuania No.6 at this event.

Lithuania: Lina Pikciute 14+6 boards, Gintare Mazionyte 14+5 boards
Ukraine: Alina Iagupova 24+8 boards+8 as, Olesia Malashenko 21+8 boards, Olga Maznichenko 14+8 boards

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NCAA1 - Women

U17 USA grabs the Gold in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Big Final: USA - FRANCE 92-62

USA blasted France to win the Gold medal in Toulouse. The powerful American squad got 20 points and 6 assists from Ariel Massengale (5'6''-G-93). Kaleena Lewis (6'0''-F-93) and Elizabeth Williams (6'3''-C-93) helped with 15 points and 5 rebounds each. In France, Sara Chevaugeon (5'10''-G-93) delivered 11 points. She was their only player with double-digits in scoring. USA celebrated at this event with the perfect 8-0 record.
USA took control on their rivals from the very beginning. Ariel Massengale and her teammates made nice 26-16 lead in the first quarter and were looking good. France improved in the next ten minutes, but still they needed a way more against strong Americans. USA ended Q2 with 24-24 for 12-point lead at the halftime. They dominated in Q3 as well finishing it with 25-16. At that time it was already clear who the winner of the night will be and France was without a chance. USA didnt stop and they made 17-8 in the last quarter for the final 92-62 victory and the Gold medal in Toulouse. The Silver belongs to France, who was the host of this event.

USA: Ariel Massengale 20+6 as, Kaleena Lewis 15+5 boards, Elizabeth Williams 15+5 boards
France: Sara Chevaugeon 11

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NIGERIA - Women

Nigeria role out 12-players for U18 Women Championship - by Olusegun Ikuesan
The Nigeria Basketball Federation at the weekend release its final list of 12-players that will represent Nigeria at the 11th FIBA Africa Championship for U18 Women billed for Cairo, Egypt from July 29 through August 6.

Team Head Coach Adewumi Aderemi says he is confident the players will not disappoint the nation, 'I am confident the players will give a good account of themselves in Egypt.

The twelve players were selected after a careful selection from a pool of players invited to camp in Kaduna.

The twelve players include Ijeoma Frank Uchendu, Temitope Oladele, Atosu Upe, Oluwakorede Yetunde Sosanya, Juliet Osaume Igiebor, Sharon Rukeme Ogharanduku, Blessing Amos, Uju Nkiru Ugoka, Emmanuela Chukwuedo, Elo Edema Edeferioka, Kewwe Blessing Imomoh and Evawere Happiness Atunuwa.

Coach Aderemi who is the head coach of FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women, First Bank basketball club of Lagos will be assisted by Coach Peter Ahmedu of ASPAC basketball club of Cotonuo, Republic of Benin.

Nigeria is drawn in Group-B alongside defending champion, Mali. Other countries in the group considered to be the toughest of the two groups are, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire and Democratic Republic of Congo while Group-A is made up of host Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Angola and Kenya.

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ROMANIA - Women

U20 EC: Germany outplays Romania, both survive in Division A - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Places 13-16: ROMANIA - GERMANY 68-75

Despite this loss, Romania finished as No.13 at this event, while Germany is No.14. Both countries survived in Division A. Pia Mankertz (170-G-90) led the winners with 13 points. Astrid Ramcke (184-F-91) had 11 points and was the last one with double-digits in scoring for Germany. Anna-lisa Rexroth (174-G-90), Stephanie Wagner (181-F-90) and Sarah-Marie Frankenberger (177-F/C-91) added 9 points each. Romania got 14 from Gabriela Munteanu (177-F-88). Andreea Pop (180-C-90) and Bianca Barbu (168-G-90) followed her with 13 points each.
Germany did a great job in first half. Pia Mankertz and her teammates opened the game with excellent 9-20 lead. Romania struggled at the both sides of the court, but managed to improve slightly in Q2. However, that was no enough as Germany ended this period with 16-22. It means that Germany held huge 25-42 lead at the halftime. Romania was better team in Q3 (16-13), but they needed a way more in order to treat. They drained 27 pts in the last ten minutes, but Germany replied with 20 to keep the safe distance and to end this championship with victory.

Romania: Gabriela Munteanu 14, Andreea Pop 13, Bianca Barbu 13
Germany: Pia Mankertz 13, Astrid Ramcke 11, Anna-lisa Rexroth 9, Stephanie Wagner 9, Sarah-Marie Frankenberger 9

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RUSSIA - Women

U20 Russia wins the Gold in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Big Final: RUSSIA - SPAIN 75-74

Russia celebrated in heartbreaking thriller against Spain to win the Gold medal in Liepaja. Anastasiya Shilova (185-F-91) was a key player for Russia with 21 points and 7 rebounds. She was the MVP of this meeting with valuation 22. Anastasia Logunova (188-C-90) had 12 points and 5 rebs, while Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) added 10 points in this final. On the other side, Spain got 24 points and 8 boards from Cristina Ouvina (173-G-90). Marta Xargay Casademont (180-G-90) added 16 pts and 5 assists for her country. The Silver medal belongs to them.
Spain opened the game better as they made 10-14 lead at the beginning. Russia players immediately woke up and answered with 8-4 run for rest of the time in Q1. They created 20-18 in the second frame for plus 6 at the HT (38-32). Spain made 43-45 turn at the halfway of third period and Russia replied with 10-2 run after that. Third quarter finished 21-24 so Russia held 59-56 lead with ten minutes to go. In thriller finish Ostroukhova made two free throws for Russia setting the score to 75-72 and there was 65 second left. Spain responded through Cristina Ouvina, who made a jump shot. Russia missed on the other side, but they grabbed an offensive rebound after what Panevia missed for three. Spain had a chance, but Cristina Ouvina missed a lay-up and the game was over for her team.

Russia: Anastasiya Shilova 21+7 boards, Anastasia Logunova 12+5 boards, Tatiana Petrushina 10
Spain: Cristina Ouvina 24+8 boards, Marta Xargay Casademont 16+5 as

U17 WC: Japan blasts Russia in the second half, ends as No.5 in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Fifth place: RUSSIA - JAPAN 68-74

Japan won the fifth place in Toulouse. They outplayed Russia in the last day of the competition 68-74 to end on this spot. Of course, Russia finished as No.6 at this event. Moeko Nagaoka (180-F-93) exploded for Japan with 28 points and 9 rebounds. Yuki Miyazawa (181-F-93) is another player with wonderful role in this game: 26 points and 16 rebs. Actually she was the MVP of this meeting with valuation 30. On the other side, Russia got 12 points and 7 rebounds from Mariya-Margarita Davydova (189-F/C-93). Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-C/F-93) (8 rebs) and Anastasia Tochilova (168-G-93) added 10 points each.
Everything started good for Russia as they made nice 22-12 lead in the first ten minutes. Nothing has changed after that and Japan was in trouble. Mariya-Margarita Davydova and her teammates closed the second period with 19-14 for comfortable 41-26 lead at the half time. Russia was on the right way to victory and was looking great at that time, but they somehow stopped after the breather. Japan drastically improved at the both sides of the court and finished Q3 with 10-22. Everything was open again, but Russia still had 3-point lead. Moeko Nagaoka and Yuki Miyazawa had no mercy for Russia in the last ten minutes and they paced Japan to wonderful 17-26, what was enough for 68-74 victory and the fifth place in Toulouse.

Russia: Mariya-Margarita Davydova 12+7 boards, Ksenia Tikhonenko 10+8 boards, Anastasia Tochilova 10
Japan: Moeko Nagaoka 28+9 boards, Yuki Miyazawa 26+16 boards

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SCOTLAND - Women

SCOTS BUCHAN, ALLISON STAR IN GB U-20 EURO B TITLE TRIUMPH - by Sandy Sutherland
Scots Mairi Buchan (188-F/C-90) (Falkirk Fury) and Rebecca Allison (173-G-91) (Edinburgh Kool Kats) have played a huge part in the Euro B title triumph of coach Damian Jennings's GB women's under-20 side in Kavadarci, Macedonia.
Having already clinched promotion to Euro A by reaching the final with a superb 59-40 win over Portugal, they went on to capture the Euro B title for the very first time, beating favourites Slovakia 47-46 after being 25-14 up at half-time.
'That's an amazing result,' said GB senior women's team manager Lucy Power, whose team, including another Edinburgh Kool Kat Rose Anderson, had just gone down to the Dutch in the Netherlands.
Buchan top-scored against the Slovaks with 13 points, and finished the tournament averaging over 10 points a game to be GB's top scorer as well as averaging over seven rebounds, while Allison, like Anderson a product of Portobello High School in Edinburgh, led the rebounds with nine in the final in a long and crucial stint.
A feature of the tournament was the increasing minutes and growing confidence in their Great Britain team role of the two Scots, both students at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Their former coach when they played for the Scotland Under-18s, Donna Finnie is another who is delighted with their success: 'I must admit there was a tear in my eye,' she said.
Allison, who red-shirted last season for Old Dominion, had 26 minutes on court in the 59-40 semi-final win over Portugal, scoring eight points, taking five rebounds, giving four assists and having three steals in arguably her finest ever game and the good news for both Scotland anhd GB is that she has another year in this age group.
Buchan meanwhile must have staked a claim for a move up soon to the GB senior team who will hopefully hear soon that their ridiculous wait for their host nation place in London 2012 is over.

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SERBIA - Women

U20 Turkey cruises past U20 Serbia for seventh place in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Seventh place: SERBIA - TURKEY 46-68

Turkey is No.7 and Serbia is the eighth ranked team at this event. Turkey registered easy 46-68 win in the last day in Liepaja. Safiye Karaman (180-F-91) was their leading player with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Burcu Cigil (185-F-90) also scored 13, while Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) added 12 points and 5 assists. Serbia did not have anyone with double-digits in scoring. Their best player was Sandra Boskovic (171-F-91) with 8 pts.
First quarter was pretty leveled in this game. Serbia was in charge, but was not able to make a bigger lead. At the end, they finished Q1 with 14-13. Turkey exploded in the second frame making 7-20 for nice 21-33 lead at the half time. Serbia was in trouble as they didnt improve after that. Safiye Karaman and her teammates moved up to plus 15 and there was ten minutes left in the game. Serbia needed a miracle, but that didnt happen. Turkey won the last period 11-18 for the final 46-68 blowout and seventh place in Liepaja.

Serbia: Sandra Boskovic 8
Turkey: Safiye Karaman 13+5 boards, Burcu Cigil 13, Ozge Yavas 12+5 as

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SLOVAKIA - Women

Italy win Konya Tournament - by Eurobasket News
Italy - Slovak Republic 71:54
Italy posted the third straight win at the international Konya tournament in Turkey. Italy overcame Slovak Republic on the third day of action to finish the tournament undefeated. Raffaella Masciadri (185-F-80) knocked down 16 points to pace the effort.
Italy opened the game confidently. They outgunned Slovak Republic to earn a 21:14 lead at the first break. Slovak Republic stopped the bleeding in the second frame. They pulled closer to trail by just two points at the interval 35:37. Italy and Slovak Republic trailed baskets throughout the third frame. The Azzurri built a 4-point lead heading into the fourth stanza. Slovak Republic could not keep up the tempo. They accounted for only 7 points in the fourth frame and surrendered at the end.
Chiara Consolini (182-F-88) notched 10 points for Italy. Kathirin Ress (196-C-85, college: Boston Coll.) added 9 points in the winning effort. Lucia Kupcikova (184-F-84) nailed 14 points for Slovak Republic. Janka Mincikova (169-G-89) had 8 points in the losing effort.

Italy: Raffaella Masciadri 16, Chiara Consolini 10, Kathirin Ress 9
Slovak Republic: Lucia Kupcikova 14, Janka Mincikova 8

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SLOVENIA - Women

Another comfortable win for Slovenia - by Zeljko Zule
Slovenian NT recorded another comfortable win over Switzerland, 80-51. Tina Trebec (189-F/C-90) came off the bench to scored game-high 18 points on shooting 8-of-9 from the field, Sasa Panic had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and Eva Komplet handed out 6 assists. For Switzerland, Mariell Giround scored 14 points and Karen Twehnes 11.
SLOVENIA (23+21+16+20): *Erkic 9, Radulovic 3, *Pani 10, Temnik, Dover 6, *Komplet 8, *Oblak 5, Trebec 18, Jagodic, Pavli 4, Ilijev 9, *Pirsic 8.
SWITZERLAND (8+15+12+16): *Volpe10, Lavanchy, *Kassongo 2, Moldovanyi 4, Wufli 1, *Giround 14, Vollmeier, *Turin 4, Jakel 5, *Twehnes 11, Borgeand, Clement DNP.

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SPAIN - Women

U17 Australia beats U17 Spain for seventh place in Toulouse - by Eurobasket News
U17 World Championship, Seventh place: SPAIN - AUSTRALIA 48-74

Australia finished as the seventh ranked team in Toulouse. They blasted Spain on Sunday morning to take this place. Tayla Roberts (191-F/C-93) was the leading player in victory with double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds. Gretel Tippett (190-F-93) had 14 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, while Sara Blicavs (188-F-93) added 10 points and 5 boards. In the loosing squad, Yurena Diaz (176-G-93) delivered 14 points. She was followed by Andrea Vilaro (179-F-93) and Maria Gonzalez Grueso (177-G/F-93), who had 12 and 10 points respectively. Spain ended as No.8 at this event.
First quarter was the low-scoring and it was the only one which belonged to Spain in this game (12-8). Australia players woke up after that making nice 12-22 in the second frame. It means that Australia had 6-point lead at the halftime and that was just the beginning. They destroyed Spain in third period with 5-20 and question about the winner was resolved. Spain didnt have enough power to mount a comeback and actually last quarter was another one which belonged to Aussies, 19-24. At the end it was totally deserved 19-24 win for seventh place in Toulouse. Australia registered 4 wins and 3 defeats at this event.

Spain: Yurena Diaz 14, Andrea Vilaro 12, Maria Gonzalez Grueso 10
Australia: Tayla Roberts 25+14 boards, Gretel Tippett 14+6 boards+5 as, Sara Blicavs 10+5 boards

U20 Russia wins the Gold in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Big Final: RUSSIA - SPAIN 75-74

Russia celebrated in heartbreaking thriller against Spain to win the Gold medal in Liepaja. Anastasiya Shilova (185-F-91) was a key player for Russia with 21 points and 7 rebounds. She was the MVP of this meeting with valuation 22. Anastasia Logunova (188-C-90) had 12 points and 5 rebs, while Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) added 10 points in this final. On the other side, Spain got 24 points and 8 boards from Cristina Ouvina (173-G-90). Marta Xargay Casademont (180-G-90) added 16 pts and 5 assists for her country. The Silver medal belongs to them.
Spain opened the game better as they made 10-14 lead at the beginning. Russia players immediately woke up and answered with 8-4 run for rest of the time in Q1. They created 20-18 in the second frame for plus 6 at the HT (38-32). Spain made 43-45 turn at the halfway of third period and Russia replied with 10-2 run after that. Third quarter finished 21-24 so Russia held 59-56 lead with ten minutes to go. In thriller finish Ostroukhova made two free throws for Russia setting the score to 75-72 and there was 65 second left. Spain responded through Cristina Ouvina, who made a jump shot. Russia missed on the other side, but they grabbed an offensive rebound after what Panevia missed for three. Spain had a chance, but Cristina Ouvina missed a lay-up and the game was over for her team.

Russia: Anastasiya Shilova 21+7 boards, Anastasia Logunova 12+5 boards, Tatiana Petrushina 10
Spain: Cristina Ouvina 24+8 boards, Marta Xargay Casademont 16+5 as

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SWEDEN - Women

U20 Sweden and U20 Bulgaria face with relegation from Division A - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Placed 13-16: SWEDEN - BULGARIA 80-51

Sweden was too strong for Bulgaria, but both teams faced with relegation from Division A. Sweden ended as No.15, while Bulgaria finished as the only winless team at this event. Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-F-90, college: Fayetteville) stepped up for Sweden with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Maryam Gultekin (165-G-90) helped with 19, while Stefanie Yderstrom (173-G-90) added 14 points. In Bulgaria, Aleksandra Kancheva (182-F-90) netted 11 points. Veronika Dzhikova (178-F-90) stopped on 10.
Sweden was a way better team in this game. They started with 21-17 in the first and continued with huge 31-17 in the second period. It means that Sweden was comfortable 52-34 up at the half time. Bulgaria slightly improved in Q3 (9-14), but that was not enough. Sweden switched into the fifth gear in the last period and destroyed Bulgaria with 19-3. At the end it was totally deserved 80-51 win for Sweden. Despite that, Sweden also faced with relegation and will compete in Division B next year. Sweden 3-3, Bulgaria 0-6 in Group G.

Sweden: Danielle Hamilton Carter 20+9 boards, Maryam Gultekin 19, Stefanie Yderstrom 14
Bulgaria: Aleksandra Kancheva 11, Veronika Dzhikova 10

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TURKEY - Women

U20 Turkey cruises past U20 Serbia for seventh place in Liepaja - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Seventh place: SERBIA - TURKEY 46-68

Turkey is No.7 and Serbia is the eighth ranked team at this event. Turkey registered easy 46-68 win in the last day in Liepaja. Safiye Karaman (180-F-91) was their leading player with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Burcu Cigil (185-F-90) also scored 13, while Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) added 12 points and 5 assists. Serbia did not have anyone with double-digits in scoring. Their best player was Sandra Boskovic (171-F-91) with 8 pts.
First quarter was pretty leveled in this game. Serbia was in charge, but was not able to make a bigger lead. At the end, they finished Q1 with 14-13. Turkey exploded in the second frame making 7-20 for nice 21-33 lead at the half time. Serbia was in trouble as they didnt improve after that. Safiye Karaman and her teammates moved up to plus 15 and there was ten minutes left in the game. Serbia needed a miracle, but that didnt happen. Turkey won the last period 11-18 for the final 46-68 blowout and seventh place in Liepaja.

Serbia: Sandra Boskovic 8
Turkey: Safiye Karaman 13+5 boards, Burcu Cigil 13, Ozge Yavas 12+5 as

Turkey topple Latvia at Konya tournament - by Eurobasket News
Turkey - Latvia 69:67

Turkey recorded the first win at the Konya International Tournament. They narrowly defeated Latvia to finish the competition at 1-2 record. Birsel Vardarli (175-G-80) notched 11 points to lead Turkey.
The Turkish team got to an aggressive start. They shot down their opponents 26:14 in the opening frame. Latvia slowed their opponents down in the second stanza. The Baltic team narrowed the deficit at 8-point mark at halftime. Latvia mounted the pressure in the third quarter. They nipped the distance trailing by just 5 points heading into the fourth frame. Latvia got even closer in the fourth term. However Turkey stayed cool in the dying seconds and sealed the winning outcome at the end.
Esmeral Tuncluer (175-G-80) and Bahar Caglar (188-F-88) finished with 10 points each for Turkey. Gogce Dogan (173-F-86) and Ceyda Kozluca (179-C-84) added 8 points apiece in the win. Zane Tamane (200-C-83, college: W.Illinois) responded with game-high 17 points for Latvia. Elina Babkina (172-G-89, agency: LBM Management) netted 14 points in the loss.

Turkey: Birsel Vardarli 11, Esmeral Tuncluer 10, Bahar Caglar 10
Latvia: Zane Tamane 17, Elina Babkina 14

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UKRAINE - Women

U20 EC: Ukraine blasts Lithuania to finish as No.5 - by Eurobasket News
U20 EuroBasket, Fifth place: LITHUANIA - UKRAINE 64-82

Fifth place in Liepaja belongs to Ukraine, who was too strong for Lithuania 64-82. Alina Iagupova (179-G-92) exploded with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. She reached valuation 30 and grabbed the MVP award in this meeting. The second scorer in victory was Olesia Malashenko (188-F-91, agency: LBM Management) with 21 points and she had 8 rebounds beside that. Olga Maznichenko (187-F-91) helped with 14 points and also 8 rebs. In Lithuania, Lina Pikciute (192-F-90) (6 rebs) and Gintare Mazionyte (186-C-91) (5 rebs) delivered 14 points each. Egle Siksniute netted 10 pts in this loss.
Except of the first quarter, Ukraine was a way better team in this game. First ten minutes belonged to Lithuania 18-12 and that was all from them. Alina Iagupova and her teammates replied with 20-25 in the second frame for minus one at the half time. They came out strong after the breather destroying their rival with 12-26. The score stood at 50-63 and there was ten minutes left in the game. At the halfway of the last quarter Ukraine jumped to 52-75 and the game winner was decided. Ukraine is No.5 and Lithuania No.6 at this event.

Lithuania: Lina Pikciute 14+6 boards, Gintare Mazionyte 14+5 boards
Ukraine: Alina Iagupova 24+8 boards+8 as, Olesia Malashenko 21+8 boards, Olga Maznichenko 14+8 boards

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UNITED KINGDOM - Women

Netherlands post two victories against Great Britain - by Eurobasket News
Netherlands recorded back-to-back victories against Great Britain in the test games. The first clash finished with the Dutch team claiming a 72:62 victory. Netherlands got to the better start. They registered a 34:23 lead at halftime. Great Britain did their best to cut the margin to just 5 points with ten minutes remaining. But the hosts outscored their opponents in the final period and sealed the winning outcome at the end. Leonie Kooij (187-F-86) scored 20 points to lead the home team. Marlous Nieuwveen (196-C-80) added 18 points, while Myrthe Beld (183-G-89) finished with 15 points for the winners. Jenaya Wade-Fray (175-G-88) accounted for 18 points for Great Britain. Kimberly Butler (186-F-82, college: Oregon St.) finished with 15 points in the loss.
The second game was much tougher battle. The teams went neck and neck in the dying seconds before Netherlands iced a 78:76 victory at the end. Great Britain this time started the game confidently. They earned a 5-point lead at halftime. But Netherlands erased the deficit and pulled ahead late in regulation. Great Britain were unable to answer in the dying seconds and lost their second in a row. JulieAnne Page (188-F/C-83, agency: LBM Management, college: E.Washington) led all scorers with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Stefanie Collins (174-G-82, college: St.Bonaventure) and Natalie Stafford (173-G) provided 15 points each in the loss.

SCOTS BUCHAN, ALLISON STAR IN GB U-20 EURO B TITLE TRIUMPH - by Sandy Sutherland
Scots Mairi Buchan (188-F/C-90) (Falkirk Fury) and Rebecca Allison (173-G-91) (Edinburgh Kool Kats) have played a huge part in the Euro B title triumph of coach Damian Jennings's GB women's under-20 side in Kavadarci, Macedonia.
Having already clinched promotion to Euro A by reaching the final with a superb 59-40 win over Portugal, they went on to capture the Euro B title for the very first time, beating favourites Slovakia 47-46 after being 25-14 up at half-time.
'That's an amazing result,' said GB senior women's team manager Lucy Power, whose team, including another Edinburgh Kool Kat Rose Anderson, had just gone down to the Dutch in the Netherlands.
Buchan top-scored against the Slovaks with 13 points, and finished the tournament averaging over 10 points a game to be GB's top scorer as well as averaging over seven rebounds, while Allison, like Anderson a product of Portobello High School in Edinburgh, led the rebounds with nine in the final in a long and crucial stint.
A feature of the tournament was the increasing minutes and growing confidence in their Great Britain team role of the two Scots, both students at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Their former coach when they played for the Scotland Under-18s, Donna Finnie is another who is delighted with their success: 'I must admit there was a tear in my eye,' she said.
Allison, who red-shirted last season for Old Dominion, had 26 minutes on court in the 59-40 semi-final win over Portugal, scoring eight points, taking five rebounds, giving four assists and having three steals in arguably her finest ever game and the good news for both Scotland anhd GB is that she has another year in this age group.
Buchan meanwhile must have staked a claim for a move up soon to the GB senior team who will hopefully hear soon that their ridiculous wait for their host nation place in London 2012 is over.

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WNBA - Women

Pondexter and Taurasi named Players of the Week - by Eurobasket News
The New York Liberty's Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi (6'0''-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) were named the WNBA's Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week presented by Kia Motors, respectively, for games played July 19-25. This is the second weekly honor for each player this season.

This marks the first season that Kia Motors - an official WNBA marketing partner - has presented the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week award.

Pondexter earned the seventh Player of the Week honor of her career following a week in which she led the league in minutes (37.7 mpg), as New York posted a 2-1 record on the road. The Chicago native also was the league's fifth leading scorer (22.0 ppg) and tied for fifth in assists (6.0 apg). For the season, Pondexter ranks fourth in the league in scoring (21.2 ppg) and seventh in assists (5.0 apg).

Pondexter opened the week by scoring six of her game-high 24 points in overtime as the Liberty beat the host Connecticut Sun 82-74. She also added six rebounds and logged the first of three consecutive games with six assists. Pondexter next scored 16 points in a win at Chicago and capped the week with a team-high 26-point effort at Atlanta.

En route to earning the 12th Player of the Week award of her career, Taurasi led the defending champion Mercury to a pair of road wins in which Phoenix set a WNBA single-game scoring record in back-to-back games. On Thursday at Tulsa, Taurasi scored a game-high 26 points and added five assists in a 123-91 victory. Two days later she scored 11 of her 31 points in the second overtime and tied a league record for most free throws without a miss in a single game (14) as Phoenix defeated Minnesota 127-124 in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history. The sixth-year pro also contributed six rebounds and six assists against the Lynx as Phoenix further solidified its hold on second place in the Western Conference.

The league's leading scorer (23.8 ppg) thus far in 2010, Taurasi averaged 28.5 ppg during the week, second only to the 29.0 ppg posted by Minnesota's Seimone Augustus. She also tied for eighth in the league with 5.5 assists per game.

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors were Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry, Chicago's Sylvia Fowles, Indiana's Briann January, Los Angeles' DeLisha Milton-Jones, Seattle's Lauren Jackson, Tulsa's Shanna Crossley and Washington's Crystal Langhorne.

The WNBA Western and Eastern Conference Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors are part of a series of oncourt performance awards called The WNBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors. The series, currently in its second season, includes four of the WNBA's most prestigious year-end honors: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Sixth Woman of the Year, along with the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month. Kia Motors has been an official WNBA marketing partner since 2008.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Lynx acquire Alexis Hornbuckle, Rashanda McCants sent to Tulsa - by Eurobasket News
The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has acquired guard Alexis Hornbuckle (5'11''-G-85, college: Tennessee) from the Tulsa Shock in exchange for guard/forward Rashanda McCants (6'1''-G/F-86, college: N.Carolina).

Originally drafted fourth overall in the 2008 draft by the Detroit Shock, Hornbuckle comes to the Lynx with career averages of 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 81 career games, 31 starts. In 15 games, 10 starts, for Tulsa this season, the 5-11 guard holds averages of 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. For her career, Hornbuckle is a .381 (51-of-134) three-point shooter, and has hit on a career-best .400 percent (10-of-25) of her attempts from beyond the arc in 2010. Hornbuckle averaged a league-leading 2.32 steals per game her rookie season (2008), and over her career has averaged 1.8 steals per game.

Hornbuckle has appeared in 14 career playoff games in her two seasons in the WNBA, averaging 7.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In five playoff games in 2009, all starts, Hornbuckle averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Hornbuckle was a part of the 2008 Detroit Shock team that won the WNBA Championship, under then-head coach Bill Laimbeer and Shock assistant, and current Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve.

Before her time in the WNBA, Hornbuckle was a standout at the University of Tennessee, where she captured back-to-back National Championships in 2007 and 2008. The Charleston, West Virginia native was an All-SEC First Team selection in 2007 and 2008, and joined Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings as the only Lady Volunteers to amass 900+ points, 500+ rebounds, 350+ assists, 250+ steals and 50+ blocks over a career.

McCants, originally drafted by Minnesota with the 15th overall selection in the 2009 draft, holds career averages of 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 51 games. In 17 contests this season, the 6-0 guard/forward averaged 5.6 points in 15.8 minutes per game.

Hornbuckle will wear #14 for the Lynx and is expected to be in uniform for tomorrow night's home contest vs. Los Angeles. The Lynx come into the matchup one game ahead of the Sparks for the fourth position in the Western Conference. Tip is at 7:00 p.m.

Courtesy of The Minnesota Lynx

Standings

WNBA Standings

Eastern  1. Atlanta D. 9-4   2. Connecticut S. 8-4   3. Indiana F. 8-4   4. Washington M. 7-4   5. Chicago S. 5-8   6. New York L. 4-7  Western  1. Seattle S. 11-2   2. Phoenix M. 5-7   3. Minnesota L. 5-9   4. S.Antonio SS 4-7   5. Tulsa S. 3-8   6. L.Angeles S. 3-8

Phoenix Mercury sign Kara Braxton - by Eurobasket
Phoenix Mercury strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old center Kara Braxton (198-C-83, college: Georgia). Braxton played most recently at Tulsa Shock (WNBA). While playing 22 games for Tulsa S. this season she averaged 9.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.3apg and 1.1spg. Braxton is a very experienced player. She played also pro basketball in China, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

By Eurobasket Data Center

McCoughtry, Castro Marques lead Dream past Liberty, 82-75 - by Eurobasket News
After a winless four-game road trip, the Atlanta Dream got a much-needed win back at home.

Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-F-86, college: Louisville) scored 19 of her 28 points in the second half, and the Dream went on a late 11-0 run to snap their skid with an 82-75 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. Iziane Castro Marques (6'0''-G/F-82) had 16 of her 21 points in the second half, including eight in the decisive final streak.

I was starting to see that look of doubt on girls faces, said McCoughtry, who also had 10 rebounds. I couldnt let us lose again. We had to win.

Erika DeSouza (6'6''-C-82) added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta (15-9), while McCoughtry also had 10 rebounds and six assists.

Atlanta moved into second place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Indiana and half-game ahead of third-place Washington.

Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) scored 28 points to lead New York (11-11), which fell into a last-place tie with Chicago one game behind fourth-place Connecticut. Leilani Mitchell (5'5''-G-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Utah) scored 13 points, Plenette Pierson added 12 and Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 11.

Courtesy of www.thedailytimes.com

Shock falls to Storm 75-59 - by Eurobasket News
Shanna Crossley (5'10''-G-83, college: Tennessee) scored 19 points but she was the only offensive threat for Tulsa as league-leading Seattle rolled to a 75-59 victory Sunday night in front of 9,686 fans at Key Arena.

Leading 40-32 at intermission, the Storm opened up the second half on a 14-0 run and never looked back en route to their 20th victory of the season.

With the win, Seattle ties Houstons 2002 record, starting the season 20-2. Seattle is now 11-0 at home and 15-0 against Western Conference opponents this season.

Lauren Jackson (6'5''-F/C-81) led the Storm with 16 points. Svetlana Abrosimova (6'1''-F-80, college: Connecticut) had 15 points off the bench, hitting five 3-pointers for the second time against the Shock this season.

Swin Cash (6'2''-F-79, college: Connecticut) also hit double figures with 10 points. Le'Coe Willingham (6'0''-C-81, college: Auburn) had nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Storm started making shots, Shock coach Nolan Richardson said. ... We are not a big team and the rebounding kills us. On one possession, they were getting sometimes three or four shots. When you get that many shots on one possession, youre going to nail some of them. And that makes it very difficult for us.

Tulsas third period woes continued. In the first six minutes of the second half, the Shock (4-19) was 0-for-4 with four turnovers before Shanna Crossleys 3-pointer that snapped the Storms 14-0 run.

Crossleys 19 points were one shy of her season high. The former Tennessee guard was 7-of-13 from the field and her five 3-pointers tied her previous best against Chicago and Phoenix.

Nicole Ohlde (6'4''-F/C-82, college: Kansas St.) made her Shock debut Sunday, scoring eight points.

She played very good for someone who has only had one workout, Richardson said. You can see that she understands the game. I think she got a little winded as the game went on because she doesnt usually play those many minutes. Its all about getting her wind up and I really think shell help us.

Alexis Hornbuckle saw her first action after missing six games with an ankle injury. She was 0-for-3 from the field and was whistled for a technical foul in the second half.

Tulsa hit 5-of-7 field goals to start the game but cooled dramatically the rest of the half, hitting just 9-of-30 shots.

We played a pretty good first half and came out in the second half real flat, Richardson said. I thought if we had just made a basket or two and kept the game the way we started, it would have been a closer game. Thats happened to us quite a few times this year. That third quarter seems to come up and bite us every time.

Tulsa returns to action Tuesday when the Atlanta Dream visit the BOK Center for a 12:30 p.m. game.

Courtesy of www.tulsaworld.com