Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/23/2011

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Men News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Ricardo Marsh leaves Crvena Zvezda - by Eurobasket News
Ricardo Marsh (202-F-81, college: ODU) and Crvena Zvezda agreed on terms of contract termination. The 29-year-old forward joined the Croatian powerhouse back in November. He tallied solid 19.2 points, 5.0 boards, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in Adriatic League. Last season Ricardo Marsh started in Ukraine. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.4 boards and 1.2 steals per Superleague game with BC Donetsk. After the team folded Ricardo Marsh moved to Croatia to join Cedevita. His stats read 13.5 points, 4.7 boards and 1.1 steal per game in Croatian League. In Adriatic League Ricardo Marsh posted 5.2 points and 1.3 boards with Cedevita. The forward was named into Eurobasket.com Croatian A1 League 1st Team in 2010. Ricardo Marsh also played in Japan, Turkey, Israel and Latvia.

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ALGERIA

Standings

D1 Standings

1. GS Petroliers		27-0
2. WA Boufarik		25-2
3. Staoueli		22-4
4. Blida		21-7
5. CRB Dar El-B.		18-8
6. O Batna		16-10
7. CSMC		14-9
8. Arreridj		12-15
9. NAH Dey		11-15
10. Sidi-bel-Abbes		10-16
11. Annaba		9-18
12. Skikda		8-18
13. U.S.M.		8-20
14. CRB Temouch.		6-18
15. ASPTT		2-25
16. USMM Hadjout		2-26

D1 Round 25 of Regular Season - by Eurobasket News
The most exciting game of round 25 in the D1 took place in Annaba. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of higher ranked O Batna (16-10) to twelfth ranked Annaba (9-18) 71-68 on Friday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. Annaba moved-up to eleventh place. O Batna at the other side keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. Annaba are looking forward to face higher ranked Blida (#4) in Blida in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. O Batna will play at home against Sidi-bel-Abbes and is hoping to win this game.
Important game to mention about took place in Alger. Tenth ranked NAH Dey (11-15) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 7th ranked CSMC (14-9) 63-60 on Friday evening. NAH Dey have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain tenth place with 11-15 record. CSMC at the other side keeps the seventh position with nine games lost. NAH Dey's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Alger to the arena USMM Hadjout.
The game between fourth ranked Blida (21-7) and 11th ranked CRB Temouch. (6-18) in Blida on Friday ended with biggest points difference. Blida outscored guests from Temouchent 92-61. Blida maintains fourth place with 21-7 record. Loser CRB Temouch. dropped to the twelfth position with 18 games lost. Blida will meet at home Annaba (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. CRB Temouch. will play against ASPTT in Alger and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 25 were not that significant. CRB Dar El-B. smashed U.S.M. on the road 96-77. Bottom-ranked USMM Hadjout lost to Arreridj on its own court 57-67. Staoueli managed to outperform ASPTT in a road game 80-67. Sidi-bel-Abbes managed to beat Skikda at home 74-65.

U.S.M. - CRB Dar El-B. 77-96

No shocking result in a game when fifth ranked CRB Dar El-B. (18-8) crushed 14th ranked U.S.M. (8-20) in Alger 96-77 on Friday. CRB Dar El-B. have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain fifth place with 18-8 record. Loser U.S.M. keeps the fourteenth position with 20 games lost. CRB Dar El-B. will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. U.S.M. will play against Arreridj (#8) in B.B. Arreridj and hope to secure a win.

Annaba - O Batna 71-68

The most exciting game of round 25 in the D1 took place in Annaba. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of higher ranked O Batna (16-10) to twelfth ranked Annaba (9-18) 71-68 on Friday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. Annaba moved-up to eleventh place. O Batna at the other side keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. Annaba are looking forward to face higher ranked Blida (#4) in Blida in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. O Batna will play at home against Sidi-bel-Abbes and is hoping to win this game.

USMM Hadjout - Arreridj 57-67

Very expected game when 16th ranked USMM Hadjout (2-26) lost to eighth ranked Arreridj (12-15) in Alger 57-67 on Friday. Arreridj maintains eighth place with 12-15 record. USMM Hadjout lost eighteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 26 lost games. Arreridj will meet at home U.S.M. (#14) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. USMM Hadjout will play against NAH Dey in Alger and hope to secure a win.

ASPTT - Staoueli 67-80

Very predictable result when third ranked Staoueli (22-4) won against 15th ranked ASPTT (2-25) in Alger 80-67 on Friday. Staoueli have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. They maintain third place with 22-4 record having six points less than leader GS Petroliers. ASPTT lost tenth consecutive game. They keep the fifteenth position with 25 games lost. Staoueli will meet at home league's second-placed WA Boufarik in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. ASPTT will play against CRB Temouch. (#12) in Temouchent and hope to secure a win.

NAH Dey - CSMC 63-60

Important game to mention about took place in Alger. Tenth ranked NAH Dey (11-15) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 7th ranked CSMC (14-9) 63-60 on Friday evening. NAH Dey have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain tenth place with 11-15 record. CSMC at the other side keeps the seventh position with nine games lost. NAH Dey's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Alger to the arena USMM Hadjout.

Blida - CRB Temouch. 92-61

The game between fourth ranked Blida (21-7) and 11th ranked CRB Temouch. (6-18) in Blida on Friday ended with biggest points difference. Blida outscored guests from Temouchent 92-61. Blida maintains fourth place with 21-7 record. Loser CRB Temouch. dropped to the twelfth position with 18 games lost. Blida will meet at home Annaba (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. CRB Temouch. will play against ASPTT in Alger and hope to secure a win.

Sidi-bel-Abbes - Skikda 74-65

Not a big story in a game when 13th ranked Skikda (8-18) lost on the road to ninth ranked Sidi-bel-Abbes (10-16) 74-65 on Friday. Sidi-bel-Abbes maintains ninth place with 10-16 record. Loser Skikda keeps the thirteenth position with 18 games lost. Sidi-bel-Abbes will meet higher ranked O Batna (#6) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Skikda will play against Blida (#4) in Blida and hope to secure a win.

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ARGENTINA

TNA: end of regular season - by Facundo Iatzky
The regular season of the second division of argentinian basketball has come to an end. This is the recap:
In TNA1, finally Ciclista juninense got the first position. They were not the candidates in the beginning but in the last games they became the most solid team, thanks to a long and equaled roster, and the good production of foreigner Jamelle Cornley. Alvear was the cinderella of the tournament and ended in the second position. They made their debut in TNA, and they even were in the first position for many rounds so whatever comes from now for them will be good. San Martin Corrientes and Ciudad Bragado were two of the most important teams and they showed it qualyfing to quarterfinals. Quilmes could not get their objective of qualyfing in the first four but they will be very dangerous in the playoffs. In TNA2, Union sunchales was the clear leader. Then tucuman BB was the dissapointment. GEVP and Adelante, both made their debut in TNA, descended to Liga B.

Final standings:
TNA 1:
points team
35.0 | Ciclista junin *

33.5 | Alvear *

33.5 | San Martin C *

33.0 | Ciudad Bragado *

33.0 | Quilmes **

30.5 | Asoc Italiana **

30.5 | Obera **

29.5 | Firmat **

TNA2:
points team
34.5 | Union S **

31.5 | Banda Norte **

31.0 | San Martin MJ **

31.0 | Progresista **

30.5 | Tucuman BB

30.0 | Asoc. Espanola

29.5 | GEVP ***

25.5 | Adelante ***

* qualified directly to quarter finals
** will play a first round playoffs to advance to quarterfinals
*** will play in third division next year.

The series of first round are the following:
Quilmes- Union Progresista
Asociacion italiana- San martin Marcos Juarez
Obera TC-Banda norte
Firmat FC- Union sunchales

Federico Kammerichs claims Argentinian LigaA weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
Experienced naturalized German power forward Federico Kammerichs (203-F/C-80) had an amazing evening in the last round for Regatas C. and that's him to receive a Latinbasket.com Player of the Week award for round 26 (Second Stage).
The 30-year old power forward had a double-double of 17 points and seventeen rebounds, while his team crushed Argentino (#16, 8-18) with 17-point margin 82-65. The game was not the highest importance and did not have significant influence on the top of the standings. Regatas C. maintains the 12th position in German LigaA. Regatas C. is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. But it was their 14th lost game this season out of 25 games. Kammerichs has many years of experience at Regatas C., through which he has constantly improved. Kammerichs has impressive league stats. He is in league's top in rebounds (2nd best: 10.3rpg) and averages solid 1.2bpg and 56.5% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 30-year old former international forward Gabriel Mikulas (201-F-80, agency: Interperformances) of second-ranked La Union. Mikulas impressed basketball fans with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Bad luck as La Union was edged by the lower-ranked Estudiantes (#5, 15-11) 76-72. La Union managed to keep the same second spot in the standings. His team's 16-10 record is not bad at all. Mikulas is a newcomer at La Union and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was Jamaican Jermaine Bucknor (199-F-83) of Club 9 (#10). Bucknor showcased his all-around game by recording 16 points, sixteen rebounds (!!!) and four assists in the last round. He was a key player of Club 9, leading his team to a 74-68 win against slightly higher-ranked Libertad S. (#8, 14-12). The chances of Club 9 ranking at the top of the league, however are very questionable as they have already lost 14 games, recording just twelve victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Bucknor could help Club 9 to bring them higher in the standings. Bucknor has a very solid season. In 11 games in Argentina he scored 15.1ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Damian Tintorelli (204-C-81) of Quimsa - 18 points and 8 rebounds
5. Derrick Alston (208-C/F-72) of Boca Jrs - 20 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Robert Battle (204-C-81) of Libertad S. - 18 points and 8 rebounds
7. Cristian Romero (198-F-82) of Olimpico LB - 23 points and 9 rebounds
8. Terrell Taylor (203-C-81) of Lanus - 21 points and 5 rebounds
9. Joseph Bunn (198-F/C-75) of Argentino - 15 points and 7 rebounds
10. Jerome Meyinsse (206-F/C-88) of Club 9 - 23 points and 4 rebounds

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Standings - TNA

TNA Stage Two Standings

TNA1
1. Ciclista		10-4
2. San Mart.C.		9-5
3. Quilmes MP		8-6
4. Alvear		8-6
5. Bragado		7-7
6. Obera TC		5-9
7. A.Italiana		5-9
8. Firmat SF		4-10
TNA2
1. Union S.		10-4
2. San Mart.MJ		8-6
3. Tucuman BB		8-6
4. Gimnasia VP		7-7
5. Union Progr.		7-7
6. Banda Norte		7-7
7. A.Espanola		6-8
8. Adelante		3-11

Stage One Standings

Stats Leaders - LigaA

Points Per Game

David JACKSON
  La Union
  (196-G-82)
  Avg: 20.2

1. Jackson, La Union	20.2
2. Bunn, Argentino	19.4
3. Lo Grippo, Quimsa	17.5
4. Meyinsse, Club 9	16.8
5. Gutierrez, Obras	16.6
6. Johnson, Monte H.	16.5
7. Johnson, Monte H.	16.5
8. Galindo, Libertad S.	16.1
9. Taylor, Lanus	15.4
10. White, Monte H.	14.6

Rebounds Per Game

Juan GUTIERREZ
  Obras
  (205-F/C-83)
  Avg: 10.3

1. Gutierrez, Obras	10.3
2. Kammerichs, Regat.	10.3
3. Battle, Libertad S.	9.2
4. Rollins, Gimnasia.	8.8
5. Kante, Olimpico LB	8.4
6. Williams, Atenas	8.3
7. Johnson, Monte H.	8.1
8. Johnson, Monte H.	8.1
9. Alston, Boca Jrs	7.9
10. Leiva, Penarol	7.5

Assists Per Game

Pepe SANCHEZ
  Estudiantes
  (193-G-77)
  Avg: 6.8

1. Sanchez, Estudian.	6.8
2. Martinez, Regat.	6.0
3. Labaque, Atenas	5.2
4. Salles, Monte H.	4.8
5. Salles, Monte H.	4.8
6. Ginobili, Libertad S.	4.6
7. Cequeira, Obras	4.3
8. Franco, Sionista	3.6
9. Treise, Quimsa	3.4
10. Victoriano, Lanus	3.0

Steals Per Game

Pepe SANCHEZ
  Estudiantes
  (193-G-77)
  Avg: 3.3

1. Sanchez, Estudian.	3.3
2. Sciutto, Monte H.	2.6
3. Sciutto, Monte H.	2.6
4. Salles, Monte H.	2.5
5. Salles, Monte H.	2.5
6. Cequeira, Obras	2.5
7. Labaque, Atenas	2.4
8. Martinez, Regat.	2.4
9. Selleaze, Libertad S.	2.4
10. Lamonte, Penarol	2.3

Blocks Per Game

Robert BATTLE
  Libertad S.
  (204-C-81)
  Avg: 2

1. Battle, Libertad S.	2.0
2. Johnson, Monte H.	1.3
3. Johnson, Monte H.	1.3
4. Meyinsse, Club 9	1.2
5. Kammerichs, Regat.	1.2
6. Gutierrez, Obras	1.1
7. Alston, Boca Jrs	1.0
8. Williams, Atenas	0.9
9. Aguerre, Estudian.	0.9
10. Tintorelli, Quimsa	0.8

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AUSTRIA

Standings - A Bundesliga

A Standings

Group A
1. Gmunden		22-7
2. Arkadia		19-10
3. Oberwart		18-11
4. Furstenfeld		18-11
5. Klosterneub.		15-14
6. Kapfenberg		14-15
Group B
1. Wels		17-12
2. UBSC Graz		15-15
3. BC Vienna		12-17
4. Gussing		12-17
5. St.Polten		11-19
6. Worthersee		2-27

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Stjepan STAZIC
  Furstenfeld
  (199-G-78)
  Avg: 26.4

1. Stazic, BC Vienna	26.4
2. Vay, Arkadia	20.0
3. Kennedy, Worth.	19.4
4. Brokenboroug., Wel.	19.0
5. Houston, Arkadia	18.2
6. Shavies, Furstenf.	17.8
7. Mayes, Gmunden	17.5
8. Heard, Gussing	17.1
9. Nagler, Klostern.	16.6
10. Ray, Furstenfeld	16.1

Rebounds Per Game

Russell HICKS
  Furstenfeld
  (213-C-85)
  Avg: 9.7

1. Hicks, BC Vienna	9.7
2. Heard, Gussing	9.2
3. Johnson, Oberwart	8.5
4. Stazic, BC Vienna	7.9
5. Volcic, Oberwart	7.7
6. Vay, Arkadia	7.7
7. Graham, UBSC G.	7.5
8. Stegnjaic, UBSC G.	7.4
9. Mayer, Gmunden	7.3
10. Djuric, Gussing	7.3

Assists Per Game

Anthony SHAVIES
  Furstenfeld
  (191-G-83)
  Avg: 7.8

1. Shavies, Furstenf.	7.8
2. Carr, BC Vienna	7.3
3. Holcomb-Faye, Wels	6.6
4. Danek, Arkadia	6.0
5. Schreiner, St.Po.	5.5
6. Miletic, UBSC G.	4.7
7. Parker, Oberwart	4.4
8. Stazic, BC Vienna	4.4
9. Boylan, Gmunden	4.3
10. Lanegger, Kapfe.	4.1

Steals Per Game

Thomas SCHREINER
  St.Polten
  (195-G-87)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Schreiner, St.Po.	2.4
2. Shavies, Furstenf.	2.3
3. Boylan, Gmunden	2.3
4. Ray, Furstenfeld	2.1
5. Jandl, St.Polten	2.1
6. Parker, Oberwart	2.0
7. Vay, Arkadia	1.7
8. Artner, Oberwart	1.7
9. Stazic, BC Vienna	1.7
10. Fields, Wels	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Russell HICKS
  Furstenfeld
  (213-C-85)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Hicks, BC Vienna	2.3
2. Graham, UBSC G.	1.5
3. Hampton, Furstenf.	1.4
4. Hicks, Furstenfeld	1.2
5. Pekovic, BC Vienna	1.2
6. Slack, Gmunden	1.0
7. Vay, Arkadia	1.0
8. Sally, Oberwart	1.0
9. Heard, Gussing	0.8
10. Miljkovic, BC Vi.	0.8

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BELGIUM

BC Oostende wins over BK Ventspils in Belgium - by Eurobasket News
BC Oostende-BK Ventspils 86:74

BC Oostende wins over BK Ventspils in Belgium at the EuroChallenge Quarterfinal opener. The Belgian team had a 86:74 victory as both teams will travel now to Latvia to meet each other on March 24th.
BC Oostende started with 4-0 run and then Kuzminskas made it 8:8. The teams were tied another few times in the period, while Janis Strelnieks (191-G-89) closed the period at 19:17. In the second frame the court was completely dominated by the home side that needed 22-12 to take 41:29 at the halftime. Later on the teams stayed tough and it was an even game in the court. At first BK Ventspils won the third period 19-18 to reduce to 59:48 at the end of thirty minutes. After that however BC Oostende finished with 27-26 and won the first game of the series. Darrel Mitchell (180-G-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: LSU) was the last to score for the hosts to ensure the win in the opener.
Caleb Green (203-F-85, college: ORU) paced all the winners with 23 points and Darrel Mitchell as well as Matt Lojeski (198-G-85, college: Hawaii) had 15 each. Thomas followed them with 13 points to get closer with his team to Final Four. Rashad Anderson (195-G/F-83, college: Connecticut) replied with 18 points in the losing case and Brandon Hunter (201-F-80, college: Ohio) notched 15. Oritseweyinmi Efejuku (196-G-86, college: Providence) added 14, while Janis Strelnieks posted 11.

BC Oostende: Caleb Green 23, Darrel Mitchell 15, Matt Lojeski 15, Thomas 13
BK Ventspils: Rashad Anderson 18, Brandon Hunter 15, Oritseweyinmi Efejuku 14, Janis Strelnieks 11

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BRAZIL

Two Brazilians in the World selection team - by Paulo Freire
Two Brazilians were called to an elite group: Raul Neto (184-G-92) more knowing as Raulzinho of Minas, and Lucas Riva (211-C-92), who plays in Spain, will participate in the Nike Hoops Summer in April, in USA, a training camp program for under 20 years old that select the most promising basketball players of Americans and from the rest of the world. It's almost a jump to the NBA or close as you can get with that age before the NBA Draft.

They already are the highlights in the youth national Brazilian teams. The point guard Raulzinho went further: he was part of the NT at the last World Cup in Turkey in 2010, a competition for 'Big Boys', with the best pro players from the world. At 18 years old, this is the second time he receives an invitation to attend a training camp program in the U.S.: in 2009 he went to the Jordan Classic, also organized by Nike, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

'I think it's still early to think about the NBA, I believe I need to develop more my game. But if you end up doing well in this program, maybe things can be anticipated. But, in fact, I dont think about the NBA right now. ' said Raulzinho.

The center Lucas, 19 years old, is already quoted at specialized sites to be named to the following NBA Draft, this year. He plays on the B team of Estudiantes in Madrid. With 2.13 m heigh, Lucas starts to get a lot of attention and expectations. Now he has a chance to show all his qualities on block shots and rebouding.

Nike's program will beggan April 3-10 in Portland. After the training period, there will be a game between the U.S. team and the World Selection team, on April 9, when the two brazilians will have a great chance to show hemselves for the NBA scouts. The match will be at the Rose Garden, the gymnasium of Portland, and the expectation is for an audience of over 7000 people.

Melo And Syracuse Go Down - by Rafael Uehara
Once seen as the best team in the country, the Syracuse Orange were upset by the Marquette Golden Eagles this Sunday, March the 20th, and eliminated from the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Brazilian Fabricio de Melo (212-C-90) came off the bench and logged only five minutes of playing time, grabbing a board, turning the ball once and committing three personal fouls during the span.
It wasnt a great first year by Melo in New York. Besides a couple of good games against DePaul (10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes) and Saint Johns (12 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes) in Big East tournament, Melo was a huge disappointment in terms of production.
He never got the touches to display his skill on offense, playing alongside the senior Ricky Jackson, and was never a fit for head-coach Jim Boeheims legendary zone, always a step too slow on the rotations.
Now the 70 out of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais has a decision to make. The NBA always loved Melos size and length. Immobile bigs dont succeed in college basketball but there is a place for them in the Association. But at 19 years-old and only a freshman, Melo can afford to wait for the labor issues clouding the NBA to solve themselves before declaring.

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BULGARIA

Lukoil Academic taste EuroChallenge Quarterfinal win in Slovenia - by Eurobasket News
Krka-Lukoil Academic 72:78

Lukoil Academic taste EuroChallenge away win in Slovenia as Bulgarian team overcame Krka. Lukoil grabbed 78:72 win and will hope to sweep the Quarterfinal series on March 24th in Bulgaria.
Krka started with 5-0 run, but Bruno Sundov (221-C-80, agency: Alti Sport) first tied the game and then gave the guests their first lead. Stoykov and Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) were the last players to score for their teams in the end of the first period for 21:18 on the board. Avramov tied it again at 21:21, while another threes from Goran Ikonic and Dominic James (180-G-86, college: Marquette) brought 24:24. Stoykov drove a lay-up at the end of the half for 41:38 advantage. In the third quarter the hosts did everything they could to take the lead back. They managed to ensure 56:54 win after thirty minutes, but could not make it after the final buzzer. Dominic James scored for 67:65 and Brandon Heath (193-G-84, college: San Diego St.) added two for 69:65. Green and Brandon Heath scored the last points from the free throw line for the necessary win.
Dominic James stepped up with 17 points for the winners and Bruno Sundov netted 14. Brandon Heath followed them with 12 points as Game 2 is scheduled in Pravetz. Goran Ikonic answered with 20 points in the losing case, while Smiljan Pavic (210-F/C-80) netted 13. Edo Muric (202-F-91) had 12 and Jure Balazic (204-F-80) collected 8 points and 10 boards.

Krka: Goran Ikonic 20, Smiljan Pavic 13, Edo Muric 12, Jure Balazic 8+10 rebs
Lukoil Academic: Dominic James 17, Bruno Sundov 14, Brandon Heath 12

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CHINA

Douby Quincy erupts with 44 points for North All Stars to triumph in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
North Stars-East Stars 115:114

The North Star team won 115-114 over the South Star team, which is the North Star team to win consecutive 2 years. Douby Quincy (191-G-84, college: Rutgers) erupted with 44 points to get MVP award.
The North team opened the game with 31-22 and did not slow down. The North Star team had double-digit advantage midway through the second quarter, but the South Star team reduced to 36-44 behind. Chen Lei and Sun Jie (190-G-86) each hit three-pointers as the board shows 63:55 at the halftime. It was Marbury Stephon (187-G-77, college: Georgia Tech) to pull his team to 11-6 run to cut it to 66-69. Moreover Williams Marcus (201-F-86, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) tied the game at 77:77, but the North Stars got 90:84 advantage after three periods. Douby Quincy made two threes later in the fourth for 9-point advantage, but South stars reduced to 115:113 with 5 seconds to go. Williams Marcus made one free throw at the very end for the final result.
Sun Jie netted 14 points for the winners and Morris Randolph (211-F/C-86, college: Kentucky) scored 13. Williams Marcus ended up with 31 points in the losing effort and Marbury Stephon netted 30.

North Stars: Douby Quincy 44, Sun Jie 14, Morris Randolph 13
East Stars: Williams Marcus 31, Marbury Stephon 30

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CROATIA

Second stage: Round One review - by Eurobasket News
The Second Stage in A1 just started. The fans could enjoy quite many interesting games in the last round.

Group A

KK Zagreb CO - Zadar 83-75
Zadar was trailing by 2 points at halftime but managed to get 10-point lead after three quarters before a 31-13 charge of KK Zagreb CO, which allowed them to win the game. It was a very good performance for American guard Alex Renfroe (190-G-86, college: Belmont) who helped to win the game recording 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The former international swingman Krunoslav Simon (197-85) contributed with 11 points and 6 assists for the winners. Five KK Zagreb CO players scored in double figures. KK Zagreb CO's coach Mladen Erjavec used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. American forward Brandon Brown (202-81, college: Tulane) answered with 26 points and 9 rebounds and swingman Marko Car (188-85) added 15 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Zadar.
Top scorers:
KK Zagreb CO: M.Kasun 14+5reb, J.Heytvelt 12+7reb, D.Mulaomerovic 12+1reb+3ast, A.Renfroe 12+6reb+5ast, K.Simon 11+3reb+6ast, A.Masic 10+2reb+1ast
Zadar: B.Brown 26+9reb+2ast, M.Car 15+6reb+3ast, I.Ivanov 13+7reb+2ast, J.Vladovic 8+4ast, S.Olivari 5+2reb+1ast, M.Dundovic 3+6reb

KK Split - Zabok 82-68
The game without a history. KK Split led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Zabok's 26 and made 24-of-29 free shots (82.8 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Zabok 27-12 including a 27-12 advantage in defensive rebounds. KK Split looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Zabok was plagued by 28 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for swingman Josip Sobin (203-89) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). Guard Ivan Mimica (193-80) contributed with 26 points for the winners. Four KK Split players scored in double figures. Forward Robert Lez (200-79) answered with 21 points and guard Luka Pesut (193-91) added 11 points in the effort for Zabok. Zabok's coach Dragutin Crnjevic tested eleven players and allowed the starting five to rest.
Top scorers:
KK Split: I.Mimica 26+2reb+1ast, J.Sobin 21+10reb+5ast, S.Subotic 11+3reb+6ast, T.Katic 10+6reb+3ast, A.Grgurevic 7+10reb+3ast, T.Dijan 5+1reb+4ast
Zabok: R.Lez 21+1reb+3ast, L.Pesut 11+1reb+2ast, J.Lozancic 6+3reb+1ast, S.Jankovic 6+2reb+2ast, I.Peklaric 6+2reb+1ast, I.Perincic 6+2reb+1ast

Cedevita - Alkar Sinj 82-61
The game without a history. Cedevita led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Alkar Sinj was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. American guard Bracey Wright (191-84, college: Indiana, agency: Priority Sports) stepped up and scored 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners and center Franko Kastropil (212-84) chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds. Four Cedevita players scored in double figures. At the losing side forward Ivica Radic (207-90) responded with 8 points and 12 rebounds and power forward Josko Curkovic (202-77) scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Cedevita: B.Wright 15+9reb+4ast, D.Rudez 13+1reb+1ast, F.Kastropil 12+11reb+1ast, V.Princ 11+2reb, R.Troha 10+2reb+1ast, M.Bazdaric 8+7reb+3ast
Alkar Sinj: J.Curkovic 10+6reb, I.Radic 8+12reb, A.Bilobrk 7+2reb+1ast, Z.Zupic 6+5reb+2ast, A.Delas 6+4reb+5ast, D.Erceg 6+4reb

Borik - Cibona 86-63
The game without a history. Borik Puntamika led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Cibona was plagued by 28 personal fouls down the stretch. Quite impressive performance for Marijan Cakarun (90) (-90) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 16 points and 15 rebounds. The former international forward Jurica Ruzic (199-F-77) contributed with 14 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Five Borik Puntamika players scored in double figures. Borik Puntamika's coach Neven Plantak felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to get some rest. The former international power forward Tomislav Zubcic (214-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 19 points and 8 rebounds and international swingman Bojan Bogdanovic (202-89) added 14 points in the effort for Cibona.
Top scorers:
Borik: M.Cakarun 16+15reb+1ast, M.Jurjevic 16+1reb+1ast, J.Ruzic 14+7reb+2ast, J.Skific 13+1reb, M.Pesut 11+4reb+3ast, I.Mikulic 7+2ast
Cibona: T.Zubcic 19+8reb, B.Bogdanovic 14+2reb, P.Barac 8+2reb, D.Miljkovic 6+1reb, L.Radosevic 6+5reb, K.Vragovic 4+3reb

Group B

Dubrava - Kvarner 2010 87-93
The guests trailed by 8 points after first quarter, but they rallied back and won the game by 6 points. Kvarner 2010 made 21-of-25 free shots (84.0 percent) during the game. Guard Hrvoje Puljko (193-83) nailed 28 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and guard Rudolf Jugo (183-84) accounted for 14 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Power forward Dario Saric (205-94) came up with a double-double by scoring 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks and naturalized Bosnian center Robert Rikic (218-90) added 11 points respectively for Dubrava in the defeat. Five Kvarner 2010 and four Dubrava players scored in double figures. Dubrava's coach Boris Gnjidic rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
Kvarner 2010: H.Puljko 28+9reb+1ast, R.Jugo 14+3reb+5ast, F.Filipovic 12+3reb, T.Maruna 11+3reb+3ast, J.Surina 10+4reb+2ast, M.Poscic 9+4reb+1ast
Dubrava: D.Saric 28+13reb+6ast, R.Rikic 11+4reb+1ast, M.Juricic 10+1ast, D.Basic 10, S.Cubric 7+2reb+1ast, M.Brzoja 6+1reb+1ast

Svjetlost - Darda 90-66
The game without a history. Svjetlost led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Svjetlost forced 21 Vrijednosnice OS turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of forward Filip Vukicevic (203-88) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Matej Karlovic (200-89) contributed with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Four Svjetlost players scored in double figures. Center Ivan Krolo (217-83) answered with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field) and forward Zvonimir Ridl (204-73) added 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the effort for Vrijednosnice OS. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games.
Top scorers:
Svjetlost: F.Vukicevic 26+10reb, M.Karlovic 22+5reb+6ast, L.Petkovic 12+6reb+8ast, I.Maric 10+7reb+2ast, P.Zivkovic 6+1reb+2ast, A.Sarac 5+4reb+3ast
Darda: I.Krolo 23+10reb, Z.Ridl 13+10reb+5ast, F.Kordic 6+2reb+2ast, B.Milosevic 6+1reb+1ast, I.Bakovic 6+5reb+3ast, L.Zucic 5

Dubrovnik - Trogir 61-71
We should not miss anothera road victory of leader Trogir (1-0) over bottom-ranked Dubrovnik (0-1) 71-61. Trogir's next round opponent will be Dubrava (#5) in Zagreb. Dubrovnik will play on the road against the league's second-placed Svjetlost in Slavonski Brod and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

A1 Standings

A1 Standings

Group A
1. Borik		1-0
2. Cedevita		1-0
3. KK Zagreb CO		1-0
4. KK Split		1-0
5. Zabok		0-0
6. Alkar Sinj		0-1
7. Cibona		0-1
8. Zadar		0-2
Group B
1. Kvarner 2010		1-0
2. Svjetlost		1-0
3. Trogir		1-0
4. Darda		0-1
5. Dubrava		0-1
6. Dubrovnik		0-1

Stats Leaders - A1

Points Per Game

Hrvoje PULJKO
  Kvarner 2010
  (193-G-83)
  Avg: 22.4

1. Puljko, Kvarner .	22.4
2. Petkovic, Svjetlost	20.9
3. Zitko, Trogir	18.9
4. Mimica, KK Split	18.4
5. Krapic, Zabok	17.6
6. Saric, Dubrava	17.1
7. Sobin, KK Split	16.6
8. Krolo, Darda	16.6
9. Ridl, Darda	15.8
10. Ceskovic, Trogir	14.9

Rebounds Per Game

Ante KRAPIC
  Cibona
  (202-F-85)
  Avg: 9.4

1. Krapic, Zabok	9.4
2. Krolo, Darda	8.9
3. Saric, Dubrava	8.9
4. Radic, Alkar Sinj	8.3
5. Sobin, KK Split	8.2
6. Ridl, Darda	6.5
7. Ragsdale, Kvarner .	6.3
8. Ruzic, Borik	6.2
9. Zupic, Alkar Sinj	5.5
10. Grgurevic, KK Split	5.5

Assists Per Game

Milan KARAKAS
  Trogir
  (190-G-80)
  Avg: 5.1

1. Karakas, Trogir	5.1
2. Petkovic, Svjetlost	5.0
3. Blajic, Trogir	4.3
4. Blajic, Alkar Sinj	4.3
5. Tomeljak, Zabok	3.9
6. Delas, Alkar Sinj	3.6
7. Jugo, Kvarner 2010	3.4
8. Saric, Dubrava	3.1
9. Katic, KK Split	3.1
10. Subotic, KK Split	3.0

Steals Per Game

Teo PETANI
  Borik
  (190-G-88)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Petani, Borik	2.2
2. Saric, Dubrava	2.1
3. Anzulovic, Alkar Sinj	2.1
4. Kamaldin, Darda	1.9
5. Blajic, Trogir	1.8
6. Tomeljak, Zabok	1.8
7. Puljko, Kvarner .	1.8
8. Swift, Darda	1.8
9. Maric, Svjetlost	1.7
10. Skific, Borik	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Filip KRALJEVIC
  Zabok
  (214-F-89)
  Avg: 1.4

1. Kraljevic, Zabok	1.4
2. Vladovic, Trogir	1.4
3. Vitali, Trogir	1.3
4. Saric, Dubrava	1.2
5. Krolo, Darda	1.1
6. Sobin, KK Split	1.1
7. Ragsdale, Kvarner .	1.0
8. Vukicevic, Svjetlost	0.9
9. Sarlija, Borik	0.8
10. Ridl, Darda	0.8

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CYPRUS

Memos Ioannou and Keravnos Strovolou split ways! - by Chris Mammides
The Greek Head Coach Memos Ioannou hand in his resignation yesterday the 21st of March, 2011 just a day after the shameful home defeat against Proteas Danoi AEL, and was accepted by the President of the team Mr. Paris Papaellinas .
Some behind the scene rumors say that the Greek Head Coach and a number of Cypriot and Bosman players didn't had the best relations since the early beggining of their collaboration. The same rumors say that in the last game against Proteas Danoi AEL these players in order to show their disappointment from the overall situation didnt showed the passion needed to win the game.
Keravnos Strovolou had three targets this season and the two of them were lost at the very beginning, the European tour and the Cyprus Cup, two days ago the only target remained is also vanished as everybody in Strovolos knows that Keravnos simply can't win at Melford Arena and will need a small miracle to do so.
The new head coach of the Strovolos Team will be the forever assistant Coach Panagiotis Yiannaras The soldier of the Strovolos Team.

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DENMARK

Ligaen Semifinals: Bears and Rabbits are 1-0 up - by Eurobasket News
First games of the Playoff Semifinals were played last night. Bakken Bears and Svendborg Rabbits were too strong for their rivals taking 1-0 lead in the series. Second games are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. This time Naestved and Horsens IC will be the hosts and it will be their chance to tie the score. The series is best-of-five.

Bakken - Naestved 71-63 (1-0)
It looked good early as Naestved took an 9-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Bakken took control and eventually winning the game that evening by 8 points. Naestved was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of American forward Jahmar Thorpe (198-84, college: Houston, agency: KMG Sports Management) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds. American-Belizean guard Charles Burgess (186-84, college: Texas Tech) contributed with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Bakken's coach Philip Dejworek allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. The former international power forward Peter Johansen (205-80) answered with 20 points and 6 rebounds and American forward Matt Williams (200-77, college: Montana) added 9 points and 17 rebounds in the effort for Naestved.
Top scorers:
Bakken: C.Burgess 24+6reb+4ast, J.Thorpe 23+11reb+1ast, C.Nielsen 8+4reb+3ast, C.Christoffersen 6+2reb, J.Jensen 5+2reb, P.Linnet 3+1ast
Naestved: P.Johansen 20+6reb, L.Roberts 9+17reb, L.Hoirup 8+1reb+1ast, M.Kasiulevicius 7+2reb+1ast, P.Christensen 6+1reb, D.Smedley 6+6reb+2ast

Svendborg - Horsens IC 94-84 (1-0)
The hosts trailed by 1 point at the halftime before their 53-42 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Svendborg made 21-of-26 free shots (80.8 percent) during the game, while Horsens IC only scored four points from the stripe. The former international power forward Nicolai Iversen (205-80, college: San Jose City JC, agency: Rasmussen Services) fired a double-double by scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. American forward Matt Williams (200-77, college: Montana) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds. Svendborg's coach Craig Pedersen used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American guard Rickey Claitt (188-87, college: Oregon St.) produced 22 points and 6 assists and the other American import power forward Mike St.John (203-84, college: La Salle) added 15 points and 8 rebounds respectively for lost side. Five Svendborg and four Horsens IC players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Svendborg: N.Iversen 20+12reb+6ast, C.Magaard 17+4reb, A.Darboe 16+3reb+3ast, C.Cavanaugh 16+4reb, M.Williams 16+8reb+3ast, M.Mariegaard 5+2ast
Horsens IC: R.Claitt 22+3reb+6ast, M.St.John 15+8reb, M.Sahlertz 12+1reb+3ast, A.Voskuil 12+2reb+3ast, T.Katholm 10+1reb+1ast, H.Schur 6+7reb

Stats Leaders - Basketligaen

Points Per Game

Thomas SOLTAU
  SISU
  (210-F-82)
  Avg: 22.8

1. Soltau, SISU	22.8
2. Morris, Aabyhoj	22.6
3. Hall, Aalborg	21.7
4. Brasas, Amager BK	21.1
5. Colas, Vaerlose	19.8
6. Iversen, Svendborg	18.8
7. Dennis, SISU	18.8
8. Roberts, Naestved	18.8
9. Voskuil, Horsens IC	18.2
10. Falkner, Aalborg	16.9

Rebounds Per Game

Lee ROBERTS
  Stirling S.
  (201-F/C-87)
  Avg: 13.2

1. Roberts, Naestved	13.2
2. Colas, Vaerlose	10.5
3. Morris, Aabyhoj	9.9
4. St.John, Horsens IC	9.6
5. Falkner, Aalborg	9.6
6. Johansen, Naestved	9.3
7. Soltau, SISU	8.8
8. Williams, Svendborg	7.6
9. Iversen, Svendborg	7.1
10. Rutherford, SISU	7.1

Assists Per Game

D.J. SMEDLEY
  Naestved
  (180-G-84)
  Avg: 6.4

1. Smedley, Naestved	6.4
2. Claitt, Horsens IC	5.6
3. Hall, Aalborg	5.2
4. Dennis, SISU	4.6
5. Nielsen, Horsholm	4.1
6. Burgess, Bakken	4.1
7. Martin, Aabyhoj	4.1
8. Darboe, Svendborg	3.9
9. Jensen, Vaerlose	3.7
10. Nielsen, SISU	3.4

Steals Per Game

Marquis HALL
  Aalborg
  (183-G-87)
  Avg: 3.8

1. Hall, Aalborg	3.8
2. Kristiansen, Aalborg	2.1
3. Dennis, SISU	1.9
4. Burgess, Bakken	1.9
5. Colman, Svendborg	1.8
6. Jukic, Aabyhoj	1.8
7. Jakobsen, Bakken	1.8
8. Nielsen, Horsholm	1.8
9. Roberts, Naestved	1.7
10. Smedley, Naestved	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Edward MORRIS
  Aabyhoj
  (203-F-84)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Morris, Aabyhoj	2.1
2. Blackmon, Horsholm	1.7
3. Christoffers., Bak.	1.5
4. Colas, Vaerlose	1.4
5. Roberts, Naestved	1.1
6. Brown, SISU	0.8
7. St.John, Horsens IC	0.8
8. McGinn, Aalborg	0.7
9. Johansen, Naestved	0.7
10. Rutherford, SISU	0.6

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D-LEAGUE

Standings

D-League Standings

Central Division
1. Iowa E.		34-11
2. Erie Bay H.		28-16
3. Ft.Wayne MA		21-24
4. Dakota W.		17-28
5. Sioux Falls S.		10-34
Southwest Division
1. Rio Grande		30-15
2. Tulsa 66ers		30-15
3. Texas L.		20-25
4. Austin T.		19-24
5. New Mexico		17-27
6. Maine RC		16-28
West Division
1. Reno Bighorns		29-16
2. Bakersfield J.		27-16
3. Utah F.		25-18
4. Idaho S.		20-25
5. Springfield A.		12-33

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Trey JOHNSON
  Bakersfield J.
  (196-G-84)
  Avg: 25.9

1. Johnson, Bakersfi.	25.9
2. Johnson, Erie B.	21.8
3. Jeffers, Iowa E.	21.1
4. Adrien, Rio Grande	19.9
5. Ewing, Sioux F.	19.6
6. Dentmon, Texas L.	19.6
7. Alexander, Texas L.	19.5
8. Sims, Maine RC	19.5
9. McNeal, Rio Grande	19.4
10. Stinson, Iowa E.	18.5

Rebounds Per Game

Jeff ADRIEN
  Golde State W.
  (201-F-86)
  Avg: 12.2

1. Adrien, Rio Grande	12.2
2. Ewing, Sioux F.	10.4
3. Davidson, Idaho S.	10.1
4. Sims, Iowa E.	9.6
5. Williams, Texas L.	9.4
6. Johnson, Dakota W.	9.2
7. Phillips, Ft.Wayne.	9.2
8. Jeffers, Iowa E.	9.1
9. Alexander, Texas L.	8.9
10. Williams, Tulsa 66ers	8.5

Assists Per Game

Curtis STINSON
  Iowa E.
  (187-G-83)
  Avg: 9.5

1. Stinson, Iowa E.	9.5
2. Miles, Reno Bighorns	8.7
3. Daniels, Texas L.	8.5
4. Russell, Ft.Wayne.	7.9
5. Crittenton, Dakota W.	7.6
6. Jackson, Idaho S.	7.4
7. Jackson, Erie B.	6.6
8. Johnson, Austin T.	6.2
9. Reynolds, Spring.	5.8
10. Ahearn, Erie Bay H.	5.8

Steals Per Game

Javaris CRITTENTON
  Dakota W.
  (196-G-87)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Crittenton, Dakota W.	2.6
2. Dowdell, Tulsa 66ers	2.5
3. Miles, Reno Bighorns	2.5
4. Jackson, Idaho S.	2.1
5. Lin, Reno Bighorns	2.1
6. Lofton, Iowa E.	2.1
7. Lafayette, Ft.Wayne.	2.0
8. Greene, Utah F.	2.0
9. Reynolds, Spring.	2.0
10. Jeffers, Iowa E.	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Sean WILLIAMS
  Texas L.
  (208-F-86)
  Avg: 2.8

1. Williams, Texas L.	2.8
2. Johnson, Dakota W.	2.8
3. Aldrich, Tulsa 66ers	2.4
4. Whiteside, Reno B.	2.2
5. Naymick, Bakersfi.	2.1
6. Atchley, Rio Grande	2.0
7. Gladness, Dakota W.	2.0
8. Gaffney, Utah F.	2.0
9. Alabi, Erie Bay H.	1.9
10. Sykes, Sioux F.	1.8

Blakely, Stinson named NBA D-League Co-Performers of the Week - by Eurobasket News
Marqus Blakely (6'5''-F-89, college: Vermont) and Curtis Stinson (6'2''-G-83, college: Iowa St.) of the Iowa Energy were today named NBA Development League Co-Performers of the Week for games played during the week of March 14.

Blakely and Stinson led the Energy to a 2-0 record on the week, helping Iowa clinch the Eastern Conference title. Blakely, a 6-5, 225-pound forward out of Vermont who was in training camp with the Los Angeles Clippers, averaged 29.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Stinson, a 6-3, 215-pound guard out of Iowa State who played in the 2010 NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors, averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

In Iowa's 109-103 defeat of Sioux Falls on Friday, Stinson had 39 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Blakely had 31 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. On Sunday, Blakely shot 10-11 from the floor for 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Stinson added 23 points, 15 assists and six rebounds, leading the Energy past Fort Wayne, 104-97.

This week's honorable mention selections were Austin's Leo Lyons, who averaged 20.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games; Bakersfield's Trey Johnson, who averaged 34.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two games; Dakota's Javaris Crittenton, who averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 4.0 steals in two games; Erie's Ivan Johnson, who averaged 27.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three games; Fort Wayne's Chris Kramer, who averaged 20.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 steals in three games; Idaho's Luke Babbitt, who, on assignment from Portland, averaged 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games; New Mexico's Dar Tucker, who averaged 22.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games; Maine's DeShawn Sims, who averaged 24.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games; Reno's Bobby Simmons, who averaged 17.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in three games; Rio Grande Valley's Jon Scheyer, who averaged 21.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in four games; Sioux Falls' Patrick Ewing Jr., who averaged 21.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in four games; Texas' Justin Dentmon, who averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in two games; and Utah's Brandon Costner, who averaged 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in three games.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Monday: Vipers stampeded by Idaho - by Eurobasket News
Rio Grande - Idaho S. 94-116
Early turnovers pretty much ended the Vipers night before it got started-as the Idaho Stampede ran over, past and through the Vipers 116-94 on Monday night. The Vipers turned the ball over 17-times in the 1st-half-as the Stampede built a 61-40 lead at the half. The Vipers finished with 22-total turnovers. Jon Scheyer (6'5''-G-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Duke) led RGV with 21-points, while the newest Viper, 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet (7'3''-C-87, college: Connecticut) chipped in 11-points, 6-rebounds and 4-blocked shots in his first game as a Viper. Former NBA All-Star and Idaho forward Antoine Walker (6'9''-F-75, college: Kentucky) led all scorers with 26-points. *Courtesy of www.rgvnews.net

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EUROCHALLENGE

EuroChallenge Round: 1 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Gravelines - Lokomotiv 91-92 OT
Lokomotiv Kuban earned a tough overtime victory against Gravelines in EuroChallenge quarterfinal series opener. Lionel Chalmers (184-G-80, college: Xavier) scored 26 points to propel the visitors to the first win in the best-of-three series. He made a layup with with five seconds remaining in extra period to seal the winning outcome for the visitors. The teams traded baskets throughout the close first quarter. The scoreboard read 22:22 after ten minutes. The lead continued to change hands throughout the second quarter. Lionel Chalmers helped Lokomotiv to a narrow 47:45 halftime advantage. Jeremiah Massey stretched the margin to as many as 8 points midway through the third term 66:58. Cyril Akpomedah (203-F-79) and Ben Woodside (180-G-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Dakota St.) narrowed the gap early in the fourth quarter but the visitors cleared off to an 80:73 distance with under two minutes to go in regulation. Ben Woodside and Cyril Akpomedah dragged Gravelines closer. Johnson and Cyril Akpomedah capped the regulation with five straight points as the hosts forced overtime. Ben Woodside put Gravelines in front at the start of the extra frame but Jeremiah Massey responded. The teams exchanged the buckets before Lionel Chalmers converted a late layup to put Kuban in front. Johnson tried to save the game for Gravelines but missed a three-pointer and Lokomotiv celebrated the victory. Jeremiah Massey had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Lokomotiv. Michael Wilkinson added 20 points in the victory. Cyril Akpomedah answered with 29 points for Gravelines. Ben Woodside finished with 18 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Oostende - Ventspils 86-74
BC Oostende wins over BK Ventspils in Belgium at the EuroChallenge Quarterfinal opener. The Belgian team had a 86:74 victory as both teams will travel now to Latvia to meet each other on March 24th. BC Oostende started with 4-0 run and then Saulius Kuzminskas (210-C/F-82, college: California) made it 8:8. The teams were tied another few times in the period, while Strelnieks closed the period at 19:17. In the second frame the court was completely dominated by the home side that needed 22-12 to take 41:29 at the halftime. Later on the teams stayed tough and it was an even game in the court. At first BK Ventspils won the third period 19-18 to reduce to 59:48 at the end of thirty minutes. After that however BC Oostende finished with 27-26 and won the first game of the series. Darrel Mitchell (180-G-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: LSU) was the last to score for the hosts to ensure the win in the opener. Green paced all the winners with 23 points and Darrel Mitchell as well as Lojeski had 15 each. Thomas followed them with 13 points to get closer with his team to Final Four. Anderson replied with 18 points in the losing case and Hunter notched 15. Oritseweyinmi Efejuku (196-G-86, college: Providence) added 14, while Strelnieks posted 11.

Spartak SP - Karsiyaka 78-73
Spartak Saint-Petersburg successfully open EuroChallenge 1/4 Finals as the Russian Cup winners overcame Pinar Karsiyaka. The Russian team won 78:73 and will need another win to advance to Final Four. Spartak opened the game with six consecutive points and then Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) brought 15:4. Although the guests reduced the gap, again Henry Domercant closed the period at 19:17. Stanojevic managed to give Pinar 24:23 lead, while Batuk increased to 31:29. The hosts made the final push in the half to win it 44:35 as Kotishevskiy sent the squads to the lockers. In the third period the Russian team added 15-14 and enjoyed 59:49 after three quarters. Henry Domercant gave the hosts 71:54, but the Turkish team dominated at the end. They cut it to 78:73 as Andre Smith (203-F-85, college: N.Dakota St.) nailed three with a buzzer. Beverley, Henry Domercant and Popovic paced all the winners with 15 points each. Andre Smith responded with 23 points and 10 rebounds in defeat as Turkish team will host the opponents on March 24th. Stanojevic netted 19, while Erdogan added 11.

Krka - Lukoil Academik 72-78
Lukoil Academic taste EuroChallenge away win in Slovenia as Bulgarian team overcame Krka. Lukoil grabbed 78:72 win and will hope to sweep the Quarterfinal series on March 24th in Bulgaria. Krka started with 5-0 run, but Bruno Sundov (221-C-80, agency: Alti Sport) first tied the game and then gave the guests their first lead. Stoykov and Ikonic were the last players to score for their teams in the end of the first period for 21:18 on the board. Avramov tied it again at 21:21, while another threes from Ikonic and Dominic James (180-G-86, college: Marquette) brought 24:24. Stoykov drove a lay-up at the end of the half for 41:38 advantage. In the third quarter the hosts did everything they could to take the lead back. They managed to ensure 56:54 win after thirty minutes, but could not make it after the final buzzer. Dominic James scored for 67:65 and Brandon Heath (193-G-84, college: San Diego St.) added two for 69:65. Green and Brandon Heath scored the last points from the free throw line for the necessary win. Dominic James stepped up with 17 points for the winners and Bruno Sundov netted 14. Brandon Heath followed them with 12 points as Game 2 is scheduled in Pravetz. Ikonic answered with 20 points in the losing case, while Smiljan Pavic (210-F/C-80) netted 13. Muric had 12 and Balazic collected 8 points and 10 boards.

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Mohammed ABUKAR
  Lugano Tigers
  (208-F-85)
  Avg: 20.8

1. Abukar, Lugano T.	20.8
2. Trotter, Szolnok	19.4
3. Woodside, Gravelines	18.4
4. Banks, Elitzur .	17.8
5. Hopkins, Antwerp	17.4
6. King, Etha	17.0
7. Anderson, Ventspils	17.0
8. Smith, Karsiyaka	16.9
9. Stanescu, Steaua T.	16.8
10. Darden, Nancy	16.6

Rebounds Per Game

Callistus EZIUKWU
  TU/Rock
  (208-F/C-85)
  Avg: 10.5

1. Eziukwu, TU/Rock	10.5
2. Landry, BK Prost.	9.6
3. Smith, Karsiyaka	9.2
4. Clark, Szolnok	9.1
5. Kjellbom, Norrkoping	9.1
6. Zoric, KK.	8.8
7. Massey, Lokomotiv	8.7
8. Bader, Szolnok	8.5
9. King, Etha	8.4
10. Aldemir, Karsiyaka	8.4

Assists Per Game

Curtis MILLAGE
  Khimik
  (185-G-81)
  Avg: 5.9

1. Millage, Khimik	5.9
2. Linehan, Nancy	5.9
3. Jackson, Maccabi .	5.8
4. Brener, Elitzur .	5.5
5. Trotter, Szolnok	5.3
6. Woodside, Gravelines	5.3
7. Ponkrashov, Spart.	5.2
8. Wood, Dt.	5.2
9. Draughan, Lugano T.	4.9
10. Lawrence, BK Prost.	4.5

Steals Per Game

John LINEHAN
  Nancy
  (175-G-78)
  Avg: 4

1. Linehan, Nancy	4.0
2. Millage, Khimik	2.9
3. Vladovic, Zadar	2.4
4. Dabkus, Etha	2.3
5. Renfroe, KK.	2.3
6. Holston, Karsiyaka	2.1
7. Wilson, Antwerp	2.1
8. Trotter, Szolnok	2.1
9. Dragic, Krka	2.0
10. Eldridge, Karsiyaka	2.0

Blocks Per Game

Cyril AKPOMEDAH
  Gravelines
  (203-F-79)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Akpomedah, Grave.	2.1
2. King, Etha	2.0
3. Mejri, Antwerp	2.0
4. Kjellbom, Norrkoping	1.9
5. Sene, Gravelines	1.8
6. Stiemsma, Turk T.	1.8
7. Clark, Szolnok	1.6
8. Eziukwu, TU/Rock	1.5
9. Bader, Szolnok	1.4
10. Zavadsky, Khimik	1.4

*****************************************************

EUROLEAGUE

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Bojan BOGDANOVIC
  Cibona
  (202-G/F-89)
  Avg: 18

1. Bogdanovic, Cibona	18.0
2. Langford, Khimky	17.8
3. Rakocevic, Efes P.	17.2
4. Teletovic, Caja L.	15.4
5. Mejia, Cholet	15.1
6. Navarro, Regal B.	14.7
7. Spanoulis, Olympiakos	14.7
8. San Emeterio, Caja L.	14.4
9. McCalebb, Montepas.	14.2
10. Gregory, Union O.	14.0

Rebounds Per Game

Mirsad TURKCAN
  Fener.Ulker
  (206-F-76)
  Avg: 7.3

1. Turkcan, Fener.Ul.	7.3
2. Bourousis, Olympiakos	6.9
3. Gist, Partizan	6.9
4. Jankunas, Zalgiris	6.9
5. Fischer, Real Madrid	6.5
6. Freeland, Unicaja	6.3
7. Radosevic, Cibona	6.3
8. Pleiss, Brose B.	6.3
9. Gregory, Union O.	6.1
10. Wright, Charleroi	5.9

Assists Per Game

Dimitris DIAMANTIDIS
  Panathinaikos
  (196-G-80)
  Avg: 5.6

1. Diamantidis, Panath.	5.6
2. Cook, Valencia	5.5
3. Huertas, Caja L.	5.5
4. Spanoulis, Olympiakos	4.3
5. Jasikevicius, Lietuv.	4.3
6. Pellin, Le Mans	4.2
7. Ilievski, Union O.	4.1
8. Stipcevic, Cibona	4.1
9. McElroy, AL.	4.0
10. Rubio, Regal Barca	3.9

Steals Per Game

Chuck EIDSON
  Maccabi T-A
  (202-F/G-80)
  Avg: 2.8

1. Eidson, Maccabi .	2.8
2. McCalebb, Montepas.	2.3
3. Diot, Le Mans	2.2
4. Goldsberry, Brose B.	1.9
5. Smith, Lottomatica	1.8
6. Perkins, Maccabi .	1.8
7. Stonerook, Montepas.	1.8
8. Bogdanovic, Cibona	1.7
9. Ilievski, Union O.	1.7
10. Dedovic, Lottomat.	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Mirza BEGIC
  Real Madrid
  (216-C-85)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Begic, Zalgiris	2.3
2. Riddick, Charleroi	1.7
3. Fischer, Real Madrid	1.6
4. Pleiss, Brose B.	1.5
5. Bourousis, Olympiakos	1.4
6. Falker, Cholet	1.3
7. Eze, Khimky	1.3
8. Sinanovic, Unicaja	1.2
9. Hines, Brose B.	1.1
10. Barac, Caja Laboral	1.1

Olympiacos - Siena 89-41 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Olympiacos was overwhelming at tonights first game for the Top-8 of Euroleague against Siena. The score, 89-41 for the Reds, indicates both the difference between the two teams (at this game) and the defense that the Greek team played at the whole game.
Olympiacos entered the game very powerful, making a 19-0 serie in the first eight minutes, mainly due to its very good defense which enforced Siena in making 3 turnovers while not even finding proper ways to shoot in the rest cases (0/11 shots). The Reds had 14 rebs in this time (4 offensives) and the whole situation made Pianitzani take two time-outs until that time. Finally, Zisis made a 3p. shot for the 19-3, 1:55 before the end of the first period. The period ended at 24-4 for Olympiacos, a period in which Siena had the incredible 0/14 at 2p. shots.
And the rhythm went on at the second period; 33-4, 6:30 before the half, 36-6, at 4:55 with Siena having placed all his players on the floor. However, the Reds couldnt stop. 47-9, 2:11 which remained until the end of this first half. And let the numbers talk:
Olympiacos: 11/20 2p., 3/10 3p., 16/19 1p., 22-8 rebs, 8 st., 7 turnovers, 9 ass., 4 blocks, 74 ranking.
Siena: 1/25 2p., 1/7 3p., 4/8 1p., 9-10 rebs, 1 st., 11 turnovers, 0 ass., 1 blocks, -22 ranking.

Nothing changed in the third period; Siena made its 10th point at the 25th minute (55-11), while for the Reds Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) was the one distinguishing from the whole incredible teams appearance. The period ended at 61-22 for Olympiacos, while Siena had 5/47 at its total shots. And the last period was at the same rhythm since both teams seem to be interested more in Thursdays game. Both coaches used all their players (even Katsivelis played even more than 17 minutes indeed). Final: 89-41

Olympiacos: Papaloukas 3, Nesterovic 9 (7 rebs), Spanoulis 11 (4 ass), Ioannis Bourousis 14 (12 rebs, 3 blocks), Pelekanos, Mavrokefalides 15 (7 rebs), Nielsen 2, Papanikolaou 4 (7 rebs), Erceg 10 (6 rebs), Katsivelis 7, Halperin 7, Gordon 7
Siena (9/46 2p., 3/15 3p.): McCalebb 1, Zisis 5, Hairston 10, Carrareto 3, Rakovic, Lavrinovic 12, Kaukenas 4, Ress 1, Akindele, Jaric 2, Stonerook 3, Moss

Quarterfinals: First games - by Eurobasket News
Caja Laboral - Maccabi T-A 76-70
Caja Laboral is 1-0 up against Maccabi Electra. The Spanish champion celebrated 76-70 victory tonight mostly owing to Stanko Barac (217-C-86), who scored 17 points and pulled down 6 rebounds. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) had 14 points, Fernando San Emeterio (198-G/F-84) 13, while Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) helped with double-double of 12 points and 11 boards. In the loosing squad, Richard Hendrix (203-F/C-86, college: Alabama) shined with 16 points and 16 rebs. Lior Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency: ZAG Advocates) and Chuck Eidson (202-F/G-80, agency: Court Side, college: S.Carolina) netted 12 and 11 points respectively. Caja Laboral opened the game with 19-11 and later jumped to 26-14 after ten minutes of play. David Logan stayed perfect from downtown with his third three to put Laboral up 15 at the beginning of Q2. Visitors finally replied and closed the gap to 9 pts though the period, but still the home squad won it 20-18 for 46-32 plus at the break. Maccabi shined after the breather and thanks to baskets by Hendrix, Pargo and Eidson, they cut the margin to 8 pts. Eliyahu added another second-chance score to cap a 0-8 start to the second half. Caja Laboral recovered and grabbed back double-digit lead (58-48), but in the finish of Q3 Maccabi made 3-7 run for minus 6 with 10:00 to go. Chuck Eidson penetrated for a layup as Maccabi continued to claw its way back. Logan found Barac inside and after Ribas added a basket, Barac stepped outside and swished a triple, putting Laboral up 68-57. The last chance Maccabi had at 69-64, but Mirza Teletovic and Huertas quickly responded sealing the victory for their team. Second game will be played on Thursday and Caja Laboral will be the host once again.

Regal Barca - Panathinaikos 83-82
Heartbreaking thriller was played tonight at the Palau Blaugrana. Regal Barca grabbed 83-82 home win against Panathinaikos for 1-0 lead in the Euroleague Quarterfinals. Juan Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) scored 13 points for the hosts, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) and Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) had 12 each, while Alan Anderson (198-G/F-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Michigan St.) helped with 10 pts. In PAO, Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) exploded with 26 points. Drew Nicholas (191-G-81, college: Maryland) and Mike Batiste (203-F-77, college: Arizona St.) had 16 and 15 pts respectively. Regal Barca started the game with 11-6 run, but PAO responded with 3-8 for rest of the first quarter (14-14). The Greens grabbed 14-18 at the beginning of Q2, before 9-1 run made by Barca for 23-19 turn. Until the end of the first half Barca managed to keep plus two mostly thanks to Lakovic, Navarro and Lorbek (37-35). The second half started just as the first one ended, as Dimitris Diamantidis struck from downtown for a 37-38 Panathinaikos lead. Alan Anderson nailed a triple but a turnaround jumper by Diamantidis tied it at 40-40. PAO jumped to plus 4 few minutes later, but Barca cut the margin for one point before the last frame (57-60). The home squad exploded in Q4 and took control on PAO with 11-0 run. Still, the Greens came to 76-75 with 1:10 remaining. Mostly thanks to Vazquez, Lakovic and Morris, Regal Barca jumped to 82-77 in the finish, but Diamantidis drained a triple on the other side and Lakovic scored one FT after that. Sada was called for a flagrant foul on Diamantidis as the latter tried to launch a halfcourt shot with 1.7 seconds left. The PAO star made two free throws, but in their last possession he could not hit a long three at the buzzer. Second game will be played on Thursday also in Barcelona.

Real Madrid - Valencia 71-65
Real Madrid shined in the finish to beat Power Electronics Valencia 71-65 in Game One of the Euroleague Quarterfinals. The home squad got 14 points from Ante Tomic, while Sergio Llull (190-G-87) and Nikola Mirotic (208-F/C-91) added 11 pts each. Experienced Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) helped the hosts with 10 points and 9 rebounds. In Valencia, Nando De Colo (202-G-87) top-scored with 15 points. Rafael Martinez (191-G-82) and Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) had 13 and 11 pts respectively. Real Madrid made quick 8-2 at the beginning and later jumped to 17-7 lead. Valencia replied with 2-9 run, but later the first quarter ended with 20-18 Real Madrid advantage. Valencia made 22-23 turn at the start of Q2 and was in charge for most of the period. However, the home squad was good in the finish and thanks to Suarez, Begic and Felipe Reyes, they were 33-32 up at the HT. Valencia was in trouble after the breather as Real Madrid moved up to 43-36, but visitors didn't panic. Javtokas, De Colo and Martinez responded with 0-7 run and teams were tied again. Thanks to FT by Nando De Colo, Valencia entered the last ten minutes with minimum lead, 52-53. With 90 seconds remaining in the game the hosts were up by one, 64-63, but Tomic walked after that. De Colo made a long jumper for 64-65 and Nikola Mirotic answered with a quick basket. De Colo missed at the other side and Mirotic drained a corner triple for Real Madrid. There was 18 seconds to go and De Colo missed again a turnaround jumper. Prigioni sealed the win from the line to make it 1-0 for Real Madrid. Second game will be played on Thursday and Real Madrid will be the host again.

Olympiakos - Montepaschi 89-41
Olympiacos destroyed Montepaschi Siena tonight. The Reds celebrated huge 89-41 victory for 1-0 lead in the Euroleague Quarterfinals. It was also a record-setting win. The Reds started the game with 19 unanswered points and set records for fewest point allowed in a half (9) and fewest through three quarters (22). Olympiakos also set a record with 55 rebounds and the largest Playoffs margin of victory at 48. Loukas Mavrokefalides (207-C-84) came up with 15 points and 7 rebounds for the hosts, while Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) (MVP) helped with double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) and Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) scored 11 and 10 points in this win. In Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic had 12 points. Their last played with double-digits in scoring was Malik Hairston with 10 pts. Olympiakos exploded with 15-0 at the beginning later jumped to impressive 24-4 after ten minutes. Nothing has changed after that as Montepaschi was desperate. Visitors scored just five more points until the halftime and faced with unbelievable 47-9 deficit. It was a real nightmare for the Italian powerhouse. Third quarter ended 14-13 for the Reds and they also won the last one 28-19 for the final 89-41 blowout. Olympiakos will host Montepaschi again on Thursday.

Quarterfinals tip off today - by Eurobasket News
First games of the Euroleague Quarterfinals will be played today.

Caja Laboral vs. Maccabi Electra 20:30h
Regal Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos 20:45h
Real Madrid vs. Power E. Valencia 20:45h
Olympiacos vs. Montepaschi Siena 20:00h

Full schedule (best-of-five series, 2-2-1 format)

Olympiacos vs. Montepaschi
Tuesday,March 22
Thursday,March 24
Tuesday,March 29
*Thursday, March 31
*Wednesday, April 6

Caja Laboral vs. Maccabi Electra
Tuesday,March 22
Thursday,March 24
Tuesday,March 29
*Thursday, March 31
*Wednesday, April 6

Regal FCB vs. Panathinaikos
Tuesday,March 22
Thursday,March 24
Tuesday,March 29
*Thursday, March 31
*Wednesday, April 6

Real Madrid vs. Power Electronics Valencia
Tuesday,March 22
Thursday,March 24
Tuesday,March 29
*Thursday, March 31
*Wednesday, April 6

*****************************************************

FINLAND

1.DIVISION: LoKoKo the other finalist - by Rauno Hurmalainen
1.Division, semi-finals, game 4: Korikonkarit (Loimaa) is the other finalist this spring as LoKoKo defeated tonight BC Jyvaskyla the third time. Regular season # 3 LoKoKo beat # 2 Team BC JKL 76-72 (42-36). Quarters: 20-17, 22-19, 18-22, 16-14. So, LoKoKo winning over BC JKL 3-1. The other finalist Korikobrat (Lapua) was # 4 after the regular season. Lapua won over Team # 1 FoKoPo (Forssa) 3-0. LoKoKo had two American players in double digits today. J'son Stamper (200-F/C-85, agency: JEMsports, college: Minnesota) led the hosts with 26pts/11rbs. Maurice Horton (183-G-84, college: Mount Olive) added 23 pts and was hot (4/6) from behind the arc. Tracy Robinson (201-F-86, college: Loyola, IL) (BC JKL) scored game high 27 pts. The Finals will start at Loimaa on Sunday, March 27.
LoKoKo - BC Jyvaskyla 76-72 (42-36). (J'son Stamper 26/11, Maurice Horton 23, Jani Kivinen 8 - Tracy Robinson 27/9, Jarno Nissinen 15, Reijo Ojanen 11).

1st Division Round 4 of Semi-Finals - by Eurobasket News
LoKoKo - Jyvaskyla 76-72

LoKoKO won the series over Jyvaskyla 3-1. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But BC Jyvaskyla won third quarter 22-18. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when Loimaan Korikonkarit won last quarter 16-14. Worth to mention a great performance of American power forward J'son Stamper (200-85, college: Minnesota, agency: JEMsports) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists and the other American import guard Maurice Horton (183-84, college: Mount Olive) who added 23 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side American forward Tracy Robinson (201-86, college: Loyola, IL) responded with 27 points and 9 rebounds and forward Jarno Nissinen (194-77) scored 15 points and 5 rebounds. BC Jyvaskyla's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
LoKoKo: J.Stamper 26+11reb+4ast, M.Horton 23+5reb+3ast, C.Toney 8+3reb+1ast, J.Kivinen 8+4reb+2ast, J.Kinnunen 5+1reb, S.Latvala 4+1ast
Jyvaskyla: T.Robinson 27+9reb+2ast, J.Nissinen 15+5reb, R.Ojanen 11+4reb, A.Siimes 8+2reb+1ast, N.Malinen 4+2reb, T.Kuukkanen 3+4reb+1ast

Stats Leaders - Division I

Points Per Game

Derick NELSON
  Lapua
  (196-F-86)
  Avg: 24.1

1. Nelson, Lapua	24.1
2. Stamper, LoKoKo	22.0
3. Manning, Huima	21.8
4. Graham, Kerava ET	21.2
5. Robinson, Jyvaskyla	20.2
6. Bojang, BC Nokia	19.9
7. Hall, SayRi	19.4
8. Valentine, Lapua	19.1
9. Douglas, Huima	18.7
10. Towa, Kerava ET	18.4

Rebounds Per Game

Carlton BROWN
  Ura Basket
  (198-F-79)
  Avg: 14.9

1. Brown, Namika II	14.9
2. Bojang, BC Nokia	14.2
3. Dantzler, LoKoKo	13.5
4. Douglas, Huima	13.5
5. Towa, Kerava ET	13.1
6. Nelson, Lapua	12.3
7. Stamper, LoKoKo	11.6
8. Hall, SayRi	10.8
9. Wilson, Huima	10.6
10. Robinson, Jyvaskyla	9.9

Assists Per Game

Treylon MANNING
  Huima
  (178-G-)
  Avg: 6

1. Manning, Huima	6.0
2. Riihela, BC Nokia	5.2
3. Ramey, Ura Basket	5.2
4. Horton, LoKoKo	3.7
5. Ikavalko, FoKoPo	3.1
6. Valentine, Lapua	2.8
7. Ahila, Jyvaskyla	2.7
8. Graham, Kerava ET	2.7
9. Viertola, FoKoPo	2.4
10. Pasanen, SayRi	2.4

Steals Per Game

Benny VALENTINE
  Lapua
  (170-G-87)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Valentine, Lapua	2.4
2. Horton, LoKoKo	2.2
3. Bojang, BC Nokia	2.1
4. Roberson, Huima	2.0
5. Stamper, LoKoKo	2.0
6. Pasanen, SayRi	1.8
7. Ramey, Ura Basket	1.8
8. Hall, SayRi	1.8
9. Rainamaa, TomPo II	1.7
10. Foreman, FoKoPo	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Carlton BROWN
  Ura Basket
  (198-F-79)
  Avg: 0.8

1. Brown, Namika II	0.8
2. Kopio, Honka	0.7
3. Setala, BC Nokia	0.7
4. Rainamaa, TomPo II	0.6
5. Alanko, Ura Basket	0.6
6. Stamper, LoKoKo	0.6
7. Siven, Lapua	0.6
8. Alanen, Namika II	0.5
9. Salminen, Ura B.	0.5
10. Heinonen, Namika I.	0.5

*****************************************************

FRANCE

Darrigand's double-double lands him NM1 Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
28-year old guard Gauthier Darrigand (184-G-82) put on an amazing game in the last round for league's best team JSA Bordeaux Basket and receives a Eurobasket.com NM1 Player of the Week award for round 27.
He got a double-double of 30 points and 10 assists, while his team beat CFBB (#18, 4-23) 102-90. It allowed Bordeaux to consolidate first place in the French NM1. Bordeaux have a solid 23-4 record. In the team's last game Darrigand had a remarkable 87.5% from 2-point range. He turned to be Bordeaux's top player in his first season with the team. Darrigand has impressive league stats. He is in league's top in assists (5th best: 4.2apg) and averages solid 62.7% FGP.

Second best performed player last round was Slobodan Ocokoljic (204-F-80) of Sorgues BC. He is Serbian forward in his first season at Sorgues. In the last game Ocokoljic recorded impressive double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Of course Sorgues cruised to a 77-70 relatively comfortable win over the lower-ranked Denek (#14, 12-15). This victory allowed Sorgues to move up to 6th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 15-12 record is not bad and everything may still change. Ocokoljic is a newcomer at Sorgues and quickly became one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to guard Julien Cortey (175-G-80) of Le Puy (#9). Cortey showcased his all-around game by recording 9 points, six rebounds and eighteen assists (!!!) in the last round. He was a key player of Le Puy, leading his team to a 90-66 easy win against slightly higher-ranked Blois (#8, 15-12). Le Puy needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 13 victories and 13 lost games. Cortey has a great season in France. After 25 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in assists with 6.6apg (best passer).

Other top performing players last week:
4. John Ford (207-C-78) of Bordeaux - 28 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists
5. Benjamin Boutry (198-F-80) of Challans - 27 points and 7 rebounds
6. Cyril Guillarme (206-C-84) of Le Puy - 25 points and 13 rebounds
7. Gabriel Kennedy (205-F/C-81) of Orchy - 27 points and 9 rebounds
8. Boakai Lalugba (200-F/C-81) of Denain - 17 points and 9 rebounds
9. Damien Pistre (190-G-83) of Le Puy - 20 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists
10. Tony Ramphort (176-G-82) of Angers BC 49 - 18 points, 2 rebounds and 9 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Stats Leaders - N1

Points Per Game

Larry BLAIR
  Denek
  (183-G-84)
  Avg: 23.2

1. Blair, Denek	23.2
2. Kennedy, Orchy	19.2
3. Pridotkas, Brest	18.1
4. Petrovic, St Et.	17.9
5. Ford, Bordeaux	17.2
6. James, Challans	16.7
7. Blot, Blois	16.3
8. Lesieu, St Quentin	16.0
9. Disy, Roche	16.0
10. Lalugba, Denain	15.6

Rebounds Per Game

Petras BALOCKA
  Lievin
  (205-C-86)
  Avg: 9.3

1. Balocka, Lievin	9.3
2. Simmons, St Et.	8.7
3. Pasut, Sorgues	8.4
4. Grimm, Blois	8.3
5. Hoard, Lievin	8.1
6. Cilly, Orchy	7.8
7. Lopez, Brest	7.7
8. Kennedy, Orchy	7.7
9. Alingue, Souffel	7.6
10. Ford, Bordeaux	7.6

Assists Per Game

Julien CORTEY
  Le Puy
  (175-G-80)
  Avg: 6.6

1. Cortey, Le Puy	6.6
2. Brochard, Blois	6.5
3. Ramphort, Angers B.	5.0
4. Barbry, Orchy	4.8
5. Darrigand, Bordeaux	4.2
6. Rambur, St Quentin	4.2
7. Sauret, Denain	4.1
8. Thomas, St Etienne	3.7
9. Tillon, St Chamond	3.6
10. Dessart, Lievin	3.6

Steals Per Game

Larry BLAIR
  Denek
  (183-G-84)
  Avg: 2.7

1. Blair, Denek	2.7
2. Pistre, Le Puy	2.2
3. El Amrani, St Et.	2.0
4. Neri, Roche	2.0
5. Sauret, Denain	2.0
6. Ipouck, Le Puy	1.8
7. James, Challans	1.7
8. Blot, Blois	1.7
9. Roberts, Brest	1.7
10. Barbry, Orchy	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Jean-Stephane RINNA
  St Chamond
  (205-F-83)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Rinna, St Chamond	1.8
2. Ford, Bordeaux	1.7
3. Alingue, Souffel	1.6
4. Traore, Angers B.	1.6
5. Pasut, Sorgues	1.2
6. Lalugba, Denain	1.2
7. Kolb, Blois	1.1
8. Ipouck, Le Puy	1.1
9. Kennedy, Orchy	1.1
10. Mendy, Angers B.	0.9

Lokomotiv Kuban draw first blood against Gravelines - by Eurobasket News
Gravelines - Lokomotiv Kuban 91:92 (OT)

Lokomotiv Kuban earned a tough overtime victory against Gravelines in EuroChallenge quarterfinal series opener. Lionel Chalmers (184-G-80, college: Xavier) scored 26 points to propel the visitors to the first win in the best-of-three series. He made a layup with with five seconds remaining in extra period to seal the winning outcome for the visitors.
The teams traded baskets throughout the close first quarter. The scoreboard read 22:22 after ten minutes. The lead continued to change hands throughout the second quarter. Lionel Chalmers helped Lokomotiv to a narrow 47:45 halftime advantage. Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) stretched the margin to as many as 8 points midway through the third term 66:58. Cyril Akpomedah (203-F-79) and Ben Woodside (180-G-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Dakota St.) narrowed the gap early in the fourth quarter but the visitors cleared off to an 80:73 distance with under two minutes to go in regulation. Ben Woodside and Cyril Akpomedah dragged Gravelines closer. Johnson and Cyril Akpomedah capped the regulation with five straight points as the hosts forced overtime. Ben Woodside put Gravelines in front at the start of the extra frame but Jeremiah Massey responded. The teams exchanged the buckets before Lionel Chalmers converted a late layup to put Kuban in front. Johnson tried to save the game for Gravelines but missed a three-pointer and Lokomotiv celebrated the victory.
Jeremiah Massey had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Lokomotiv. Michael Wilkinson (204-F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Wisconsin) added 20 points in the victory. Cyril Akpomedah answered with 29 points for Gravelines. Ben Woodside finished with 18 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Gravelines: Cyril Akpomedah 29, Ben Woodside 18
Lokomotiv Kuban: Lionel Chalmers 26, Jeremiah Massey 21, Michael Wilkinson 20

Rob Lewin gets short-term deal with Le Mans - by Eurobasket News
Le Mans announced signing of Rob Lewin (201-F-80, agency: Lanshire Group, college: Troy) to a short-term deal. The American forward will replace injured Alain Koffi and will stay with Le Mans until May 10. Lewin arrives to the club from Ventspils. He appeared twice in Baltic league with them registering 6 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Before Ventspils, Lewin spent one month with Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck averaging 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in four German league games. Rob Lewin started this season in France as a member of Vichy. He had 11.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg for six games.
Last season, Rob Lewin played for Gravelines collecting 5.9 ppg and 4.5 rpg for 26 games in ProA. From 2007 to 2009, he was a member of Strasbourg and in the past also played for Boulazac and Reims. Levin has experience from Spain (Bruesa) and Sweden (Plannja). He is a product of Troy University, where he graduated in 2004.

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GERMANY

Dirk Nowitzki ponders Olympic scenario - by Eurobasket News
If labor strife produces an expected lockout and possibly eats into next season, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) reiterated Sunday night his desire to return to the German national team as it attempts to qualify this summer for the 2012 Olympics in London.

The last time the NBA had a lockout that resulted in a shortened season, Nowitzki was a rookie during that 1998-99 campaign. He was drafted in June but remained in Germany to play with his pro team.

Nowitzki said Sunday, though, that there is one scenario that could keep him from joining his countrymen -- lockout or no.

'That all depends on how this season plays out,'' Nowitzki said. 'If we have a long run to June, I might not. Everything's kind of up in the air with the lockout.'' Nowitzki led the German team to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing and was his country's flag bearer during opening ceremonies. It is a moment that Nowitzki has said he will never forget. Earlier this season, Nowitzki said the current German team is filled with young players whom he would like to help realize their Olympic dreams.

Nowitzki will turn 33 in June and he has said that 2012 would probably be his last shot at playing in the Olympics.

'If we're locked out, I might play this summer,'' he said. 'We have a qualification coming up for the Olympics again. The Olympics for me in Beijing were so much fun. They were a blast. I'd love to go to London, but we have to qualify for it first. We have that this summer; if we're locked out and I know it's going to be a little longer and I don't have anything going anyway, I might as well stay in shape and play.'

And how does Nowitzki see things shaping up on the labor front?

'Hopefully, we can find a way to kind of resolve this a little earlier and not have a shortened season, and still, hopefully, find a good way for the owners and for the players so we can still have an 82-game season,' Nowitzki said. 'It doesn't look good right now, but things can change in a meeting or two meetings, and within a day or two things can change. We'll just have to see what happens this summer.'

Courtesy of ESPN

John Bynum (TBB Trier) With Zwiener Missing We Have To Play A Bit Smaller Than What We Are Used To And Other Players Have To Step Up - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
John Bynum (191-G-78, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Metro St.) is a 32 year old 191 cm guard from Visalia California that is playing his first season with TBB Trier. He is a good fighter, fast and good in offensive playing. He is great athlete who can shoot the ball with consistency from 3 and finish with authority on the break. He is a tremendous defender on the ball. He played college basketball at College of the Sequoias Junior College:from 1996-1998 and then transferred to Metropolitan St. (NCAA2): and played there from 1998-2000. He started his professional basketball career in 2001 in the Uk for the Solent Stars (United Kingdom-NBLConf): 31 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assist. In 2002-2003, came his first tour of duty in Germany for BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-Regionalliga): 24.7ppg, 9.2rpg, 6.7apg, 3.5spg. In 2003-2004, he played for the Ulriken Eagles (Norway-BNLO): Regular Season: 14 games: 20,1ppg, 8,1rpg, 2,5apg, 2,9spg, 0,4bpg.In 2004-2005, he was back in Germany playing for BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-2.Bundesliga): 30 games: Score-5 (26.0ppg), 7.7rpg, Ast-4 (5.4apg), 1.7spg, 2FGP: 55.5%, 3FGP: 33.3%, FT: 63.6%. In 2005-2006, he played for InterCollege Etha Engomis (Cyprus-A1): only pre-season, then joined COOCOON Baskets Weiden (Germany-2.Bundesliga, starting five): 8 games: 15.6ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.0apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 51%, left in Jan.'06 and later that month signed at Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 21 games: 7.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.8apg, 2FGP: 56.5%. In 2006-2007, he played for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 31 games: 5.7ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 43.1%, 3FGP: 25.0%, FT: 55.9%. In 2007-2008, he played for USC Heidelberg (Germany-ProA, starting five): 14 games: 14.4ppg, 4.4rpg, Assists-5 (4.6apg), 2.3spg, 2FGP: 54%, 3FGP: 27.3%, FT: 58.5%, left in Jan.'08 due to shoulder injury, in Feb.'08 moved to Digibu Baskets Paderborn (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 13 games: 6.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.4apg, 2FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 70.0%. Last season, he played in the PRO A for Proveo Merlins Crailsheim (Germany-ProA, starting five): 27 games: 16.9ppg, 7.1rpg, Assists-3 (5.4apg), 1.1spg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 62.8%. He spoke with eurobasket after the 90-85 loss in Ulm.

A tough 90-85 loss in Ulm. TBB Trier played with a very thin rotation. How difficult was it conserving energy in this game?

Well we are using a thin rotation at the moment but at the same time, we still are giving ourself chances to be in ball games and win towards the end of the game. I wouldnt say it is difficult conserving energy but we have a lot of players booking a lot of minutes since we have a lot of injuries right now.

What is the most difficult thing that TBB Trier has to on the court when Philipp Zwiener is not on the court? What does the team have to do differently to compensate his loss.

Well for one we miss his scoring and the things that he brings to the table at the offensive end. We just have to play a little bit smaller than we are used to and it just means other players have to step up.

Ratiopharm Ulm led 43-34 at halftime. What was giving TBB trier the biggest problems at halftime?

We couldnt keep anyone in front of us and they were in the lane on it seemed like every play. We struggled with our rotations on defense and just couldnt keep Bryant off the glass as well. They did what they wanted to in the 1st half.

Ratiopharm Ulm took the game into OT. Explain the Dan Fitzgerald basket with 22 seconds to play and last TBB Trier play where Rocky Trice came up with a big block?

Well coach Taylor called a great play. They fed the post and Fitzgerald came off a screen and we just didnt get out quick enough to him. He hit a big shot at a key time of the game and as far as the last play I think Collins got the block he came over and helped out and made a good play.

What was key in OT for Ratiopharm getting the win?

Well they made a couple of key plays down the stretch and losing Dru on his 5th foul hurt us down the stretch. We still had opportunities but we just couldnt get it done.

John Bryant had a monster game with 27 points and 18 rebounds. He seemed to be unstoppable. What is it like coming into the lane and meeting him eye to eye?

He was a monster on the offensive glass. It seemed like he got it going early and just got every rebound off the shots that they missed. As far as meeting him in the lane, it is just one of those things that happens once in a while and he seemed to hurt us more at the offensive end than anything.

How crazy was the Butler win over Pittsburgh? Is there any lesson that can be learned from a game like that?

I think the only lesson learned from that will be dont take anyone lightly in the tournament. I had to check my eyes when I saw the result, but it is that time of the year where your season is one game.

Can Butler get another upset against Wisconsin?

Anything is possible but i dont see it happening.

The Boston Celtics seem to be struggling since the trades loosing to teams they should beat. How much at risk is their season? Rajon Rondo isnt his self at the moment either.

I just think it will take them a litle bit to get used to the new players that came in. They will have some repititon playing with each other as the time goes along even though I dont like that they got rid of Perkins they still have a great team. Rondo will be okay once playoffs role around. I hope they are just playing possum right now.

Thanks John for the chat.

John Bryant claims German 1.Bundesliga weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
American John Bryant (208-C-87) had an amazing evening in the last round for ratiopharm Ulm and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 28.
The 23-year old center had a double-double of 27 points and eighteen rebounds, while his team beat TBB Trier (#7, 15-13) in overtime 90-85. ratiopharm is placed at 13th position in German 1.Bundesliga. ratiopharm is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 12-16 record. Bryant turned to be ratiopharm's top player in his first season with the team. Santa Clara University graduate has very impressive stats this year. Bryant leads league in rebounds with 11.0rpg. Bryant is in league's top in and averages solid 1.7bpg and 63.1% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 31-year old Lithuanian guard Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) of EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Lukauskis impressed basketball fans with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was enough for EWE Baskets to edge the lower-ranked Telekom Baskets (#10, 13-14) by 2 points 75-73. This victory allowed EWE Baskets to move up to 6th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 16-12 record is not bad and everything may still change. Lukauskis is a newcomer at EWE Baskets and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was American Kevin Hamilton (193-G-84, agency: Limelight Hoops) of NY Phantoms (#5). Hamilton scored 18 points and passed seven assists. He was a key player of NY Phantoms, leading his team to a 83-67 easy win against the lower-ranked Walter Tigers (#12, 13-16). NY Phantoms needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 17 victories and 12 lost games. Hamilton has a very solid season. In 28 games in Germany he scored 7.9ppg. He also has 4.3rpg, 4.0apg and FGP: 51.4%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Mark Tyndale (196-G-86) of Telekom Baskets - 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Jared Reiner (211-C-82) of Bayreuth - 19 points and 8 rebounds
6. Sean Denison (210-F/C-85) of Bremerhaven - 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
7. Tibor Pleiss (214-F/C-89) of Brose Baskets - 12 points and 11 rebounds
8. Ekene Ibekwe (206-F-85) of Bayreuth - 16 points and 7 rebounds
9. Alex Harris (196-G-86) of EnBW L'burg - 29 points and 4 assists
10. John Bynum (191-G-78) of TBB Trier - 18 points and 9 rebounds

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Standings - 1. Bundesliga

1.Bundesliga Standings

1. Brose Baskets		26-2
2. Dt.Bank SKY		21-7
3. ALBA		20-8
4. Art.Dragons		19-9
5. NY Phantoms		17-12
6. EWE Baskets		16-12
7. TBB Trier		15-13
8. EnBW L'burg		15-13
9. Bremerhaven		14-14
10. Telekom Baskets		13-14
11. Goettingen		13-14
12. Walter Tigers		13-16
13. ratiopharm		12-16
14. Phoenix Hagen		12-16
15. LTi 46ers		8-21
16. MBC		7-21
17. Bayreuth		7-21
18. Duesseldorf		4-23

Stats Leaders - 1.Bundesliga

Points Per Game

DaShaun WOOD
  Dt.Bank SKY
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 18.9

1. Wood, Dt.	18.9
2. Rice, Art.Dragons	16.7
3. Allen, ALBA	16.4
4. Bell, Phoenix Hagen	16.0
5. Benzing, ratio.	15.6
6. Martin, Bremerha.	15.4
7. Harris, EnBW L.	15.4
8. Callahan, Bremerha.	15.1
9. Dorris, Phoenix .	15.0
10. Ross, MBC	14.8

Rebounds Per Game

John BRYANT
  ratiopharm
  (208-C-87)
  Avg: 11

1. Bryant, ratiopharm	11.0
2. Ensminger, Teleko.	8.4
3. Reiner, Bayreuth	7.9
4. Watts, Walter T.	7.8
5. Martin, Bremerha.	7.1
6. Ovcina, LTi 46ers	6.9
7. Stevic, EWE B.	6.8
8. Burtschi, Phoenix .	6.7
9. Pleiss, Brose B.	6.7
10. Fenn, Art.Dragons	6.5

Assists Per Game

Branislav RATKOVICA
  Walter Tigers
  (193-G-85)
  Avg: 7.3

1. Ratkovica, Walter T.	7.3
2. Wood, Dt.	5.9
3. Joyce, TBB Trier	5.4
4. Rice, Art.Dragons	5.1
5. Neitzel, Bayreuth	4.4
6. Jordan, MBC	4.3
7. Jordan, LTi 46ers	4.2
8. Green, EnBW L.	4.2
9. Gamqrelidze, LTi	4.1
10. Hamilton, NY Phant.	4.1

Steals Per Game

Kevin HAMILTON
  NY Phantoms
  (193-G-84)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Hamilton, NY Phant.	2.1
2. Martin, Bremerha.	1.7
3. Burtschi, Phoenix .	1.6
4. Goldsberry, Brose B.	1.5
5. Dorris, Phoenix .	1.5
6. Pryor, Phoenix .	1.5
7. Wood, Dt.	1.4
8. Wise, Telekom .	1.4
9. Bernard, MBC	1.4
10. Campbell, Teleko.	1.3

Blocks Per Game

Ekene IBEKWE
  Bayreuth
  (206-F-85)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Ibekwe, Art.Drag.	2.4
2. Pleiss, Brose B.	2.0
3. Ibekwe, Bayreuth	1.7
4. Bryant, ratiopharm	1.7
5. Buechert, Phoenix .	1.6
6. Seward, Phoenix .	1.3
7. Goree, NY Phantoms	1.2
8. Brempong, Duesseld.	1.2
9. Scott, Goettingen	1.0
10. Hines, Brose B.	1.0

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GREECE

Stats Leaders - A1

Points Per Game

Steven SMITH
  Panellinios
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 17.2

1. Smith, Panellinios	17.2
2. Marshall, PAOK	17.1
3. Palacio, Kavala	16.7
4. Baxter, Ilysiakos	15.8
5. Kalathis, VAP K.	15.0
6. Grundy, AEK	14.5
7. Thompson, Ikaros	14.5
8. Kiritsis, Ilysiakos	14.0
9. Harris, Ikaros	13.8
10. Jorovic, Kavala	13.6

Rebounds Per Game

Cedric SIMMONS
  Kavala
  (206-F/C-86)
  Avg: 10.2

1. Simmons, Kavala	10.2
2. Thompson, Ikaros	9.0
3. Kalathis, VAP K.	8.7
4. Smith, Panellinios	8.3
5. Bagaric, Marousi	8.2
6. Papadopoulos, PAOK	7.5
7. Tucker, Aris	7.4
8. Looby, Peristeri GS	7.3
9. Elonu, Panionios	6.6
10. Dawson, Ilysiakos	6.6

Assists Per Game

Jared JORDAN
  VAP Kolossos
  (188-G-84)
  Avg: 6.1

1. Jordan, VAP K.	6.1
2. Spanoulis, Olympiakos	5.6
3. Thompson, Ilysi.	5.0
4. Teodosic, Olympiakos	4.7
5. Diamantidis, Panath.	4.6
6. Everett, Iraklis	4.4
7. Karydas, Ilysiakos	4.1
8. Xanthopoulos, Panell.	3.9
9. Palacio, Kavala	3.8
10. Papaloukas, Olymp.	3.7

Steals Per Game

Terrell EVERETT
  Bremerhaven
  (193-G-84)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Everett, Iraklis	2.4
2. Anderson, Panionios	2.0
3. Baxter, Ilysiakos	2.0
4. Parker, Iraklis	1.9
5. Grundy, AEK	1.9
6. Papaloukas, Olymp.	1.8
7. Marshall, PAOK	1.8
8. Karydas, Ilysiakos	1.8
9. Xanthopoulos, Panell.	1.7
10. Kojadinovic, Marousi	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Cedric SIMMONS
  Kavala
  (206-F/C-86)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Simmons, Kavala	1.8
2. Elonu, Panionios	1.7
3. Bagaric, Marousi	1.6
4. Thompson, Ikaros	1.3
5. Looby, Peristeri GS	1.0
6. Dunston, Aris	0.9
7. Nesterovic, Olymp.	0.8
8. Harissis, VAP K.	0.7
9. Vougioukas, Panath.	0.7
10. Bourousis, Olympiakos	0.6

Div.B Standing

B Standings

1. OFI		20-4
2. Ermis Perama		19-5
3. MENT		17-6
4. Nea Kifisia		16-5
5. Anagennisi		16-7
6. Doxa Lefkadas		16-8
7. Diagoras		12-11
8. Aias Evosmou		12-12
9. Doukas		11-13
10. Stratoni		10-13
11. Aiolos Trik.		10-14
12. Egaleo		8-16
13. Apollon KL		7-17
14. M.Alexandros		5-18
15. Filippos Veroias		3-20

HOLLAND

Standings - Promotie Divisie

Prom.Divisie Standings

1. Binnenland		19-3
2. Dehoppers		18-4
3. Leiden 2		15-6
4. Groene		15-7
5. Red Giants		14-8
6. Hoofddorp		14-10
7. Cangeroes		13-10
8. Goba		13-10
9. Almonte		11-12
10. Amsterdam 2		8-16
11. Akrides		7-16
12. Punch		6-16
13. Wildcats		4-19
14. Black Eagles		2-20

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IBL

Legends Announce Exhibition Game This Saturday featuring EJ GALLUP AND FORMER UALBANY GREAT - by John Gary
Courtesy oursportscentral.com The IBLS ALBANY Legends have announced a Blue-Gold exhibition professional basketball game to be held at Fulton Montgomery community College on Saturday March 26, 2011 at 6pm. The game will highlight area standout EJ GALLUP as well as other recognizable players to include 2010 Albany Legend Lloyd Johnson and UAlbany graduateand all conference team standout Wil Harris, UALBANY10 6-6 f and 2011 America East All Conference team and 4th leading scorer in school history and 6-6 UALBANY forward Tim Ambrose. In addition, look for new big men Adam Abdouahamme CECIL COLL' and 6-8 Justin Marshall a ACPBL ALL-Star.. Tai-Shon Jackson a 6-6 shooting guard will also be on hand.

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ICELAND

Express L. Round 2 of Quarter-Finals - by Eurobasket News
IR - Keflavik 106-89

IR leveled things up in the series against Keflavik. They knocked down their opponents at home court. Keflavik trailed 49-46 at halftime, rallying from a 31-13 deficit at the end of first quarter to trim the gap. IR looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward Kelly Biedler (196-88, college: Mt.St.Mary's) who had a double-double by scoring 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. Serbian-Canadian forward Nemanja Sovic (198-77, college: Pfeiffer) chipped in a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds. Five IR players scored in double figures. The former international center Gunnar Thorsteinsson (204-88) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points and 10 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and the former international guard Magnus Gunnarsson (186-81) added 19 points respectively for the guests.
Top scorers:
Keflavik: G.Thorsteinsson 27+10reb+2ast, M.Gunnarsson 19+4reb+3ast, A.Vilhjalmsson 15+6reb+4ast, T.Sanders 9+2reb+4ast, G.Einarsson 8+1reb+2ast, H.Halldorsson 6+5reb
IR: K.Biedler 27+12reb+3ast, N.Sovic 22+10reb, J.Bartolotta 18+3reb+7ast, S.Claesson 17+5reb+4ast, E.Onundarson 10+8ast, H.Friariksson 6+2reb+1ast

Stjarnan - Grindavik 91-74

Stjarnan made it 1-1 in the series following an impressive home success. The game without a history. Stjarnan led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Stjarnan forced 24 Grindavik turnovers. Grindavik was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. American-Estonian forward Renato Lindmets (198-84, college: Westfield St., agency: Tank Sports) notched 29 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and American guard Justin Shouse (180-81, college: Mercyhurst) supported him with 23 points and 7 assists. Even 27 points by the former international swingman Pall Axel Vilbergsson (197-78) did not help to save the game for Grindavik. American-Italian power forward Ryan Pettinella (206-84, college: Cincinnati) added 15 points and 13 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the guests. Five Grindavik players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Grindavik: P.Axel Vilbergsson 27+3reb+2ast, R.Pettinella 15+13reb+3ast, N.Bradford 10+3reb+3ast, M.Soskic 10+1reb+2ast, O.Olafsson 10+4reb+4ast, H.Einarsson 2+1reb
Stjarnan: R.Lindmets 29+5reb+3ast, J.Shouse 23+3reb+7ast, J.Zdravevski 19+7reb+1ast, A.Ingvason 7+1reb+3ast, D.Guamundsson 6+3reb, M.Valdimarsson 4+6reb+2ast

Haukar - Snaefell 77-67

Haukar forced the decisive third game in the series. They beat Snaefell at home court. The hosts trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 77-67. Haukar dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Snaefell's 28. Haukar forced 19 Snaefell turnovers. Dutch-American forward Gerald Robinson (204-84, college: Tennessee-Martin, agency: Court Side) had a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Semaj Inge (193-87, college: Temple, agency: Basket Law/NM Services) chipped in 16 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists during the contest. Four Haukar players scored in double figures. American-Italian forward Ryan Amoroso (203-85, college: San Diego St.) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 15 rebounds and American point guard Sean Burton (175-86, college: Ithaca) scored 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Top scorers:
Snaefell: J.Olafur Jonsson 14+5reb, S.Burton 13+8reb+5ast, R.Amoroso 13+15reb+1ast, P.Sigurgeirsson 9+2reb+3ast, A.Hreinsson 9+4reb, Z.Bojovic 5+3reb
Haukar: G.Robinson 27+13reb, S.Inge 16+8reb+10ast, H.Askarsson 16+3reb, O.Siguraarson 12+9reb+3ast, S.Sveinsson 6+6reb, A.Avarsson 0

Njardvik - KR 80-96

KR became the first Express League semifinalists. They upset Njardvik on the road to complete the sweep of the series. The game without a history. KR led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They made 28-of-30 charity shots (93.3 percent) during the game, while Njardvik only scored eleven points from the stripe. 26 personal fouls committed by Njardvik helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The former international swingman Pavel Ermolinskij (202-G/F-87) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). American guard Marcus Walker (186-86, college: Colorado St., agency: 011 Sports) contributed with 21 points for the winners. Four KR players scored in double figures. American guard Giordan Watson (178-85, college: Cent.Michigan) replied with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists and the former international guard Johann Alafsson (195-86) added 19 points and 4 assists in the effort for Njardvik. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Njardvik: J.Alafsson 19+2reb+4ast, J.Moore 18+1reb, G.Watson 18+6reb+10ast, N.Tomasevic 9+2reb+2ast, P.Kristinsson 6+3reb+1ast, F.Stefansson 4+12reb+1ast
KR: M.Walker 21+2reb+2ast, B.Bjoernsson 20+1reb+1ast, P.Ermolinskij 16+18reb+9ast, F.Magnusson 12+3reb+2ast, F.Alafsson 6+5reb+1ast, M.Agisson 6

Standings - 1 Division

D1 Standings

1. Thor Thorl		31-2
2. Valur		23-10
3. Thor AK		22-11
4. Skallagrimur		22-11
5. Breidablik		21-12
6. FSU		18-15
7. Hottur		11-22
8. Laugdaelir		7-26
9. Armann		5-28
10. Leiknir		5-28

Stats Leaders (Men)

Points Per Game

Marcus WALKER
  KR
  (186-G-86)
  Avg: 23.6

1. Walker, KR	23.6
2. Sanders, Keflavik	23.0
3. Trifunovic, Keflavik	23.0
4. Bartolotta, IR	22.2
5. Biedler, IR	22.0
6. Inge, Haukar	21.9
7. Dabney, Hamar	21.1
8. Sovic, IR	21.1
9. Smith, Njardvik	20.9
10. Robinson, Haukar	20.9

Rebounds Per Game

Gerald ROBINSON
  Haukar
  (204-F-84)
  Avg: 13.7

1. Robinson, Haukar	13.7
2. Biedler, IR	12.3
3. Pettinella, Grindavik	11.2
4. Ermolinskij, KR	10.6
5. Trifunovic, Keflavik	10.3
6. Fain, Tindastoll	10.1
7. Stywall, Fjolnir	9.8
8. Amoroso, Snaefell	9.4
9. Jonsson, Snaefell	9.2
10. Nathanaelsso., Ham.	8.3

Assists Per Game

Aegir STEINARSSON
  Fjolnir
  (182-G-91)
  Avg: 8.7

1. Steinarsson, Fjolnir	8.7
2. Ermolinskij, KR	7.8
3. Vilhjalmsson, Kefla.	7.5
4. Burton, Snaefell	6.6
5. Shouse, Stjarnan	5.9
6. Haraldsson, Haukar	5.9
7. Arnarson, Hamar	5.3
8. Inge, Haukar	5.3
9. Schoen, KFI	5.2
10. Cunningham, Tinda.	4.9

Steals Per Game

Semaj INGE
  Haukar
  (193-G-87)
  Avg: 3.3

1. Inge, Haukar	3.3
2. Schoen, KFI	3.0
3. Dabney, Hamar	2.9
4. Fain, Tindastoll	2.9
5. Kitanovic, Tindastoll	2.5
6. Vilhjalmsson, Kefla.	2.5
7. Biedler, IR	2.5
8. Steinarsson, Fjolnir	2.3
9. Viggosson, Tindastoll	2.2
10. Haraldsson, Haukar	2.2

Blocks Per Game

Christopher SMITH
  Svit
  (198-F-82)
  Avg: 3.2

1. Smith, Njardvik	3.2
2. Nathanaelsso., Ham.	2.5
3. Biedler, IR	2.0
4. Fain, Tindastoll	1.6
5. Lindmets, Stjarnan	1.4
6. Inge, Haukar	1.4
7. Pettinella, Grindavik	1.3
8. Savarsson, Grind.	1.3
9. Thorsteinsso., Kefla.	1.3
10. Sanders, Keflavik	1.2

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INDIA

Jr. NBA WNBA Train the Trainers program in Chennai - by M. Rajalingam
NBA will be organizing the Jr. NBA WNBA Train the Trainers program at J J stadium in Chennai, , on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th March from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This program is for ALL coaches and physical education instructors who work with 10 - 12 year old kids.

The program will culminate in a national competition for all kids participating. The winner of the competition will win an all expenses paid trip to the US to watch the NBA.

This program is being implemented by the NBA in partnership with BFI, HP and Spalding. Marty Conlin, former NBA player will be one of the guest clinicians for the Train the Trainers clinic. The objective of the clinic is to provide the coaches, access to world-class basketball training and materials in order to help the teams/players improve their basketball ability.

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IRAN

Iran Superleague Round 21 - by Mohammad Amin Maghsoodlou
Mahram Tehran - Petrochimi Bandar Imam Harbour 91-79
Mahram Tehran won Petrochimi Bandar Imam Harbour in the most important game of 21th round , Cheikh Samb (215-C-84) put on an extraordinary performance , He had a double-double of 43 points and 25 Rebounds . Petrochimi Bandar Imam Harbour did not have any respond for that with only one import player , Another good news for Mahram Tehran was return of Samad Nikkhah after 7 month injury .
Shahrdari Gorgan Municipality - Shahrekord Basketball 71-56
American power forward Sam Hoskin (206-F/C-79, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: De Paul) had a very good evening with 31 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes . Ian Young (191-G-81, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Auburn) also provided 15 points , 9 assists and 7 boards while his team crushed Shahrekord (#10, 5-16) with 15-point margin 71-56. Omid Dehghanian produced 12 points + 8 Rebounds for lost side . Shahrdari Gorgan Municipality made remarkable (3-0) record since Sam arrived.
B.A. Shiraz - Rah Tarabari Qom 90-97 ( OT )
Top 4 team Rah Tarabari Qom escaped from definite lose against BA (#7, 7-13) , It was a very close game until the last minute when Bobby St.Preux (196-G/F-80, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: N.Kentucky) tried for 3 pts game winner play which was not successful . Qom coach Mr.Aghakuchaki used his twin towers Kardoust-Marquis very well to confirm the 15th win of the season .
With this result , winner of Shahrdari Gorgan Municipality - B.A game on Turseday will decide last team which advance to Play-offs .
Azad University - Melli Haffari Ahvaz 97-78
The game with biggest result difference took place in Tehran. Ahvaz (6-14) was outscored by fifth ranked Azad University (10-9) 97-78 on Monday night. Haffari almost lost next round chance with 2nd straight lose .
Towzin Electric Kashan - Saman Bank Pouya Tehran 88 - 74
Last game of round 21 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises , Host Towzin Electric Kashan ( #3,14-6) beat 12th ranked Saman Bank Pouya Tehran in a game that Coach Vlado Djurovic used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.

Standings - Superleague

Superleague Standings

1. Petrochimi		17-4
2. Tarabari Qom		16-5
3. T.E.Kashan		15-6
4. Mahram		14-2
5. Zob Ahan		13-2
6. Azad		10-10
7. Gorgan		8-12
8. Caspian		7-13
9. B.A. Shiraz		6-15
10. M.H.Ahvaz		6-15
11. Shahrekord		5-17
12. Pouya		2-20

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ISRAEL

Standings - BSL

Premier League Standings

1. Maccabi T-A		21-1
2. Hapoel J-M		14-8
3. Bnei Hasharon		13-9
4. Galil Gilboa		13-9
5. Maccabi Rishon		11-11
6. Maccabi Ashdod		10-12
7. Hapoel Holon		10-12
8. Elitzur Netanya		8-14
9. Maccabi Haifa		5-16
10. Ironi Ashkelon		5-17

Premier League Round 22: Hapoel J-M beats Bnei Hasharon in the most crucial game of the week - by Eurobasket News
The Regular Season in Premier League is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 5 rounds.

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Jerusalem. Second ranked Hapoel J-M faced one of their biggest challengers Bnei Hasharon. Host Hapoel J-M (14-8) defeated guests from Hod Hasharon (13-9) 99-90. Bnei Hasharon trailed by 14 points after 3 quarters before a 27-22 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 90-99 at the end of the game. Hapoel J-M shot the lights out from three sinking 14 long-distance shots on high 58.3 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) fired 25 points and 4 steals for the winners. The other American import power forward Sam Clancy (202-80, college: USC) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field). Hapoel J-M's coach Oded Katash used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Romanian swingman Dan Grunfeld (198-84, college: Stanford) produced 27 points (made all of his seven free throws) for lost side. Hapoel J-M maintains second position with 14-8 record having seven points less than leader Maccabi T-A. Bnei Hasharon at the other side keeps the third place with nine games lost. They share the position with Galil Gilboa. Hapoel J-M are looking forward to face Maccabi Rishon (#5) in Rishon Le-Zion in the next round. Bnei Hasharon will play at home against Hapoel Holon and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Leader Maccabi T-A delivered the twentieth first victory. This time they beat 5th ranked Maccabi Rishon (11-11) 80-72 in Tel-Aviv. The game was dominated by American players. Worth to mention a great performance of point guard Doron Perkins (188-83, college: Santa Clara) who helped to win the game recording 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Chuck Eidson contributed with 19 points for the winners. Maccabi T-A's coach David Blatt allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Power forward Raymar Morgan (202-88, college: Michigan St.) replied with 21 points and 4 assists for Maccabi Rishon. Maccabi T-A (21-1) have an impressive 15-game winning streak. They maintain first position. Maccabi Rishon lost third consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 11 games lost. Maccabi T-A will play against Galil Gilboa (#4) on the road in the next round. Maccabi Rishon will play against the league's second-placed Hapoel J-M in Jerusalem and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game with biggest result difference took place in Holon. Local Hapoel Holon (10-12) was outscored by seventh ranked Maccabi Ashdod (10-12) 91-51 on Sunday night. Maccabi Ashdod moved-up to sixth place, which they share with defeated Hapoel Holon. Maccabi Ashdod will meet at home Elitzur Netanya (#8) in the next round. Hapoel Holon will play against Bnei Hasharon in Hod Hasharon and hope to secure a win.

In the last two games of round 22 Galil Gilboa crushed Ironi Ashkelon in a road game 89-65. Elitzur Netanya beat Maccabi Haifa at home 84-80.
The best stats of 22th round was 27 points and 15 rebounds by Romeo Travis of Elitzur Netanya.

Hapoel J-M - Bnei Hasharon 99-90

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Jerusalem. Second ranked Hapoel J-M faced one of their biggest challengers Bnei Hasharon. Host Hapoel J-M (14-8) defeated guests from Hod Hasharon (13-9) 99-90. Bnei Hasharon trailed by 14 points after 3 quarters before a 27-22 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 90-99 at the end of the game. Hapoel J-M shot the lights out from three sinking 14 long-distance shots on high 58.3 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) fired 25 points and 4 steals for the winners. The other American import power forward Sam Clancy (202-80, college: USC) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field). Hapoel J-M's coach Oded Katash used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American-Romanian swingman Dan Grunfeld (198-84, college: Stanford) produced 27 points (made all of his seven free throws) and American power forward Lee Nailon (204-75, college: TCU, agency: Basket Law/NM Services) added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Four Bnei Hasharon players scored in double figures. Hapoel J-M maintains second position with 14-8 record having seven points less than leader Maccabi T-A. Bnei Hasharon at the other side keeps the third place with nine games lost. They share the position with Galil Gilboa. Hapoel J-M are looking forward to face Maccabi Rishon (#5) in Rishon Le-Zion in the next round. Bnei Hasharon will play at home against Hapoel Holon and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Hapoel J-M: W.Solomon 25+3reb+2ast, S.Clancy 20+6reb+1ast, Y.Naimy 12+2reb+3ast, D.Dowell 8+3reb+1ast, Y.Ohayon 8+3reb+8ast, J.Rich 7+2reb+5ast
Bnei Hasharon: D.Grunfeld 27+4reb, R.Steele 15+2reb+6ast, L.Nailon 13+7reb+4ast, S.James 10+10reb+3ast, F.Rivera 9+2reb+1ast, B.Dunston 7+5reb

Maccabi T-A - Maccabi Rishon 80-72

Leader Maccabi T-A delivered the twentieth first victory. This time they beat 5th ranked Maccabi Rishon (11-11) 80-72 in Tel-Aviv. It looked good early as Maccabi Rishon took an 4-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Maccabi T-A had a 32-14 second period charge getting the lead and Maccabi Rishon was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 72-80. Maccabi T-A dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Maccabi Rishon's 38. Maccabi T-A forced 20 Maccabi Rishon turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 24 assists. The game was dominated by American players. Worth to mention a great performance of point guard Doron Perkins (188-83, college: Santa Clara) who helped to win the game recording 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Swingman Chuck Eidson (202-80, college: S.Carolina, agency: Court Side) contributed with 19 points for the winners. Maccabi T-A's coach David Blatt allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Power forward Raymar Morgan (202-88, college: Michigan St.) replied with 21 points and 4 assists and power forward Aaron McGhee (203-79, college: Oklahoma) added 15 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Maccabi Rishon. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Maccabi T-A (21-1) have an impressive 15-game winning streak. They maintain first position. Maccabi Rishon lost third consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 11 games lost. Maccabi T-A will play against Galil Gilboa (#4) on the road in the next round. Maccabi Rishon will play against the league's second-placed Hapoel J-M in Jerusalem and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Maccabi T-A: C.Eidson 19+2reb+3ast, L.Eliyahu 15+7reb+1ast, D.Blu 15+7reb+1ast, D.Perkins 14+5reb+7ast, R.Hendrix 11+5reb+2ast, G.Pnini 4+2reb+3ast
Maccabi Rishon: R.Morgan 21+4reb+4ast, A.McGhee 15+7reb, E.Shulman 12+3reb+4ast, D.Mitchell 10+6reb+2ast, N.Hanochi 10+3reb+3ast, I.Swann 4+2ast

Ironi Ashkelon - Galil Gilboa 65-89

There was no surprise when 10th ranked Ironi Ashkelon (5-17) was crushed at home by fourth ranked Galil Gilboa (13-9) 89-65 on Sunday. The game was mostly controlled by Galil Gilboa. Ironi Ashkelon managed to win second period 24-22. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Galil Gilboa forced 20 Ironi Ashkelon turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. International point guard Gal Mekel (193-88, college: Wichita St.) scored 15 points and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman Courtney Fells (198-86, college: N.Carolina St., agency: Strategic Sports) chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Four Galil Gilboa players scored in double figures. At the losing side American power forward Rahshon Turner (201-75, college: Fairleigh Dickinson, agency: Hart Sports Mngm) responded with 13 points and 7 rebounds and swingman Gur Porat (197-79) scored 12 points and 4 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Defending champion moved-up to third place, which they share with Bnei Hasharon. Loser Ironi Ashkelon stay at the bottom position with 17 games lost. Galil Gilboa will meet at home league's leader Maccabi T-A in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Ironi Ashkelon will play against Maccabi Haifa (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Galil Gilboa: G.Mekel 15+1reb+4ast, J.McClinton 14+3reb+1ast, C.Fells 11+7reb+1ast, M.Killingsworth 11+4reb+3ast, W.Carter 10+4reb+3ast, D.Yavzuri 9+3ast
Ironi Ashkelon: R.Turner 13+7reb+1ast, G.Porat 12+4reb+4ast, J.Gibson 10+3reb+3ast, D.Farmer 9+1ast, L.Lifshitz 8+1reb+3ast, R.Green 8+4reb+1ast

Hapoel Holon - Maccabi Ashdod 51-91

The game with biggest result difference took place in Holon. Local Hapoel Holon (10-12) was outscored by seventh ranked Maccabi Ashdod (10-12) 91-51 on Sunday night. Maccabi Ashdod moved-up to sixth place, which they share with defeated Hapoel Holon. Maccabi Ashdod will meet at home Elitzur Netanya (#8) in the next round. Hapoel Holon will play against Bnei Hasharon in Hod Hasharon and hope to secure a win.

Elitzur Netanya - Maccabi Haifa 84-80

The game between closely ranked teams ended with eighth ranked Elitzur Netanya's (8-14) home victory over 9th ranked Maccabi Haifa (5-16) 84-80 on Sunday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 23-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Elitzur Netanya outrebounded Maccabi Haifa 38-24 including 25 on the defensive glass. American forward Romeo Travis (201-84, college: Akron) had a double-double by scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Tony Washam (200-82, college: St.Vincent) chipped in 16 points during the contest. Elitzur Netanya's coach Arik Alfasi used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side international center Boris Rothbart (217-86) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds (perfect from the field making all six shots) and American point guard Germaine Jackson (195-76, college: Detroit Mercy, agency: Interperformances) scored 17 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Five Maccabi Haifa players scored in double figures. Elitzur Netanya maintains eighth position with 8-14 record. Loser Maccabi Haifa keeps the ninth place with 16 games lost. Elitzur Netanya will meet higher ranked Maccabi Ashdod (#6) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Maccabi Haifa will play against Ironi Ashkelon and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Elitzur Netanya: R.Travis 27+15reb, T.Washam 16+3reb+3ast, A.Banks 11+2ast, E.Gueta 7+2reb, E.Brown 5+8reb+3ast, J.Smith 5+1ast
Maccabi Haifa: G.Jackson 17+2reb+5ast, B.Rothbart 15+8reb+1ast, S.Landesberg 14+5reb+3ast, E.Kadir 12+3reb+5ast, F.Robinson 10+3reb, T.Wilkerson 7+3reb

Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion add Wayne Wallace - by Eurobasket News
Just days after being released by Maccabi Ashdod Wayne Wallace (206-C/F-80, college: Virginia Union) found the new team. The centre has agreed on terms of contract with Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion. The 30-year-old centre joined Maccabi Ashdod at the start of the season. He tallied 9.4 points, 8.6 boards and 2.0 blocks per game in Premier League. Wayne Wallace arrived to Israel from Ukraine. The centre played for BC Odessa in the previous two seasons. He notched 8.0 points, 7.2 boards and 2.0 blocks in 2008/09 but missed the bigger part of the previous season because of the injury. Previously Wayne Wallace had stints in Belgium, WBA, Montenegro, Israel and Poland. Wayne Wallace is expected to debut for Maccabi Rishon in Round 27. They host Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday.

Caja Laboral beats Maccabi Electra 76-70 in Game One - by Eurobasket News
Caja Laboral - Maccabi Electra 76-70

Caja Laboral is 1-0 up against Maccabi Electra. The Spanish champion celebrated 76-70 victory tonight mostly owing to Stanko Barac (217-C-86), who scored 17 points and pulled down 6 rebounds. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) had 14 points, Fernando San Emeterio (198-G/F-84) 13, while Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) helped with double-double of 12 points and 11 boards. In the loosing squad, Richard Hendrix (203-F/C-86, college: Alabama) shined with 16 points and 16 rebs. Lior Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency: ZAG Advocates) and Chuck Eidson (202-F/G-80, agency: Court Side, college: S.Carolina) netted 12 and 11 points respectively.
Caja Laboral opened the game with 19-11 and later jumped to 26-14 after ten minutes of play. David Logan stayed perfect from downtown with his third three to put Laboral up 15 at the beginning of Q2. Visitors finally replied and closed the gap to 9 pts though the period, but still the home squad won it 20-18 for 46-32 plus at the break. Maccabi shined after the breather and thanks to baskets by Hendrix, Pargo and Eidson, they cut the margin to 8 pts. Eliyahu added another second-chance score to cap a 0-8 start to the second half. Caja Laboral recovered and grabbed back double-digit lead (58-48), but in the finish of Q3 Maccabi made 3-7 run for minus 6 with 10:00 to go. Chuck Eidson penetrated for a layup as Maccabi continued to claw its way back. Logan found Barac inside and after Ribas added a basket, Barac stepped outside and swished a triple, putting Laboral up 68-57. The last chance Maccabi had at 69-64, but Mirza Teletovic and Huertas quickly responded sealing the victory for their team.
Second game will be played on Thursday and Caja Laboral will be the host once again.

Caja Laboral: Stanko Barac 17+6 boards, David Logan 14+5 as, Fernando San Emeterio 13, Mirza Teletovic 12+11 boards
Maccabi Electra: Richard Hendrix 16+16 boards, Lior Eliyahu 12+6 boards, Chuck Eidson 11

Maccabi T-A headed back to the Adriatic league? - by Carmel Drori
According to one of the league owners, Roman Lisac, Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv could be the one to replace Czech team-Nymburk.

It is reported that there are negotiations with the Yellow club and according to the Lisac, we'll have a final answer to that question until the Final-Four which will take place in Ljubljana.
Maccabi already took part in the Adriatic League in 2002,going all the way to the finals only to lose to KK Zadar 91-88. After only playing for one year in the Adriatic league,Maccabi decided not to come back for a second season,leaving her only with the Euroleague and the Israeli League.

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ITALY

Olympiacos celebrates record-setting win against Montepaschi, 89-41 - by Eurobasket News
Olympiakos - Montepaschi 89-41

Olympiacos destroyed Montepaschi Siena tonight. The Reds celebrated huge 89-41 victory for 1-0 lead in the Euroleague Quarterfinals. It was also a record-setting win. The Reds started the game with 19 unanswered points and set records for fewest point allowed in a half (9) and fewest through three quarters (22). Olympiakos also set a record with 55 rebounds and the largest Playoffs margin of victory at 48. Loukas Mavrokefalides (207-C-84) came up with 15 points and 7 rebounds for the hosts, while Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) (MVP) helped with double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Vassilis Spanoulis (193-G-82, agency: Beo Basket) and Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) scored 11 and 10 points in this win. In Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic (210-C-79) had 12 points. Their last played with double-digits in scoring was Malik Hairston (198-G-87, college: Oregon) with 10 pts.
Olympiakos exploded with 15-0 at the beginning later jumped to impressive 24-4 after ten minutes. Nothing has changed after that as Montepaschi was desperate. Visitors scored just five more points until the halftime and faced with unbelievable 47-9 deficit. It was a real nightmare for the Italian powerhouse. Third quarter ended 14-13 for the Reds and they also won the last one 28-19 for the final 89-41 blowout.
Olympiakos will host Montepaschi again on Thursday.

Olympiakos: Loukas Mavrokefalides 15+7 boards, Ioannis Bourousis 14+12 boards, Vassilis Spanoulis 11, Zoran Erceg 10+6 boards
Montepaschi: Ksistof Lavrinovic 12, Malik Hairston 10

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LATVIA

LEBANON

Riyadi surrender against Jalaa in Aleppo - by Eurobasket News
Jalaa - Riyadi 91:77

Jalaa celebrated the first win in the WABA League championship series. They held off Riyadi in Aleppo to take 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Michel Maadanli (195-G-81) came up with 19 points to pace the winners. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday in Aleppo.
Riyadi dominated in the first frame taking the lead. But the hosts answered early in the second quarter unleashing a 7:2 run. Jalaa soon grabbed the lead as they entered the second half up by five points 50:45. The margin just kept on growing in the second half. Jalaa built a 14-point lead 78:64 early in the fourth term and never looked back en route to the victory. Wissam Yakoub (212-C-82) scored 19 points, while Jamaal Miller (187-G-82, agency: Court Side, college: Green River CC) contributed 18 in the winning effort. Nathanel Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) answered with 34 points for Riyadi. Omar El Turk (188-G-81, college: Dawson Coll.) provided 11 points in defeat.

Jalaa: Michel Maadanli 19, Wissam Yakoub 19, Jamaal Miller 18
Riyadi: Nathanel Johnson 34, Omar El Turk 11

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LIBYA

Liby - by John Dubey
After the protest in lybia the league is on hold untill futher notice. Before the protest the league was off to a great start, and was the best its ever been with some high level imports. After the first five months of the league alhy bengozi was number in the league with a 10-1 record with there only lost to al naser. alhy bengozi is lead by head coach emad from egypt who lead alhy bengozi to a chanpionship last season. clubs itthad, alhy tripoli, al naser was off to a great start as well. with great egyption coachs amir braheim, and Sherif azmy.

The lybian league was also futured with some super imports this year.

1. Jimmy Williams (196-G-86, college: Alders.-Broad.) 24 years old. williams has exsperince in.libya,syria,jordan, egypt (arbic club championship), mexico and Togo National where he lead them in the zone 3 qulifiers this summer (12.0ppg 6.3rpg 5.1apg) also lead club itthad libya) IN Scoring . williams is known for his big time scoring in libya and ablity to shoot the three ball. as a 6'5 combo guard his height helps him to score over smaller guards.

2. Cyrille Makanda (195-G-80) 30 years old ( Club Alhy Tripoli libya). this guy is a leader and has alot of exsperince makanda has played in russia, cypris, germany, and camroon national team. this guy can score and is a great passer. great at reading the defence. this guy is a true point guard. great talent. in 2009 african championship he averaged 8.0 ppg and was a big part to the team.

3.Moustapha Niang (206-F-83) 28 years old ( naser) moustapha niang is a postion 3 and 4. he is a great in and out player that can shoot the three, and score from any where on the floor. played great for naser club the first part of the season. moustapha niang has played in europe and also senegal national team.

4.Joseph Mbang (198-F-86, college: Rhode Island) 25 years old he is a high flyer, and great shooter, he is 6'6. very smart player. Joseph Mbang played in angola 2004-2005 season avg 12.7 points per game. angola is the best league in africa.

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LITHUANIA

LKL Round 25: Derby game ends with Lietuvos Rytas' defeat of Perlas - by Eurobasket News
The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute susprises and upsets. The fans could enjoy quite many interesting games in the last round. The round ended with extra overtimes and derby games.

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Vilnius: Lietuvos Rytas (#2) and Perlas (#7). Perlas was crushed at home by 23 points 63-86 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Perlas. The game without a history. Lietuvos Rytas led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. It was a great shooting night for Lietuvos Rytas especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.9 percentage. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian forward Brad Newley (201-85, agency: Beo Basket) who helped to win the game recording 18 points and 5 rebounds. Bosnian forward Kenan Bajramovic (206-81, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 10 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Lietuvos Rytas' coach Aleksandar Trifunovic felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Arvydas Siksnius (196-87, college: Weatherford JC) answered with 17 points for Perlas. Lietuvos Rytas (17-2) have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Defending champion maintains second place having just two points less than leader Zalgiris. Perlas at the other side keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. Lietuvos Rytas are looking forward to face league's leader Zalgiris in Kaunas in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Perlas will play at home against Juventus (#4) in Utena and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
LKL top team - Zalgiris (19-0) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Aiscai Kaunas (6-14) 78-57. Forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (205-89) stepped up and scored 16 points and 4 assists for the winners and Paulius Jankunas chipped in 16 points. At the losing side the former international guard Vytenis Jasikevicius (187-85) responded with 18 points and 6 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the nineteenth consecutive win for Zalgiris. They maintain first place with 19-0 record. Aiscai Kaunas lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the twelfth position with 14 games lost. Zalgiris will play against league's second-placed Lietuvos Rytas in Vilnius in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Aiscai Kaunas will play at home against Neptunas (#8) in Klaipeda and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Ninth-ranked Nevezis (6-12) used its home court advantage to challenge fifth ranked Siauliai (11-7) in Kedainiai on Tuesday. The visitors from Siauliai managed to secure only six-point victory 94-88. However their fans expected much easier game. Mario Delas nailed 29 points for the winning side. Lukas Brazdauskis came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds for Nevezis in the defeat. Siauliai maintains fifth place with 11-7 record. Loser Nevezis keeps the ninth position with 12 games lost. Siauliai will meet at home higher ranked Rudupis (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Nevezis will play against Sakalai (#10) in Vilnius and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Tenth-ranked Naglis-Adakris (6-13) was very close to win a game against fourth ranked Juventus (12-8) in Utena. Juventus managed to secure only two-point victory 64-62. However their fans expected much easier game. Aurimas Kieza fired a double-double by scoring 10 points and 18 rebounds for the winners. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Juventus maintains fourth place with 12-8 record. Naglis-Adakris lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the tenth position with 13 games lost. Juventus' next round opponent will be Perlas (#7) in Vilnius. Naglis-Adakris will play at home against Techasas in Panevezys.
Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Vilnius: Perlas (#7) and Sakalai (#10). Sakalai was crushed at home by 18 points 68-86 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sakalai. It was a very good performance for Vilmantas Dilys who helped to win the game recording 27 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Perlas maintains seventh place with 8-12 record. Loser Sakalai keeps the tenth position with 13 games lost. Perlas will face higher ranked Juventus (#4) in Utena in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Sakalai will play on the road against Nevezis (#9) in Kedainiai and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last game of round 25 bottom-ranked Alytus Alita was smashed by Techasas on the road 86-66.

Zalgiris - Aiscai Kaunas 78-57

LKL top team - Zalgiris (19-0) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed twelfth ranked Aiscai Kaunas (6-14) 78-57. It looked good early as Aiscai Kaunas took an 7-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Zalgiris had a 20-8 second period charge getting the lead and Aiscai Kaunas was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 57-78. Zalgiris dominated down low during the game scoring 48 of its points in the paint compared to Aiscai Kaunas' 24 and made 18-of-20 charity shots (90.0 percent) during the game. Forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (205-89) stepped up and scored 16 points and 4 assists for the winners and the former international forward Paulius Jankunas (205-84, agency: Interperformances) chipped in 16 points. At the losing side the former international guard Vytenis Jasikevicius (187-85) responded with 18 points and 6 rebounds and the former international center Povilas Cukinas (210-83) scored 5 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the nineteenth consecutive win for Zalgiris. They maintain first place with 19-0 record. Aiscai Kaunas lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the twelfth position with 14 games lost. Zalgiris will play against league's second-placed Lietuvos Rytas in Vilnius in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Aiscai Kaunas will play at home against Neptunas (#8) in Klaipeda and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Zalgiris: P.Jankunas 16+2reb+3ast, M.Kuzminskas 16+3reb+4ast, B.Marjanovic 10+8reb+1ast, M.Kalnietis 8+7reb+4ast, T.Klimavicius 7+7reb+1ast, T.Plaisted 7+5reb+1ast
Aiscai Kaunas: V.Jasikevicius 18+6reb+3ast, S.Vasiliauskas 10+4reb, K.Saage 8+1reb+1ast, P.Cukinas 5+7reb+3ast, T.Barstys 5+2reb+1ast, A.Drungilas 4+7reb

Juventus - Naglis-Adakris 64-62

Tenth-ranked Naglis-Adakris (6-13) was very close to win a game against fourth ranked Juventus (12-8) in Utena. Juventus managed to secure only two-point victory 64-62. However their fans expected much easier game. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Naglis-Adakris won fourth quarter 18-13. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The former international forward Aurimas Kieza (202-82, college: Hofstra, agency: Players Group) fired a double-double by scoring 10 points and 18 rebounds for the winners. Guard Marius Pociukonis (189-82) chipped in 13 points. Sudanese forward Deng Gai (206-82, college: Fairfield) produced 15 points and 5 blocks (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and American guard Chris Lowe (183-87, college: Massachusetts) added 14 points and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Juventus maintains fourth place with 12-8 record. Naglis-Adakris lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the tenth position with 13 games lost. Juventus' next round opponent will be Perlas (#7) in Vilnius. Naglis-Adakris will play at home against Techasas in Panevezys.
Top scorers:
Juventus: M.Pociukonis 13+2ast, A.Kieza 10+18reb+2ast, Z.Urbonas 8+1reb, G.Maceina 7+4reb+4ast, A.Vasiliauskas 7+3reb, M.Prekevicius 6+1reb+1ast
Naglis-Adakris: D.Gai 15+4reb, C.Lowe 14+1reb+4ast, V.Uzkuraitis 10+4reb+3ast, V.Petkus 9+4reb+2ast, R.Danys 7+8reb+1ast, G.Inman 6+8reb+1ast

Sakalai - Perlas 68-86

Another exciting game was again a derby between two local teams from Vilnius: Perlas (#7) and Sakalai (#10). Sakalai was crushed at home by 18 points 68-86 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sakalai. The game was mostly controlled by Perlas. Sakalai was better in second period 18-14. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. It was a great shooting night for Perlas especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 58.8 percentage. It was a very good performance for forward Vilmantas Dilys (208-87) who helped to win the game recording 27 points and 8 rebounds. Guard Laurynas Samenas (192-88) contributed with 15 points and 4 assists for the winners. Swingman Virginijus Sirvydis (196-73) answered with 16 points and center Rolandas Matulis (199-73) added 9 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Sakalai. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Perlas maintains seventh place with 8-12 record. Loser Sakalai keeps the tenth position with 13 games lost. Perlas will face higher ranked Juventus (#4) in Utena in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Sakalai will play on the road against Nevezis (#9) in Kedainiai and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Perlas: V.Dilys 27+8reb+3ast, L.Samenas 15+3reb+4ast, A.Siksnius 9+2reb, T.Slezas 8+4reb+1ast, Z.Kelys 8+4ast, G.Staniulis 7+6reb+1ast
Sakalai: V.Sirvydis 16+1reb+1ast, Z.Stankus 12+3reb+1ast, R.Matulis 9+8reb+1ast, P.Augustas 7+1reb+4ast, O.Varanauskas 7+1reb+2ast, A.Gydra 6+1reb

Techasas - Alytus Alita 86-66

No shocking result in a game when sixth ranked Techasas (11-9) crushed bottom-ranked Alytus Alita (2-18) in Panevezys 86-66 on Tuesday. The game was mostly controlled by Techasas. Alytus Alita was better in second period 22-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They outrebounded Alytus Alita 44-29 including a 32-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Techasas looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Quite impressive performance for forward Marius Valukonis (198-88) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Guard Ernestas Ezerskis (192-87) contributed with 21 points and 4 assists for the winners. Four Techasas players scored in double figures. Techasas' coach Gintaras Leonavicius used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Forward Paulius Kleiza (195-88) answered with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and center Saulius Dumbliauskas (203-81, college: St.Bonaventure, agency: Court Side) added 13 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Alytus Alita. Techasas maintains sixth place with 11-9 record. Alytus Alita lost their fourth game in a row. They stay dead last with 18 lost games. Techasas will face Naglis-Adakris (#11) in Palanga in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game.
Top scorers:
Techasas: E.Ezerskis 21+4ast, A.Aleksandrovas 17+4reb+3ast, M.Valukonis 12+11reb+4ast, V.Volkus 10+7reb+2ast, T.Rinkevicius 8+5reb+7ast, D.Silinskis 8+8reb
Alytus Alita: P.Kleiza 16+5reb+4ast, S.Dumbliauskas 13+8reb+1ast, M.Janisius 10+6reb+2ast, M.Silale 9+6reb+1ast, S.Kazevicius 7+1reb+2ast, W.Walker 6+1reb+2ast

Nevezis - Siauliai 88-94 OT

Ninth-ranked Nevezis (6-12) used its home court advantage to challenge fifth ranked Siauliai (11-7) in Kedainiai on Tuesday. The visitors from Siauliai managed to secure only six-point victory 94-88. However their fans expected much easier game. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Nevezis won third quarter 19-13. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening, at least not yet. The game turned upside-down in the last quarter, where Nevezis used huge pressure winning it 26-19 getting a tie at the end of regular time. They lost eventually overtime period 10-16. Siauliai made 17-of-22 free shots (77.3 percent) during the game. Croatian power forward Mario Delas (207-90) nailed 29 points for the winning side and American-Samoan guard Rashaun Broadus (182-84, college: BYU) accounted for 19 points and 5 rebounds. Forward Lukas Brazdauskis (203-88) came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds and naturalized Swiss guard Rolandas Alijevas (192-85) added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists respectively for Nevezis in the defeat. Siauliai maintains fifth place with 11-7 record. Loser Nevezis keeps the ninth position with 12 games lost. Siauliai will meet at home higher ranked Rudupis (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Nevezis will play against Sakalai (#10) in Vilnius and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Siauliai: M.Delas 29+2reb+1ast, R.Broadus 19+5reb+3ast, R.Edvinas 12+6reb, M.Zukauskas 9+4reb+3ast, D.Weaver 8+4reb+2ast, Z.Janavicius 6+1reb+2ast
Nevezis: E.Dimsa 27+4reb, L.Brazdauskis 22+11reb+1ast, R.Alijevas 17+8reb+8ast, P.Belevicius 9+3reb+2ast, T.Rakauskas 4+1reb, L.Mikalauskas 3+7reb

Perlas - Lietuvos Rytas 63-86

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Vilnius: Lietuvos Rytas (#2) and Perlas (#7). Perlas was crushed at home by 23 points 63-86 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Perlas. The game without a history. Lietuvos Rytas led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. It was a great shooting night for Lietuvos Rytas especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.9 percentage. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian forward Brad Newley (201-85, agency: Beo Basket) who helped to win the game recording 18 points and 5 rebounds. Bosnian forward Kenan Bajramovic (206-81, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 10 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Lietuvos Rytas' coach Aleksandar Trifunovic felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Arvydas Siksnius (196-87, college: Weatherford JC) answered with 17 points and guard Laurynas Samenas (192-88) added 12 points in the effort for Perlas. Lietuvos Rytas (17-2) have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Defending champion maintains second place having just two points less than leader Zalgiris. Perlas at the other side keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. Lietuvos Rytas are looking forward to face league's leader Zalgiris in Kaunas in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Perlas will play at home against Juventus (#4) in Utena and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Lietuvos Rytas: B.Newley 18+5reb, K.Bajramovic 10+6reb+2ast, J.Valanciunas 10+6reb+1ast, S.Babrauskas 10+1reb, M.Gecevicius 9+1reb+4ast, S.Buterlevicius 8+2ast
Perlas: A.Siksnius 17+2reb+1ast, L.Samenas 12+4reb+2ast, G.Staniulis 12+4reb, V.Dilys 8+4reb+2ast, E.Bendzius 6+6reb+1ast, T.Slezas 6+1reb+2ast

Stats Leaders - LKL

Points Per Game

Aurimas KIEZA
  Juventus
  (202-F-82)
  Avg: 16.5

1. Kieza, Juventus	16.5
2. Dilys, Naglis-Adakris	16.4
3. Dimsa, Nevezis	16.3
4. Alijevas, Nevezis	15.9
5. Vasylius, Neptunas	15.4
6. Mikalauskas, Naglis.	14.7
7. Juskevicius, Rudupis	14.3
8. Mazeika, Neptunas	14.3
9. Sirvydis, Sakalai	14.1
10. Ruikis, Neptunas	14.1

Rebounds Per Game

Aurimas KIEZA
  Juventus
  (202-F-82)
  Avg: 11.2

1. Kieza, Juventus	11.2
2. Janisius, Alytus A.	9.9
3. Sarakauskas, Siauliai	9.2
4. Valanciunas, Lietuv.	8.4
5. Dimsa, Nevezis	7.3
6. Matulis, Sakalai	7.0
7. Vasylius, Neptunas	7.0
8. Jankunas, Zalgiris	6.8
9. Mikalauskas, Naglis.	6.7
10. Valukonis, Techasas	6.6

Assists Per Game

Rolandas ALIJEVAS
  Nevezis
  (192-G-85)
  Avg: 6.2

1. Alijevas, Nevezis	6.2
2. Rinkevicius, Techasas	5.6
3. Juskevicius, Rudupis	5.3
4. Broadus, Siauliai	5.0
5. Collins, Zalgiris	4.5
6. El-Amin, Lietuvos.	4.4
7. Janavicius, Siauliai	4.2
8. Lowe, Naglis-Adakris	4.1
9. Kalnietis, Zalgiris	4.1
10. Viskontas, Perlas	4.1

Steals Per Game

Tomas RINKEVICIUS
  Techasas
  (178-G-78)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Rinkevicius, Techasas	2.1
2. Vasylius, Neptunas	2.0
3. Juskevicius, Rudupis	1.9
4. Razutis, Naglis-A.	1.9
5. Valukonis, Techasas	1.8
6. Jasikevicius, Aiscai K.	1.7
7. Ruikis, Neptunas	1.7
8. Alijevas, Nevezis	1.7
9. Lowe, Naglis-Adakris	1.7
10. Vene, Aiscai Kaunas	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Mirza BEGIC
  Real Madrid
  (216-C-85)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Begic, Zalgiris	2.4
2. Valanciunas, Lietuv.	2.1
3. Silinskis, Techasas	1.9
4. Cresnar, Nevezis	1.5
5. Volkus, Techasas	1.1
6. Klimavicius, Zalgiris	1.0
7. Zelionis, Rudupis	0.9
8. Cepukaitis, Juven.	0.9
9. Jankauskas, Rudupis	0.9
10. Kieza, Juventus	0.8

Standings - LKL

LKL Standings

1. Zalgiris		19-0
2. Lietuvos Rytas		17-2
3. Rudupis		13-5
4. Juventus		12-8
5. Siauliai		11-7
6. Techasas		11-9
7. Perlas		8-12
8. Neptunas		7-11
9. Nevezis		6-12
10. Sakalai		6-13
11. Naglis-Adakris		6-13
12. Aiscai Kaunas		6-14
13. Alytus Alita		2-18

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MALTA

Standings

Powerade League Standings

1. Athleta		7-0
2. Siggiewi		4-3
3. Bupa		3-4
4. Depiro		2-4
5. Loyola		1-6

Siggiewi do the double on Depiro to reach KO semis - by Eurobasket News
Depiro Mtarfa 62
Siggiewi Derby 80
(18-25, 15-16, 14-15, 15-24)

Pivot Marco Matijevic was a dominant figure underneath the boards as Siggiewi defeated Depiro for the second time in the space of four days to seal their passage to the semi-finals of the BOV Knock-Out competition.

In the first mens league match after the enforced four-week break, played last Thursday, Siggiewi overcame Depiro 75-69.

While Depiro were at full strength for the knock-out tie, Siggiewi coach Peter Farrugia only had seven players available as forward Adrian Micallef and pivot Jide Jetsen were sidelined with injuries.

Siggiewi enjoyed the better start to open a three-point lead, only for Depiro to fight back and go 10-7 in front thanks to Isaac Tanti (180-F-90)s baskets by the fifth minute.

As Depiro failed to maintain their momentum, Siggiewi recovered to end the quarter 25-18 ahead.

Depiro were the better side at the start of the second session to forge 26-25 ahead by the third minute. A 9-0 run turned the tide in Siggiewis favour, 34-26. They went on to change ends 41-33 ahead.

The third quarter was a balanced affair with Siggiewi keeping their lead, 56-47, before the final 10 minutes got underway.

Peter Shoultss assists and more points from playmaker Alan Borg (196-G/F-80) kept Siggiewi in control as they eased into the semi-finals.

Depiro: R. Vella 8, J.P. Schembri 7, D. Bugeja 7, A. Aquilina 7, J. Gatt, J. Camilleri, E. Lupo 12, M. Mallia, Isaac Tanti 21.

Siggiewi: P. Shoults 7, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb 9, Alan Borg 18, L. Ross 10, K. Borg, M. Matijevic 36.

Referees: G. Barbara, E. Mangani, C. Terribile.
Courtesy of: http://www.timesofmalta.com

Siggiewi stay on winning track - by Eurobasket News
Siggiewi strengthened their grip on second place in the mens league with a handsome win over Loyola.
Siggiewi Derby 81
Loyola Tata Motors 45
(20-14, 22-9, 27-6, 12-16)

Siggiewi Derby consolidated their second place in the mens league after beating Loyola Tata Motors handsomely. This was the champions last match of the second round which will be com-pleted with the Luxol-Loyola fixture, still to be scheduled.

Much more was expected from Loyola but, it seems, the long break to solve a dispute that brought the league to a halt for almost a month, left a negative effect on the team.

For Siggiewi, however, this was their third successive victory after the forced break was over.

The opening quarter was a ding-dong affair with Loyola taking an early lead but Siggiewi hit back strongly with Marko Matijevic (200-F-78) and Peter Shoults (168-G-85) leading their charge.

The champions showed the better ideas in the final minutes of the quarter to take a 20-14 lead.

Peter Farrugias team held the initiative as the second session got underway to extend their advantage to 31-17, going on to change ends 42-23 ahead.

Loyolas chances practically perished in the opening minutes after the interval when Siggiewi potted 14 points in quick succession.

Coach Farrugia now opted to field his fringe players but Loyola still could not profit from the situation as Peter Shoults continued to score useful points along with team-mates Lee Ross and Marko Matijevic. All three finished with double-figure scores.

Siggiewi: Peter Shoults 18, J. Doughty, E. Xuereb 13, K. Borg 4, A. Borg 4, L. Ross 19, J. Jetsen 1, Marko Matijevic 22.

Loyola: S. Pace 3, B. Zammit 16, D. Camilleri 8, J.P. Borg, M. Cilia 1, S. Vella (85), A. Axiaq 13, J. Mihailovic 2, J. Anastasi 2, J. Ransley, A. Tabone.

Refs: G. Barbara, E. Mangani, A. Carbonaro.

Standings: Athleta 16 (8-0), Sig-giewi 13 (5-3), Luxol (3-4) 10, Depiro 10 (2-6), Loyola 8 (1-6).

Top scorers: M. Naudi (Athleta) 162, Roderick Vella (Depiro) 142, P. Apcev (Luxol) 139.
Courtesy of: http://www.timesofmalta.com

*****************************************************

MOLDOVA

Standings

D1 Standings

1. UASM		13-1
2. ASEM		12-2
3. Fire Ball		11-3
4. Gamma		9-5
5. Donduseni		6-9
6. Ribnita		6-9
7. UTM		4-11
8. Patriot		2-12
9. Soroca		2-12

*****************************************************

MONTENEGRO

Standings - 1B

1B Stage Two Standings

1. Sutjeska		12-2
2. KK Podgorica		11-3
3. Un.Mediteran		9-5
4. Ibar Rozaje		6-8
5. Centar BP		5-9
6. Rudar		5-9
7. Buducnost II		4-10
8. S.Centar		4-10

regular season Standings

*****************************************************

MOROCCO

Standings - Men

D1 Standings

1. ASS Sale		14-1
2. WAC Casabl.		10-5
3. RCA Casabl.		9-5
4. CRA Hoceima		9-6
5. RSB Berkane		8-6
6. FUS Rabat		7-8
7. PCS Plazza C.		6-9
8. MAF Fez		6-9
9. IRT Tanger		4-11
10. ASE Essaou.		1-14

D1 Round 15: Derby game ends with RCA Casabl.'s defeat of WAC Casabl. - by Eurobasket News
The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Casablanca: RCA Casabl. (#3) and WAC Casabl. (#2). WAC Casabl. was defeated at home 76-80 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. RCA Casabl. have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain third place with 9-5 record having six points less than leader ASS Sale. WAC Casabl. at the other side keeps the second position with five games lost. RCA Casabl. are looking forward to face CRA Hoceima (#5) in Al Hoceima in the next round. WAC Casabl. will play on the road against ASE Essaou. in Essaouira and is hoping to win this game.
D1 top team - ASS Sale (14-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed ninth ranked IRT Tanger (4-11) 94-55. ASS Sale have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. IRT Tanger at the other side keeps the ninth position with 11 games lost. ASS Sale will play against RSB Berkane (#4) on the road in the next round. IRT Tanger will play against PCS Plazza C. (#6) in Casablanca and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game in Fes was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked RSB Berkane (8-6) played at the court of 7th ranked MAF Fez (6-9). RSB Berkane managed to secure a 6-point victory 84-78 on Saturday. RSB Berkane maintains fourth place with 8-6 record. Loser MAF Fez dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. They share it with PCS Plazza C.. RSB Berkane will meet at home league's leader ASS Sale in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. MAF Fez will play against FUS Rabat (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last two games of round 15 FUS Rabat was beaten by CRA Hoceima on the road 64-56. PCS Plazza C. destroyed ASE Essaou. on its own court 65-45.

MAF Fez - RSB Berkane 78-84

The game in Fes was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked RSB Berkane (8-6) played at the court of 7th ranked MAF Fez (6-9). RSB Berkane managed to secure a 6-point victory 84-78 on Saturday. RSB Berkane maintains fourth place with 8-6 record. Loser MAF Fez dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. They share it with PCS Plazza C.. RSB Berkane will meet at home league's leader ASS Sale in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. MAF Fez will play against FUS Rabat (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

CRA Hoceima - FUS Rabat 64-56

The game between closely ranked teams ended with fifth ranked CRA Hoceima's (9-6) home victory over 6th ranked FUS Rabat (7-8) in Al Hoceima 64-56 on Saturday. CRA Hoceima maintains fifth place with 9-6 record. FUS Rabat lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the seventh position with eight games lost. CRA Hoceima will meet higher ranked RCA Casabl. (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. FUS Rabat will play against MAF Fez (#8) in Fes and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

WAC Casabl. - RCA Casabl. 76-80

The most exciting game was a derby match between two local teams from Casablanca: RCA Casabl. (#3) and WAC Casabl. (#2). WAC Casabl. was defeated at home 76-80 and even the advantage of their own court did not help. RCA Casabl. have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain third place with 9-5 record having six points less than leader ASS Sale. WAC Casabl. at the other side keeps the second position with five games lost. RCA Casabl. are looking forward to face CRA Hoceima (#5) in Al Hoceima in the next round. WAC Casabl. will play on the road against ASE Essaou. in Essaouira and is hoping to win this game.

ASS Sale - IRT Tanger 94-55

D1 top team - ASS Sale (14-1) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed ninth ranked IRT Tanger (4-11) 94-55. ASS Sale have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 14-1 record. IRT Tanger at the other side keeps the ninth position with 11 games lost. ASS Sale will play against RSB Berkane (#4) on the road in the next round. IRT Tanger will play against PCS Plazza C. (#6) in Casablanca and hopes to get back on the winning track.

PCS Plazza C. - ASE Essaou. 65-45

Rather expected game when 10th ranked ASE Essaou. (1-14) was smashed by eighth ranked PCS Plazza C. (6-9) in Casablanca 65-45 on Saturday. PCS Plazza C. moved-up to sixth place, which they share with MAF Fez. ASE Essaou. lost their eighth game in a row. They stay at the bottom position with 14 games lost. PCS Plazza C. will meet IRT Tanger (#9) on the road in the next round. ASE Essaou. will play against the league's second-placed WAC Casabl. in Casablanca.

*****************************************************

NAIA

No. 5 Martin Methodist College RedHawks Upended in Fab Four by Unseeded Pikeville, 110-99 - by Stephan Ditgens
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (3/21) After a record-breaking season for RedHawk mens basketball, the road has ended for MMC in the Fab Four at this years Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Mens Basketball National Championship. Unseeded Pikeville College defeated MMC, 110-99, on Monday night in Kansas City, as the RedHawks closed their season in the programs furthest NAIA Championship run.

Ree McCrory (Junior/Columbus, Ga.) poured in 27 points and added seven rebounds to pace Martin Methodist, which ended the year with a school-record 34 victories and closed at 34-3 overall. Forward Chris Leggett (Senior/Meridian, Miss.) chipped in with 22 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard James Justice (Junior/Memphis, Tenn.) contributed 17 points and a team-leading seven assists for the RedHawks. Martin Methodist was making its first-ever appearance in the NAIA Fab Four.

MMC came charging out of the gate in the first half, as McCrory, Justice, and Leggett combined for 34 of MMCs 51 points in the first frame. The RedHawks used a burst of eight consecutive points to build an 18-13 lead just six minutes into the contest., and then surged ahead, taking a solid lead as the half wound down. Leading by 10 on three occasions, MMC took a 51-43 lead to the locker room on a Justice long shot at the buzzer.

MMCs scoring continued at the open of the second half, as Pikeville faced its largest deficit of the contest at 76-61 after Martin Methodist guard McCrory drilled a three-pointer with 14:27 to play. The Bears started to chip away at the deficit, and pulled within 78-72 on a basket by Hicks at the 11:26 mark. However, the RedHawks quickly regained control and pushed their lead back to 87-77 before Pikeville went on its decisive run.

A three-pointer from Setty started the spurt for the Bears before Hankins-Cole took over. He scored 10 of the points for Pikeville during the stretch, including the last six that gave the Bears the lead for good, 95-87, with exactly five minutes remaining. The Bears held the RedHawks without a point for more than four minutes during the run. Pikeville slowly stretched its margin, leading by as many as 15 points in the final minute of play.

The 209 combined points marks the highest-scoring game in this year's NAIA Division I Tournament. Pikeville and Martin Methodist also teamed to make 24 three-point field goals, including 13 by Pikeville. The loss marked the second time that Pikeville has defeated the RedHawks in National Championship play (L, 82-72, 2001).

MMC rounds out their phenomenal run, best in school history, saying goodbye to seniors Leggett, Chris Goodwin (Hendersonville, Tenn.), Tripp Howell (Dalton, Ga.), Nello Giordano (Brisbane, Australia), and manager Sean Turner.

source: goredhawks.com

*****************************************************

NBA

Jason Kidd could retire if NBA enters lockout - by Eurobasket News
If the NBA enters a lockout and the 2011-12 season is canceled, Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) said he'll likely retire. With just a month left before the playoffs start, Kidd doesn't know if his playing days will be over by the end of June.

Kidd turns 38 on Wednesday, and has said that he'd like to play until he's 40.

This could be it because it would be hard to come back after a lockout, Kidd told Yahoo! Sports. I would probably move on and join the next chapter of what I would be doing in life. But I hope that isnt the case where it just ended without having one more season.

Kidd admits he could be facing a dilemma. His strong relationship with famed hotel and casino financier Steve Wynn also could lead to a new career opportunity.

Courtesy of http://basketball.realgm.com

Monday's games review - by Eurobasket News
Cleveland C. - Orlando M. 86-97
Dwight Howard (6'10''-C/F-85) led the way with 28 points and 18 rebounds, as the Orlando Magic earned an 97-86 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loan Arena. Brandon Bass (6'8''-F-85, college: LSU) went for 22 points and six boards, while Ryan Anderson chipped in with 12 points off the bench for Orlando, which edged Denver 85-82 on Friday when Jameer Nelson hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Magic have now won three straight and four of their last five. Orlando also completed a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the season series. Jason Richardson finished with 11 points and Nelson ended with eight points, eight assists and six rebounds for the victors. J.J. Hickson had a team-best 18 points and Daniel Gibson totaled 16 points and six assists in a reserve role for the Cavaliers, who have lost three in a row and seven of eight. *Courtesy of www.wkyc.com

New Jersey N. - Indiana P. 98-102
Roy Hibbert (7'2''-C-86, college: Georgetown) scored 24 points and Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) had 17 of his 20 in the second half as the Indiana Pacers opened a two-game lead in the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 102-98 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Monday. Darren Collison added 15 points - nine in the final 2:24 - and 12 assists for the Pacers (31-40). Charlotte (28-41) and Milwaukee (28-41) are tied for ninth, with the Bobcats playing host to Indiana on Wednesday. Brook Lopez had 20 points to lead the Nets, who saw Sundiata Gaines and Sasha Vujacic miss tying 3-point attempts in the final 15 seconds. Gaines finished with a career-high 18 points, while Vujacic and Jordan Farmar had 14 apiece for New Jersey, which lost its fourth in the row. *Courtesy of www.startribune.com

New York K. - Boston C. 86-96
Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76, agency: Pro Management Agency) had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86, college: Kentucky) added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics scored the final 10 points for a spirited 96-86 victory over the New York Knicks last night. With blood flowing and bodies flying, the Celtics showed the Knicks they will be tough to beat next month if this was in fact a preview of a first-round playoff series. Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Ray Allen had 15 for Boston despite a poor shooting night and a nasty cut on his head that briefly forced him from the game. Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points for the Knicks, but neither he nor Amare Stoudemire had a field goal in the fourth quarter. Chauncey Billups had 21 and Stoudemire finished with 16. *Courtesy of www.metrowestdailynews.com

Chicago B. - Sacramento K. 132-92
The Chicago Bulls are enjoying their best season in more than a decade, and they're trying not to get too fixated on where all this success might lead. Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88, college: Memphis) and Kyle Korver (6'7''-F-81, college: Creighton) scored 18 points apiece as the Bulls blasted the Sacramento Kings 132-92 on Monday night for their ninth win in 10 games. 'It's fun,' Rose said. 'I can't complain about anything right now. We're winning games, playing good basketball and the city is going crazy.' The win gave the Bulls (50-19) their first 50-win season since 1997-98 and allowed Chicago to remain tied with Boston atop the Eastern Conference. The Celtics beat the New York Knicks on Monday. *Courtesy of www.kolotv.com

Memphis G. - Utah Jazz 103-85
Zach Randolph (6'9''-C-81, college: Michigan St.) scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies maintained their hold on the final Western Conference playoff spot with a 103-85 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Seven Memphis players finished in double figures as the Grizzlies won for the third time in four games. Darrell Arthur (6'9''-F-88, college: Kansas) scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Tony Allen had 12 points. Paul Millsap led Utah with 15 points, while Al Jefferson scored 12. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

San Antonio S. - Golde State W. 111-96
Manu Ginobili (6'6''-G-77, agency: Interperformances) scored 28 points Monday night and the San Antonio Spurs easily defeated the Golden State Warriors, 111-96, at San Antonio despite losing Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) because of a sprained left ankle. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan would be out 'a while' but didn't have a timetable. Forward Antonio McDyess said he spoke with Duncan after the game and thought the 34-year-old All-Star would miss at least a couple of weeks. The injury looked potentially serious as Duncan lay on his side, clutching his foot with both hands, for more than a minute. He limped off with the help of trainers. *Courtesy of www.latimes.com

Denver N. - Toronto R. 123-90
Ty Lawson (5'11''-G-87, college: N.Carolina) scored 23 points and Denver's smothering defense forced 23 turnovers, helping the Nuggets snap a two-game skid with a 123-90 rout of the Toronto Raptors on Monday night. The Nuggets raced out to a 29-point lead in the second quarter and never looked back, beating the Raptors for the seventh straight time at home. Denver was without guards Raymond Felton (left ankle) and Arron Afflalo (left hamstring), but hardly missed a beat. The Nuggets had seven players score in double figures as they improved to 10-4 since the blockbuster deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks last month. Andrea Bargnani (6'10''-F/C-85) had 20 points for the Raptors, who snapped a franchise-record 14-game road losing streak the night before in Oklahoma City. *Courtesy of www.sfgate.com

NBA union chief resisting hard cap, disputes claims of losses - by Eurobasket News
The head of the NBA's players' association says the union is opposed to a hard salary cap and believes only a few teams are losing money.

Executive director Billy Hunter told ESPN.com's Henry Abbott in an interview last week that the players disagree with the league's claim that half its clubs are in the red. 'Our belief is that a small number of teams are suffering, and their problems can be addressed through revenue sharing,' Hunter said.

Hunter also said that opposing a hard cap is very important to the union. He told Abbott that a hard cap would effectively eliminate guaranteed contracts. 'We've had that right for years, and it's not something we're trying to give up,' Hunter said, adding: 'If you get a hard cap, owners get a guaranteed profit. And you get franchise values that go through the roof. That's what you get.'

And, Hunter said, it's franchise values that are driving owners to support a possible lockout of the players once the league's collective bargaining agreement expires July 1. 'They want to make more money. The whole idea is to increase the value of the franchises,' Hunter said.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank told ESPN.com that the league has demonstrated why the current economic system needs to change.

'The NBA has shared with the players' union audited financial reports for all 30 teams which unequivocally demonstrate why Mr. Hunter favors the expiring agreement and why it does not work for us,' Frank said.

Courtesy of http://aol.sportingnews.com

Dirk Nowitzki ponders Olympic scenario - by Eurobasket News
If labor strife produces an expected lockout and possibly eats into next season, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) reiterated Sunday night his desire to return to the German national team as it attempts to qualify this summer for the 2012 Olympics in London.

The last time the NBA had a lockout that resulted in a shortened season, Nowitzki was a rookie during that 1998-99 campaign. He was drafted in June but remained in Germany to play with his pro team.

Nowitzki said Sunday, though, that there is one scenario that could keep him from joining his countrymen -- lockout or no.

'That all depends on how this season plays out,'' Nowitzki said. 'If we have a long run to June, I might not. Everything's kind of up in the air with the lockout.'' Nowitzki led the German team to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing and was his country's flag bearer during opening ceremonies. It is a moment that Nowitzki has said he will never forget. Earlier this season, Nowitzki said the current German team is filled with young players whom he would like to help realize their Olympic dreams.

Nowitzki will turn 33 in June and he has said that 2012 would probably be his last shot at playing in the Olympics.

'If we're locked out, I might play this summer,'' he said. 'We have a qualification coming up for the Olympics again. The Olympics for me in Beijing were so much fun. They were a blast. I'd love to go to London, but we have to qualify for it first. We have that this summer; if we're locked out and I know it's going to be a little longer and I don't have anything going anyway, I might as well stay in shape and play.'

And how does Nowitzki see things shaping up on the labor front?

'Hopefully, we can find a way to kind of resolve this a little earlier and not have a shortened season, and still, hopefully, find a good way for the owners and for the players so we can still have an 82-game season,' Nowitzki said. 'It doesn't look good right now, but things can change in a meeting or two meetings, and within a day or two things can change. We'll just have to see what happens this summer.'

Courtesy of ESPN

Duncan sprains left ankle in Spurs' victory over Warriors - by Eurobasket News
San Antonio forward Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) left Monday's 111-96 victory over Golden State early in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle.

The star forward came down awkwardly after draining a short jumper just over four minutes into the game. He was helped into the locker room and x-rays were negative. The Spurs perservered to win their third straight game, while Duncan scored four points in limited action.

The Wake Forest product has started all but one game this season, and that was on Saturday against Charlotte.

Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Trail Blazers release Jarron Collins - by Eurobasket News
The Trail Blazers released Jarron Collins (6'10''-F-78, college: Stanford) after their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night, electing not to sign the veteran center for the rest of the season.

Collins was playing for the Blazers on a second 10-day contract - the maximum allowed under NBA rules - and the team would have had to sign him for the rest of the season to keep him. General manager Rich Cho elected not to do that and Collins said his good byes to Blazers players as he departed the visiting locker room at the Staples Center.

The Blazers first signed Collins on March 1, when two roster spots opened up following the acquisition of Gerald Wallace at the NBA trading deadline. Collins' second 10-day contract expired Sunday.

Collins played in five games during his brief stint with the Blazers, averaging 0.4 points and 1.4 rebounds. His need became less of a necessity when the Blazers signed Chris Johnson for the rest of the season on March 14.

The Blazers' roster now stands at 14 players.

Courtesy of www.oregonlive.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph getting closer to contract - by Eurobasket News
Zach Randolph (6'9''-C-81, college: Michigan St.) has been a pillar in the post for the Grizzlies over the past two seasons.

Now, the gutsy power forward seems closer to cementing his place in Memphis for several years to come.

The Griz initiated and held serious contract negotiations with Randolph over the past week, and both sides continue to discuss the framework of a four-year deal that could be finalized soon.

Randolph's agent, Raymond Brothers, and Griz general manager Chris Wallace confirmed that they have been involved in constructive talks after months of inactivity.

'I think they're serious,' Brothers said of the Grizzlies' intent to sign Randolph. 'I'm optimistic we'll get something done.'

Memphis, which hosts Utah tonight, is holding on to a playoff seed this late in the season for the first time since 2006 in large part due to Randolph's strong and consistent play. This is also the first time since the regular season began that the Griz and Randolph's camp have held concrete discussions about a contract extension.

The Griz presented an offer that Brothers deemed a good starting point but the financial package is not known.

Randolph, 29, is earning $17.3 million this season in what is the final year of a six-year deal he originally signed with Portland. It is believed that Randolph has relaxed his initial demand for an extension similar to the three-year, $65 million deal Pau Gasol signed with the Los Angeles Lakers last summer.

Randolph, who leads the Grizzlies with 20.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season if no deal is reached. That means Randolph would be free to sign with any team and the Griz could lose him without compensation.

'They know our sincerity to get something done with Zach,' Wallace said. 'They know how much we value him. We've had good and numerous discussions. There's never been a stalemate. (Negotiations) just moved at it's own pace. I'm very confident we'll get something done.'

Randolph's worth to the Grizzlies has been indisputable since he joined the franchise before the 2009-10 season.

He is enjoying a fifth consecutive season averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. The only NBA player with a longer active streak is Orlando's Dwight Howard with seven seasons.

Randolph has 300 double-doubles for his 10-year career, and his 48 double-doubles this season rank fourth in the NBA.

Since acquiring Randolph, the Griz have been the only NBA team to average at least 50 points in the paint over the last two seasons. No other squad is within four points of that mark. Memphis leads the NBA in points in the paint for a second consecutive season, tossing in 50.5 points inside after scoring 51.4 points in the paint last season.

Randolph earned his first career All-Star appearance last season and he has five 20-point, 20-rebound games this season. That's one more than his 20-20 game output through the first nine seasons (587 games) of his career.

Randolph was also honored as the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Month for January, his first career monthly honor and the first in franchise history. Randolph averaged 22.4 points and 14.2 rebounds, and he led the league in double-doubles (15) and offensive rebounding (5.2) during the month.

'Individual awards are great, but my focus is on leading this team to the playoffs,' Randolph said at the time. 'I'm glad we're having success as a team, and hopefully we keep our momentum going.'

Courtesy of www.commercialappeal.com

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Kevin DURANT
  Oklah.City T.
  (206-G/F-88)
  Avg: 27.9

1. Durant, Oklah.Ci.	27.9
2. James, Miami Heat	26.4
3. Stoudemire, New Y.	25.9
4. Wade, Miami Heat	25.4
5. Anthony, Denver N.	25.2
6. Rose, Chicago B.	24.8
7. Bryant, LA Lakers	24.7
8. Ellis, Golde S.	24.2
9. Gordon, LA Clippers	23.5
10. Nowitzki, Dallas M.	23.3

Rebounds Per Game

Kevin LOVE
  Minnesota T.
  (208-C-88)
  Avg: 15.4

1. Love, Minnesota T.	15.4
2. Howard, Orlando M.	14.3
3. Randolph, Memph.	12.6
4. Griffin, LA Clipp.	12.0
5. Bogut, Milwauke.	11.3
6. Noah, Chicago B.	11.3
7. Camby, Portland TB	10.6
8. Gasol, LA Lakers	10.2
9. Humphries, New J.	10.2
10. Okafor, N.Orlean.	9.7

Assists Per Game

Rajon RONDO
  Boston C.
  (186-G-86)
  Avg: 11.5

1. Rondo, Boston C.	11.5
2. Nash, Phoenix Suns	11.3
3. Paul, N.Orleans H.	9.8
4. Williams, Utah Jazz	9.7
5. Calderon, Toron.	9.0
6. Felton, New Y.	9.0
7. Wall, Washington W.	8.7
8. Kidd, Dallas M.	8.4
9. Westbrook, Oklah..	8.4
10. Rose, Chicago B.	7.8

Steals Per Game

Chris PAUL
  N.Orleans H.
  (183-G-85)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Paul, N.Orleans H.	2.4
2. Rondo, Boston C.	2.2
3. Ellis, Golde S.	2.2
4. Westbrook, Oklah..	1.8
5. Conley, Memphis G.	1.8
6. Felton, New Y.	1.8
7. Allen, Memphis G.	1.8
8. Evans, Sacramen.	1.7
9. Gay, Memphis G.	1.7
10. Wall, Washington W.	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Andrew BOGUT
  Milwaukee B.
  (212-F/C-84)
  Avg: 2.7

1. Bogut, Milwauke.	2.7
2. Howard, Orlando M.	2.4
3. McGee, Washingt.	2.4
4. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.	2.3
5. Milicic, Minnesota T.	2.2
6. Jefferson, Utah J.	2.0
7. Duncan, San A.	1.9
8. Bynum, LA Lakers	1.9
9. Stoudemire, New Y.	1.9
10. Okafor, N.Orlean.	1.9

Standings

NBA Standings

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Div.
1. Boston C.		50-19
2. Philadelph.76		36-34
3. New York K.		35-35
4. New Jersey N.		22-47
5. Toronto R.		20-50
Central Div.
1. Chicago B.		50-19
2. Indiana P.		31-40
3. Milwaukee B.		28-41
4. Detroit P.		25-45
5. Cleveland C.		13-56
Southeast Div.
1. Miami Heat		48-22
2. Orlando M.		45-26
3. Atlanta H.		40-30
4. Charlotte B.		28-41
5. Washington W.		17-51
Western Conference
Northwest Div.
1. Oklah.City T.		45-24
2. Denver N.		42-29
3. Portland TB		40-30
4. Utah Jazz		36-35
5. Minnesota T.		17-54
Pacific Div.
1. LA Lakers		50-20
2. Phoenix Suns		35-33
3. Golde State W.		30-41
4. LA Clippers		27-44
5. Sacramento K.		17-52
Southwest Div.
1. San Antonio S.		57-13
2. Dallas M.		49-21
3. N.Orleans H.		40-31
4. Memphis G.		39-32
5. Houston R.		37-34

James, Lowry named NBA Players of the Week - by Eurobasket News
Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) and Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry (6'0''-G-86, college: Villanova) have been named the Eastern and Western Conference players of the week, respectively, for games played through March 20.

James, who claimed his fifth weekly honor this season, averaged an NBA-best 29.0 points to go with 5.5 boards and 4.0 assists in leading his squad to a 3-1 record. His best game came in Friday's 106-85 win at Atlanta when he led all scorers with 43 points -- 23 in the third period.

Lowry guided Houston to a perfect 4-0 mark during the week by registering per- game averages of 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds. He has now posted double-digit scoring numbers in a career-best 12 straight contests.

Lowry notched his first-ever triple-double in Sunday's 110-108 decision over Utah, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists

Other nominees were Miami's Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Orlando's Dwight Howard and Sacramento's Samuel Dalembert.

Courtesy of www.foxsports.ca

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NCAA1

Alabama, Miami, Washington State advance into NIT quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Tony Mitchell (6'6''-F) scored 23 points and Trevor Releford (6'1''-G) matched his career-high with 20 to lead Alabama to a 74-67 win over New Mexico Monday night in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (23-11), mostly known for its defense, made 15 of 20 shots in the second half to roll into the quarterfinals. Alabama will host Miami on Wednesday night, aiming for its sixth trip to the NIT final four at Madison Square Garden.

Kendall Williams led New Mexico (22-13) with 18 points, including a couple of 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds to cut it to a six-point deficit.

Then Charvez Davis hit one of two free throws with 24 seconds left to make it a three-possession game and the Lobos missed their 3-point attempt, anyway.

Davis finished with 14 points and hit half of Alabama's six 3-pointers.

Miami 81, Missouri State 72
Durand Scott (6'3''-G) scored 20 points and Adrian Thomas (6'7''-F) added 16 in the second half to help Miami rally into the NIT quarterfinals.

Second-seeded Miami (21-14) will play the winner of the Alabama-New Mexico with a trip to New York for the NIT semifinals on the line.

Missouri State (26-9) was led by Adam Leonard with 26 points and Kyle Weems, who scored 18 points. Leonard made 9 of 11 shots, including 7 of 8 on three-pointers.

Missouri State led by as many as nine points in the first half before Malcolm Grant's buzzer-beating 3 made the score 32-26 at the break.

Washington State 74, Oklahoma State 64
Klay Thompson (6'6''-G-90) scored 21 points to lead No. 2 seed Washington State past No. 3 seed Oklahoma State in the NIT second round.

The Cougars advanced to play fourth-seeded Northwestern in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Matthew Pilgrim (6'8''-F-87) led Oklahoma State with 17 points and 11 rebounds in his final college game.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

IUPUI's Ron Hunter takes over at Georgia St. - by Eurobasket News
Ron Hunter left IUPUI after 17 seasons to take over at Georgia State, a men's basketball program that has struggled through most of its existence.

The Panthers introduced Hunter at a campus news conference just hours after the Indianapolis school announced he was leaving. He replaces Rod Barnes, who was fired just before the Colonial Athletic Association tournament after going 44-79 in four seasons, including 24-48 in league games.

Hunter was hired by IUPUI in 1994 and is the only coach in its Division I era of men's basketball. He leaves with a 254-219 mark and school records for wins, winning percentage (.537) and games coached.

Hunter gained national attention for coaching barefoot during games to raise awareness of children who do not have shoes. With Samaritan's Feet, Hunter has helped raise more than 250,000 pairs of shoes and made deliveries to Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa.

'Ron Hunter is a proven coach and recruiter who knows what it takes to build a winning program,' Georgia State athletic director Cheryl Levick said. 'He brings a tremendous amount of energy and passion, and his teams play an aggressive, up-tempo style that is both entertaining and effective. And his efforts off the court and in the community are truly remarkable.'

The 46-year-old Hunter guided IUPUI through its transition from the NAIA and NCAA Division II level to a member of the Summit League. The Jaguars reached the NCAA tournament in 2003 and have won at least 25 games in two of the last four seasons.

They also had a brush with the NCAA, vacating wins from the 2003-04 season and losing one scholarship for wrongly certifying players as eligible. The governing body blamed the issue on an administrative mistake, not the coaching staff.

This season, IUPUI went 19-14 overall and 12-6 in the conference.

Hunter is taking on a major rebuilding job at Georgia State, a program that struggles to get noticed on its own campus. Other than a brief flurry of success and notoriety under Lefty Driesell, the Panthers have produced only a handful of winning seasons.

This season, they averaged less than 1,000 fans per home game.

Courtesy of www.mysanantonio.com

Melo And Syracuse Go Down - by Rafael Uehara
Once seen as the best team in the country, the Syracuse Orange were upset by the Marquette Golden Eagles this Sunday, March the 20th, and eliminated from the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Brazilian Fabricio de Melo (212-C-90) came off the bench and logged only five minutes of playing time, grabbing a board, turning the ball once and committing three personal fouls during the span.
It wasnt a great first year by Melo in New York. Besides a couple of good games against DePaul (10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes) and Saint Johns (12 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes) in Big East tournament, Melo was a huge disappointment in terms of production.
He never got the touches to display his skill on offense, playing alongside the senior Ricky Jackson, and was never a fit for head-coach Jim Boeheims legendary zone, always a step too slow on the rotations.
Now the 70 out of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais has a decision to make. The NBA always loved Melos size and length. Immobile bigs dont succeed in college basketball but there is a place for them in the Association. But at 19 years-old and only a freshman, Melo can afford to wait for the labor issues clouding the NBA to solve themselves before declaring.

Tennessee fires coach Bruce Pearl - by Eurobasket News
Tennessee wanted to stick with the coach who led the Volunteers program to its greatest achievements. In the end, the university fired Bruce Pearl for too many transgressions away from the court.

Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton said in a statement released late Monday that school officials decided to dismiss Pearl, who has been charged by the NCAA with unethical conduct, after learning of additional violations committed on Sept. 14, 2010, and in March 2011.

'Upon receipt of our NCAA Letter of Inquiry in September, we made the difficult decision to forego common national opinion and forge ahead with Bruce and his staff pending any further major infractions or issues that would preclude our basketball program from representing the University of Tennessee in the right manner,' Hamilton said. 'The cumulative effect of the evolution of the investigation combined with a number of more recent non-NCAA-related incidents have led to a belief that this staff cannot be viable at Tennessee in the future.'

Hamilton did not offer any more detail on the March violation or incidents not related to the NCAA investigation. He said the search for a new coach will begin immediately and named video scouting coordinator Houston Fancher, a former Appalachian State coach, as interim coach until Pearl's replacement is hired.

Tennessee will pay Pearl $948,728 worth of salary and benefits as part of his dismissal agreement. His assistants will be paid at their current salary rate through July 31.

Pearl acknowledged in a tearful press conference on Sept. 10 that he had given investigators false information when asked about a cookout at his home attended by high school juniors. The NCAA has since charged the Tennessee basketball and football programs with a dozen violations.

He failed to notify Tennessee of another possible recruiting violation that occurred Sept. 14. Instead, the NCAA informed Tennessee that Pearl had violated its 'bump rule' after speaking with a high school junior on a recruiting trip to Georgia that day.

'In September, I said that Bruce Pearl was our coach and I expected him to be our coach for a long time,' UT-Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said. 'I am disappointed with the events that have brought us to this point today, events that I would call 'the cumulative effect of evolving circumstances.'''

Pearl has not commented publicly, but after a 75-45 loss to Michigan on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament said that he planned to be accountable for the mistakes he had made but his 'goal and desire is to be the basketball coach at Tennessee next year and for a long time.'

In six seasons, Pearl, 51, led the Volunteers to their first No. 1 ranking in 2008, first Southeastern Conference regular season championship in four decades and first NCAA tournament regional finals appearance, missing out on a trip to the 2010 Final Four by a single point.

He amassed a 145-61 record and leaves the school as a popular coach.

An unscientific online poll conducted by The Knoxville News Sentinel after Tennessee received its notice of allegations from the NCAA on Feb. 24 showed 70 percent of the 9,600 respondents still supported Pearl. Fans gathered Sunday in a rally to show support, and Knoxville businesses displayed messages supporting Pearl on Monday.

He promoted Tennessee in a way no other coach had before with antics like appearing at a Lady Vols basketball game with his bare chest painted orange. The fans responded with boosted attendance at Vols games, which prompted athletics officials to upgrade the school's cavernous Thompson-Boling Arena and build a new basketball practice facility.

Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt responded to Pearl's chest painting later that season by showing up to a Vols game dressed as a cheerleader. She said Pearl had become a brother-like figure to her and that she would miss him.

'I hope he finds a place that's right for him, because he'll keep coaching,' Summitt said. 'We'll always be friends. I've really, really enjoyed being around Bruce. Obviously if he can paint his chest and I can be a cheerleader it tells you we have a pretty good thing going here.

Pearl contributed to the Knoxville community in a way his predecessors hadn't. He led Tennessee's annual Outlive campaign to raise money for cancer prevention programs and research and endowed a scholarship in the name of former Vol Dane Bradshaw.

He was hired in March 2005 to replace Buzz Peterson, who had gone 61-59 and failed to reach the NCAA tournament in four seasons at Tennessee. Pearl had just led Wisconsin-Milwaukee to Sweet Sixteen and finished 86-38 overall after four seasons.

He spent six years as an assistant at Iowa under the tutelage of coach Tom Davis. It was during his Iowa tenure that Pearl recorded a phone conversation with recruit Deon Thomas about Thomas' recruitment by rival Illinois. Pearl turned the recording over to the NCAA, which investigated and uncovered unrelated recruiting violations by Illinois.

Pearl also spent nine seasons at Southern Indiana, leading the Screaming Eagles to the 1995 Division II national championship.

Courtesy of http://www.sfgate.com

*****************************************************

PALESTINE

Standings - Men

PBBA Standings

1. De La Salle		4-0
2. Ibdaa D.		4-0
3. Al Ahli		3-0
4. Berzeit Club		3-1
5. Hiteen		2-1
6. Bethlehem		2-2
7. Beit Sahour		2-2
8. Ebal		1-3
9. Sarriyet		1-3
10. Orthodox R.		1-3
11. Qalandia		1-3
12. Al Fara		0-3
13. Islami		0-3

*****************************************************

PANAMA

Standings - CBS

Apertura Standings

1. P.Lefevre		2-0
2. Calidonia		1-1
3. Chepo		1-1
4. Rio Abajo		1-1
5. San Miguelito		1-1
6. Oeste		0-2

Oeste clinch second straight win in Apertura - by Eurobasket News
Oeste celebrated the second straight win in Apertura championship. They narrowly defeated Rio Abajo 76:73. Abel Moreno (G) fired 32 points to lead the Coyotes. Rio Abajo led by as many as 10 points at halftime but Oeste did not surrender. They exploded with 28 points in the third term to cut the deficit. Cyrlyle Komalram knocked down four points late in regulation to put Oeste in front. Later Abel Moreno sealed the winning outcome at the end. Darwin Archibold (180-G/F-93) accounted for 13 points in the victory. Victor Valdez responded with 21 points for Rio Abajo as they fell at 1-1 record.
Calidonia posted the initial win as they prevailed against Lefevre 72:52. Alvarez Nicanor (192-G/F-91) fired 38 points to lead the charge. Jose Samaniego added 13 points for the winners. Christopher Brathwaite answered with 12 points in defeat.
San Miguelito also claimed the first win in the season as they defeated Chepo 69:63. Iliat Beach (90) accounted for 25 points to lead the effort. Chlong Chan contributed 11 points in the winning case. Brian White answered with 18 points for Chepo.

*****************************************************

PBL

Standings

PBL Standings

1. Lawton Ft.SC		16-2
2. Quebec K.		11-7
3. Rochester R.		10-8
4. Halifax R.		9-8
5. Saint John M.R.		8-8
6. Kentucky S.		6-13
7. Dayton A.		3-14
8. Vermont FH		2-5

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Mike WILLIAMS
  Rochester R.
  (201-F-85)
  Avg: 20.9

1. Williams, Vermo.	20.9
2. Anderson, Saint J.	20.5
3. Brown, Quebec K.	20.2
4. Jones, Kentucky S.	19.5
5. Egerson, Saint J.	19.2
6. Dollard, Halifax R.	17.8
7. Parran, Quebec K.	17.6
8. Miles, Dayton A.	17.5
9. Allen, Vermont FH	16.7
10. Rice, Vermont FH	15.9

Rebounds Per Game

Eric CROOKSHANK
  Halifax R.
  (201-F-80)
  Avg: 11.2

1. Crookshank, Halif.	11.2
2. Williams, Vermo.	10.3
3. Mims, Lawton Ft.SC	8.6
4. Williams, Rocheste.	8.4
5. Dollard, Halifax R.	8.3
6. Jones, Kentucky S.	8.2
7. Walton, Rocheste.	8.0
8. Harris, Kentucky S.	7.6
9. Ocitti, Saint J.	7.3
10. Brown, Quebec K.	7.2

Assists Per Game

Dwuan RICE
  Saint John M.R.
  (180-G-)
  Avg: 7.6

1. Rice, Vermont FH	7.6
2. Parran, Quebec K.	6.8
3. Rice, Saint J.	6.4
4. Brown, Halifax R.	5.2
5. Anderson, Saint J.	5.0
6. Bowden, Lawton F.	4.1
7. Crouch, Rocheste.	4.0
8. Egerson, Saint J.	3.8
9. Acker, Quebec K.	3.7
10. Fountain, Lawton F.	2.9

Steals Per Game

Dwuan RICE
  Saint John M.R.
  (180-G-)
  Avg: 3

1. Rice, Vermont FH	3.0
2. Parran, Quebec K.	2.6
3. Mims, Lawton Ft.SC	2.1
4. Austin, Vermont FH	2.0
5. Brown, Quebec K.	1.9
6. Miles, Dayton A.	1.8
7. Anderson, Saint J.	1.8
8. Bowden, Lawton F.	1.5
9. Martin, Saint J.	1.4
10. Taylor, Dayton A.	1.4

Blocks Per Game

Jared CARTER
  Rochester R.
  (216-C-87)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Carter, Rocheste.	1.8
2. Mims, Lawton Ft.SC	1.6
3. George, Dayton A.	1.1
4. Crookshank, Halif.	1.1
5. Ocitti, Saint J.	1.1
6. Pierre, Quebec K.	1.1
7. Daniels, Lawton F.	0.9
8. DeMasi, Saint J.	0.9
9. Williams, Vermo.	0.9
10. Harris, Kentucky S.	0.8

*****************************************************

PUERTO RICO

Mets de Guaynabo bring in Angel D. Vassallo - by Eurobasket News
Mets de Guaynabo acquired Angel D. Vassallo (198-G/F-86, college: Virginia Tech) in trade from Gallitos de Isabela. Alex Galindo (198-F-85, college: FIU) moved in the opposite direction. Angel D. Vassallo has already started practices with Guaynabo. The 24-year-old small forward started the season with ASVEL in France. He tallied 21.0 points, 2.8 boards and 1.0 assist per game in Euroleague. In Pro A his stats read 12.5 points and 5.0 boards per appearance. Previous season Angel D. Vassallo started in Paris-Levallois in France. Later he moved to Gallitos de Isabela where the forward notched 18.3 points, 4.3 boards and 1.0 steal per appearance. Angel D. Vassallo played for Puerto Rico at the 2010 World Championship. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 boards and 2.2 assists in Turkey.
In the meantime Gallitos de Isabela got Alex Galindo in the trade. The 25-year-old forward is currently playing for Libertad Sunchales in Argentina. He tallies 16.1 points, 4.5 boards and 1.7 steals per Liga A game. In Liga Sudamericana the forward came up with 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per appearance.

*****************************************************

ROMANIA

Dragan Petricevic resigned from BC Timisoara - by Sebastian Umbrich
One of the best coaches from Romania, Dragan Petricevic (agency: Global Sports Plaza ), resigned from BC Timisoara. He stated that the decision was a mutual one, being taken together with the club officials.
It is thought that the poor performances of Timisoara from the 2010-2011 season were the reason why Petricevic resigned, but mostly the recent two losses: 52-97 on the road against U Cluj and surprisingly on home ground against newcomer BC Perla Harghitei Miercurea Ciuc.
Timisoara's season didnt start very good, after 13 matches they were on a 5-8 record, ranked 13th. After the winter break, some players (Rade Dzambic (188-G-80, college: NYIT) or Milos Pesic (202-F-84)) which left during the inter-season rejoined the team from Banat, and the team started to regain power. IN early March they were eliminated from the Romanian Cup quarterfinals by CSA Steaua Turabo Bucharest, but according to Petricevic this was something predictable. Soon after, it looked like Timisoara may reenter the fight for one of the 8 places which grant a presence in the play-offs: Timisoara gained to victories during the dying seconds, against Steaua (68-67) and against CSU Sibiu (66-65), and jumped to a 12-14 record (two wins less than 8-th ranked Pitesti), but the hopes of performing in the play-offs vanished after the loss against Miercurea Ciuc.
Petricevic joined Timisoara in 2006, and has won the Romanian Cup in the 2009-2010 season, the sole trophy won by Timisoara so far, and has also qualified for the final of the 2008-2009 season, a final lost against CSU Asesoft Ploiesti.
The coach position will be hosted ad interim by Djordje Jovicic, the current coach of BC Timisoara II, until a new managed is found.

Jermont Horton gets MVP of the Week award for Romanian Div.A - by Eurobasket News
American Jermont Horton (198-G-83) had an amazing evening in the last round for Craiova and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 27.
The 27-year old guard had a double-double of 32 points and sixteen rebounds, while his team beat Brasov (#16, 1-26) 83-76. The game was not the highest importance and did not have significant influence on the top of the standings. Craiova maintains the 13th position in Romanian Div.A. The season is in a full swing, so it's only a dream for the team to make it into top half of the standings. For contrary they may face relegation if the situation turns from bad to worse. Craiova have already lost 21 games and recorded just six victories. Horton just recently signed at Craiova, being already a very valuable addition to the team. The State Un.of N.Jersey Rutgers-Newark graduate has very impressive stats this year. Horton is in league's top in points (6th best: 19.3ppg) and averages solid 54.9% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 26-year old American guard Louis Darby (196-G-84) of Rovinari. Darby impressed basketball fans with 36 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Bad luck as Rovinari was edged by the higher-ranked Mures (#4, 20-7) 102-100. Rovinari managed to keep the same 11th spot in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 12-15 record. Darby is well-known by Rovinari fans and he already established his position as one of team's most reliable players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 18.7ppg (#8). His other stats are also decent: 4.8rpg and 3.2apg.

The third best performed player last round was Serbian Zoran Krstanovic (205-C-82) of second-ranked U.Mobitel.CN. Krstanovic scored 29 points and grabbed thirteen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of U.Mobitel.CN, leading his team to a 83-74 win against the lower-ranked Otopeni (#7, 15-12). U.Mobitel.CN needs these victories very badly if they think about taking over top position in the standings. Their record at this point is 21 victories and 6 lost games. Krstanovic has a great season in Romania. After 27 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 20.9ppg (2nd best) and rebounds with 9.0rpg (5th best). He also has FGP: 60.3% and 3PT: 42.1%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Aleksandar Mladenovic (207-F/C-84) of Mures - 29 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Kyndall Dykes (191-F-87) of U.Mobitel.CN - 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists
6. Ivan Stefanovic (201-G/F-80) of Pitesti - 15 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Clevin Hannah (180-G-87) of Miercurea - 26 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists
8. Slobodan Popovic (198-G-80) of Otopeni - 27 points and 9 rebounds
9. Titus Nicoara (200-F-88) of Gaz Metan - 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
10. JuJuan Cooley (175-G-82) of Mures - 14 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

*****************************************************

RUSSIA

Superleague Round 36: TEMP-SUMZ Revda defeats Severstal in the closest game of the week - by Eurobasket News
The games are now more important than at the beginning of the Regular Season. We may still expect few shocking results in upcoming 8 rounds. Coincidentally all hosts won their games.

The most exciting game of round 36 in the Superlaegue took place in Revda. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 4th ranked Severstal (22-10) to sixth ranked TEMP-SUMZ Revda (15-15) 80-77 on Tuesday evening. The hosts trailed by 3 points at the halftime before their 17-9 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. TEMP-SUMZ Revda maintains sixth position with 15-15 record. Severstal at the other side keeps the fourth place with ten games lost. TEMP-SUMZ Revda are looking forward to face league's second-placed Ruskon-Mordovia in Saransk in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Severstal will play on the road against Sojuz Zaretchny and is hoping to win this game.
Fifth ranked Ural Ekaterinburg (21-10) crushed at home 7th ranked Metallurg-University (13-21) by 28 points 83-55, which is the biggest margin this round. Ural Ekaterinburg maintains fifth position with 21-10 record. Metallurg-University lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 21 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last two games of round 36 bottom-ranked Zaretchny was destroyed by Saransk on the opponent's court 96-68.

Ural Ekaterinb. - Metallurg-Univ. 83-55

Fifth ranked Ural Ekaterinburg (21-10) crushed at home 7th ranked Metallurg-University (13-21) by 28 points 83-55, which is the biggest margin this round. Ural Ekaterinburg maintains fifth position with 21-10 record. Metallurg-University lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 21 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

Revda - Severstal 80-77

The most exciting game of round 36 in the Superlaegue took place in Revda. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 4th ranked Severstal (22-10) to sixth ranked TEMP-SUMZ Revda (15-15) 80-77 on Tuesday evening. The hosts trailed by 3 points at the halftime before their 17-9 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. TEMP-SUMZ Revda maintains sixth position with 15-15 record. Severstal at the other side keeps the fourth place with ten games lost. TEMP-SUMZ Revda are looking forward to face league's second-placed Ruskon-Mordovia in Saransk in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Severstal will play on the road against Sojuz Zaretchny and is hoping to win this game.

Saransk - Zaretchny 96-68

Very expected game in Saransk where 11th ranked Sojuz Zaretchny (5-27) was crushed by second ranked Ruskon-Mordovia (24-8) 96-68. Ruskon-Mordovia maintains second position with 24-8 record having just -19 point less than leader Univ.Surgut. Newly promoted Sojuz Zaretchny stay dead last with 27 lost games. Ruskon-Mordovia will play against TEMP-SUMZ Revda (#6) at home in the next round. Sojuz Zaretchny will play against Severstal (#4) in Cherepovec and hopes to get back on the winning track.

Spartak-Primorie - Irkutsk 20-0

Lokomotiv Kuban draw first blood against Gravelines - by Eurobasket News
Gravelines - Lokomotiv Kuban 91:92 (OT)

Lokomotiv Kuban earned a tough overtime victory against Gravelines in EuroChallenge quarterfinal series opener. Lionel Chalmers (184-G-80, college: Xavier) scored 26 points to propel the visitors to the first win in the best-of-three series. He made a layup with with five seconds remaining in extra period to seal the winning outcome for the visitors.
The teams traded baskets throughout the close first quarter. The scoreboard read 22:22 after ten minutes. The lead continued to change hands throughout the second quarter. Lionel Chalmers helped Lokomotiv to a narrow 47:45 halftime advantage. Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) stretched the margin to as many as 8 points midway through the third term 66:58. Cyril Akpomedah (203-F-79) and Ben Woodside (180-G-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Dakota St.) narrowed the gap early in the fourth quarter but the visitors cleared off to an 80:73 distance with under two minutes to go in regulation. Ben Woodside and Cyril Akpomedah dragged Gravelines closer. Johnson and Cyril Akpomedah capped the regulation with five straight points as the hosts forced overtime. Ben Woodside put Gravelines in front at the start of the extra frame but Jeremiah Massey responded. The teams exchanged the buckets before Lionel Chalmers converted a late layup to put Kuban in front. Johnson tried to save the game for Gravelines but missed a three-pointer and Lokomotiv celebrated the victory.
Jeremiah Massey had 21 points and 9 rebounds for Lokomotiv. Michael Wilkinson (204-F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Wisconsin) added 20 points in the victory. Cyril Akpomedah answered with 29 points for Gravelines. Ben Woodside finished with 18 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Gravelines: Cyril Akpomedah 29, Ben Woodside 18
Lokomotiv Kuban: Lionel Chalmers 26, Jeremiah Massey 21, Michael Wilkinson 20

Spartak Saint-Petersburg successfully open EuroChallenge 1/4 Finals - by Eurobasket News
Spartak Saint-Petersburg- Pinar Karsiyaka 78:73

Spartak Saint-Petersburg successfully open EuroChallenge 1/4 Finals as the Russian Cup winners overcame Pinar Karsiyaka. The Russian team won 78:73 and will need another win to advance to Final Four.
Spartak opened the game with six consecutive points and then Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) brought 15:4. Although the guests reduced the gap, again Henry Domercant closed the period at 19:17. Jovo Stanojevic (208-C-77, agency: Beo Basket) managed to give Pinar 24:23 lead, while Batuk increased to 31:29. The hosts made the final push in the half to win it 44:35 as Kotishevskiy sent the squads to the lockers. In the third period the Russian team added 15-14 and enjoyed 59:49 after three quarters. Henry Domercant gave the hosts 71:54, but the Turkish team dominated at the end. They cut it to 78:73 as Andre Smith (203-F-85, college: N.Dakota St.) nailed three with a buzzer.
Patrick Beverley (185-G-88, college: Arkansas), Henry Domercant and Petar Popovic (211-C-79) paced all the winners with 15 points each. Andre Smith responded with 23 points and 10 rebounds in defeat as Turkish team will host the opponents on March 24th. Jovo Stanojevic netted 19, while Ahmet Ali Erdogan (186-G-86) added 11.

Spartak Saint-Petersburg: Patrick Beverley 15, Henry Domercant 15, Petar Popovic 15
Pinar Karsiyaka: Andre Smith 23+10 rebs, Jovo Stanojevic 19, Ahmet Ali Erdogan 11

Standings - Superleague B

Superleague Standings

1. Univ.Surgut		26-8
2. Saransk		24-8
3. Spartak-Primorie		23-9
4. Severstal		22-10
5. Ural Ekaterinb.		21-10
6. Revda		15-15
7. Metallurg-Univ.		13-21
8. Rjazan		12-18
9. Irkutsk		8-24
10. Lokomotiv		6-25
11. Zaretchny		5-27

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SERBIA

Points Per Game

Branko MILISAVLJEVIC
  Mega Vizura
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 21.2

1. Milisavljevi., Mega V.	21.2
2. Koprivica, Super.	20.7
3. Zekovic, Beograd	18.8
4. Janjusevic, Crnok.	18.8
5. Sinovec, Metalac	18.0
6. Micevic, Sloboda .	17.6
7. Bozovic, Sloga	17.4
8. Bunic, Novi Sad	16.6
9. Kovacevic, Super.	16.3
10. Majkic, Prolet.	16.2

Rebounds Per Game

Nikola MARKOVIC
  FMP
  (208-F/C-89)
  Avg: 7.8

1. Markovic, FMP	7.8
2. Ljubicic, Metalac	7.6
3. Cantekin, Mega V.	7.5
4. Jelovac, Mega V.	7.1
5. Misanovic, Beograd	6.9
6. Majkic, Prolet.	6.6
7. Djurovic, Crnokosa	6.4
8. Cubrilo, Sloga	6.4
9. Bozovic, Sloga	6.4
10. Borovcanin, Sloga	6.3

Assists Per Game

Vid ZARKOVIC
  Proleter Naftagas
  (189-G-75)
  Avg: 6

1. Zarkovic, Prolet.	6.0
2. Ljubicic, Metalac	5.7
3. Radivojevic, FMP	5.2
4. Vlahovic, Sloga	5.1
5. Milisavljevi., Mega V.	4.8
6. Covic, FMP	4.5
7. Kocergin, Superfund	4.3
8. Atanackovic, Prolet.	4.3
9. Mitrovic, Beograd	4.3
10. Dundjerski, Beograd	3.7

Steals Per Game

Slobodan DUNDJERSKI
  Beograd
  (190-G-88)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Dundjerski, Beograd	2.9
2. Kuzeta, Novi Sad	2.7
3. Gagovic, Prolet.	2.3
4. Ljubicic, Metalac	2.1
5. Mukanovic, Crnok.	2.0
6. Marjanovic, Vojvo.	2.0
7. Kovacevic, Novi Sad	1.9
8. Jovic, Sloga	1.9
9. Vulin, Prolet.	1.8
10. Fekete, Sloboda .	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Nenad MISANOVIC
  T.E.Kashan
  (217-C-84)
  Avg: 1.9

1. Misanovic, Beograd	1.9
2. Ilic, FMP	1.3
3. Bircevic, Metalac	1.2
4. Majkic, Prolet.	1.1
5. Cantekin, Mega V.	1.0
6. Marjanovic, Vojvo.	0.9
7. Ljubojevic, Slobod.	0.8
8. Buric, Tamis	0.8
9. Karalic, Crnokosa	0.7
10. Kalinic, Novi Sad	0.7

Stats Leaders - 1B

Points Per Game

Dragan BJELICA
  Viva Basket
  (198-G-81)
  Avg: 26.8

1. Bjelica, Viva Basket	26.8
2. Svilar, Smederevo	21.3
3. Dukanac, Mladost .	19.3
4. Radic, Spartak	18.8
5. Blagojevic, KG 06	18.1
6. Trailovic, Sindje.	17.4
7. Tesanovic, KK Nis	17.1
8. Lalic, Radnicki BG	16.7
9. Subotic, Radnic.	15.6
10. Samailovic, Student	15.3

Rebounds Per Game

Nemanja KNEZEVIC
  Vojvodina
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 10

1. Knezevic, Vojvodina	10.0
2. Vuletic, Viva Basket	9.0
3. Gugleta, Zeleznicar	7.9
4. Ivosev, Vojvodina	7.4
5. Petrovic, Viva B.	7.1
6. Koprivica, Radnicki.	7.0
7. Zivanovic, Smede.	6.9
8. Boricic, Radnicki.	6.7
9. Dukanac, Mladost .	6.7
10. Subotic, Radnic.	6.6

Assists Per Game

Dragan BJELICA
  Viva Basket
  (198-G-81)
  Avg: 6.7

1. Bjelica, Viva Basket	6.7
2. Karic, Radnicki BG	6.4
3. Kasabasic, Zeleznicar	5.5
4. Boltic, Radnicki BG	5.0
5. Mijovic, Radnicki.	4.2
6. Stanisavljev., Jagod.	4.1
7. Vukasovic, Radnic.	4.1
8. Dinic, Spartak	4.1
9. Tanasijevic, Stude.	4.1
10. Sparovic, Smede.	4.0

Steals Per Game

Negoslav GACIC
  Radnicki BG
  (--)
  Avg: 3

1. Gacic, Radnicki BG	3.0
2. Karic, Radnicki BG	2.7
3. Zivanovic, Smede.	2.3
4. Ivosev, Vojvodina	2.0
5. Kuntic, Spartak	1.9
6. Tanasijevic, Stude.	1.9
7. Radic, Spartak	1.9
8. Boltic, Radnicki BG	1.9
9. Svilar, Smederevo	1.9
10. Tomasevic, Vojvo.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Slobodan GUGLETA
  Zeleznicar
  (--83)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Gugleta, Zeleznicar	2.5
2. Karahodzic, Spartak	1.5
3. Knezevic, Vojvodina	1.3
4. Vasilic, Radnic.	1.2
5. Petrovic, Viva B.	1.1
6. Marelja, KG 06	0.9
7. Savic, Student	0.9
8. Petronic, Radnicki.	0.8
9. Markovic, Sindjeli.	0.8
10. Mirkovic, KG 06	0.8

Dusko Savanovic continues to impress in Spain - by Eurobasket News
Serbian National Team member Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency: Beo Basket) continues with great performance in Spanish ACB. In Round 26 of the championship, which was played last weekend, Savanovic paced his Power Electronics Valencia to valuable 74-78 road win against Fuenlabrada. He spent 26 minutes on the court registering double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Savanovic was fourth MVP of the round with valuation 24.
Dusko Savanovic joined Valencia last summer from Cajasol Seville. He appeared in all 26 Spanish league games so far averaging 10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Savanovic also added 11.1 points and 4.3 boards for 16 Euroleague games. His Valencia will meet Real Madrid in the Quarterfinals (Game One today). With Team Serbia, Dusko Savanovic shined with 11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.2 apg at the World Championship in Turkey last summer. Serbia reached the Semifinals, but finished as No.4 at the end.

Radnicki Kragujevac inks Nenad Sulovic - by Eurobasket News
Nenad Sulovic (202-F/C-85) is a new member of Radnicki Kragujevac. The 25-year-old big guy signed a deal for rest of the season. Sulovic arrives to Radnicki Kragujevac from Napredak Rubin Krusevac. He appeared 26 times for them in Serbian league averaging 16 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Nenad Sulovic split last season between Otopeni Bucharest and OKK Beograd. He appeared 13 times in Romanian league with Otopeni registering 7.6 ppg and 5 rpg. Later with OKK Beograd, Sulovic added 8.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg in Serbian championship. Two years ago Sulovic also played for Napredak Rubin Krusevac and he had a short stint with Slovakian MBK Rieker Komarno. He has experience from Poland as a member of Polpak Swecie.
Radnicki Kragujevac competes in Serbian Superleague, which started last weekend.

Subotic number one in Serbian B League for round 22 - by Eurobasket News
Montenegrin power forward Bojan Subotic (206-F/C-90) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for second-ranked Radnicki Basket Beograd, receiving a Eurobasket.com B League Player of the Week award for round 22.
The 20-year old player had a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, while his team outclassed, the league's bottom-ranked team KG 06 (#14, 0-22) with 30-point margin 101-71. Radnicki Basket maintains the 2nd position in Serbian B League. They are still close to the very top. Radnicki Basket would have been even better if they kept winning the games like in the last round. They have a solid 18-4 record. Subotic turned to be Radnicki Basket's top player in his first season with the team. Bojan Subotic has solid league stats. He is in league's top in points (9th best: 15.6ppg) and averages impressive 58.7% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 33-year old Dragan Boricic (201-F-77) of Radnicki Obrenovac. Boricic had a very good evening with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Of course Radnicki OB cruised to a 86-78 relatively comfortable win over the lower-ranked KK Nis (#13, 5-17). The game was between two teams which are definitely not main contenders for the title. Radnicki OB keeps 10th position. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 10-12 record. Boricic is one of the most experienced players at Radnicki OB and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third on the list of top players last round was Slobodan Gugleta (83) of Zeleznicar Indija (#4). Gugleta scored 22 points and grabbed fourteen rebounds (!!!). Despite Gugleta's great performance Zeleznicar lost 89-100 to the lower-ranked Viva Basket (#7, 12-10). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing Zeleznicar needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 14 victories and 8 lost games. Gugleta has a great season in Serbia. After 20 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 7.9rpg (3rd best). He also has 2.5bpg and FGP: 60.2%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Milos Trailovic (198-G-81) of Sindjelic Nis - 32 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists
5. Dragan Bjelica (198-G-81) of Viva Basket - 22 points, 2 rebounds and 13 assists
6. Vladimir Jojic (185-G-75) of Zeleznicar - 28 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists
7. Srboljub Samailovic (194-G-82) of Student - 19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Dragan Petronic (206-F/C-82) of Radnicki BG - 20 points and 8 rebounds
9. Aleksandar Petrovic (206-C-72) of Viva Basket - 17 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Vojin Svilar (188-G-86) of Smederevo - 30 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

*****************************************************

SLOVENIA

SOUTH KOREA

Rhodes' 35-point game gives him Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
25-year old power forward Charles Rhodes (203-F/C-85) put on an amazing game in the last round for league's best team Sonic Boom KT and receives a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 53.
He had the game-high 35 points adding nine rebounds for Sonic Boom KT in his team's victory, helping them to beat Mobis Phoebus (#8, 20-34) 80-65. It allowed Sonic Boom KT to consolidate first place in the South Korean league. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Sonic Boom KT has a very solid 41-13 record, but they cannot be too comfortable about keeping top position. Rhodes turned to be Sonic Boom KT's top player in his first season with the team. Charles Rhodes averages this season 15.5ppg and 6.1rpg.

Second best performed player last round was Dong Jun Lee (200-F-80) of Daegu Orions. He is naturalized American forward in his first season at Daegu Orions. In the last game Lee recorded impressive double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Bad luck as Daegu Orions was edged by the higher-ranked Samsung Th. (#6, 27-27) 79-77. Daegu Orions are still at the very bottom. 39 lost games are too many comparing to just fifteen victories Daegu Orions managed to get this year. Lee is a newcomer at Daegu Orions and quickly became one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to forward Rod Benson (208-F/C-84) of Dongbu Promy (#4). Benson scored 16 points and grabbed eighteen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Dongbu Promy, leading his team to a 75-61 easy win against the lower-ranked Anyang KGC (#9, 16-38). Dongbu Promy needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 31 victories and 23 lost games. Benson has a great season in South Korea. After 53 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 17.3ppg (7th best) and rebounds with 9.7rpg (2nd best). He also has 1.3bpg and FGP: 58.9%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Seung-Jin Ha (222-C-85) of KCC Egis - 21 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Terrence Leather (204-C-81) of SK Knights - 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
6. Chris Daniels (211-C-84) of KCC Egis - 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Dong-Hyun Cho (188-G-76) of Sonic Boom KT - 18 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Seung-Ho Ki (194-F-85) of LG Sakers - 18 points and 6 rebounds
9. Greg Stevenson (198-F-78) of LG Sakers - 20 points and 7 rebounds
10. Jung-Suk Lee (184-G-82) of Samsung Th. - 21 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

*****************************************************

SPAIN

Road Trips ... - by Bayo Arigbon
Whats up everyone.. this is my 2nd time around on this blog thing. We had a 8 hour road trip to face a top 5 team in LEB SILVER. Promobys It takes a lot of focus to be ready to play once you step off that bus. Although we didnt win, I feel like the win was in our grasp but we werent able to capitalize on mistakes in crucial parts of the game. I felt like if we had Deforrest Smith (198-G/F-84, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Southern) , our American player ( I play as a Nigerian Player Bayo Arigbon (197-F-86, college: San Diego Chr.)) we would have had a better chance of winning, but he was sick with the flu. As for myself Im still trying to find the hole and slow my game down to fit the style of play in Spain. I did a video just to show you what the road trip was like, the gym , and the surrounding city you can see it www.hoopdreamdiaries.tumblr.com Also I including where we go to eat daily. We dont have many games left and I am still waiting to arrive. I feel like I havent played like myself yet, but dont worry with each game Im getting better! Our next game is at home, so that means the team we play will have to come to us, which gives us a slight advantage. Well Ill talk yall next week thanks again for taking the time read and view my blog !!!

Caja Laboral beats Maccabi Electra 76-70 in Game One - by Eurobasket News
Caja Laboral - Maccabi Electra 76-70

Caja Laboral is 1-0 up against Maccabi Electra. The Spanish champion celebrated 76-70 victory tonight mostly owing to Stanko Barac (217-C-86), who scored 17 points and pulled down 6 rebounds. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) had 14 points, Fernando San Emeterio (198-G/F-84) 13, while Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) helped with double-double of 12 points and 11 boards. In the loosing squad, Richard Hendrix (203-F/C-86, college: Alabama) shined with 16 points and 16 rebs. Lior Eliyahu (206-F/C-85, agency: ZAG Advocates) and Chuck Eidson (202-F/G-80, agency: Court Side, college: S.Carolina) netted 12 and 11 points respectively.
Caja Laboral opened the game with 19-11 and later jumped to 26-14 after ten minutes of play. David Logan stayed perfect from downtown with his third three to put Laboral up 15 at the beginning of Q2. Visitors finally replied and closed the gap to 9 pts though the period, but still the home squad won it 20-18 for 46-32 plus at the break. Maccabi shined after the breather and thanks to baskets by Hendrix, Pargo and Eidson, they cut the margin to 8 pts. Eliyahu added another second-chance score to cap a 0-8 start to the second half. Caja Laboral recovered and grabbed back double-digit lead (58-48), but in the finish of Q3 Maccabi made 3-7 run for minus 6 with 10:00 to go. Chuck Eidson penetrated for a layup as Maccabi continued to claw its way back. Logan found Barac inside and after Ribas added a basket, Barac stepped outside and swished a triple, putting Laboral up 68-57. The last chance Maccabi had at 69-64, but Mirza Teletovic and Huertas quickly responded sealing the victory for their team.
Second game will be played on Thursday and Caja Laboral will be the host once again.

Caja Laboral: Stanko Barac 17+6 boards, David Logan 14+5 as, Fernando San Emeterio 13, Mirza Teletovic 12+11 boards
Maccabi Electra: Richard Hendrix 16+16 boards, Lior Eliyahu 12+6 boards, Chuck Eidson 11

Real Madrid grabs 71-65 win against Valencia - by Eurobasket News
Real Madrid - Valencia 71-65

Real Madrid shined in the finish to beat Power Electronics Valencia 71-65 in Game One of the Euroleague Quarterfinals. The home squad got 14 points from Ante Tomic (217-C-87), while Sergio Llull (190-G-87) and Nikola Mirotic (208-F/C-91) added 11 pts each. Experienced Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) helped the hosts with 10 points and 9 rebounds. In Valencia, Nando De Colo (202-G-87) top-scored with 15 points. Rafael Martinez (191-G-82) and Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) had 13 and 11 pts respectively.
Real Madrid made quick 8-2 at the beginning and later jumped to 17-7 lead. Valencia replied with 2-9 run, but later the first quarter ended with 20-18 Real Madrid advantage. Valencia made 22-23 turn at the start of Q2 and was in charge for most of the period. However, the home squad was good in the finish and thanks to Suarez, Begic and Felipe Reyes, they were 33-32 up at the HT. Valencia was in trouble after the breather as Real Madrid moved up to 43-36, but visitors didnt panic. Javtokas, De Colo and Martinez responded with 0-7 run and teams were tied again. Thanks to FT by Nando De Colo, Valencia entered the last ten minutes with minimum lead, 52-53. With 90 seconds remaining in the game the hosts were up by one, 64-63, but Tomic walked after that. Nando De Colo made a long jumper for 64-65 and Nikola Mirotic answered with a quick basket. De Colo missed at the other side and Mirotic drained a corner triple for Real Madrid. There was 18 seconds to go and De Colo missed again a turnaround jumper. Prigioni sealed the win from the line to make it 1-0 for Real Madrid.
Second game will be played on Thursday and Real Madrid will be the host again.

Real Madrid: Ante Tomic 14, Sergio Llull 11, Nikola Mirotic 11, Felipe Reyes 10+9 boards
Valencia: Nando De Colo 15, Rafael Martinez 13, Robertas Javtokas 11

Regal Barca wins heartbreaking thriller against Panathinaikos - by Eurobasket News
Regal Barca - Panathinaikos 83-82

Heartbreaking thriller was played tonight at the Palau Blaugrana. Regal Barca grabbed 83-82 home win against Panathinaikos for 1-0 lead in the Euroleague Quarterfinals. Juan Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) scored 13 points for the hosts, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) and Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) had 12 each, while Alan Anderson (198-G/F-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Michigan St.) helped with 10 pts. In PAO, Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) exploded with 26 points. Drew Nicholas (191-G-81, college: Maryland) and Mike Batiste (203-F-77, college: Arizona St.) had 16 and 15 pts respectively.
Regal Barca started the game with 11-6 run, but PAO responded with 3-8 for rest of the first quarter (14-14). The Greens grabbed 14-18 at the beginning of Q2, before 9-1 run made by Barca for 23-19 turn. Until the end of the first half Barca managed to keep plus two mostly thanks to Lakovic, Navarro and Lorbek (37-35). The second half started just as the first one ended, as Dimitris Diamantidis struck from downtown for a 37-38 Panathinaikos lead. Alan Anderson nailed a triple but a turnaround jumper by Diamantidis tied it at 40-40. PAO jumped to plus 4 few minutes later, but Barca cut the margin for one point before the last frame (57-60). The home squad exploded in Q4 and took control on PAO with 11-0 run. Still, the Greens came to 76-75 with 1:10 remaining. Mostly thanks to Vazquez, Lakovic and Morris, Regal Barca jumped to 82-77 in the finish, but Diamantidis drained a triple on the other side and Lakovic scored one FT after that. Sada was called for a flagrant foul on Diamantidis as the latter tried to launch a halfcourt shot with 1.7 seconds left. The PAO star made two free throws, but in their last possession he could not hit a long three at the buzzer.
Second game will be played on Thursday also in Barcelona.

Regal Barca: Juan Carlos Navarro 13, Jaka Lakovic 12, Erazem Lorbek 12, Alan Anderson 10
Panathinaikos: Dimitris Diamantidis 26, Drew Nicholas 16, Mike Batiste 15+6 boards

Peter Lorant first blog from Spain - by Peter Lorant
Hello!

I am Peter Lorant (207-F/C-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) and as you already know i would write a blog to eurobasket.

In the first one i woud like to introducing myself.
I borned in Budapest 23.10.1985 , i started to play ball when i was 9 and since that i dont have a day when i am not playing. Professionaly i played in two teams before i left my country , Kormend and Debrecen. After i sogned to Belgium where i have had a very long and difficult season, first of all because that was my first year outside of Hungary and i had to learn to leave alone. It was not so easy how i thougt, if i think back a litle bit probably i needed couple of years untill i knuw what they expect of me and most importantly what i expect of myself.
After that season i came to the spanish Leb oro league, i signed to Manresa for a short time contract what was only two months. 2007 january i got an offer from Burgos and i thought it will be temporaly but since that very first day untill now i am a player of Autocid Ford Burgos.
When i got here i was one of the last players, did not really play a lot, the team had much better players when i was in that time. In my second season i hoped it will be change a litle bit but in the beginning it was the same situation untill in november the owners decided to bring a new coach.
I am really thankfull for him, we are working togehter since that moment here in Burgos and i have learnt so many things from him on the court and outside of the court as well.
Year to year i got a litle bit better, i did not make huge steppes but in this season i can tell that i am one those important players of the team and also the captan. Andreu (my coach) has given me a lot of confidance.

for first time that would be it , i thought that after i will tell more things about the country and city, going more personal

Best wishes

P. Lorant

*****************************************************

SWEDEN

Stats Leaders - Basketligan

Points Per Game

Darius HARGROVE
  Jamtland
  (193-G-82)
  Avg: 21.9

1. Hargrove, Jamtland	21.9
2. Smith, Sodertalje	20.5
3. Brown, 08	20.5
4. Rush, Sundsvall	19.9
5. Smith, Uppsala	19.5
6. Wesby, Sundsvall	19.0
7. Palm, Boras	18.7
8. McCoy, Boras	18.6
9. Gunnarsson, Solna	18.1
10. Levett, LF Basket	16.4

Rebounds Per Game

Hlynur BAERINGSSON
  Sundsvall
  (200-F/C-82)
  Avg: 10.4

1. Baeringsson, Sunds.	10.4
2. Palm, Boras	10.2
3. McKnight, Boras	9.0
4. Kosmalski, Solna	8.6
5. Brown, 08	7.9
6. Kjellbom, Norrkoping	7.6
7. Cipriano, Eco O.	7.5
8. Walker, Solna	7.4
9. Constantine, Solna	7.3
10. Kohlmaier, Uppsala	7.1

Assists Per Game

Rudy MBEMBA
  LF Basket
  (181-G-87)
  Avg: 6.4

1. Mbemba, LF Basket	6.4
2. Pleick, Eco Orebro	5.5
3. Beck, 08	5.1
4. Smith, Uppsala	4.6
5. McCoy, Boras	4.4
6. Chuk, Sodertalje	4.4
7. Mitchell, Norrkoping	4.3
8. Gaidamaviciu., Norrko.	4.2
9. Hellgren, Jamtland	4.1
10. Smith, Sodertalje	4.1

Steals Per Game

Johnell SMITH
  Sodertalje
  (186-G-80)
  Avg: 3.4

1. Smith, Sodertalje	3.4
2. Mbemba, LF Basket	3.1
3. Smith, Uppsala	1.9
4. Rush, Sundsvall	1.9
5. Baeringsson, Sunds.	1.8
6. Hellgren, Jamtland	1.8
7. McCoy, Boras	1.8
8. Hargrove, Jamtland	1.8
9. Pleick, Eco Orebro	1.8
10. Brown, 08	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Bilal SALAAM
  Jamtland
  (201-F-81)
  Avg: 1.9

1. Salaam, Jamtland	1.9
2. Kjellbom, Norrkoping	1.8
3. Rosendahl, LF Ba.	1.8
4. Palm, Boras	1.5
5. Cipriano, Eco O.	1.3
6. Kohlmaier, Uppsala	1.2
7. Constantine, Solna	1.2
8. Ayuba, Norrkoping	1.1
9. Walker, Solna	0.9
10. Galick, Sodertalje	0.8

Standings - BasketEttan

Basketettan Standings

North
1. Eagles		18-2
2. Taby		18-3
3. Haga Haninge		18-3
4. Akropol		15-6
5. Blackeberg		11-10
6. Talje		9-11
7. Uppsala KFUM		9-12
8. Lulea Steel		8-12
9. Orongo		6-14
10. Lidingo		5-16
11. Hallsta		4-17
12. BG Lulea		3-18
South
1. Srbija		16-3
2. Hoganas		15-5
3. Malbas		13-6
4. Helsingborg		13-6
5. Nassjo		12-7
6. Norrkoping BK		8-11
7. Eos		7-12
8. Sanda		6-13
9. Fryshuset		6-14
10. Solna Branten		6-14
11. Brahe Basket		5-14
12. Kvarnby		2-7

Basketettan: Round 21 review - by Eurobasket News
There will be only one (last) round of the Regular Season in Basketettan. The fans could enjoy quite many interesting games this weekend. The Round ended with change at the leadership position, extra overtimes, favorites losing the games and games ending by tiny margin.

Basketettan round 21 caused change at the leadership position. Third defeat of league's leader Taby Basket (18-3) against seventh ranked KFUM Uppsala (9-12) 89-82 was the most important game of the last round. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Taby Basket. KFUM Uppsala maintains seventh place in North with 9-12 record. Newly promoted Taby Basket dropped to the second position with three games lost. They share it with Haga Haninge. They were replaced at the leadership position by Eagles. Taby Basket will play next round against strong Haga Haninge trying to make it back to the top of the standings. KFUM Uppsala will try to continue on its current victory against eleventh ranked Hallsta in Hallstahammar.
The game had a very big importance for second-ranked White Eagles as it allowed them to take a leadership position in North. White Eagles smashed 3rd placed Haga Haninge in Stockholm 94-72. It ended at the same time the seven-game winning streak of Haga Haninge. It was a key game for the top position in North. White Eagles have a solid series of three victories in a row. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Haga Haninge at the other side dropped to the second place with three games lost. They share the position with Taby. Haga Haninge will play next round against strong Taby Basket trying to get back on the winning streak. White Eagles will try to continue on its current victory against fifth ranked KFUM Blackebergs at Vallingby.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 21:
In North BG Lulea was beaten by Lidingo on the road 65-54. Haga Haninge won against Hallsta on its own court 91-76. Blackeberg was outscored by Talje in a road game 86-67. Akropol rolled over BG Lulea at home 94-66.
In South Sanda was defeated by Eos on the opponent's court 86-78. Malbas beat Solna Branten in a home game 89-75. Norrkoping BK lost to Helsingborg on the road 83-92. Malbas outscored Fryshuset on its own court 114-84. Solna Branten recorded a loss to Srbija in Malmo 84-98. Srbija defeated Fryshuset at home 95-80. Malbas smashed Fryshuset on the opponent's court 98-66. Solna Branten lost to Fryshuset in a home game 83-91.

Group North

Lidingo - BG Lulea 65-54

The game between closely ranked teams ended with eleventh ranked Lidingo's (5-16) home victory over 12th ranked BG Lulea (3-18) 65-54 on Saturday. Lidingo moved-up to tenth place in North. BG Lulea lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the twelfth position with 18 games lost. Lidingo will face higher ranked Lulea Steelers (#8) at home in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.

Haga Haninge - Hallsta 91-76

Very expected game when 10th ranked Hallsta (4-17) lost on the road to third ranked Haga Haninge (18-3) 91-76 on Saturday. Haga Haninge have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They moved-up to second place in North, which they share with Taby. Hallsta lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eleventh position with 17 games lost. Haga Haninge will face league's second-placed Taby Basket at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Hallsta will play against KFUM Uppsala (#7).

Talje - Blackeberg 86-67

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams when sixth ranked Talje BK (9-11) rolled over at home 5th ranked KFUM Blackebergs (11-10) 86-67 on Saturday. Talje BK maintains sixth place in North with 9-11 record. Loser KFUM Blackebergs keep the fifth position with ten games lost. Talje BK will face Orongo Dragons (#9) in Sundsvall in the next round. KFUM Blackebergs will play at home against the league's leader White Eagles (#1) in Stockholm.

Uppsala KFUM - Taby 89-82

Basketettan round 21 caused change at the leadership position. Third defeat of league's leader Taby Basket (18-3) against seventh ranked KFUM Uppsala (9-12) 89-82 was the most important game of the last round. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Taby Basket. KFUM Uppsala maintains seventh place in North with 9-12 record. Newly promoted Taby Basket dropped to the second position with three games lost. They share it with Haga Haninge. They were replaced at the leadership position by Eagles. Taby Basket will play next round against strong Haga Haninge trying to make it back to the top of the standings. KFUM Uppsala will try to continue on its current victory against eleventh ranked Hallsta in Hallstahammar.

Akropol - BG Lulea 94-66

Not a big story in a game when 12th ranked BG Lulea (3-18) was outscored by fourth ranked Akropol (15-6) in Spanga 94-66 on Sunday. Akropol have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain fourth place in North with 15-6 record. BG Lulea lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the twelfth position with 18 games lost. Akropol will face Lulea Steelers (#8) at home in the next round.

Group North, Rd 13

Eagles - Haga Haninge 94-72

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked White Eagles as it allowed them to take a leadership position in North. White Eagles smashed 3rd placed Haga Haninge in Stockholm 94-72. It ended at the same time the seven-game winning streak of Haga Haninge. It was a key game for the top position in North. White Eagles have a solid series of three victories in a row. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Haga Haninge at the other side dropped to the second place with three games lost. They share the position with Taby. Haga Haninge will play next round against strong Taby Basket trying to get back on the winning streak. White Eagles will try to continue on its current victory against fifth ranked KFUM Blackebergs at Vallingby.

Group South

Eos - Sanda 86-78

Everything could happen in Lund at the game between two tied teams. Both eighth ranked IK Eos and 9th ranked Sanda Basket had identical 6-12 record. This time IK Eos used a home court advantage and defeated the opponent from Huskvarna 86-78 on Saturday night. IK Eos (7-12) moved-up to seventh place in South. Loser Sanda Basket dropped to the eighth position with 13 games lost. IK Eos will face higher ranked Norrkoping BK (#6) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Sanda Basket will play against the league's leader Srbija where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.

Malbas - Solna Branten 89-75

There was no surprise when 7th ranked Solna Branten (6-14) lost to fifth ranked Malbas (13-6) in Malmo 75-89 on Saturday. Malbas have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to third place in South, which they share with Helsingborg. Loser Solna Branten dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost. Malbas will face Brahe Basket (#11) in Huskvarna in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Solna Branten will play at home against Fryshuset in Stockholm and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Helsingborg - Norrkoping BK 92-83

No shocking result in a game when third ranked Helsingborg (13-6) beat at home 6th ranked Norrkoping BK (8-11) 92-83 on Saturday. Newly promoted Helsingborg maintains third place in South with 13-6 record having six points less than leader Eagles, which they share with Malbas. Loser Norrkoping BK keeps the sixth position with 11 games lost. Helsingborg will face league's second-placed Hoganas on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Norrkoping BK will play against IK Eos (#7) in Lund and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Malbas - Fryshuset 114-84

Very expected game when 10th ranked Fryshuset (6-14) was smashed by fifth ranked Malbas (13-6) in Malmo 114-84 on Sunday. Malbas have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to third place in South, which they share with Helsingborg. Loser Fryshuset dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost. Malbas will face Brahe Basket (#11) in Huskvarna in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Fryshuset will play on the road against Solna Branten and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Nassjo - Hoganas 86-87 OT

Srbija - Solna Branten 98-84

Very predictable result when first ranked Srbija (16-3) won against 7th ranked Solna Branten (6-14) in Malmo 98-84 on Sunday. Srbija maintains first place in South with 16-3 record. Loser Solna Branten dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost. Srbija will face Sanda Basket (#8) in Huskvarna in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Solna Branten will play at home against Fryshuset in Stockholm and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Srbija - Fryshuset 95-80

Not a big story in a game when 10th ranked Fryshuset (6-14) lost to first ranked Srbija (16-3) in Malmo 80-95 on Saturday. Srbija maintains first place in South with 16-3 record. Loser Fryshuset dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost. Srbija will face Sanda Basket (#8) in Huskvarna in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Fryshuset will play on the road against Solna Branten and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Group South, Rd 22

Fryshuset - Malbas 66-98

Everything went according to plan when fifth ranked Malbas (13-6) outplayed 10th ranked Fryshuset (6-14) in Stockholm 98-66 on Monday. Malbas have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to third place in South, which they share with Helsingborg. Loser Fryshuset dropped to the ninth position with 14 games lost. Malbas will face Brahe Basket (#11) in Huskvarna in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Fryshuset will play on the road against Solna Branten and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Group South, Rd 23

Solna Branten - Fryshuset 83-91

There was a minor upset when 7th ranked Solna Branten (6-14) lost at home to tenth ranked Fryshuset (6-14) 91-83 on Wednesday. Fryshuset moved-up to ninth place in South, which they share with defeated Solna Branten. Fryshuset will have a break next round.

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SWITZERLAND

Geneve Lions sign Matthias Kautzor-Schroder - by Luca Maffioli
Matthias Kautzor-Schroder (195-G-75, college: Wisc.-Parkside) have agreed on terms of contract with Lions de Geneve. The 36-year-old come back to Geneve after one season. Kautzor spent last three seasons in Geneva Devils and in 2009-2010 he tallied 4.6 points, 2.7 boards and 1.3 assists per game. The Swiss forward played also in Meyrin Grand-Saconnex Basket, BC Boncourt, Carouge Basket Geneva, Versoix Geneva, Oberwart, Bernex Geneva and in the USA with Joliet JC, W.Illinois and Wisc-Parkside. In his career Kautzor won Austrian Cup 1999, Swiss LNB 2001, Swiss LNA 2004 and Swiss Cup 2005.

Standings - LNA

LNA Standings

1. Lugano Tigers		23-2
2. Fribourg		18-7
3. Geneve Lions		17-8
4. SAV Vacallo		16-10
5. Monthey		14-11
6. Starwings		13-12
7. Boncourt		11-14
8. SAM Massagno		9-17
9. BBC Nyon		4-21
10. Zurich Wildcats		1-24

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SYRIA

Jalaa grab first win in WABA Finals - by Eurobasket News
Jalaa - Riyadi 91:77

Jalaa celebrated the first win in the WABA League championship series. They held off Riyadi in Aleppo to take 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Michel Maadanli (195-G-81) came up with 19 points to pace the winners. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday in Aleppo.
Riyadi dominated in the first frame taking the lead. But the hosts answered early in the second quarter unleashing a 7:2 run. Jalaa soon grabbed the lead as they entered the second half up by five points 50:45. The margin just kept on growing in the second half. Jalaa built a 14-point lead 78:64 early in the fourth term and never looked back en route to the victory. Wissam Yakoub (212-C-82) scored 19 points, while Jamaal Miller (187-G-82, agency: Court Side, college: Green River CC) contributed 18 in the winning effort. Nathanel Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) answered with 34 points for Riyadi. Omar El Turk (188-G-81, college: Dawson Coll.) provided 11 points in defeat.

Jalaa: Michel Maadanli 19, Wissam Yakoub 19, Jamaal Miller 18
Riyadi: Nathanel Johnson 34, Omar El Turk 11

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TURKEY

Spartak Saint-Petersburg successfully open EuroChallenge 1/4 Finals - by Eurobasket News
Spartak Saint-Petersburg- Pinar Karsiyaka 78:73

Spartak Saint-Petersburg successfully open EuroChallenge 1/4 Finals as the Russian Cup winners overcame Pinar Karsiyaka. The Russian team won 78:73 and will need another win to advance to Final Four.
Spartak opened the game with six consecutive points and then Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) brought 15:4. Although the guests reduced the gap, again Henry Domercant closed the period at 19:17. Jovo Stanojevic (208-C-77, agency: Beo Basket) managed to give Pinar 24:23 lead, while Batuk increased to 31:29. The hosts made the final push in the half to win it 44:35 as Kotishevskiy sent the squads to the lockers. In the third period the Russian team added 15-14 and enjoyed 59:49 after three quarters. Henry Domercant gave the hosts 71:54, but the Turkish team dominated at the end. They cut it to 78:73 as Andre Smith (203-F-85, college: N.Dakota St.) nailed three with a buzzer.
Patrick Beverley (185-G-88, college: Arkansas), Henry Domercant and Petar Popovic (211-C-79) paced all the winners with 15 points each. Andre Smith responded with 23 points and 10 rebounds in defeat as Turkish team will host the opponents on March 24th. Jovo Stanojevic netted 19, while Ahmet Ali Erdogan (186-G-86) added 11.

Spartak Saint-Petersburg: Patrick Beverley 15, Henry Domercant 15, Petar Popovic 15
Pinar Karsiyaka: Andre Smith 23+10 rebs, Jovo Stanojevic 19, Ahmet Ali Erdogan 11

Standings - TB2L

TB2L Standings

Group A
1. Genc Banvit		19-3
2. Genc Telekom		16-6
3. Vestel		15-7
4. Usak		15-7
5. Orman Genc		12-10
6. Final Genclik		11-11
7. Pertevniyal		11-11
8. Darussafaka		10-12
9. Istanbul B.B.		9-13
10. Adanaspor		7-15
11. FMV Isikspor		5-17
12. Izmir B.B.		2-20
Group B
1. Optimum TED		20-2
2. Hacettepe Univ.		16-6
3. Kepez Bld		14-8
4. Gaziantep		14-8
5. Selcuk Univ.		13-9
6. Gelisim		11-11
7. Istanbulspor		11-11
8. Akhisar Bld		10-12
9. TED Istanbul		9-13
10. Basaksehir		8-14
11. Beykoz		3-19
12. ITU		3-19

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UBA

Standings

UBA Standings

Eastern
1. Southeast H.		12-1
2. Cleveland V.		10-3
3. Columbus C.		6-8
4. Colonial F.		2-10
5. NE Air Soul		1-12
Southern
1. S.Generals		28-5
2. GIE Morrow D.		24-11
3. Atlanta A.		13-9
4. Georgia L.		9-15
5. St.Mountain H.		3-18
Western
1. C.Texas C.		16-2
2. Tennessee D.		16-9
3. DFW Warriors		10-8
4. Austin K.		8-7
5. Norman E.		8-7
D-League
1. Irie M.		0-0
2. Proline		0-0
3. Team Japan		0-0
Travel Teams
1. Columbus Crush		9-2
2. Dallas Star		6-12
3. Houston X.		3-0
4. Nashville B.		0-10
5. Oklahoma S.		0-13
6. Metro Atlanta		0-17

*****************************************************

UBL

UBL ARKANSAS WIN - by Ozzie Denson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(UBL) Little Rock AR was not the place to be Saturday Night for the timid. The Tulsa Tornadoes came to play, and play they did a big physical team by any standard it became a physical defenses ground it out contest all night. They held the Warriors to there lowest scoring game of the season. But the Warriors prevail with a 107 to 96 victory led in scoring by 3 of there (UBL) AllStars Daniel Watson with 19pcs and Rashad Moss with 16pcs Dedrick Knox 15pcs and veteran point guard Herman Harris with 15pcs. The Tornadoes were led in scoring by Andre Grayson with 17pcs and Jarez Howard with 18pcs and Keith Miller with 13pcs.
Article Written By: Eugene Udell
3/22/2011
The (UBL) is more than just a Game!

*****************************************************

UKRAINE

Eric Coleman gets MVP of the Week award for Ukrainian Superleague - by Eurobasket News
American Eric Coleman (200-C-85, agency: Hart Sports Mngm) had an amazing evening in the last round for Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 42.
The 25-year old center had the game-high 28 points adding eight rebounds and three assists for Hoverla in his team's victory, helping them to edge out Ferro-ZNTU (#5, 22-18) 84-80. Hoverla maintains the 3rd position in Ukrainian Superleague. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Hoverla will need more victories to improve their 26-15 record. Coleman turned to be Hoverla's top player in his first season with the team. Eric Coleman averages this season 13.0ppg and 5.7rpg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was young international power forward Igor Zaitsev (211-F/C-89) of Kryvbasbasket-Lux Kryvyi Rih. Zaitsev impressed basketball fans with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Of course he lead Kryvbasbasket to another comfortable win 81-68 over the lower-ranked Halychyna (#11, 14-28) being unquestionably team leader. This victory allowed Kryvbasbasket to move up to 7th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 20-20 record is not bad and everything may still change. Zaitsev is one of the most experienced players at Kryvbasbasket and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last round was Stanislav Tymofeyenko (204-F-89) of Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk (#8). Tymofeyenko showcased his all-around game by recording 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the last round. Despite Tymofeyenko's great performance Dnipro lost 86-95 to the lower-ranked Khimik (#12, 13-28). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing Dnipro needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 19 victories and 19 lost games. Tymofeyenko has a very solid season. In 33 games in Ukraine he scored 5.1ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Maksym Pustozvonov (200-F-87) of Azovmash - 28 points and 3 rebounds
5. Luis Flores (188-G-81) of BC Donetsk - 24 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists
6. Pavel Ulyanko (204-F/C-79) of Hoverla - 17 points and 5 rebounds
7. Todd Abernethy (185-G-84) of Halychyna - 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists
8. Maksym Kornienko (205-F/C-87) of Dnipro - 17 points and 5 rebounds
9. Dmitry Korablev (198-F-77) of Kryvbasbasket - 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists
10. Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Azovmash - 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists

The Player of the week is chosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

*****************************************************

UNITED KINGDOM

BBL Team Of The Week - Week 26 - by Paul Nilsen
For the first time in a long while, our line-up of the best performers of the week includes three players from just one club. We also hand out debut appearances to two players who join the long list of names we have featured so far with time beginning to run out as we head into the last few weeks of the regular season.

JR Blount (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)
While the point guard missed the game at Prestige Homes MK Lions which resulted in Riders losing, he was back on court to lead his team to a thumping home win against Worthing Thunder. Blount finished the game with a tremendous double-double of 19 points and 11 assists as well as helping out on the glass with six rebounds in what was the second best performance anywhere in the BBL.

Ryan Zamroz (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)
Completing our all-Riders backcourt this week is Ryan Zamroz who actually produced one of his best performances of the season in the loss against Lions when he had to deputise in the playmaking role for Blount. However he makes the starting five due to his similarly impressive exploits against Worthing Thunder when he moved back to the two spot but showed he was still in the mood for showcasing his court vision by adding 8 assists to his 25 point haul.

Tayo Ogedegebe (Guildford Heat)
Our first debutante books his spot after a great performance in the thrashing of Glasgow Rocks during which the versatile forward showed his full range of skills. From flawless perimeter shooting which led to him making four of four from downtown to the athleticism he displayed in claiming three blocked shots, it was a great effort. It led to him recording 22 points in an explosive 25 minutes of action.

Shawn Myers (Prestige Homes MK Lions)
With so many games coming thick and fast, it seems like an eternity since Lions pipped Riders in their midweek game and much of that success came down the stellar display of Myers. The veteran shows no sign of slowing down and its been another good month for the forward personally having scooped the Molten Player Of The Month Award for February. He produced the best contribution of the week to achieve a very impressive performance valuation of 35 after racking up a monstrous double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Barry Lamble (208-C-83) (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)

Its another debut in our BBL Team Of The Week line-up, as the Riders big man claims his well deserved spot having conjured up a super double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds in the game against Thunder. Lamble was an efficient 9 of 13 inside and just for good measure, the center also grabbed a couple of steals, dished up a couple of assists and blocked a shot to complete an excellent nights work.

BBL Team Of The Week

JR Blount (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)
Ryan Zamroz (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)
Tayo Ogedegebe (Guildford Heat)
Shawn Myers (Prestige Homes MK Lions)
Barry Lamble (208-C-83) (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)

Off The Bench

Demarius Bolds (Prestige Homes MK Lions), Anthony Rowe (UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders), Lataryl Williams (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders), Colin OReilly (Cheshire Jets), Jerome Gumbs (UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders)

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VENEZUELA

Standings - LPB

LPB Standings

1. Cocodrilos		11-2
2. Marinos		10-1
3. Guaiqueries		7-4
4. Trotamundos		6-6
5. Panteras		6-7
6. Toros		5-6
7. Guaros		5-7
8. Gigantes		4-8
9. Bucaneros		3-9
10. Gaiteros		2-9

Stats Leaders - LPB

LPB Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

1 Nembhard, Gaiteros 20.0
2 Walker, Gigantes 19.5
3 Millsap, Guaros 19.1
4 Glenn, Trotamundos 18.9
5 Coleman, Panteras 16.9
6 Flores, Toros 16.7
7 Martinez, Cocodrilos 16.5
8 Guillent, Bucaneros 16.3
9 Cubillan, Trotamundos 16.1
10 Mensah, Panteras 16.1

Rebounds Per Game

1 Martinez, Cocodrilos 13.0
2 Lugo, Bucaneros 10.3
3 Coleman, Panteras 10.0
4 Flores, Toros 8.6
5 Millsap, Guaros 7.2
6 Sucre, Marinos 7.1
7 Glenn, Trotamundos 6.4
8 Feeley, Gigantes 6.0
9 Bayona, Guaros 5.7
10 Bravo, Gigantes 5.6

Assists Per Game

1 Vargas, Marinos 6.4
2 Mensah, Panteras 5.0
3 Cedeno, Guaiqueries 4.0
4 Nembhard, Gaiteros 3.9
5 Cubillan, Trotamundos 3.7
6 Elliott, Cocodrilos 3.5
7 Mijares, Toros 3.4
8 Guevara, Bucaneros 3.4
9 Guillent, Bucaneros 3.1
10 Smith, Marinos 2.4

Steals Per Game

1 Mensah, Panteras 3.4
2 Vargas, Marinos 3.1
3 Elliott, Cocodrilos 2.9
4 Guillent, Bucaneros 2.8
5 Walker, Gigantes 2.7
6 Baez, Gigantes 2.5
7 Cubillan, Trotamundos 2.5
8 Nembhard, Gaiteros 2.3
9 Guevara, Bucaneros 2.3
10 Sucre, Marinos 2.2

Blocks Per Game

1 Bethelmy, Cocodrilos 1.6
2 Feeley, Gigantes 1.4
3 Lugo, Bucaneros 1.3
4 Brock, Guaiqueries 1.3
5 Coleman, Panteras 1.2
6 Jackson, Panteras 1.0
7 Bayona, Guaros 1.0
8 Glenn, Trotamundos 0.9
9 Bravo, Gigantes 0.8
10 Marriaga, Trotamundos 0.8

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WABA

Women News

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AUSTRIA - Women

Standings - AWBL

AWBL Standings

Group A
1. Fl.Foxes		24-0
2. BK Duchess		19-5
3. BC Vienna		13-11
4. UBBC		13-11
5. UBI Graz		12-12
6. Innsbruck		7-17
Group B
1. Gratkorn		4-1
2. Salzburg		2-0
3. Kammer		2-2
4. DBBC Graz		0-5

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BELGIUM - Women

D1 Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Sara LEEMANS
  Sint Kateline
  (178-G/F-88)
  Avg: 20.5

1. Leemans, Sint K.	20.5
2. Tatham, Point C.	18.5
3. Meesseman, Ieper	18.3
4. Gaither, Dexia N.	16.2
5. VanMalderen, Dexia N.	16.1
6. Dennett, Sint K.	16.0
7. Decroos, BBC Boom	15.1
8. Wilkins, Point Chaud	15.1
9. Mayombo, Point C.	14.9
10. Blommaers, Houth.	14.0

Rebounds Per Game

Rhona MCKENZIE
  Houthalen
  (183-F-76)
  Avg: 13.4

1. McKenzie, Houth.	13.4
2. Meesseman, Ieper	11.1
3. Dennett, Sint K.	9.5
4. Wilkins, Point Chaud	9.0
5. Gaither, Dexia N.	8.9
6. Kurtozi, R.Spirou.	8.8
7. Van Respaill., Wareg.	8.5
8. Hoehne, R.Spirou.	8.4
9. Ibekwe, Point C.	8.3
10. Tatham, Point C.	7.9

Assists Per Game

Sara LEEMANS
  Sint Kateline
  (178-G/F-88)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Leemans, Sint K.	3.1
2. Ballau, R.Spirou.	2.3
3. Mayombo, Point C.	2.1
4. Van Dessel, Sint K.	2.1
5. Devliegher, Ieper	1.9
6. Deyaert, Waregem	1.9
7. Dubuc, Dexia Namur	1.8
8. Van Driel, BBC B.	1.8
9. Deneil, Dexia Namur	1.8
10. Vanloo, Waregem	1.8

Steals Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
  Ieper
  (188-C-93)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Meesseman, Ieper	2.6
2. Gaither, Dexia N.	2.3
3. Van De Bruae., Deerl.	2.1
4. Van Driel, BBC B.	2.0
5. Deyaert, Waregem	2.0
6. Van den Vond., BBC B.	2.0
7. Deneil, Dexia Namur	1.9
8. Medvedeva, Waregem	1.9
9. Ballau, R.Spirou.	1.9
10. Mayombo, Point C.	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
  Ieper
  (188-C-93)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Meesseman, Ieper	3.1
2. Dennett, Sint K.	1.7
3. Boonen, BBC Boom	1.6
4. Kurtozi, R.Spirou.	1.2
5. Theunissen, Point C.	1.2
6. Gaither, Dexia N.	1.0
7. Lentacker, Jeugd G.	0.9
8. VanMalderen, Dexia N.	0.8
9. Malfait, Jeugd G.	0.8
10. Dochez, Dexia N.	0.7

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BOSNIA - Women

CELIK Zenica the CUP winner - by Senad Sadikovic
Great basketball show in basketball cup of Bosnia and Herzegowina from teams Celik and Jedinstvo BHT.
From the start of the game Celik was dominating Zenica's Arena, in the first quorter they hat plus 7 points (15:8), and by the halftime it was already 39:22. At the end of the second quorter the winner was known, by the game and by the score.

Til the end of the game Jedinstvo couldn't do much to change the score, by the end of the thirt qourter the result was 61:40, and at the fourth quorter Celik completely run over Jedinstvo (26:8) and so the Celik team won the first title at the cup of BiH.

The best players by Celik were Vidovic Rada and Pilav Aida with 24 scores, while by the team of Jedinstvo from Tuzla the best players were Kovacevic Zdenka with 14 and Becirovic Azra with 13 points.

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BULGARIA - Women

Juanita Ward signed with Tulsa Shock, chosen regular season MVP - by Christomir Rackov
The best player in the Bulgarian women National Basketball League Juanita Ward (180-G-86, agency: Merit Sports, college: Syracuse) signed a contract with the WNBA team Tulsa Shock. The player of Beroe 07 Stara Zagora will join her new team after the end of the season in Bulgaria. The team from Stara Zagora will play Montana 2003 in the quarter-final playoffs.

Ward was also announced MVP of the regular season in the Bulgarian championship. She arrived at Beroe 07 on December 9th and since then she averaged 24.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 11 games. There's a chance that after the season in WNBA Ward could come back to Bulgaria in the middle of September and play for coach Georgi Mladenov again.

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CHINA - Women

Shenyang triumphs in WCBA! - by Eurobasket News
Unbelievable Final series just ended in China. The series lasted until the decisive game and only 1-point difference allowed Shenyang to win over Guangdong. The Final game brought 65:64 on the board as Miao LiJie (180-G-81) led her team with 22 points and received MVP. Shuang Zhao (188-F-90) netted 13 and Zhang Han lan (175-G-79) posted 11. Cash Swin (187-F-79, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Connecticut) ended up with 22 points and Huang Hongpin (196-C-89) notched 14.

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FINLAND - Women

D1 Round 1 of Semi-Finals - by Eurobasket News
PeKa - ToPo 76-65

Peka won their Semifinal opener. The game was mostly controlled by Peli-Karhut. Torpan Pojat managed to win third quarter 16-10. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when Peli-Karhut won last quarter 23-14. American power forward Shanika Freeman (183-83, college: Jacksonville St.) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 18 rebounds for the winners and her fellow American import guard Krystal Vaughn (185-86, college: VCU, agency: LBM Management) chipped in 23 points and 9 rebounds. At the losing side American forward Dandra Moss (183-88, college: VCU) responded with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and the former international center Taru Tuukkanen (190-77, college: Xavier) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds. Four Torpan Pojat players scored in double figures. Torpan Pojat's coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
PeKa: S.Freeman 24+18reb+1ast, K.Vaughn 23+9reb, A.Lassiter 17+5reb+3ast, L.Lehtoranta 7+3reb, L.Richter 5+4reb, A.Sastamala 0
ToPo: D.Moss 22+8reb+4ast, T.Tuukkanen 14+12reb+2ast, A.Juvonen 13+7reb+1ast, E.Nurmi 10+4reb, S.Wahlgren 2+1reb+1ast, A.Arppe 2+2reb

Catz - Espoo Team 76-55

Catz won the Semifinal opener over Espoo. The game was mostly controlled by Catz Lappeenranta. Espoo Team was better in third quarter 22-13. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Espoo Team to just 7 points in fourth quarter. Catz Lappeenranta forced 31 Espoo Team turnovers. Strangely Espoo Team outrebounded Catz Lappeenranta 33-21 including 21 on the defensive glass. American forward Lisa Lee (183-84, college: Charleston) nailed 15 points and 4 steals for the winning side and international guard Reetta Piipari (170-80, college: Xavier) accounted for 15 points and 4 assists. Five Catz Lappeenranta players scored in double figures. International power forward Niina Laaksonen (185-85) came up with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds and international forward Evita Iiskola (181-93) added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Espoo Team in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games.
Top scorers:
Catz: E.Reshetko 16+3reb, L.Lee 15+4reb+2ast, R.Piipari 15+1reb+4ast, V.Kesanen 11+4reb+2ast, H.Vapamaa 11+4reb, E.Kityzina 8+3reb
Espoo Team: N.Laaksonen 12+12reb, L.Wilson 8+4reb+1ast, M.Dettmann 8+2reb+2ast, E.Iiskola 8+7reb, A.Makitalo 7+1reb+1ast, A.Holopainen 6+4reb

Stats Leaders - Women

Points Per Game

Dandra MOSS
  ToPo
  (183-F-88)
  Avg: 24.7

1. Moss, ToPo	24.7
2. Vaughn, PeKa	24.4
3. Pounds, HoNsU	24.1
4. Tuukkanen, ToPo	19.2
5. Karcic, Kerava	18.6
6. Robinson, Huima	18.6
7. Wright, FoA	16.9
8. Lassiter, PeKa	16.8
9. Laaksonen, Espoo T.	16.7
10. Lomax, Huima	15.7

Rebounds Per Game

Kenya ROBINSON
  Huima
  (182-C-70)
  Avg: 14.8

1. Robinson, Huima	14.8
2. Lomax, Huima	13.2
3. Moss, ToPo	12.6
4. Karcic, Kerava	12.1
5. Vaughn, PeKa	11.3
6. Lassiter, PeKa	11.1
7. Laaksonen, Espoo T.	10.8
8. Jones, Huima	10.0
9. Tuukkanen, ToPo	9.7
10. Martin, PeKa	8.9

Assists Per Game

Dionne POUNDS
  HoNsU
  (174-F-84)
  Avg: 3.6

1. Pounds, HoNsU	3.6
2. Wright, FoA	3.5
3. Karcic, Kerava	3.3
4. Moss, ToPo	2.9
5. Piipari, Catz	2.8
6. Lassiter, PeKa	2.7
7. Robinson, Huima	2.7
8. Dettmann, Espoo T.	2.3
9. Lomax, Huima	2.2
10. Morris, Huima	2.1

Steals Per Game

Lisa KARCIC
  Kerava
  (185-F/C-86)
  Avg: 5.5

1. Karcic, Kerava	5.5
2. Pounds, HoNsU	3.9
3. Lassiter, PeKa	3.0
4. Lee, Catz	2.9
5. Dettmann, Espoo T.	2.9
6. Wright, FoA	2.9
7. Morris, Huima	2.4
8. Robinson, Huima	2.4
9. Lomax, Huima	2.2
10. Roundtree, HoNsU	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Niina LAAKSONEN
  Espoo Team
  (185-F/C-85)
  Avg: 0.9

1. Laaksonen, Espoo T.	0.9
2. Moss, ToPo	0.9
3. Lomax, Huima	0.8
4. Robinson, Huima	0.6
5. Holopainen, Espoo T.	0.6
6. Wilson, Espoo Team	0.6
7. Pounds, HoNsU	0.6
8. Pavlovskaya, ToPo	0.5
9. Karcic, Kerava	0.5
10. Wright, FoA	0.5

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ICELAND - Women

stats leader

Points Per Game

Monique MARTIN
  Snaefell
  (180-G-83)
  Avg: 26.7

1. Martin, Snaefell	26.7
2. Harris, Fjolnir	25.9
3. Adamshick, Keflavik	25.3
4. Fields, Njardvik	24.3
5. Butler, Hamar	23.6
6. Snodgrass, Haukar	21.3
7. Boyd, Grindavik	21.0
8. Sturludottir, KR	19.2
9. Morris, KR	18.5
10. Audere, Snaefell	18.0

Rebounds Per Game

Jacquline ADAMSHICK
  Keflavik
  (183-F-84)
  Avg: 16

1. Adamshick, Keflavik	16.0
2. Butler, Hamar	14.7
3. Martin, Snaefell	14.2
4. Buzoka, Fjolnir	13.0
5. Liepkalne, Njardvik	11.3
6. Demirer, Njardvik	11.3
7. Hallgrimsdot., Grinda.	10.8
8. Muciniece, Snaefell	10.3
9. Brynjarsdott., Hau.	10.0
10. Boyd, Grindavik	9.1

Assists Per Game

Natasha HARRIS
  Fjolnir
  (177-G-86)
  Avg: 7.3

1. Harris, Fjolnir	7.3
2. Dimovska, Hamar	6.0
3. Reke, Grindavik	5.6
4. Siguraardott., KR	4.1
5. Gunnlaugsdot., Kefla.	3.9
6. Fields, Njardvik	3.9
7. Liepkalne, Njardvik	3.7
8. Valgarasdott., Kefla.	3.6
9. Butler, Hamar	3.5
10. Sturludottir, KR	3.3

Steals Per Game

Natasha HARRIS
  Fjolnir
  (177-G-86)
  Avg: 5.6

1. Harris, Fjolnir	5.6
2. Martin, Snaefell	4.1
3. Reke, Grindavik	3.9
4. Dimovska, Hamar	3.6
5. Logan, Snaefell	3.0
6. Boyd, Grindavik	2.9
7. Butler, Hamar	2.9
8. Adamshick, Keflavik	2.7
9. Valgarasdott., Kefla.	2.6
10. Liepkalne, Njardvik	2.5

Blocks Per Game

Inga BUZOKA
  Fjolnir
  (191-C-81)
  Avg: 3.2

1. Buzoka, Fjolnir	3.2
2. Butler, Hamar	3.0
3. Martin, Snaefell	2.3
4. Muciniece, Snaefell	2.1
5. Hermannsdott., KR	2.1
6. Logan, Snaefell	1.7
7. Adamshick, Keflavik	1.2
8. Valgarasdott., Kefla.	1.1
9. Ragnarsdotti., KR	1.0
10. Sturludottir, KR	0.8

Express League Semifinals: Njardvik ties the score to 1-1 against Hamar - by Eurobasket News
Semifinals, Game Two: Njardvik - Hamar 86-78 (1-1)

Njardvik managed to beat Hamar in the second game of the Playoff Semifinals. The hosts celebrated 86-78 victory tying the score to 1-1. The series is best-of-five and next game will be played at the Hamars home court on Thursday.
Njardvik won three quarters in this game and it was enough. They started with 26-23 and continued with 21-19 for the next ten minutes. Third period was the crucial one in this meeting as Njardvik smashed Hamar 23-13. All after that was just the formality, despite the last quarter belonged to visiting squad 16-23. Njardvik made 23-of-29 free shots (79.3 percent) during the game, while Hamar only scored five points from the stripe. They outrebounded Hamar 48-23 including a 17-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American-Polish forward Julia Demirer (184-F-81, college: Emmanuel (MA)) who had a double-double by scoring 32 points and 15 rebounds. American guard Shayla Fields (175-G-87, agency: 540 Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) chipped in 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. American forward Jaleesa Butler (183-F-87, college: Georgetown) produced 36 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds and FYR Macedonian guard Slavica Dimovska (177-G-85) added 15 points and 8 assists respectively for the guests. Four Hamar players scored in double figures.

Njardvik: J.Demirer 32+15reb, S.Fields 25+9reb+4ast, A.Einarsdottir 11+1reb+4ast, D.Liepkalne 8+14reb+8ast, A.Helga Palsdottir 4+6reb+2ast, K.Jonsdottir 3+2reb
Hamar: J.Butler 36+8reb+2ast, S.Dimovska 15+2reb+8ast, K.Sigurjonsdottir 13+5reb+1ast, F.Guamundsdottir 12+1reb, J.Haraardottir 2+3reb, Gumundsdottir 0

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ISRAEL - Women

Elitzur Ramla and Maccabi Ashdod won the openers of the Semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Elitzur Ramla and Maccabi Ashdod won the openers of the Semifinals.

Elitzur Ramla - Ramat Hen 87-85

The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Maccabi Ramat Hen won fourth quarter 30-23. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Elitzur Ramla looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Guard Tanisha Wright (180-83, college: Penn St., agency: LBM Management) stepped up and scored 12 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners and center Kia Vaughn (193-87, college: Rutgers) chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds. Four Elitzur Ramla players scored in double figures. At the losing side guard Ivory Latta (168-84, college: N.Carolina, agency: 540 Sports) responded with 27 points and 7 assists and forward Tiffany Jackson (191-85, college: Texas, agency: 540 Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Ramat Hen: I.Latta 27+4reb+7ast, T.Jackson 18+11reb+2ast, M.Epstain 14+7reb+3ast, R.Taylor 7+3reb, A.Walker 6+3reb+1ast, L.Peleg 5
Elitzur Ramla: R.Grinboym 17+3reb+3ast, K.Vaughn 14+8reb+2ast, T.Wright 12+5reb+8ast, L.Selwyn 11+3reb+4ast, Y.Eizenshtat 9+1reb, L.Willingham 9+2reb+2ast

Electra Ramat - Maccabi Ashdod 65-78

Maccabi Ashdod players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Americans were the main players on the court also this time. Forward Ambrosia Anderson (186-84, college: BYU) nailed 20 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and guard Renee Montgomery (170-86, college: Connecticut, agency: LBM Management) accounted for 18 points and 6 assists. Four Maccabi Ashdod players scored in double figures. Swingman Camille Little (188-85, college: N.Carolina) came up with 20 points and 7 rebounds and guard Shavonte Zellous (178-86, college: Pittsburgh) added 20 points (made all of her eight free throws) respectively for Electra Ramat in the defeat.
Top scorers:
Electra Ramat: C.Little 20+7reb+3ast, S.Zellous 20+3reb+3ast, E.Abramzon 8+5reb+1ast, N.Ganor 6+1reb+3ast, E.White 6+6reb+4ast, A.Cohen 3+4reb+2ast
Maccabi Ashdod: A.Anderson 20+7reb, R.Montgomery 18+2reb+6ast, T.James 14+5reb+4ast, K.Levitsky 10+6reb+3ast, N.Kolodny 9+7reb+5ast, A.Robinson 7+4reb+3ast

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LATVIA - Women

Standings - LSBL

LSBL Standings

1. TTT Riga		27-0
2. LU		19-7
3. RTU-Merks		19-8
4. TTT Juniores		14-11
5. TTT Kadetes		11-16
6. Daugavpils		8-18
7. Cesis		5-21
8. Liepajas		2-24

Stats Leaders - Women

Points Per Game

Ieva KRASTINA
  LU
  (176-G/F-90)
  Avg: 21.6

1. Krastina, LU	21.6
2. Krumberga, TTT R.	20.1
3. Lisnere, Cesis	20.0
4. Hollingswort., TTT R.	18.4
5. Jakobsone, Cesis	17.8
6. Jakobsone, TTT Riga	15.9
7. Egle, Daugavpils	15.8
8. Teilane, RTU-Merks	15.4
9. Surkusa, TTT J.	15.3
10. Eibele, TTT Riga	14.7

Rebounds Per Game

Liga SURKUSA
  TTT Riga
  (192-C-91)
  Avg: 12

1. Surkusa, TTT J.	12.0
2. Teilane, RTU-Merks	11.3
3. Lagzdina, TTT J.	11.0
4. Lisnere, Cesis	10.9
5. Hollingswort., TTT R.	10.2
6. Geistarde-Z., Cesis	9.9
7. Butler, TTT Riga	9.5
8. Zdanovska, Liepajas	8.6
9. Nimane, TTT Riga	8.5
10. Pavlovska, RTU-M.	8.5

Assists Per Game

Anda EIBELE
  TTT Riga
  (170-G-84)
  Avg: 6.3

1. Eibele, TTT Riga	6.3
2. Jevsejeva, Dauga.	4.4
3. Krastina, LU	3.9
4. Karklina, TTT Riga	3.8
5. Neimane, TTT J.	3.4
6. Butler, TTT Riga	3.0
7. Staugaitiene, TTT R.	2.8
8. Kazakevica, Dauga.	2.8
9. Sarja, TTT Juniores	2.5
10. Krumberga, TTT R.	2.5

Steals Per Game

Ieva KRASTINA
  LU
  (176-G/F-90)
  Avg: 4.2

1. Krastina, LU	4.2
2. Karklina, TTT Riga	3.4
3. Butler, TTT Riga	2.9
4. Eibele, TTT Riga	2.8
5. Krumberga, TTT R.	2.8
6. Kazakevica, Dauga.	2.5
7. Bridina, TTT K.	2.4
8. Nimane, TTT Riga	2.4
9. Zeltina, Cesis	2.3
10. Purina, LU	2.1

Blocks Per Game

Anita TEILANE
  Satu Mare
  (196-C-85)
  Avg: 3.4

1. Teilane, RTU-Merks	3.4
2. Veidere, TTT K.	3.1
3. Surkusa, TTT J.	2.2
4. Hollingswort., TTT R.	1.7
5. Geistarde-Z., Cesis	1.3
6. Nimane, TTT Riga	1.3
7. Lisnere, Cesis	1.2
8. Lazdeniece, RTU-M.	1.2
9. Egle, Daugavpils	1.1
10. Egle, Daugavpils	1.1

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MALTA - Women

Standings - Women

Div.1 Standings

1. Depiro		12-1
2. Luxol		11-2
3. Hibs Medsea		10-3
4. Loyola		7-6
5. Athleta		6-6
6. St.Andrews		3-10
7. Starlites		2-11
8. Guzelpinar		0-12

Luxol go second in womens league - by Eurobasket News
Luxol won the clash for second place on Sunday when they had the better of reigning womens champions Hibs Medsea.

In the main match of the weekend, Luxol moved to within a point of leaders Depiro McDonalds as the first phase of the championship is nearing its end. More was expected from Hibs after winning the Louis Borg Cup the previous week but Winnie Buhagiars girls lacked ideas and looked rather slow in their movements.

The start saw Luxol open a slight lead which they held till the end of the first quarter, 10-6. Hibs then relied on the baskets of Joselle Cardona to go ahead for the first time only for Luxol to pot the last basket of the session and level matters at 18-all.

Luxol scored the opening seven points after the interval as Hibs suddenly lost their shooting touch.

In fact, their points at this juncture only came through free-throws as Luxol sped ahead to begin the last 10 minutes 36-25 ahead.

Hibs never gave the impression that they could recover. Their attacking manoeuvres were confused while Luxol, by contrast, held composure to secure a 40-33 win.

Despite playing without top scorer Kaila Agius, Depiro were never in trouble against bottom-placed Mtarfa.

The leaders took control from the opening minutes and led 44-14 at half-time. Though Mtarfa tried to put up a fight after the in-terval, Depiro were still the better team. They won the match with a convincing score of 77-38.

Loyola, meanwhile, struggled more than expected to beat Starlites Sport Experience and notch their seventh victory that momentarily took them into fourth place.

Starlites were 14-4 ahead at one point in the opening session but Loyola cancelled that deficit to change ends 17-all.

They continued with their good work after the interval, going 31-21 in front before staving off Starlites brave challenge for a 43-31 win.

Athleta had the influential Leanne Sciberras (189-F-90) missing for their match against St Andrews who, amazingly, failed to pot a single point in the opening quarter but improved after that to close the gap to 17-13 at half-time.

Then, in the dying minutes of the third quarter, St Andrews for-ged ahead 28-24 but Athleta recovered strongly and a 13-3 break in the last five minutes paved the way for a 43-34 victory.

Top scorers: K. Agius (Depiro) 231, Lucienne Bezzina (174-F-79) (Hibs) 191, Leanne Sciberras (Athleta) 190.

Standings: Depiro McDonalds 25 (12-1), Luxol 24 (11-2), Hibs Medsea 23 (10-3), Loyola 20 (7-6), Athleta 18 (6-6), Starlites 15 (2-11) Mtarfa 12 (0-12).

Next fixtures: (April 1) 18.15 Athleta vs Depiro, 19.45 Starlites vs St An-drews. (April 2) 15.45 Mtarfa vs Hibs. (April 3) 14.30 Luxol vs Loyola.
Courtesy of: http://www.timesofmalta.com

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ROMANIA - Women

D1 Round 13 of Second Stage - by Eurobasket News
The most interesting game of round 13 was a home defeat of 5th ranked Iasi (3-7) by fourth ranked Brasov (4-6) who outscored them by 21 points 51-30. It ended the two-game winning streak of Iasi. Center Monica Ivan (184-81) stepped up and scored 22 points and 7 rebounds (made all of her seven free throws) for the winners and forward Raluca Ungureanu (180-80) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side guard Madalina Cioroiu (173-91) responded with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Brasov moved-up to third place, which they share with Oradea. Iasi at the other side keeps the fifth position with seven games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Arad. Second ranked host ICIM Arad (11-2) defeated 3rd placed Sf.Gheorghe (8-5) 76-68. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Sf.Gheorghe. The former international guard Paula Cristina Ciocan (183-82, college: S.Carolina, agency: Josep and Nicolas) nailed 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for the winning side and Cherrise Graham accounted for 17 points. International guard Annemarie Parau (175-84, agency: LBM Management) came up with 24 points and 9 rebounds for Sf.Gheorghe in the defeat. ICIM Arad have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 11-2 record having just two points less than leader Alba Iulia. Sf.Gheorghe at the other side keeps the third position with five games lost. ICIM Arad will play against Craiova (#6) in Craiova in the next round. Sf.Gheorghe will play at home against the league's leader Satu Mare and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Alba Iulia. Leader host Alba Iulia (10-0) smashed 3rd placed Oradea (4-6) 68-45. Alexandra Uiuiu fired 18 points for the winners. Alba Iulia's coach Nicusor Marcu felt very confident using 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Ioana Gavra produced 24 points and 8 rebounds for lost side. Undefeated Alba Iulia have an impressive series of ten victories in a row. They maintain first place with 10-0 record. Loser Oradea keeps the third position with six games lost. They share it with Brasov. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Alba Iulia. Leader host Alba Iulia (10-0) defeated their biggest opponent Cluj Napoca (8-2) 70-60. Worth to mention a great performance of Luiza Voinea who helped to win the game recording 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the tenth consecutive win for Alba Iulia. They maintain first place with 10-0 record. Cluj Napoca at the other side keeps the second position with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
D1 top team - Satu Mare (13-0) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Rapid (1-12) 90-57. Claudia Pop stepped up and scored 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Satu Mare's coach Dan Fleseriu felt very confident using entire bench saving starting five for next games. The victory was the thirteenth consecutive win for Satu Mare. They maintain first place with 13-0 record. Rapid lost their twelfth game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with 12 games lost. Satu Mare will face Sf.Gheorghe (#3) in Sfantu Gheorghe in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Rapid will play at home against Alexandria (#5).

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 13: Craiova lost to Olimpia on the opponent's court 83-90. Alexandria managed to outperform Timisoara in a home game 67-58. Cluj Napoca managed to beat Sp.Studentesc on the road 71-65.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 31 points and 11 rebounds by Ancuta Stoenescu of Timisoara.

Group A1

Satu Mare - Rapid 90-57

D1 top team - Satu Mare (13-0) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Rapid (1-12) 90-57. The game without a history. Satu Mare led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Satu Mare outrebounded Rapid 36-24 including 18 on the offensive glass. International forward Claudia Pop (186-89) stepped up and scored 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners and Nigerian-American center Abi Olajuwon (193-88, college: Oklahoma) chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Satu Mare's coach Dan Fleseriu felt very confident using entire bench saving starting five for next games. At the losing side the former international guard Florina Diacona (176-82) responded with 21 points and 6 rebounds and center Cristina Perta (187-78) produced a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. The victory was the thirteenth consecutive win for Satu Mare. They maintain first place with 13-0 record. Rapid lost their twelfth game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with 12 games lost. Satu Mare will face Sf.Gheorghe (#3) in Sfantu Gheorghe in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Rapid will play at home against Alexandria (#5).
Top scorers:
Rapid: F.Diacona 21+6reb, C.Perta 13+10reb, N.Burlakova 10, R.Bejan 5+3reb, C.Ene 4+2reb, A.Ionescu 2+3reb
Satu Mare: C.Pop 24+6reb, A.Olajuwon 14+8reb+1ast, A.Teilane 13+4reb+1ast, A.Mehmedic 9, L.Bjork 8+2reb, R.Felicia Giurgiu 6

Olimpia - Craiova 90-83

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams in Bucuresti where 6th ranked Craiova (5-8) was defeated by seventh ranked Olimpia (2-11) 90-83 on Saturday. Craiova trailed by 11 points after 3 quarters before a 25-21 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 83-90 at the end of the game. Olimpia forced 25 Craiova turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Guard Gabriela Cursaru (169-92) stepped up and scored 34 points (!!!), 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals for the winners and international forward Cristina Bigica (182-92) chipped in 20 points. At the losing side forward Andreea Stefan (181-91) responded with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and American guard Tena Matthews (173-85, college: Northwestern St.) produced a double-double by scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds. Four Craiova players scored in double figures. Olimpia maintains seventh place with 2-11 record. Craiova lost their third game in a row. They keep the sixth position with eight games lost. Olimpia will face higher ranked Timisoara (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.
Top scorers:
Craiova: R.Tarta 25+3reb+6ast, A.Stefan 23+10reb+3ast, T.Matthews 21+11reb+3ast, A.Sipos 10+10reb+4ast, J.Simionca 4+4reb+5ast, A.Funieru 0
Olimpia: G.Cursaru 34+5reb+4ast, C.Bigica 20+4reb+3ast, S.Ursu 8+5reb+6ast, S.Rotarescu 8+1reb, R.Filip 6+2reb+3ast, A.Florea 4+5reb+3ast

Alexandria - Timisoara 67-58

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams when fifth ranked Alexandria (6-7) defeated at home 4th placed Timisoara (6-7) 67-58 on Saturday. The hosts trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 9-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 67-58. Alexandria dominated on the defensive end, holding Timisoara to just 7 points in second and third quarters. The former international forward Georgiana Rus (189-87) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and Serbian center Nevena Saponjic (186-85) chipped in 21 points and 11 rebounds. At the losing side the former international guard Ancuta Stoenescu (171-80, agency: Data Plus Group) responded with 12 points, 6 assists and 4 steals and forward Andra Haas (175-87) scored 11 points and 5 rebounds. Five Timisoara players scored in double figures. Alexandria moved-up to fourth place, which they share with defeated Timisoara. Alexandria will face Rapid (#8) in Bucuresti in the next round. Timisoara will play at home against Olimpia (#7) in Bucuresti.
Top scorers:
Timisoara: A.Stoenescu 12+4reb+6ast, C.Morosan 11+5reb+2ast, A.Maria Meszaros 11+4reb, A.Haas 11+5reb+3ast, L.Budean 10+7reb, A.Vuksic 3+7reb
Alexandria: N.Saponjic 21+11reb, G.Rus 17+12reb+5ast, C.Cutas 13+6reb+4ast, D.Bucica 8+2reb+2ast, A.Chivu 8+8reb+7ast, A.Stramaturaru 0

ICIM Arad - Sf.Gheorghe 76-68

The game between Top Four teams took place in Arad. Second ranked host ICIM Arad (11-2) defeated 3rd placed Sf.Gheorghe (8-5) 76-68. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Sf.Gheorghe. It looked good early as Sf.Gheorghe took an 8-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then ICIM Arad took control and eventually winning the game that evening by 8 points. Sf.Gheorghe was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. The former international guard Paula Cristina Ciocan (183-82, college: S.Carolina, agency: Josep and Nicolas) nailed 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for the winning side and American guard Cherrise Graham (171-82) accounted for 17 points. Four ICIM Arad players scored in double figures. International guard Annemarie Parau (175-84, agency: LBM Management) came up with 24 points and 9 rebounds and American forward Kerri Gardin (186-84, college: Virginia Tech) added 17 points and 15 rebounds respectively for Sf.Gheorghe in the defeat. ICIM Arad have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 11-2 record having just two points less than leader Alba Iulia. Sf.Gheorghe at the other side keeps the third position with five games lost. ICIM Arad will play against Craiova (#6) in Craiova in the next round. Sf.Gheorghe will play at home against the league's leader Satu Mare and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sf.Gheorghe: A.Parau 24+9reb+2ast, K.Gardin 17+15reb+2ast, B.Vescan 15+7reb, A.Walker 4+1reb, I.Vass 4+3reb+1ast, F.Ardeleanu 2
ICIM Arad: C.Graham 17+3reb+1ast, P.Cristina Ciocan 17+5reb+6ast, L.Dragoescu 10+3reb, A.Roberson 10+7reb+2ast, M.Boriga 9+2reb, B.Savic 4+1reb+1ast

Group A2

Iasi - Brasov 30-51

The most interesting game of round 13 was a home defeat of 5th ranked Iasi (3-7) by fourth ranked Brasov (4-6) who outscored them by 21 points 51-30. It ended the two-game winning streak of Iasi. Center Monica Ivan (184-81) stepped up and scored 22 points and 7 rebounds (made all of her seven free throws) for the winners and forward Raluca Ungureanu (180-80) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side guard Madalina Cioroiu (173-91) responded with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and center Doinita Panait (182-90) scored 7 points. Brasov moved-up to third place, which they share with Oradea. Iasi at the other side keeps the fifth position with seven games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Iasi: M.Cioroiu 7+6reb+5ast, D.Panait 7+3reb+1ast, C.Panzaru 6+2reb, G.Necula 4+1reb, D.Walker 2+3reb, L.Mitachi 2+1reb
Brasov: M.Ivan 22+7reb, R.Ungureanu 17+6reb+1ast, C.Badi 3, G.Plavitu 3+5reb+3ast, S.Avram 2+2reb+1ast, A.Sinka 2+2reb

Sp.Studentesc - Cluj Napoca 65-71

Not a big story in a game in Bucuresti where 6th ranked Sp.Studentesc (1-9) was defeated by second ranked Cluj Napoca (8-2) 71-65 on Saturday. The guests trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 24-16 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Cluj Napoca forced 26 Sp.Studentesc turnovers. Center Roxana Patrut (180-91) stepped up and scored 20 points and 7 rebounds for the winners and forward Marta Fodor (183-91) chipped in 18 points and 6 rebounds. Cluj Napoca's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to get some rest. At the losing side forward Ana Cuatu (175) responded with 18 points and 9 rebounds and forward Adina Lovasz (184-91) scored 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Sp.Studentesc players scored in double figures. Cluj Napoca maintains second place with 8-2 record having eight points less than leader Alba Iulia. Sp.Studentesc lost their third game in a row. They keep the sixth position with nine games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Sp.Studentesc: A.Cuatu 18+9reb+1ast, R.Mitroi 15+3reb+2ast, A.Lovasz 12+9reb+4ast, T.Lungu 12+5reb+1ast, L.Usurelu 7+5reb, A.Dumitrache 1+2reb+1ast
Cluj Napoca: R.Patrut 20+7reb, M.Fodor 18+6reb, A.Pricop 12+10reb+1ast, T.Kilin 9+2reb+2ast, A.Coldea 5+1reb+2ast, I.Anca Pop 4+5reb

Alba Iulia - Oradea 68-45

The game between Top Four teams took place in Alba Iulia. Leader host Alba Iulia (10-0) smashed 3rd placed Oradea (4-6) 68-45. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 14-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 68-45. Alba Iulia dominated on the defensive end, holding Oradea to just 7 points in second quarter. They also forced 25 Oradea turnovers. International forward Alexandra Uiuiu (180-89) fired 18 points for the winners. Forward Virgina-Elena Dinca (177-84) chipped in 7 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 8 steals. Alba Iulia's coach Nicusor Marcu felt very confident using 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Ioana Gavra (179-90) produced 24 points and 8 rebounds and center Oana Saracut (182-91) added 4 points and 9 rebounds respectively for lost side. Alba Iulia have an impressive series of ten victories in a row. They maintain first place with 10-0 record. Loser Oradea keeps the third position with six games lost. They share it with Brasov. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Oradea: I.Gavra 24+8reb+2ast, M.Adi 6+8reb+1ast, A.Vlaicu 5+7reb+1ast, E.Sabau 4+3reb, O.Saracut 4+9reb+3ast, P.Filip 2
Alba Iulia: A.Uiuiu 18+4reb+1ast, L.Voinea 14+2reb+2ast, V.Tamargeanu 10+5reb+1ast, V.Dinca 7+10reb+5ast, A.Pop 5+1reb+2ast, O.Precup 4+5reb+3ast

Round 7

Alba Iulia - Cluj Napoca 70-60

The game between Top Four teams took place in Alba Iulia. Leader host Alba Iulia (10-0) defeated their biggest opponent Cluj Napoca (8-2) 70-60. The game was mostly controlled by Alba Iulia. Cluj Napoca was better in second period 18-16. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Cluj Napoca to just 3 points in third quarter. Alba Iulia forced 29 Cluj Napoca turnovers. Strangely Cluj Napoca outrebounded Alba Iulia 39-25 including a 28-16 advantage in defensive rebounds. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of swingman Luiza Voinea (174-77) who helped to win the game recording 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. International forward Alexandra Uiuiu (180-89) contributed with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Four Alba Iulia players scored in double figures. Center Andreea Pop (180-90) answered with 15 points and 8 rebounds and center Roxana Patrut (180-91) added 8 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Cluj Napoca. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the tenth consecutive win for Alba Iulia. They maintain first place with 10-0 record. Cluj Napoca at the other side keeps the second position with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Cluj Napoca: A.Pop 15+8reb+1ast, F.Ferenczi 8+4reb+1ast, R.Patrut 8+8reb+1ast, M.Fodor 7+2reb+2ast, A.Pricop 6+7reb+4ast, A.Coldea 6+1ast
Alba Iulia: L.Voinea 19+6reb+6ast, A.Uiuiu 14+7reb+5ast, V.Tamargeanu 11+2reb+1ast, S.Gradinaru 10+4reb+2ast, A.Pop 5+2ast, O.Precup 4+1reb+1ast

Standings - Women

D1 Standings

A1 Group
1. Satu Mare		13-1
2. ICIM Arad		12-2
3. Sf.Gheorghe		9-5
4. Timisoara		7-7
5. Alexandria		6-8
6. Craiova		5-9
7. Rapid		2-12
8. Olimpia		2-12
A2 Group
1. Alba Iulia		10-0
2. Cluj Napoca		8-2
3. Brasov		4-6
4. Oradea		4-6
5. Iasi		3-7
6. Sp.Studentesc		1-9

Stats Leaders - Women

Points Per Game

Florina DIACONA
  Rapid
  (176-G-82)
  Avg: 21.8

1. Diacona, Rapid	21.8
2. Stoenescu, Timis.	17.8
3. Saponjic, Alexandria	17.3
4. Vass, Sf.Gheorghe	15.9
5. Rus, Alexandria	15.2
6. Tarta, Craiova	15.2
7. Cursaru, Olimpia	15.2
8. Klein, Satu Mare	14.8
9. Voinea, Alba Iulia	14.3
10. Ivan, Brasov	14.2

Rebounds Per Game

Fatou KANE
  Craiova
  (198-C-85)
  Avg: 13.4

1. Kane, Craiova	13.4
2. Terglav-T., Sf.Gheor.	11.1
3. Walker, Sf.Gheor.	10.9
4. Saponjic, Alexandria	10.2
5. Rus, Alexandria	10.0
6. Vescan, Sf.Gheorghe	9.3
7. Teilane, Satu Mare	9.2
8. Ducker, Satu Mare	9.0
9. Tkachenko, Iasi	8.8
10. Ivan, Brasov	8.8

Assists Per Game

Annemarie PARAU
  Sf.Gheorghe
  (175-G-84)
  Avg: 5.1

1. Parau, Sf.Gheorghe	5.1
2. Ciocan, ICIM A.	4.3
3. Tarta, Craiova	4.0
4. Diacona, Rapid	3.7
5. Mehmedic, Satu M.	3.5
6. Vass, Sf.Gheorghe	3.1
7. Boriga, ICIM A.	3.0
8. Rus, Alexandria	2.9
9. Budean, Timisoara	2.8
10. Sipos, Craiova	2.8

Steals Per Game

Anca SIPOS
  Craiova
  (185-F/C-85)
  Avg: 4

1. Sipos, Craiova	4.0
2. Diacona, Rapid	3.7
3. Stoenescu, Timis.	3.0
4. Chivu, Alexandria	3.0
5. Dinca, Alba Iulia	2.9
6. Ardeleanu, Sf.Gheor.	2.8
7. Budean, Timisoara	2.7
8. Boriga, ICIM A.	2.7
9. Ducker, Satu Mare	2.3
10. Ivan, Brasov	2.2

Blocks Per Game

Anita TEILANE
  Satu Mare
  (196-C-85)
  Avg: 3.9

1. Teilane, Satu Mare	3.9
2. Walker, Sf.Gheor.	2.7
3. Terglav-T., Sf.Gheor.	1.9
4. Kane, Craiova	1.7
5. Craciun, Olimpia	1.3
6. Toma, ICIM A.	1.0
7. Rus, Alexandria	0.9
8. Sipos, Craiova	0.8
9. Ionescu, Olimpia	0.8
10. Whitehead, Craiova	0.7

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SLOVENIA - Women

Standings - Women

SKL Standings

Places 1-6
1. Hit K.Gora		2-1
2. Merkur Celje		1-0
3. AJM Maribor		1-0
4. Jezica		1-1
5. Triglav		1-2
6. Ilrija		0-2
Places 7-13
1. Grosuplje		1-0
2. Rasica		1-0
3. GVT Konjice		1-0
4. Odeja KED		0-0
5. Domzale		0-1
6. Kozmetika Afr.		0-1
7. Pivka		0-1

Turcinovic's double-double lands her (Second Stage) Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
17-year old center Ana Turcinovic (190-C-93) put on an amazing game in the last round for second-ranked ZKK Merkur Celje and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 2 (Second Stage).
She had a double-double of 22 points and 21 rebounds, while her team outclassed, Second Stage botton-ranked team Jezica (#5, 0-1) with 33-point margin 82-49. Merkur Celje is placed at 2nd position in Slovenian SKL. But it's just the very beginning of the Second Stage and Merkur Celje won just one (their first) game. It's too early to say anything as the standings can be changed completely after next round. It's Turcinovic's second year at Merkur Celje and it's hard to imagine this team without her. Turcinovic has impressive league stats. She is in league's top in points (3rd best: 18.5ppg), rebounds (2nd best: 12.4rpg) and averages solid 2.4spg and 58.5% FGP.

Second best performed player last round was Teja Oblak (172-G-90) of top-ranked Hit Kranjska Gora. She is international guard in her second season at Hit K.Gora. In the last game Oblak recorded impressive 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Of course she lead Hit K.Gora to another comfortable win outscoring Ilrija (0-1) 81-53. Her team has extremely good start of the Second Stage. They won both games so far. However the Second Stage is at the beginning, so everything can happen. They still may lose their high position in the standings. Oblak is well-known at Hit K.Gora and she already established her position as one of the team's leaders. She belongs to the best scorers in the league with 21.1ppg (#1). Her other stats are also decent: 4.8rpg and 4.0apg.

Third place about best performers goes to Tina Kercmar of Rasica (#-4). Kercmar scored 28 points and grabbed fourteen rebounds (!!!). She was a key player of Rasica, leading her team to a 75-69overtime win against #0 ranked Kozmetika Afr. in a game of the week. Rasica has a very good start of the Second Stage. But there was just one game played, so it's too early to judge them at this stage. Kercmar also has a very good start of the Second Stage with very strong stats. The season just started for Kercmar as she played only first game. But it already looks like she can be team's leader.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Tina Trebec (189-F/C-90) of Hit K.Gora - 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Tjasa Gortnar (185-F-92) of Merkur Celje - 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
6. Tina Krajnik (170-G-93) of GVT Konjice - 21 points and 2 assists
7. Simona Jurse (171-G-71) of Kozmetika Afr. - 22 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Tina Kvaternik (172-G-78) of Kozmetika Afr. - 15 points and 8 rebounds
9. Simona Kuzma (168-G-87) of Rasica - 21 points and 8 rebounds
10. Natasa Mikic (181-G-84) of Grosuplje - 21 points and 7 rebounds

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Trebec scores 40, Oblak hands out 18 assists - by Zeljko Zule
Tina Trebec (189-F/C-90) scored 40 points on shooting 19-of-22 from the field and Teja Oblak had 24 points and 18 rebounds as Hit Kranjska Gora outscored Jezica 103-47 in the game of Round 3. Triglav earned important road win over Ilirija in battle for playoff positioning.
Hit Kranjska Gora-Jezica 103-47: The visiting led by as many as 26 points after first quarter and 62-24 at the break. Tina Trebec posted 40 points on shooting 19-of-22 from the field, Teja Oblak had 24 points and 18 rebounds, Eva Komplet added 14 points, Natasa Radulovic 11 and Zorka Bilic came off the bench for 10 rebounds. Kranjska Gora shot 46-of-75 from the field. Jezica had no scorers in double-figures, bute were led by junior Ziva Macura with 9 points.
Panter Ilirija-Triglav 59-68: After tying the game at 15-15, Triglav scored 8 consective points to take a lead 23-15 and never looked back from there. Ursa Cuk finished with 18 points, Ziva Zdolsek added 17 and Ana Ljubenovic had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ilirija was led by Sandra Bajrektarevic and her 19 points, Barbara Skof netted 10 points.

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SWEDEN - Women

Damligan Semifinals: Lulea BBK blasts Marbo Basket in Game One - by Eurobasket News
Semifinals, Game One: Lulea BBK - Marbo Basket 77-55

Lulea BBK shined in the first game of the Playoff Semifinals. They blasted Marbo Basket 77-55 for 1-0 lead in the series. Next game is scheduled for Saturday, when Marbo will be the host. The series is best-of-three so it will be the first chance for Lulea BBK to book a spot for the Finals. If not, third crucial game will be played at their home court on March 30.
The game was mostly controlled by Lulea BBK. Marbo Basket managed to win second period 25-24. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Marbo Basket to just 5 points in first quarter. Lulea BBK had a 36-23 advantage in offensive rebounds. American center Sabrina Scott (190-C-81, college: Colorado) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 10 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and swingman Emma Nilsson (179-G/F-84) chipped in 24 points. Four Lulea BBK players scored in double figures. Lulea BBK's coach Dennis Pihl felt very confident using 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American guard Ashley Key (180-G-85, college: N.Carolina St.) responded with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds and the other American import center Rachel Maenpaa (185-C-84, college: Indiana St.) scored 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Lulea BBK: E.Nilsson 24+4reb+1ast, F.Grahn 18+4reb+1ast, E.Soederstroem 15+2reb+1ast, S.Scott 10+20reb+5ast, S.Nilsson 6+7reb, A.Vestin 4+1reb
Marbo Basket: A.Key 17+10reb+2ast, R.Maenpaa 15+7reb, L.Fredriksson 12+1reb, K.Mikkelsen 5+10reb, H.Brandmark 2+4reb, T.Broman 2+2reb

Stats Leaders - Damligan

Points Per Game

Brittany SMART
  Kvarnby
  (175-G-85)
  Avg: 24.5

1. Smart, Kvarnby	24.5
2. Saunders, Visby	22.3
3. Key, Marbo Basket	21.4
4. Abdi, 08	20.0
5. Zahui, Telge	18.5
6. Ferm, Eos	18.0
7. Glaser, Kvarnby	17.4
8. Atkinson, Norrk.	15.8
9. Metcalf, Telge	15.4
10. Frieson, Kvarnby	15.1

Rebounds Per Game

LaTangela ATKINSON
  Norrkoping
  (188-G/F-84)
  Avg: 11.2

1. Atkinson, Norrk.	11.2
2. Zahui, Telge	10.4
3. Tattersdill, Sallen	9.9
4. Frieson, Kvarnby	9.8
5. Scott, Lulea BBK	9.4
6. Brown, Visby	9.2
7. Forsman-Goga, Tel.	8.8
8. Smart, Kvarnby	8.4
9. Gustavsson, Brahe	8.1
10. Bacon, Solna Vikings	7.8

Assists Per Game

Leah METCALF
  Telge
  (173-G-83)
  Avg: 4.6

1. Metcalf, Telge	4.6
2. Johansen, Sallen	4.1
3. Smart, Kvarnby	4.1
4. Key, Marbo Basket	3.9
5. Kabengano, Telge	3.5
6. Rivero, Kvarnby	3.4
7. Saunders, Visby	3.4
8. Johansen, 08	3.1
9. Kucukkaya, Telge	3.0
10. Brooks, Solna Vikings	2.9

Steals Per Game

Anette JOHANSEN
  08
  (176-F-82)
  Avg: 4.3

1. Johansen, Sallen	4.3
2. Abdi, 08	3.3
3. Brooks, Solna Vikings	3.2
4. Metcalf, Telge	3.1
5. Key, Marbo Basket	3.1
6. Atkinson, Norrk.	2.9
7. Johansen, 08	2.8
8. Otamiri, Eos	2.5
9. Nekmouche, Sallen	2.4
10. Forsman-Goga, Tel.	2.3

Blocks Per Game

Katarina ANDERSSON
  Solna Vikings
  (191-C-83)
  Avg: 2

1. Andersson, Solna V.	2.0
2. Frieson, Kvarnby	1.6
3. Zahui, Telge	1.5
4. Cesnaviciute, Visby	1.3
5. Atkinson, Norrk.	1.0
6. Stjarnstroem, Norrko.	0.9
7. Smart, Kvarnby	0.9
8. Risto, 08	0.9
9. Scott, Lulea BBK	0.7
10. Forsman-Goga, Tel.	0.7

*****************************************************

TURKEY - Women

Stats Leaders - Women

Points Per Game

Jolene ANDERSON
  Botas
  (173-G-86)
  Avg: 22

1. Anderson, Botas	22.0
2. Taylor, Fenerbahce	18.7
3. Castro Marqu., Besik.	18.5
4. Pierson, Tarsus Bld	17.9
5. Smith, Alanya BLD	17.5
6. Ajavon, Istanbul.	17.2
7. Frazee, Botas	17.1
8. Fowles, Galatasa.	16.7
9. Thomas, Burhaniy.	16.3
10. McCoughtry, Fener.	15.9

Rebounds Per Game

Aisha MOHAMMED
  Ceyhan Bld
  (191-C-85)
  Avg: 12

1. Mohammed, Ceyhan B.	12.0
2. Paris, Istanbul Univ.	10.9
3. Larkins, Mersin	10.4
4. Adair, Samsun	10.3
5. Thomas, Burhaniy.	9.8
6. Fowles, Galatasa.	9.5
7. Pringle, TED K.	8.4
8. Brown, Samsun	8.3
9. Pierson, Tarsus Bld	8.2
10. Hornbuckle, Tarsus B.	8.1

Assists Per Game

Julie MCBRIDE
  Ceyhan Bld
  (165-G-82)
  Avg: 5.9

1. McBride, Ceyhan B.	5.9
2. Boz, Samsun	5.0
3. Ajavon, Istanbul.	4.2
4. Hardy, Burhaniy.	4.1
5. Taurasi, Fenerbahce	4.1
6. Kartaltepe Y., Besik.	3.9
7. Alben, Galatasaray	3.6
8. Vardarli, Fener.	3.5
9. Canty, Tarsus Bld	3.5
10. Johnson, TED K.	3.4

Steals Per Game

Crystal SMITH
  Alanya BLD
  (168-G-84)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Smith, Alanya BLD	2.6
2. McCoughtry, Fener.	2.4
3. Jackson, Alanya BLD	2.4
4. Perkins, Ceyhan Bld	2.3
5. White, Burhaniye Bld	2.2
6. Anderson, Botas	2.2
7. Ajavon, Istanbul.	2.2
8. Battle, Alanya BLD	2.1
9. Hardy, Burhaniy.	2.1
10. Larkins, Mersin	2.1

Blocks Per Game

LaToya PRINGLE
  TED Kayseri
  (191-F/C-86)
  Avg: 2

1. Pringle, TED K.	2.0
2. Ayim, Alanya BLD	1.9
3. Mokango, Mersin	1.5
4. Fowles, Galatasa.	1.4
5. Pierson, Tarsus Bld	1.2
6. Adair, Samsun	1.1
7. Kraayeveld, Tarsus B.	1.1
8. Gezer, Istanbul.	1.0
9. Paris, Istanbul Univ.	0.8
10. Petronyte, Galatasa.	0.8

TBB2L Standings - by Gurhan Ul

TKB2L Standings

Group A
1. TED Ankara		18-0
2. Cankaya		15-2
3. Izmir BSB		13-4
4. Gure Belediye		11-6
5. Bursa BSB		9-9
6. Kocaeli		8-9
7. Dortyol		6-11
8. Baglar Bld		4-13
9. Nigde T.T.		2-15
10. Konak Gures		0-17
Group B
1. Canik Bld		14-3
2. Antakya		13-4
3. Edremit		12-5
4. Nesibe		12-5
5. AGIAD		11-6
6. Nallihan		9-8
7. Antalya Koleji		8-9
8. Bandirma		3-14
9. Bakospor		1-15
10. Izmir Basket		1-15

McCoughtry number one in Turkey for round 22 - by Eurobasket News
American forward Angel McCoughtry (185-F-86) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for second-ranked Fenerbahce, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 22.
The 24-year old player was the main contributor (33 points, six rebounds and two assists) to her team's victory, helping them to crush Botas (12-10) with 24-point margin 104-80. Fenerbahce finished regular season as No.2 (20-2) and of course advanced to Playoff Quarterfinals. In the team's last game McCoughtry had a remarkable 87.5% from 2-point range. She just recently signed at Fenerbahce, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Angel McCoughtry averages this season 15.9ppg and 7.0rpg.

The second best player in last round's games was 24-year old American Jolene Anderson (173-G-86) of Botasspor Adana. Anderson had a very good evening with a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Bad luck as Botas lost that game 80-104 to the higher-ranked Fenerbahce (#2, 20-2). This loss caused Botas to drop to 6th position in the standings with 12-10 record. However, they also advanced to QFinals. Anderson is a newcomer at Botas, but is already one of team's top players. She belongs to the best scorers in the league with 22.0ppg (#1). She also registered 7.5 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was American forward LaToya Pringle (191-F/C-86, agency: 540 Sports) of TED Kayseri. Pringle scored 17 points and grabbed ten rebounds. Despite Pringle's great performance TED Kayseri lost 68-77 to #1 ranked Galatasaray. But her team cannot count on just a single player as she also needs help of the other teammates. TED Kayseri finished regular season with 15-7 score (No.4) and booked a ticket for the Playoffs. Pringle has a great season in Turkey. After 21 games, she made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 8.4rpg (7th best). She also has 2.0bpg and FGP: 52.2%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Whitney Boddie (175-G-87) of Botas - 21 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Iveta Salkauske (196-F/C-82) of Besiktas - 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists
6. LaToya Thomas (188-F-81) of Burhaniye Bld - 28 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Seimone Augustus (185-G-84) of Galatasaray - 18 points and 6 rebounds
8. Aisha Mohammed (191-C-85) of Ceyhan Bld - 11 points and 14 rebounds
9. Jessica Adair (193-C-86) of Samsun - 22 points and 11 rebounds
10. Matee Ajavon (173-G-86) of Istanbul Univ. - 30 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)