Round 11 (Regular Season): Voluntari keep a leadership position

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Romanian Voluntari as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Voluntari defeated 6th ranked British Flyers at home 99-85. Voluntari dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Flyers' 38. Voluntari forced 20 Bristol Flyers turnovers. American center Solomon Young (203-1998, college: Iowa St., agency: Octagon Europe) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. His fellow American import point guard Mike Caffey (183-1993, college: LBSU, agency: Players Group) contributed with 23 points for the winners. Serbian forward Milos Dugalic (206-2000, college: IlIinois Tech) answered with 20 points (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for Bristol Flyers. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Bristol Flyers at the other side keep the sixth place with three games lost. They share the position with Brussels. Bristol Flyers will play next round against Fyllingen trying to get back on the winning streak. Voluntari will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game.
Undefeated Greek Iraklis (4-1) recorded its first loss in Zagreb. Visitors were defeated by twenty fourth ranked Croatian Dubrava (3-3) 72-67. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Iraklis. It was a great evening for guard Lovro Gnjidic (197-2001) who led his team to a victory scoring 16 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Emir Sabic helped adding 15 points and 5 rebounds. American Chris Smith (206-1999, college: UCLA) responded with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Dubrava moved-up to twenty first place, which they share with Spartak Pleven and Rigas Z. Newly promoted Iraklis dropped to the third position with one game lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Dubrava will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Iraklis will play at home against Dziki and hope to get back on the winning track.
Bottom-ranked Norwegian Fyllingen is still unable to win any game. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their sixth consecutive match to sixth ranked Estonian TalTech (3-2) 89-71 on Tuesday evening. It was an exceptional evening for Oliver Suurorg who led the winners and scored 22 points and 5 steals. Joshua Keyes came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 16 rebounds for Fyllingen in the defeat. Fyllingen's coach rotated twelve players seeing no chance for a win. TalTech have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to fifth place. Defending Norwegian champion Fyllingen still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Keila C.. TalTech will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fyllingen will play against Bristol Flyers (#6) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 11: Opava was smashed by Manchester on the road 112-92. Spartak Pleven won against Newcastle E. on its own court 95-91. Kapfenberg unfortunately lost to Valmiera Glass in a road game 89-102. Dinamo rolled over Keila C. at home 98-73. Alkar was crushed by Groningen on the opponent's court 90-71.
The most impressive performance of 11th round was 21 points and 5 rebounds by Borna Jurela of Alkar.



Fyllingen - TalTech 71-89

Bottom-ranked Norwegian Fyllingen is still unable to win any game. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their sixth consecutive match to sixth ranked Estonian TalTech (3-2) 89-71 on Tuesday evening. TalTech forced 19 Fyllingen turnovers. It was an exceptional evening for Oliver Suurorg who led the winners and scored 22 points and 5 steals. Oliver Metsalu accounted for 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side. American forward Joshua Keyes (201-1995, college: Muskingum) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 16 rebounds and Ukrainian center Bogdan Brinyuk (205-2003, agency: BIG) added 11 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Fyllingen in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Fyllingen's coach rotated twelve players seeing no chance for a win. TalTech have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to fifth place. Defending Norwegian champion Fyllingen still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Keila C.. TalTech will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Fyllingen will play against Bristol Flyers (#6) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
TalTech: O.Suurorg 22+4reb+1ast, O.Metsalu 13+6reb+2ast, K.Valb 12+2reb+4ast, S.Saimon 11+5reb+1ast, T.Jurkatamm 10+3reb+4ast, P.Siim-Markus 8+2reb+3ast
Fyllingen: J.Keyes 19+16reb+3ast, E.Igbanugo 11+1reb+2ast, B.Brinyuk 11+7reb, W.Lybaek 10+1reb, A.Hikim 8+2reb+4ast, B.N'Diaye 7+4reb

Manchester - Opava 112-92

There was a surprise result when fourteenth ranked British Manchester (4-2) crushed at home higher ranked Czech Opava (4-2) 112-92 on Tuesday. Manchester looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Jordan Johnson (185, college: New Orleans) who led the winners and scored 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!). Guard Kaiyem Cleary (198-1999, college: LeMoyne) accounted for 25 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side. Five Manchester players scored in double figures. American guard Wesley Person Jr (190-1995, college: Troy) came up with 23 points (was perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line !!!) and center Simon Pursl (205-1997) added 21 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Opava in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Manchester moved-up to fourth place, which they share with 3 other teams including defeated Opava. Manchester will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Opava will play against Keila C. (#18) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Manchester: J.Jordan 34+1reb+5ast, C.Kaiyem 25+6reb+2ast, J.Max 19+3ast, A.Tim 14+6reb+1ast, P.Smith 11+8reb+5ast, N.Matthew 4+2reb+2ast
Opava: W.Person Jr. 23+3reb+2ast, S.Pursl 21+5reb, C.Brown 13+4reb, J.Sirina 8+3reb+5ast, K.Kavan 6+4reb+3ast, Z.Filip 6

Spartak Pleven - Newcastle E. 95-91

Rather expected game when bottom-ranked British Newcastle Eagles (0-4) lost on the road to twenty third ranked Bulgarian Spartak Pleven (3-3) 95-91 on Wednesday. Spartak Pleven made 34-of-45 free shots (75.6 percent) during the game, while Newcastle E. only scored eighteen points from the stripe. They outrebounded Newcastle E. 46-28 including a 37-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. It was an exceptional evening for Serbian-Bulgarian swingman Martin Sotirov (201-1999, agency: 011 Sports) who led the winners and scored 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. American center Noel Brown (211-2000, college: St.Bonaventure) accounted for 25 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side. American point guard Terrell Burden (178, college: KSU) came up with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and the other American import guard Deion Hammond (193-1999, college: Monmouth, agency: One Motive Sports) added 18 points respectively for Newcastle E. in the defeat. Five Newcastle E. players scored in double figures. Spartak Pleven moved-up to twenty first place, which they share with Dubrava and Rigas Z. Loser Newcastle Eagles still closes the standings with four games lost. Spartak Pleven will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Newcastle E. will play against Olomoucko (#24) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Spartak Pleven: M.Jalan 27+2reb+4ast, S.Martin 26+9reb+6ast, B.Noel 25+13reb+1ast, S.Kavaughn 6+12reb, R.Martin 6+2reb, G.Viktor 5+7reb+1ast
Newcastle E.: T.Burden 19+6reb+6ast, D.Hammond 18+2reb, R.Taylor 14+3reb+3ast, M.Jack 14+2reb, C.Long 13+6reb, M.Clarke 5+3reb+1ast

Valmiera Glass - Kapfenberg 102-89

Very predictable result when third ranked Latvian Valmiera Glass (4-1) won against at home 8th ranked Austrian Kapfenberg Bulls (1-5) 102-89 on Wednesday. Valmiera Glass dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Kapfenberg Bulls's 30. Valmiera Glass looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American Curtis Hollis (198-1998, college: Hutchinson) who led the winners and scored 24 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. New Zealand swingman Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (198-2001, college: UCSD) accounted for 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. American guard Quinton Green (201-1998, college: Valpo) came up with 25 points and the other American import forward Taye Fields (193-2003, college: N.Alabama) added 15 points and 13 rebounds respectively for Kapfenberg in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Valmiera Glass maintains third place with 4-1 record behind leader Voluntari, which they share with 4 other teams. Loser Kapfenberg Bulls keeps the eighth position with five games lost. They share it with Gimle. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Valmiera Glass: H.Curtis 24+4reb+5ast, T.Aniwaniwa 16+6reb+4ast, P.Omar 13+4reb+3ast, A.Artis 12+3reb+1ast, M.Vitols 10+1reb+3ast, O.Davis 10+2reb+2ast
Kapfenberg: Q.Green 25+4reb+1ast, A.Jones 24+4reb+1ast, V.Zotov 18+2reb+7ast, T.Fields 15+13reb+2ast, O.Simon 4+5reb+2ast, G.Daniel 3+1ast

Dubrava - Iraklis 72-67

Undefeated Greek Iraklis (4-1) recorded its first loss in Zagreb. Visitors were defeated by twenty fourth ranked Croatian Dubrava (3-3) 72-67. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Iraklis. It was a great evening for guard Lovro Gnjidic (197-2001) who led his team to a victory scoring 16 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Guard Emir Sabic (190-1996, college: Lyon, agency: Players Group) helped adding 15 points and 5 rebounds. American Chris Smith (206-1999, college: UCLA) responded with 23 points and 9 rebounds and the other American import swingman Kyle Foster (197-1998, college: Howard) scored 11 points. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Dubrava moved-up to twenty first place, which they share with Spartak Pleven and Rigas Z. Newly promoted Iraklis dropped to the third position with one game lost. They share it with 4 other teams. Dubrava will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Iraklis will play at home against Dziki and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Dubrava: G.Lovro 16+5ast, S.Emir 15+5reb, S.Cody 14+2reb, T.Rukavina 8+2reb+1ast, P.Matej 6+6reb, W.John-Michael 5+3reb+3ast
Iraklis: C.Smith 23+9reb, K.Foster 11+4reb+1ast, J.Wright-Foreman 10+1reb+2ast, L.Ware 8+5reb, K.Kampouridis 7+4reb, N.Tsiakmas 4+2reb+5ast

Voluntari - Bristol Flyers 99-85

The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Romanian Voluntari as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Voluntari defeated 6th ranked British Flyers at home 99-85. Voluntari dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Flyers' 38. Voluntari forced 20 Bristol Flyers turnovers. American center Solomon Young (203-1998, college: Iowa St., agency: Octagon Europe) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. His fellow American import point guard Mike Caffey (183-1993, college: LBSU, agency: Players Group) contributed with 23 points for the winners. Serbian forward Milos Dugalic (206-2000, college: IlIinois Tech) answered with 20 points (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and American swingman Will Yoakum (196-1998, college: Nova SE) added 15 points (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) in the effort for Bristol Flyers. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. As mentioned above they are alone now at the top position. Bristol Flyers at the other side keep the sixth place with three games lost. They share the position with Brussels. Bristol Flyers will play next round against Fyllingen trying to get back on the winning streak. Voluntari will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game.
Top scorers:
Voluntari: C.Mike 23+2reb+2ast, Y.Solomon 20+10reb+1ast, A.Sacar 19+2ast, J.Kodi 13+1ast, B.Mouhamed 9+6reb+2ast, W.Giordan 8+2reb+1ast
Bristol Flyers: M.Dugalic 20+4reb+2ast, W.Yoakum 15+4reb+2ast, J.Brown 15+3ast, Z.Anderson 12+3reb+2ast, O.McCormack 6+2reb+2ast, J.Anderson 6+1reb+2ast

Dinamo - Keila C. 98-73

Not a big story in a game when bottom-ranked Estonian Keila C. (0-6) was outscored by fourteenth ranked Croatian Dinamo (4-1) in Zagreb 98-73 on Tuesday. Dinamo made 25-of-29 free shots (86.2 percent) during the game, while Keila C. only scored nine points from the stripe. Dinamo forced 23 Keila C. turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. It was an exceptional evening for power forward Filip Kraljevic (213-1989) who led the winners and scored 31 points and 4 assists. American point guard DeLonnie Hunt (183-2001, college: Richmond, agency: Players Group) accounted for 19 points for the winning side. Dinamo's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. American forward Isaiah Thompson (198-2003, college: Winona St., agency: Starting 5) came up with 16 points and 9 rebounds and the other American import guard Ethan Brittain-Watts (188-2002, college: Ball St.) added 23 points respectively for Keila C. in the defeat. Four Keila C. players scored in double figures. Dinamo moved-up to third place, which they share with 4 other teams. Loser Keila C. still closes the standings with six games lost. They share the position with Fyllingen. Dinamo will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Keila C. will play against Opava (#14) and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Dinamo: K.Filip 31+4reb+4ast, H.DeLonnie 19+3reb+3ast, H.Garafolic 10+5reb+4ast, N.Ivan 10+3ast, V.Mateo 8+5reb+3ast, A.Luke 7+3reb
Keila C.: E.Brittain-Watts 23+1ast, I.Thompson 16+9reb+1ast, S.Patrik 12+7reb+2ast, L.Christopher 12+2reb+4ast, T.Roland 6, K.Nazari 2

Groningen - Alkar 90-71

Everything went according to plan when fourth ranked Dutch Groningen (4-2) outplayed at home 7th ranked Croatian Alkar (1-4) 90-71 on Tuesday. It was an exceptional evening for American swingman Evan Taylor (198-2001, college: Vanderbilt, agency: LHZ Sport Agency) who led the winners and scored 18 points and 6 rebounds. Tim Hoeve accounted for 19 points for the winning side. Four Groningen players scored in double figures. Power forward Filip Kraljevic (213-1989) came up with 21 points and 5 rebounds and Fabian Sisko (198-2003, agency: AltusBasket) added 10 points respectively for Alkar in the defeat. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Groningen maintains fourth place with 4-2 record, which they share with 3 other teams. Loser Alkar keeps the seventh position with four games lost. Groningen will meet league's second-placed Weissenfels on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Alkar will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Groningen: T.Hoeve 19+3reb+2ast, T.Evan 18+6reb+1ast, F.Damian 16+4reb, L.Carlton 13+5reb+1ast, M.Malik 8+6reb+8ast, N.Wietze 6+4reb
Alkar: J.Borna 21+5reb+3ast, F.Sisko 10+1reb+3ast, D.Gordon 8+2reb, M.Kresic 7+4reb, K.Antonio 7+1reb+1ast, J.Mirko 6+5reb+1ast