Liga Nationala Round 1 (Regular Season): Sibiu loses to Pitesti

The Regular Season in Liga Nationala just started. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Sibiu on the court of Pitesti on Saturday night. Visitors were defeated by Pitesti 90-86. Sibiu trailed by 14 points after 3 quarters before a 28-18 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 86-90 at the end of the game. American point guard Josh Thompson (183-1996, college: Ball St.) stepped up and scored 23 points and 6 assists for the winners and his fellow American import guard Darryl Morsell (196-1999, college: Marquette) chipped in 24 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws). At the losing side Mali forward Fousseyni Traore (198-2002, college: BYU) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds. Sibiu's coach Dan Fleseriu rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Pitesti is looking forward to face Oradea on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Sibiu will play against Dinamo and is hoping to win this game.
Very significant was Oradea's 27-point road victory against Galati 101-74. British center Daniel Akin (206-1998, college: Utah St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and David Nichols accounted for 12 points and 4 assists. American forward Grant Sanders (203-2002, college: Nicholls, agency: One Motive Sports) came up with 14 points and 5 rebounds for Galati 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. Oradea will play against Pitesti at home in the next round. Galati will play against Craiova to get more than just one victory in their record.
Quite upsetting was Rapid's 25-point home defeat in a game versus Dinamo who smashed hosts Anthony Roberts fired 22 points for the winners. Dinamo's coach Zydrunas Urbonas felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Styrmir Thrastarson produced 15 points and 4 assists for lost side. Dinamo will meet Sibiu on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Rapid's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Bucuresti to the arena Steaua.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 1: Ploiesti CSM lost to Voluntari on the opponent's court 84-103. Brasov lost to Craiova in a home game 98-113. Targu Mures managed to beat Timisoara on the road 78-72. Valcea defeated Steaua on its own court 97-90.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 24 points and 8 rebounds by Jalil Beaubrun of Craiova.



Pitesti - Sibiu 90-86:
The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Sibiu on the court of Pitesti on Saturday night. Visitors were defeated by Pitesti 90-86. Sibiu trailed by 14 points after 3 quarters before a 28-18 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 86-90 at the end of the game. American point guard Josh Thompson (183-1996, college: Ball St.) stepped up and scored 23 points and 6 assists for the winners and his fellow American import guard Darryl Morsell (196-1999, college: Marquette) chipped in 24 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws). Four Pitesti players scored in double figures. At the losing side Mali forward Fousseyni Traore (198-2002, college: BYU) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds and American guard MJ Randolph (193-1999, college: FAMU) scored 26 points and 4 steals. Sibiu's coach Dan Fleseriu rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Pitesti is looking forward to face Oradea on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Sibiu will play against Dinamo and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Pitesti: M.Darryl 24+8reb+1ast, T.Josh 23+4reb+6ast, P.Josh 13+9reb+2ast, P.Akia 11+1reb, B.Andreas 6+1reb+1ast, K.Henri 6+1reb+1ast
Sibiu: M.Randolph 26+3reb+2ast, F.Traore 24+15reb+2ast, J.Battle 17+5reb+2ast, P.Ismael 7+3reb+1ast, M.Pratt 5+8reb+8ast, D.Fintina 3+2ast

Voluntari - Ploiesti CSM 103-84:
Voluntari used a home court advantage and crushed the opponent from Ploiesti 103-84 on Saturday night. The game was mostly controlled by Voluntari. Ploiesti CSM managed to win fourth quarter 27-24. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Voluntari forced 19 Ploiesti CSM turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American guard Marcus Azor (188-2000, college: UMass Dartmouth, agency: One Motive Sports) fired 23 points for the winners. His fellow American import guard Kodi Justice (199-1995, college: Arizona St.) chipped in 17 points. Five Voluntari players scored in double figures. American guard Matt Hayman (196-2002, college: Arkansas St., agency: 011 Sports) produced 18 points and 6 assists and American-Canadian center Nic Lynch (211-2000, college: San Diego, agency: One Motive Sports) added 20 points respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Voluntari will meet Targu Mures on the road in the next round. Ploiesti CSM will play against Valcea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Voluntari: A.Marcus 23+3reb+2ast, J.Kodi 17+1reb+3ast, S.Lewis 14+6reb+1ast, S.Tudor 12+1reb+4ast, A.Mukeba-Kasanda 10+1reb+2ast, R.Damion 10+2reb+3ast
Ploiesti CSM: N.Lynch 20+4reb+1ast, D.Rasoga 19+1reb, M.Hayman 18+3reb+6ast, M.Smith 9+3reb+3ast, A.Calenic 5+3reb, A.George 3+4reb+1ast

Galati - Oradea 74-101:
Very significant was Oradea's 27-point road victory against Galati 101-74. The game without a history. Oradea led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They made 30-of-37 charity shots (81.1 percent) during the game, while Galati only scored eleven points from the stripe. They outrebounded Galati 40-21 including 16 on the offensive glass. Galati was plagued by 32 personal fouls down the stretch. British center Daniel Akin (206-1998, college: Utah St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and American point guard David Nichols (183-1996, college: FSU) accounted for 12 points and 4 assists. Four Oradea players scored in double figures. American forward Grant Sanders (203-2002, college: Nicholls, agency: One Motive Sports) came up with 14 points and 5 rebounds and center Raul Muresan (203-2001) added 10 points respectively for Galati 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. Oradea will play against Pitesti at home in the next round. Galati will play against Craiova to get more than just one victory in their record.
Top scorers:
Oradea: A.Daniel 18+11reb+1ast, V.George 14+4reb, J.Josh 13+2reb+2ast, N.David 12+4reb+4ast, H.Bodie 12+4reb+1ast, O.Malik 9+8reb+3ast
Galati: G.Sanders 14+5reb+2ast, A.Crump 12+2reb+2ast, R.Muresan 10+3reb+3ast, M.Johnson II 7+2reb+3ast, D.Axinte 7+1reb+5ast, M.Dorneanu 6+1reb+2ast

Rapid - Dinamo 62-87:
Quite upsetting was Rapid's 25-point home defeat in a game versus Dinamo who smashed hosts The game without a history. Dinamo led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for Dinamo especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.4 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American guard Anthony Roberts (196-2001, college: PFW) fired 22 points for the winners. His fellow American import guard Jonathan Stark (184-1995, college: Murray St., agency: Pensack Sports) chipped in 11 points and 8 assists. Four Dinamo players scored in double figures. Dinamo's coach Zydrunas Urbonas felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Icelandic swingman Styrmir Thrastarson (200-2001, college: Davidson, agency: Blacktop Management) produced 15 points and 4 assists and Serbian center Nikola Jevtovic (209-1989, agency: 011 Sports) added 13 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Dinamo will meet Sibiu on the road in the next round which should be another easy win for them. Rapid's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Bucuresti to the arena Steaua.
Top scorers:
Dinamo: R.Anthony 22+3reb, D.Ousmane 13+6reb+1ast, M.Derrick 13+5reb+4ast, S.Jonathan 11+4reb+8ast, G.Stefan 10+1reb, K.Nandor 6+7reb+4ast
Rapid: S.Thrastarson 15+4reb+4ast, N.Jevtovic 13+5reb+1ast, P.Reljic 9+2reb+2ast, R.Beran 7+4reb+1ast, T.Gheorghe 6+1reb+4ast, W.Washpun 5+5reb+4ast

Brasov - Craiova 98-113:
But Brasov was not able to use a home court advantage and lost to the opponent from Craiova 113-98 on Saturday night. The game was mostly controlled by Craiova. Brasov managed to win fourth quarter 42-27. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Craiova made 25-of-33 free shots (75.8 percent) during the game. Craiova outrebounded Brasov 37-25 including 28 on the defensive glass. Craiova looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Jalil Beaubrun (206-2001, college: App State) fired 24 points and 8 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field) for the winners. Guard Ronald Polite (188-2002, college: UNCG) chipped in 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Guard Samari Curtis (193-1999, college: BGSU) produced 27 points and 4 assists and Mike Okauru (191-1999, college: UNCW) added 25 points respectively for lost side. Four Craiova and five Brasov players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Craiova will meet at home Galati in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Brasov will play against Timisoara and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Craiova: B.Jalil 24+8reb+1ast, P.Ronald 23+5reb+4ast, N.Vlad 20+8ast, D.Demetrius 14+8reb+4ast, T.Bogdan 8+1reb+2ast, D.DeAndre 8+5reb+2ast
Brasov: S.Curtis 27+4ast, M.Okauru 25+4reb+1ast, D.Adelekun 13+6reb+2ast, A.Applewhite 12+3reb, Z.McLean 12+5reb+5ast, M.Vlaicu 6+1reb+5ast

Timisoara - Targu Mures 72-78:
But Timisoara was not able to use a home court advantage and was defeated by the opponent from Targu Mures 78-72 on Sunday night. The guests trailed by 13 points at the halftime before their 50-31 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Canadian point guard Elijah Miller (183-1997, college: UPEI) fired 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. American forward David Ejah (201-2000, college: Indianapolis, agency: Players Group) chipped in 20 points and 7 rebounds. Serbian point guard Strahinja Jovanovic (185-1996) produced 14 points and 7 assists and American swingman Skyler Flatten (190-1995, college: S.Dakota St., agency: Slash Sports) added 14 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Targu Mures will meet at home Voluntari in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Timisoara will play against Brasov and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Targu Mures: E.David 20+7reb+2ast, M.Elijah 19+5reb+8ast, O.Isiah 14+5reb+1ast, C.Collin 12+2reb+2ast, M.Carcoana 8+7reb, K.Dean 3+1reb+1ast
Timisoara: S.Jovanovic 14+3reb+7ast, S.Flatten 14+5reb+2ast, C.Baciu 11+3reb+2ast, W.Bueriberi 10+4reb+2ast, K.Smith 6+1reb+1ast, N.Sikiras 6+7reb+1ast

Valcea - Steaua 97-90:
Valcea used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Bucuresti 97-90 on Tuesday night. Steaua was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. Valcea made 21-of-25 free shots (84.0 percent) during the game. American point guard Siyani Chambers (183-1993, college: Harvard) fired 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. His fellow American import guard Donovan Ivory (198-2001, college: Southern Miss) chipped in 21 points and 7 rebounds. Canadian center Kyler Filewich (204-2001, college: Wofford) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and American guard Dwon Odom (188-2000, college: Tulsa) added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Steaua's coach Andrei Mandache tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Valcea will meet Ploiesti CSM on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Steaua's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Bucuresti Rapid.
Top scorers:
Valcea: C.Siyani 22+7reb+5ast, I.Donovan 21+7reb+3ast, C.Chris 15+5reb+1ast, G.Wesley 10+6reb+1ast, U.Rares 8+5reb, D.Tohatan 7+3reb+3ast
Steaua: S.Washington 21+4reb, R.Robinson III 17+5reb, K.Filewich 14+12reb+5ast, D.Odom 11+7reb+8ast, M.Thomas 9+4reb+4ast, A.Stan 8+3reb+1ast