Liga Nationala Round 2 (Regular Season): Craiova keeps a leadership position

There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Regular Season in Liga Nationala. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Craiova defeated Galati at home 108-99. The hosts trailed by 4 points after three quarters before their 33-20 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Craiova looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by Galati helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was the former international Vlad Nistor (193-2005) who scored 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American forward DeAndre Dishman (198-1998, college: MTSU) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds. David Patru (182-2004, agency: One Motive Sports) produced 16 points and 5 assists for the guests. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Galati will play next round against Timisoara trying to get back on the winning streak. Craiova will try to continue on its current victory against Pitesti on the road.
The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Pitesti on the court of Oradea. Visitors were defeated by Oradea 98-92. The game was dominated by American players. point guard David Nichols (183-1996, college: FSU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 4 assists. Malik Osborne contributed with 19 points for the winners. Oradea's coach Mikko Riipinen allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Forward Josh Price (205-1996, college: S.Indiana) replied with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds for Pitesti. Oradea will play against Dinamo in Bucuresti in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Pitesti will play at home against Craiova to get more than just one victory in their record.
An interesting game where Voluntari beat host Targu Mures 91-85 on Saturday evening. Kodi Justice scored 20 points and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners. Elijah Miller responded with 18 points and 8 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Voluntari will meet at home Brasov in the next round where they are favorite. Targu Mures will play against Valcea in Ramnicu Valcea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 2 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Dinamo was defeated by Sibiu in a road game 100-92. Timisoara was beaten by Brasov at home 76-81. Valcea destroyed Ploiesti CSM on the opponent's court 93-67. Steaua managed to outperform Rapid in a home game 98-88.
The best stats of 2nd round was 20 points and 10 rebounds by Walter Bueriberi of Timisoara.



Oradea - Pitesti 98-92:
The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Pitesti on the court of Oradea. Visitors were defeated by Oradea 98-92. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Pitesti won third quarter 30-22. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Oradea made 18-of-19 charity shots (94.7 percent) during the game. The game was dominated by American players. point guard David Nichols (183-1996, college: FSU) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 4 assists. Malik Osborne (206-1998, college: FSU) contributed with 19 points for the winners. Four Oradea players scored in double figures. Oradea's coach Mikko Riipinen allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Forward Josh Price (205-1996, college: S.Indiana) replied with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds and guard Darryl Morsell (196-1999, college: Marquette) added 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the effort for Pitesti. Oradea will play against Dinamo in Bucuresti in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Pitesti will play at home against Craiova to get more than just one victory in their record.
Top scorers:
Oradea: N.David 20+2reb+4ast, O.Malik 19+4reb+1ast, N.Luca 15+2reb+1ast, A.Daniel 13+5reb+2ast, G.Quincy 12+5reb+2ast, R.Kris 9+4reb+8ast
Pitesti: J.Price 26+11reb+3ast, D.Morsell 18+5reb+4ast, A.Pruitt 14+3reb+3ast, A.Blidaru 10+1ast, J.Thompson 8+1reb+5ast, H.Kantonen 7+2reb+3ast

Targu Mures - Voluntari 85-91:
An interesting game where Voluntari beat host Targu Mures 91-85 on Saturday evening. The guests trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 6-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 91-85. Voluntari looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American guard Kodi Justice (199-1995, college: Arizona St.) scored 20 points and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Bosnian power forward Ibrahim Durmo (202-1997) chipped in 11 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Four Voluntari players scored in double figures. Canadian point guard Elijah Miller (183-1997, college: UPEI) responded with 18 points and 8 assists and American forward David Ejah (201-2000, college: Indianapolis, agency: Players Group) scored 17 points and 7 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Voluntari will meet at home Brasov in the next round where they are favorite. Targu Mures will play against Valcea in Ramnicu Valcea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Voluntari: R.Damion 20+1reb, J.Kodi 20+3reb+4ast, D.Ibrahim 11+9reb+3ast, S.Tudor 10+4reb+3ast, G.Tudor 9+4reb+1ast, A.Mukeba-Kasanda 8+3reb+5ast
Targu Mures: E.Miller 18+1reb+8ast, D.Ejah 17+7reb+1ast, I.Osborne 15+2reb+1ast, C.Mihai 9+7reb+1ast, D.Keeler 8+5reb, C.Cooper 7+2reb+4ast

Sibiu - Dinamo 100-92:
There was a minor upset when Dinamo was defeated on the road by Sibiu 100-92 on Saturday. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning the initial quarter 26-23. But Dinamo won second period 21-19. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Sibiu made 23-of-28 free shots (82.1 percent) during the game. Mali forward Fousseyni Traore (198-2002, college: BYU) had a double-double by scoring 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American guard MJ Randolph (193-1999, college: FAMU) chipped in 18 points and 6 assists during the contest. Randolph is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Sibiu's coach Dan Fleseriu used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to get some rest. American guard Derrick Marks (191-1993, college: Boise St., agency: Players Group) responded with 22 points (was perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line !!!) and Ukrainian Rostyslav Novitskyi (204-2000, college: Fordham) scored 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Sibiu will meet Rapid in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Dinamo will play against Oradea and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Sibiu: T.Fousseyni 30+12reb+1ast, R.MJ 18+2reb+6ast, B.Jordan 16+4reb+1ast, P.Monyea 11+2reb+9ast, T.Sam 9+4reb, F.David 8
Dinamo: D.Marks 22+3reb+3ast, R.Novitskyi 17+3reb, A.Roberts 14+3reb+2ast, S.Grasu 10+5reb+1ast, D.Burns 9+3reb+2ast, R.Virna 9+3reb+1ast

Timisoara - Brasov 76-81:
But Timisoara was not able to use a home court advantage and lost to the opponent from Brasov 81-76 on Saturday night. Timisoara trailed by 14 points at halftime and as many as 17 after three quarters before a 25-13 last quarter charge cut the deficit to 76-81 at the end of the game. American forward Dame Adelekun (203-2001, college: Loyola, IL) had a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Bahamas forward Samuel Hunter (206-2000, college: Akron, agency: One Motive Sports) chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Equatorial Guinean-Spanish forward Walter Bueriberi (200-1995, agency: 011 Sports) responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds and American guard Trendon Hankerson (188-2000, college: Akron, agency: 011 Sports) scored 18 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Timisoara's coach Dragan Petricevic tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Brasov will meet Voluntari on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Timisoara will play against Galati and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Brasov: A.David 16+1reb, M.Zavian 16+1reb, A.Dame 14+12reb+3ast, H.Samuel 10+7reb+3ast, O.Mike 8+2reb+1ast, C.Samari 7+3reb+3ast
Timisoara: W.Bueriberi 20+10reb, T.Hankerson 18+4reb+1ast, S.Flatten 14+1reb, C.Baciu 10+6reb+2ast, K.Smith 7+7reb+2ast, S.Jovanovic 5+3reb+5ast

Ploiesti CSM - Valcea 67-93:
Very expected game when Ploiesti CSM was rolled over at home by Valcea 93-67 on Saturday. The guests trailed by 8 points after first quarter, but they stormed back and won the game by 26 points. Valcea looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Ploiesti CSM's players. American guard Donovan Ivory (198-2001, college: Southern Miss) scored 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Chris Coffey (201-1997, college: Georgetown, KY, agency: One Motive Sports) chipped in 19 points and 6 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) during the contest. Four Valcea players scored in double figures. American guard Malachi Smith (184-2002, college: UConn) responded with 12 points and swingman David Rasoga (187-2008) scored 11 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Valcea will meet at home Targu Mures in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Ploiesti CSM will play against Steaua in Bucuresti and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Valcea: I.Donovan 27+5reb+4ast, C.Chris 19+6reb+3ast, T.Miryne 13+5reb+1ast, U.Rares 10+4reb+1ast, R.Justin 6+4reb+4ast, C.Siyani 6+9ast
Ploiesti CSM: F.Skobalj 14+3reb, M.Smith 12+4reb+2ast, D.Rasoga 11+4reb+2ast, N.Lynch 9+5reb, M.Hayman 7+5reb+3ast, A.George 6+1reb+1ast

Craiova - Galati 108-99:
Craiova defeated Galati at home 108-99. The hosts trailed by 4 points after three quarters before their 33-20 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Craiova looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. 25 personal fouls committed by Galati helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was the former international Vlad Nistor (193-2005) who scored 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American forward DeAndre Dishman (198-1998, college: MTSU) chipped in 20 points and 6 rebounds. David Patru (182-2004, agency: One Motive Sports) produced 16 points and 5 assists and American forward Grant Sanders (203-2002, college: Nicholls, agency: One Motive Sports) added 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) respectively for the guests. Five Craiova and four Galati players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Galati will play next round against Timisoara trying to get back on the winning streak. Craiova will try to continue on its current victory against Pitesti on the road.
Top scorers:
Craiova: N.Vlad 22+5reb+5ast, D.DeAndre 20+6reb+3ast, P.Ronald 14+3reb+7ast, L.Kino 14+2reb+5ast, D.Demetrius 13+6reb+3ast, G.Justin 11+4reb+1ast
Galati: G.Sanders 17+4reb, D.Patru 16+5ast, F.Koppany 12+4reb+3ast, M.Johnson II 12+1reb+1ast, M.Dorneanu 11+3reb, I.Paduraru 9+1ast

Steaua - Rapid 98-88:
Steaua used a home court advantage and beat the opponent from Bucuresti 98-88 on Monday night. The game was mostly controlled by Steaua. Rapid managed to win second period 26-20. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Canadian center Kyler Filewich (204-2001, college: Wofford) had a double-double by scoring 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Micah Thomas (180-2001, college: NSU, agency: Players Group) chipped in 29 points and 4 assists during the contest. Steaua's coach Andrei Mandache used entire bench and allowed the starting five to get some rest. American forward Robbie Beran (206-2000, college: Virginia Tech) responded with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and Serbian center Nikola Jevtovic (209-1989, agency: 011 Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds. Five Steaua and four Rapid players scored in double figures. Steaua will meet at home Ploiesti CSM in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Rapid will play against Sibiu and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Steaua: T.Micah 29+4ast, W.Scotty 18+7reb+1ast, F.Kyler 18+11reb+5ast, O.Dwon 14+5reb+7ast, S.Ionescu 10+4reb, Z.Anastasios 2+3reb+3ast
Rapid: R.Beran 26+9reb+5ast, D.Painter 16+8reb, N.Jevtovic 15+10reb+2ast, P.Reljic 14+1reb+3ast, M.Maciuca 7+4reb+1ast, M.Constantinescu 4+1reb