Liga Nationala Round 5 (Regular Season): Arad loses to Oxigen

Here is the last round review presented by LBM Management.

Round 5 most important game was a defeat of league's leader Arad (4-1). They were crushed by seventh ranked Oxigen (2-3) 78-54 on Saturday night. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Arad. The game was mostly controlled by Oxigen. Arad managed to win fourth quarter 16-8. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Oxigen forced 21 Arad turnovers. American guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (178-2001, college: Towson) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 10 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals for the winners and Daria Ilies (184-2008) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds. Salvadorean forward Kimberly Villalobos (188-2001, college: SDSU) responded with 15 points and 7 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. Oxigen moved-up to fifth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Arad at the other side dropped to the second position with one game lost. They share it with Rapid and Targoviste. They were replaced at the leadership position by Sf.Gheorghe. Arad will play next round against Cluj Napoca trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Oxigen will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Alexandria on the road.
The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Sf.Gheorghe as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Sf.Gheorghe smashed second-ranked Rapid in Sfantu Gheorghe 137-33. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Rapid. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American forward Matehya Bryant (185-2001, college: UC Riverside) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals for the winning side and Patricia Harangus accounted for 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Forward Daria Tanase (184-2006) came up with 9 points for Rapid in the defeat. Rapid's coach Emilian Olteanu gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Undefeated Sf.Gheorghe (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Defending champion Rapid keeps the second place with one game lost. They share the position with Targoviste and Arad. Rapid will play next round against Timisoara trying to get back on the winning streak. Sf.Gheorghe will try to continue on its current victory against ninth ranked Agronomia at Bucurest.
Bottom-ranked Agronomia (0-5) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their fifth consecutive match to eighth ranked Sp.Studentesc (2-3) 76-45 on Friday evening. The best player for the winners was Anisia Puscasu who had a double-double by scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Sp.Studentesc's coach felt very confident using 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Maria Militaru produced 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for the guests. Sp.Studentesc moved-up to fifth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Agronomia lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Timisoara. Sp.Studentesc will meet higher ranked Targoviste (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Agronomia will play against the league's leader Sf.Gheorghe (#1) and hopes to get finally their first victory.

In the last game of round 5 Targoviste destroyed Cluj Napoca on the opponent's court 84-58.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 12 points and 7 assists by Alexia Frincu of Sp.Studentesc.

The Round Review is presented by LBM Management. A full-service agency focused on Women's basketball sphere and working worldwide. A global and ethical quality service.

Cluj Napoca - Targoviste 58-84:
The game between closely ranked teams ended with 5th ranked Cluj Napoca's (2-3) home loss to fourth ranked Targoviste (4-1) 58-84 on Saturday. The game was mostly controlled by Targoviste. Cluj Napoca managed to win fourth quarter 24-20. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They outrebounded Cluj Napoca 40-28 including a 27-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Australian forward Bride Kennedy-Hopoate (189-1997, college: N.Mexico) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds. ex-international Gabriela Irimia (183-1990) chipped in 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. American swingman Isabelle Gradwell (185-2000, college: Minnesota) produced 10 points and 8 rebounds and ex-international guard Rebecca Lipovan (170-2002) added 15 points respectively for the hosts. 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. The victory was the third consecutive win for Targoviste. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Rapid and Arad. Loser Cluj Napoca keeps the fifth position with three games lost. They share it with 3 other teams. Targoviste will meet at home Sp.Studentesc (#8) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Cluj Napoca will play against the league's second-placed Arad and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Targoviste: K.Bride 26+10reb, I.Gabriela 17+7reb+4ast, G.Alexandra 14+6reb+4ast, C.Thomas 8+2reb+1ast, P.Lindsey 6+9reb+2ast, P.Carla 6+1reb+3ast
Cluj Napoca: L.Rebecca 15+4reb+1ast, A.Podar 12+1reb+3ast, I.Gradwell 10+8reb+3ast, S.Markisic 6+1reb, K.Jackson 4+5reb+1ast, B.Beata 4+4reb

Oxigen - Arad 78-54:
Round 5 most important game was a defeat of league's leader Arad (4-1). They were crushed by seventh ranked Oxigen (2-3) 78-54 on Saturday night. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Arad. The game was mostly controlled by Oxigen. Arad managed to win fourth quarter 16-8. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Oxigen forced 21 Arad turnovers. American guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (178-2001, college: Towson) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 10 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals for the winners and Daria Ilies (184-2008) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds. Five Oxigen players scored in double figures. Salvadorean forward Kimberly Villalobos (188-2001, college: SDSU) responded with 15 points and 7 rebounds and American guard Jaidynn Mason (175-2004, college: Marquette) scored 9 points, 8 rebounds 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. Oxigen moved-up to fifth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Arad at the other side dropped to the second position with one game lost. They share it with Rapid and Targoviste. They were replaced at the leadership position by Sf.Gheorghe. Arad will play next round against Cluj Napoca trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Oxigen will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Alexandria on the road.
Top scorers:
Oxigen: E.Tiarra 19+2reb+1ast, I.Daria 16+8reb+1ast, M.Olesia 14+2reb+3ast, R.Jo 13+4reb+2ast, K.Kylie 10+18reb+4ast, D.Maria 6+5reb+2ast
Arad: K.Villalobos 15+7reb+1ast, J.Mason 9+8reb+4ast, Q.Fulmore 8+4reb, B.Fota 6+2reb, E.Rupnik 6+4ast, E.Roman 4+1reb

Sf.Gheorghe - Rapid 137-33:
The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Sf.Gheorghe as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Sf.Gheorghe smashed second-ranked Rapid in Sfantu Gheorghe 137-33. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Rapid. It was a key game for the top position in the league. The game without a history. Sf.Gheorghe led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Rapid to just 2 points in third quarter. Sf.Gheorghe dominated down low during the game scoring 94 of its points in the paint compared to Rapid's 20. Sf.Gheorghe forced 47 Rapid turnovers and outrebounded them 50-12 including a 23-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. Sf.Gheorghe players were unselfish on offense dishing 41 assists comparing to just 8 passes made by Rapid's players. American forward Matehya Bryant (185-2001, college: UC Riverside) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals for the winning side and Patricia Harangus (172-2008) accounted for 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Five Sf.Gheorghe players scored in double figures. Forward Daria Tanase (184-2006) came up with 9 points and center Alexandra-Ioana Matei (190-2010) added 6 points respectively for Rapid in the defeat. Rapid's coach Emilian Olteanu gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Sf.Gheorghe (5-0) have an impressive series of five victories in a row. As mentioned above they took over a top position. Defending champion Rapid keeps the second place with one game lost. They share the position with Targoviste and Arad. Rapid will play next round against Timisoara trying to get back on the winning streak. Sf.Gheorghe will try to continue on its current victory against ninth ranked Agronomia at Bucurest.
Top scorers:
Sf.Gheorghe: P.Harangus 25+5reb+5ast, B.Matehya 25+16reb+4ast, D.Faith 25+2reb+3ast, C.Stefania 17+5reb+8ast, H.Abigel 11+4reb+6ast, B.Tiara 11+5reb+1ast
Rapid: D.Tanase 9+4reb+1ast, A.Matei 6+4reb+2ast, C.Antonia 6+1ast, B.Stan 5+1reb+4ast, Z.Ana 3, B.Bianca 2

Sp.Studentesc - Agronomia 76-45:
Bottom-ranked Agronomia (0-5) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their fifth consecutive match to eighth ranked Sp.Studentesc (2-3) 76-45 on Friday evening. The game without a history. Sp.Studentesc led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They held Agronomia to an opponent 21.4 percent shooting from the field compared to 41.5 percent accuracy of the winners. Sp.Studentesc forced 19 Agronomia turnovers and had a 33-20 advantage in offensive rebounds. Sp.Studentesc looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Agronomia's players. The best player for the winners was forward Anisia Puscasu (178-2005) who had a double-double by scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Alexia Frincu (170-2004) chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Four Sp.Studentesc players scored in double figures. Sp.Studentesc's coach felt very confident using 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Swingman Maria Militaru (172-2001) produced 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals and guard Adelina Duta (172-1999) added 11 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the guests. Sp.Studentesc moved-up to fifth place, which they share with 3 other teams. Agronomia lost their fifth game in a row. They still close the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Timisoara. Sp.Studentesc will meet higher ranked Targoviste (#4) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Agronomia will play against the league's leader Sf.Gheorghe (#1) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Sp.Studentesc: P.Anisia 17+10reb+4ast, F.Alexia 12+4reb+7ast, P.Fiorella 11+5reb, I.Hurmuz 10+3reb+3ast, A.Preda 10+5reb+3ast, C.Anisia-Stefania 6+3reb+3ast
Agronomia: A.Duta 11+6reb, S.Cazacu 9+6reb+1ast, M.Militaru 8+5reb+5ast, T.Irina 8+4reb, S.Ana 7+7reb, S.Asma 2+5reb