Fenerbahce: took 1st place (12-0) in Group B of the First Round, beat Lattes Montpellier 2-0 in the Second Round, took 2nd place (2-1) in Group A of the Semifinal Round, lost to UMMC 68-75 in the 3rd Place Game (!!!)
Galatasaray: took 2nd place (11-3) in Group A of the First Round, took 3rd place (1-2) in Group A of the Semifinal Round, beat Spartak VMR 73-71 in the 5th Place Game
Player of the Year:Angel McCoughtry (185-F-86) of Fenerbahce Guard of the Year:Birsel Vardarli (174-G-84) of Fenerbahce Forward of the Year:Diana Taurasi (182-F/G-82) of Galatasaray Center of the Year:Tina Charles (193-C-88) of Galatasaray Newcomer of the Year:Monica Wright (180-F-88) of Botas Import Player of the Year:Angel McCoughtry (185-F-86) of Fenerbahce Domestic Player of the Year:Birsel Vardarli (174-G-84) of Fenerbahce Bosman Player of the Year:Zane Tamane (200-C-83) of Fenerbahce Defensive Player of the Year:Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85) of Galatasaray Coach of the Year:Ayhan Avci of Kayseri
TKBL: Fenerbahce wins eighth straight title - Apr 19, 2012
TKBL Finals, Game 4: Galatasaray - Fenerbahce 86-96 (1-3)
Fenerbahce won its eighth straight title in Turkey. They outplayed Galatasaray as a guest 86-96 closing the series with almost perfect 1-3. The guests trailed by 10 points after three quarters before their 34-14 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Fenerbahce made 22-of-24 free shots (91.7 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Cappie Pondexter (175-83, college: Rutgers) who helped to win the game recording 29 points and the other American import forward Angel McCoughtry (185-86, college: Louisville) who added 24 points and 9 rebounds (made all of her ten free throws !!!) during the contest. Five Fenerbahce players scored in double figures. At the losing side Italian-American swingman Diana Taurasi (182-82, college: Connecticut) responded with 32 points and 8 assists and American center Sylvia Fowles (198-85, college: LSU) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds. Fenerbahce was the regular season champion with 19-3 record. They eliminated Antakya with perfect 2-0 in the Quarterfinals and Mersin with 3-0 in the Semis. Galatasaray won the Turkish Cup earlier this season.
Galatasaray Medical Park managed to win the second consecutive Cup in Turkey. They had to work very hard to beat Fenerbahce in the big final 72-76. It was a very exciting game and Galata exploded in the last ten minutes to secure the victory. Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85, college: LSU) was a key player in Galatasaray. She stepped up with double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds on Sunday. Diana Taurasi (182-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) and Epiphanny Prince (175-G-88, college: Rutgers) followed her with 18 and 17 points respectively. In the loosing squad, Angel McCoughtry (185-F-86, college: Louisville) netted 20 points. Ivana Matovic (197-C-83) had 15 points and 9 rebs, while Penny Taylor (185-F-81) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 26-12, 12-32, 21-7, 13-25. Galatasaray Medical Park eliminated Botas in the Semifinals 85-66. Before that, Galata handed 85-72 loss to Kayseri in the QFinals.
TKBL All-Star Game was played on January 8. The Red team celebrated 96-107 victory in this meeting. Nevriye Yilmaz (194-C-80) and Sylvia Fowles (198-C-85, college: LSU) were the leading players in victory with 17 points each. Zane Tamane (200-C-83, college: W.Illinois) followed them with 14 points and 5 rebounds. At the other side, Ashley Walker (185-F/C-87, agency: Merit Sports, college: California) shined with 15 points. Nilay Kartaltepe Yigit (172-PG-79) had 13 points and 9 assists, while Birsel Vardarli (174-G-84) stopped to 12 pts for the White team. The Red team exploded in the last ten minutes of the game to secure the victory. Quarters: 31-26, 22-21, 25-31, 18-29. The best TKBL players already returned to their teams and continued with regular season games. Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are main candidates for the title. They share first place in TKBL standings now with 14-2 record.
Dikeoulakos
