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Dexia Mons-Hainaut bids farewell to the ULEB Cup on Tuesday when it hosts Real Madrid in Belgium in their Group D final. While last place Mons's (1-8) only goal in the game is to avoid finishing the regular season with the worst record in the competition, Madrid can secure first place in Group D and with it home-court advantage in the first two elimination rounds with a victory. Mons boasts some of the best individual performers in the ULEB Cup this season, but that has not translated into team success as the club has dropped seven in a row. Kevin Houston (17.8 ppg.) and George Evans (17.6 ppg.) are the only teammates in the top 10 in the competition in scoring, while point guard Shawnta Rogers (14 ppg., 5.3 apg.) is fourth in assists. Center Yemi Nicholson (8.8 ppg.) was the Week 9 MVP after shooting 13-for-15 on his way to 30 points in as many minutes in a loss to Crvena Zvezda. Evans also leads the ULEB Cup with 2.6 steals per game, while Houston (6.6 rpg.) is third in three-point accuracy with 58.8%. Real has a more balance team sheet, with the backcourt of Charles Smith (12.9 ppg.), Louis Bullock (12 ppg.) and point guards Kerem Tunceru (3.1 apg.) and Raul Lopez leading the way, while Axel Hervelle (10.8 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and Felipe Reyes (7.4 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) sure up the frontline. Real has lost center Ratko Varda for the season, which may lead to more minutes for Edu Hernandez-Sonseca (5.8 ppg., 5.4 rpg.). Madrid scored an 89-72 win when these teams met in November, with Alex Mumbru scoring a season-best 19 points of the bench to lead the winners, while Rogers posted 18 points and 6 assists for Mons. Real has everything to play forand is the overwhelming favorite to win this game. But the Whites have been susceptible to overconfidence this season, suffering a shocking defeat at EiffelTowers on opening night. Nevertheless, a solid defensive effort from Madrid, which is second in the ULEB Cup with a mere 70.4 points allowed per contest, should be enough to take this game and to head into the elimination rounds with what would be a six-game winning streak.
Monday, January 15, 2007
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