European domestic leagues review: June 6-12, 2011

Celebrations for 2011 domestic champions continued throughout the second week in June with a number of familiar faces headlining the news. Partizan Belgrade stormed to its 10th consecutive Serbian League crown with a 86-69 victory over visiting Hemofarm Stada on Wednesday night before 7,550 fans at sold-out Pionir Arena. The victory gave Partizan a 3-0 sweep in their best-of-five series and lifted to 24 the number of national and regional titles the club has won. Curtis Jerrells once again led the winners with 24 points on the strength of 6-for-7 three-point shooting. CEZ Nymburk used a second-half surge on the road to defeat BK Prostejov 65-82 on Friday and, in so doing, claim its eighth consecutive Czech League title. Nymburk won the best-of-seven series 4-2. Mike Lenzly paced Nymburk with 18 points. SLUC Nancy won its second French League title with a thrilling 74-76 victory over defending champion Cholet in their single-game final Sunday at the Palais Ominsport de Bercy in Paris. John Linehan's two-point jump shot in the closing seconds decided the championship. Linehan and Victor Samnick led the new champions with 15 points each. And Krka Novo Mesto successfully defended its Slovenian League title by besting Union Olimpija 64-57 in an exciting Game 5 to win the series 3-2. Jure Balazic scored 14 points and Zoran Dragic amassed 12 points and 13 rebounds to pace the champs. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: May 30 - June 5, 2011

In a week full of title celebrations across the continent, Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Panathinaikos Athens capped a stellar season by winning its ninth straight Greek League title with a thrilling 101-94 overtime home win against archrival Olympiacos on Sunday. The Greens took the best-of-five series 3-1 Mike Batiste and Antonis Fotsis, who hit 6 of 6 three-pointers, led scored 22 points each. On the other end of the spectrum, but also in overtime, Zagreb CO survived to beat Cedevita 85-89 and sweep their final series for the club’s first-ever Croatian League title. Krunoslav Simon scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Zagreb. Meanwhile, Spirou Basket Charleroi successfully defended the Belgian League title with a 59-53 victory over Generali Okapi Aalstar as Kyle Weaver scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. It was Charleroi's fourth consecutive crown and 10th overall. Elsewhere, Regal FC Barcelona and Bizkaia Bilbao will meet in the Spanish League finals after winning their respective semifinals series, just as Montepaschi Siena and Bennet Cantu will be the Italian League finalists. Cholet Basket and SLUC Nancy will meet in a single-game final to decide the French League champion on June 11. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: May 23-29, 2011

The European domestic club competitions are coming to an end and more champions are being revealed on weekly basis. Some Euroleague teams have been able to add more hardware to their respective roll of honours. Asseco Prokom Gdynia won the Polish League championship for the eighth straight season with a 76-71 victory over PGE Turow Zgorzelec in the seventh-and-deciding game of the finals. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv regained the Israeli League crown after a one-season absence on Thursday by routing Gilboa Galil 91-64 in the title game at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Maccabi never trailed in picking up its 49th Israeli championship. The club had downed Maccabi Rishon Lezion 100-77 in the semifinals and stayed unstoppable in the title game. In one the most exciting games seen in European basketball this season, Zorg en Zekerheid won its first Dutch League title since 1978 by downing GasTerra Flames 96-95 in triple overtime in make-or-break Game 7 Leiden on Sunday. In another best-of-seven finals that went down to the last game, VEF Riga claimed the Latvian League title thanks to a last 82-87 win on the road. Bojan Bakic led the winners with 28 points on 5-of-7 three-pointers. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: May 16-22, 2011

The roll call of domestic champions for the 2010-11 season celebrated another face this week as Zalgiris Kaunas won the Lithuanian League championship for the 24th time and the first in three years on Thursday by routing Lietuvos Rytas 95-69 to win the best-of-seven finals series 4-1. Tadas Klimavicius posted 18 points and 10 rebounds and Paulius Jankunas and DeJuan Collins added 12 points apiece to lead the new champs. Meanwhile the last of the leagues to finish their regular seasons did so with several Turkish Airlines Euroleague powers leading the way into their playoffs. In the Russian League, it was Eurocup champ and Euroleague side-to-be Unics Kazan that finished the regular season in first place, while CSKA Moscow climbed into second place and BC Khimki Moscow Region into fourth with wins on the final day of the regular season. Partizan mt:s marched into the Serbian League playoffs after completing the regular season with a 13-1 record – three wins more than Hemofarm Stada in second place. Partizan will face FMP in the semifinals. Euroleague Top 16 competitor Union Olimpija was second in the Slovenian League regular season and will square off against Helios Domzale in the semis. Krka posted a 13-1 record to grab first place. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: May 9-15, 2011

The talk of Europe’s best domestic leagues has turned to the playoffs, with some already deep in the deciding stages of the season and others finishing off the regular season and gearing up for the final stages. One league already in the throes of playoff action took a break over the weekend as Olympiacos successfully defended its Greek Cup title by outlasting freshly crowned Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Panathinaikos 68-74 on Sunday. Milos Teodosic shined with 18 points to lead the Reds to their ninth Greek Cup and earn MVP honors. Meanwhile Fenerbahce Ulker and Galatasaray Cafe Crown reached the Turkish League semifinals by sweeping their respective best-of-five series against Antalya Bsb and Besiktas Cola Turka. Fener topped Antalya Bsb 79-90 in Game 3 on Saturday led by Sarunas Jasikevicius with 19 points. Galatasaray bested Besiktas 70-80 in Game 3 on the road on Sunday. Josh Shipp paced the winners with 18. Cedevita officially became the Croatian League's second phase champion and clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by downing Zabon 86-69 at home on Friday. Eurocup MVP Dontaye Draper led the winners with 37 points. Cedevita meets defending champ Cibona in the semifinals. The French League regular season came to a close with Cholet Basket atop the standings and Sluc Nancy second. Eurocup Last 16 side Le Mans also made it through and will challenge Cholet in the quarters. Likewise the Italian League closed the doors on its regular season. Montepaschi Siena, which had long clinched first place, kept Lottomatica Roma out of the playoffs with an 83-73 win as Bo McCalebb netted 21 and Bennet Cantu came from behind to beat Cimberio Varese 75-66 and take second place. European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 25 - May 1, 2011

Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four fever is rising with the signature event of European basketball just around the corner. The upcoming Final Four has already impacted the schedules of several of the participants, with both Maccabi Electra and Panathinaikos having their respective domestic playoffs games moved ahead. The Greens jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Greek League quarterfinals with one big and one narrow overtime win over Maroussi. Panathinaikos blasted Peristeri 88-60 in the series opener as all 12 Greens played at least 10 minutes and scored. Game 2 went to overtime before the champs won 72-74 as Mike Batiste posted 14 points and 10 rebounds. Maccabi leads its Israeli League quarterfinals 2-0 over Barak Netanya with a pair of double-digit wins. Chuck Eidson led six Maccabi scorers in double figures with 20 points and 8 assists in a 94-72 victory in the opener. David Blu and Jeremy Pargo netted 19 apiece to lead the way to a 78-92 victory in Game 2. Meanwhile, a potential changing of the guard took place in the Croatian League where Cedevita survived a challenge from defending champion Cibona to remain undefeated and hurt its opponents playoff chances. Damjan Rudez led six Cedevita scorers in double figures with 24 points and Dontaye Draper fueled the attack with 12 points and 10 assists as Cedevita took a 97-93 win. Elsewhere some silverware was awarded as Dexia Mons-Hainaut won the Belgian Cup. Mons lifted the trophy for the 10th time in club history by edging Telenet BC Oostende 68-66 in the title game in Antwerp on Monday. Ronell Taylor paced the winners with 16 points. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 18-24, 2011

Another champion was crowned and several other top European domestic competitions saw their playoff pictures set with the ends of the regular season – including two Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four-bound clubs. A trophy was handed out in the Adriatic League, where Partizan mt:s held on to edge Union Olimpija 74-77 on Thursday at Stozice Arena in Ljubljana to win the league for the fifth season in a row. Curtis Jerrells paced the winners with 20 points, including 5 free throws in the final minute to help Partizan hold off the host club. Meanwhile Maccabi Electra needed to work hard before scoring a 92-96 overtime win at Ashkelon in the final game of the Israeli League regular season. The victory gave Maccabi a 26-1 record and it will face eighth-placed Barak Netanya in the quarterfinals. Lior Eliyahu led Maccabi with 24 points and Guy Pnini tallied 18 and 7 assists. The Greek League regular season came to an end on Wednesday with Olympiacos finishing undefeated after thrashing Iraklis 44-83 thanks to Andreas Glyniadakis’s 17 points, while Panathinaikos came in second at 23-2 by simply overwhelming Panellinios 112-42 at home. Stratos Perperoglou led the winners with 17 points. Defending German League champion Brose Baskets Bamberg registered its eighth consecutive win to become the regular season champion at 32-2 by thrashing BBC Bayreuth 85-52 in Bamberg. Predrag Suput led the winners with 20 points. And in the Czech League, CEZ Nymburk clocked in its 10th win in as many games to enter the playoffs undefeated. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 11-17, 2011

Many of Europe’s top domestics leagues are closing on the playoffs by middle April and those that are not witness classic battles leading up to the postseason. The Lithuanian League regular season came to a close Wednesday with Zalgiris Kaunas completing an undefeated march the table. Zalgiris beat Siauliai 78-88 with Mantas Kalnietis scoring 18 points and Paulius Jankunas and Tomas Delininkaitis adding 17 each as Zalgiris made it 24 wins in as many games. Now it moves on to face eighth-placed Neptunas in the playoffs. The Polish League semifinals are all square at 1-1. In the second games of the respective best-of-seven series, Energa Czarni Slupsk stunned Asseco Prokom Gdynia on the road 63-76 behind 20 points and 8 rebounds from Pawel Leonczyk and PGE Turow Zgorzelec topped Trefl Sopot 77-66 as Konrad Wysocki posted 16 points and 13 rebounds. Olympiacos Piraeus clinched first place in the Greek League and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by taking the top-of-the table showdown against archrival Panathinaikos. The Reds won 87-83 after overtime to remain undefeated thanks to a 25-point outburst from Yotam Halperin. With four games to go in the Turkish League, Fenerbahce Ulker holds a two-win lead over second-placed Galatasaray Café Crown after both won. Roko Ukic shined with 24 points and 6 assists as FB Ulker won 74-81 at Tofas to improve to 23-3. Galatasaray routed Oyak Renault 94-61 for its 21st win. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 4-10, 2011

April marks the start of championship season in European basketball. First the Euroleague Playoffs drew to an end and soon the Eurocup Finals tip-off. In between a title was won in the Baltic League. Zalgiris Kaunas became Baltic League champion for the fourth time and the second in as many seasons on Sunday by downing VEF Riga 75-67 in an exciting title game in Kaunas. Tadas Kilmavicius led all Zalgiris scorers with 15 points and 9 rebounds and Paulius Jankunas added 12 points – including 7 in a 12-3 fourth quarter run that gave Zalgiris the lead for good. Several Eurocup semifinalists showed they were ready to fight for the title with wins in domestic competition. Unics Kazan leads the Russian League standings after downing BC Khimki Moscow Region 75-64 behind Vladimir Veremeenko’s 18 points. Cedevita confirmed its status as the top team in the Croatian League by downing Zagreb 93-97 to take sole possession of first place. Bracey Wright dominated with 32 points on excellent shooting plus 7 rebounds for the winners. And at the site of next week’s Eurocup Finals, Benetton Bwin grabbed an important Italian League win over Dinamo Sassari 90-78. Devin Smith scored 21 and Donatas Motiejunas 20 as Benetton climbed into fourth place. Meanwhile the Ukrainian League All-Star Game entertained many. The foreign team beat the locals 86-98. Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk guard Steve Burtt Jr. was named MVP after scoring 27 points and dishing 7 assists to lead the foreign team. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 28-April 3, 2011

Two teams that punched tickets to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four during the week continued their success at home with wins in domestic leagues on Sunday. Panathinaikos, which eliminated defending Euroleague champ Regal FC Barcelona in the Quarterfinal Playoffs, stepped in the Greek League where it topped Panionios 61-75 behind 16 points from Romain Sato and 10 from Ian Vougioukas. The win was the Greens’ 10th straight and improved its record to 21-1, which is good for second place in the league. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv was tested in the Israeli League by Maccabi Haifa, but came away with a 98-95 victory as Jeremy Pargo poured in 22 points and 12 assists and Chuck Eidson added 15 points and 10 assists. Maccabi leads the league with a 22-1 record. The playoffs are underway in the Polish League, where regular season champ and defending champion Asseco Prokom Gdynia raced out to a 2-0 lead in its best-of-five quarterfinals series against ASZ Koszalin with a pair of blowout wins. Daniel Ewing scored 20 in Game 1 and Robert Witka led seven Prokom scorers in double figures in Game 2 with 19. Meanwhile Brose Baskets Bamberg raised the German Cup for the second year in a row and the third time in club history on Sunday by outlasting New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig 66-69 in a tense final. Anton Gavel and Predrag Suput scored 10 points apiece to pace the winners, but Bamberg boasted seven players that each scored at least 7. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 21-27, 2011

Europe’s top teams entered the weekend with much of their thoughts focused on their respective Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup Playoffs series, however many had to make room for important domestic competitions as well. That was no more prevalent than in the Spanish League, with four Euroleague quarterfinalists and two Eurocup quarterfinalists in action. Their collective record in their weekend games was 5-1. The high drama was in Menorca, where Caja Laboral edged the local side 76-77 on Mirza Teletovic’s game-winning triple at the buzzer. Regal FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both survived tests to win, while Madrid’s Euroleague opponent, Power Electronics, downed Lagun Aro GBC 84-75 as Dusko Savanovic scored 21 points on 6-of-8 three-pointers. Among Eurocup sides, Asefa Estudiantes downed CAI Zaragoza 106-89, while Cajasol slipped up 72-77 at home against Fuenlabrada. Benetton Bwin scored an important Italian League victory by beating Canadian Solar Bologna 79-71. Devin Smith and Donatas Motiejunas scored 22 points apiece to lead Benetton, which remained locked in a tie for sixth place. Cedevita edged Borik-Puntamika 89-92 on the road for its second win in as many games since its return for the second phase of the Croatian League. Andrija Zizic paced the winners with 26 points on 11-of-11 shooting and Bracey Wright added 25. And in the Ukrainian League, Budivelnik strengthened its grip on first place by dominating Khimik 103-56 as Denys Ikovlev scored 18 and Lamayne Wilson added 16. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 14-20, 2011

Almost all of the eight Euroleague quarterfinalists geared up for the opening two games of the best-of five Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs with victories in domestic competition. Both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos picked up wins and welcomed key players back from injuries in the Greek League. Olympiacos edged Ilissiakos 73-70 at home with 17 points from a recovered Ioannis Bourousis to remain undefeated after 21 games. Panathinaikos edged Aris 69-75 in Thessaloniki behind 14 points from Stratos Perperoglou. Aleks Maric played briefly in his return for the Greens. In the Spanish League, Regal FC Barcelona, Caja Laboral and Power Electronics Valencia gained victories – the first two taking down Eurocup quarterfinalists in the process. Barca drubbed Asefa Estudiantes 73-53 behind Alan Anderson’s 14 points. Laboral blasted Cajasol 81-57 as eight Laboral players scored at least 7 points. And Valencia beat Fuenlabrada 74-78 as Dusko Savanovic pitched in 21 points and 10 rebounds. Russian League leader Unica Kazan showed it is ready for the Eurocup Quarterfinals with a 69-62 win over Lokomotic Kuban. Maciej Lampe dominated with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Elsewhere a trophy was awarded as CEZ Basketball Nymburk outlasted UNIBON Novv Jicín 86-85 after overtime in the Czech Cup final to lift the title for the second year in a row and fifth time in club history. Tre Simmons led the winners with 20 points. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 7-13, 2011

A number of top domestic leagues throughout Europe celebrated their stars with annual all-star games over the weekend and a handful of Euroleague and Eurocup stars took center stagein the exciting exhibitions. Team Italy won the Italian League All-Star Game on Sunday on Lottomatica Roma scorer Gigi Datome’s late basket, 88-90. Armani Jeans Milano forward Stefano Mancinelli was named MVP after producing 22 points for Team Italy. Nicolas Mazzarino of Bennet Cantu won the three-point shootout. Panathinaikos forward Antonis Fotsis became the Greek League All-Star Game MVP after scoring 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting to lead the Greek Stars over the Rest of the World team 141-122. His Panathinaikos teammate Drew Nicholas won the three-point shootout for the second year in a row. In the Lithuanian League All-Star Game, the Lithuanian team downed the Time Team 112-114 and Lietuvos Rytas big man Jonas Valanciunas was chosen MVP after tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Edvinas Ruzgas of Siauliai took home the three-point shootout trophy. The South downed the North 84-105 in the Dutch League All-Star Game behind Markel Humphrey of Magixx, who had 19 points and 6 assists to earn MVP honors. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 28- March 6, 2011

The arrival of March and the end of the Euroleague Top 16 and Eurocup Last 16 have teams in tip-top shape and several showed that with impressive wins over the weekend. Doron Perkins recorded a triple-double and Chuck Eidson and David Blu added 20 points apiece as Maccabi Electra routed archrival Hapoel Jerusalem 107-66 in the Israeli League on Sunday to improve its record to 19-1. Eurocup quarterfinalist BG Goettingen picked up a marquee win over defending German League champ and league-leader Brose Baskets 82-69 on Saturday. Louis Dale finished with 20 points and 5 assists to lead Goettingen, which improved its record to 13-12 to move into a four-way tie for eighth place and the final playoff spot. Bamberg dropped to 24-2, though it remains atop the standings by five wins. Meanwhile the Baltic League regular season came to a close and the quarterfinal matchups have been set. VEF Riga clinched first place by routing Siauliai 83-62 on Saturday to improve to 17-5 and to edge Ventsplis for the top spot on a tiebreaker. Sandis Valters paced VEF with 21 points. In one of the tightest races in Europe, Cholet Basket thrashed Le Mans 85-63 at home on Saturday to take sole possession of first place in the French League. Sammy Mejia paced the winners with 25 points as Cholet improved to 15-5 and takes a one-win lead over four teams tied for second. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 21-27, 2011

The stretch run in Europe’s top domestic leagues is underway with February drawing to a close and teams looking to lock up playoff spots and home-floor advantages. An exciting weekend in the Spanish League featured a clash between two Turkish Airlines Euroleague sides and another between Eurocup clubs. Regal FC Barcelona secured its grip on first place by blasting Caja Laboral 89-66 to improve to 19-3. Juan Carlos Navarro poured in 25 points for the winners. Barca’s lead over second-paced Real Madrid grew to two wins when the latter was upset 74-65 at Blancos De Rueda Valladolid. Cajasol downed Gran Canaria 2014 70-84 thanks to Txemi Urtasun’s 18 points off the bench. In the Lithuanian League, Zalgiris survived a test from Perlas before winning 57-62 to remain undefeated through 17 games. The game was tied 57-57 with 1:30 remaining before Tomas Delininkaitis drained a clutch triple and Paulius Jankunas iced the game from the line. Second-placed Lietuvos Rytas bested Nevezis 79-90 behind Kenan Bajramovic’s 27 points and 11 rebounds. Ventspils and VEF Riga both won in the Baltic League to set the stage for their first-place showdown next week in the Latvian capital. Ventspils improved to 16-4 after smashing Liepajas Lauvas 95-77 thanks to 30 points form Oritseweyimi Efejuku. Art Parahouski scored 19 for Riga as it beat Nevezis 74-83 to take its record to 15-5. Meanwhile the second phase of the Czech League season began on Saturday with the top team from the first phase, BK Prostejov, cruising to victory behind Benas Veikalas’s 16 points. Defending champ CEZ Nymburk will join the competition soon. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 14-20, 2011

European domestic leagues are back after the Cup Weekend all around the continent - and most reigning champions are showing they are ready to defend their respective titles. Cholet Basket stayed atop the French League standings at 14-4 by thrashing Vichy 81-65 at home on Saturday. Sammy Mejia led the winners with 20 points. Fenerbahce Ulker kept first place in the Turkish League with a very convincing 97-72 home win against Bornova Belediye. Emir Preldzic paced the winners with 19 points. Elsewhere in the Spanish League, Caja Laboral did not find much trouble to down CB Granada 78-63 in Vitoria on Sunday behind 14 points from David Logan. Reigning Euroleague champion Regal FC Barcelona stayed unbeaten in 2011 by besting CAI Zaragoza 67-87 on the road on Sunday. Alan Anderson led the way for Barcelona with 15 points. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv leads the Israeli League standings with a 17-1 record by defeating Maccabi Haifa 86-100 on the road on Sunday. Lior Eliyahu led the winners with 22 points, leading 5 players in double digits. Asseco Prokom Gdynia improved to 11-3 and stayed atop the Polish League standings by downing AZS Koszalin 83-93 on the road on Sunday. Filip Videnov and Daniel Ewing led the winners with 15 points apiece. In the Adriatic League, Partizan mt:s Belgrade topped archrivals Crvena Zvezda 68-76 on the road to keep tying for first place. Jan Vesely paced Partizan with 15 points. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 7-13, 2011

Cup week around Europe saw seven Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams celebrate success at home before returning to the Top 16. The first to celebrate was Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, which strolled past Barak Netanya 106-70 on Thursday to win the Israeli Cup for the 38th time. Guy Pnini paced the winners with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Next was Partizan mt:s, which lifted the Serbian Cup with a tight 73-77 win on Saturday over FMP after a big comeback in the last quarter. Curtis Jerrells scored 20 as Partizan claimed its fourth Radivoj Korac cup. The floodgates opened on Sunday with five winners – including two in all-Euroleague matchups. Zalgiris Kaunas regained the Lithuanian Cup for the first time in three years by taking down archrival Lietuvos Rytas 69-81. Travis Watson paced the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Regal FC Barcelona became the first team to win back-to-back Spanish King's Cup titles since 1988 by downing archrivals Real Madrid 60-68 in the Spanish capital. Alan Anderson led the winners with 19 points and was named MVP. Emir Preldzic shined for Fenerbahce Ulker to lead it to victory in the Turkish Cup final. Preldzic scored 29 second-half points as Fenerbahce bested Besiktas Cola Turka 72-81 in the title game in Kayseri. He finished with 35. Union Olimpija won its 17th Slovenian Cup by thrashing Helios Domzale 55-92 in the final in Skofja Loka. Saso Ozbolt led the winners with 14 points. And Montepaschi Siena celebrated its third consecutive Italian Cup by downing Benner Cantu 79-72 in Turin. Ksistof Lavrinovic scored 21 to lead Montepaschi. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 31- February 6, 2011

The first games in February for many of Europe’s top domestic competitions brought with it some memorable results. Unics Kazan took the big showdown in the Russian League by downing defending champion CSKA Moscow 63-54 in Kazan on Saturday. The two teams join Lokomotiv Kuban in a three-way tie atop the standings, all with 9-3 records. Kelly McCarty led the winners with 15 points and Unics had four other players with at least 8 points. CSKA led 33-45 midway through the third quarter but McCarty led a mammoth 22-2 run that former CSKA captain Zakhar Pashutin capped with a fast break layup to set the stage for a memorable victory. In the Spanish League, an all-Euroleague clash and a meeting between Euroleague and Eurocup contenders took center stage. Regal FC Barcelona defeated Power Electronics Valencia 85-67 at home on Sunday led by Joe Ingles with 18 points. And Gran Canaria 2014 edged Caja Laboral 70-68 at home. Jaycee Carroll led the winners with 26 points, including an off-balance game-winning jumper almost at the buzzer. Brose Baskets Bamberg flaunted its dominance in the German League by routing second-placed Deutsche Bank Skyliners 63-81 on the road Saturday. Tibor Pleiss recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds as the defending champs improved to 21-1 – six wins more than Frankfurt. Meanwhile the Turkish League All-Star Game was celebrated in Ankara, with the top players from Turkey’s Euroleague and Eurocup stars all taking part. The Turkish Stars won 128-127 and Birkan Batuk was named MVP after producing 26 points. Omer Onan of Fenerbahce Ulker won the three-point shootout. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 24-30, 2011

The last games in January passed this weekend with two Turkish Airlines Euroleague still sitting pretty with perfect records in their respective domestic competitions. Euroleague runner-up Olympiacos had to work hard before celebrating another win in the Greek League to improve to 15-0. Olympiacos escaped from Ano Liossia with a 74-79 road win at only after Vassilis Spanoulis came off the bench to hit a three-pointer that made it 71-76 with one minute to go that proved decisive. Ioannis Bourousis paced the Reds with 19 points and 7 rebounds and Spanoulis fueled the attack with 10 assists. Panathinaikos got 23 points from Antonis Fotsis to beat Ilissiakos 88-71 an remain one win behind. In the Lithuanian League, Zalgiris marched to 14-0 after routing Techasas 68-88 on the road on Saturday. Mantas Kalnietis paced the winners with 17 points, Paulius Jankunas added 16 and Travis Watson had a double-double. Zalgiris rival and fellow Euroleague side Lietuvos Rytas also won to keep close at 12-2. The two Italian League teams still active in the Euroleague both registered wins. Defending champ Montepaschi Siena improved to 16-1 and stayed atop the Italian League standings by edging Fabi Shoes Montegranaro 70-74 on the road on Sunday. Rimantas Kaukenas paced the winners with 21 points. Lottomatica Roma bounced back from a tough Euroleague loss in Tel Aviv by thrashing Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro 85-53. Nihad Djedovic had 23 points for Roma and Vladimir Dasic added 16. In an important Belgian League contest, defending champ Spirou Charleroi edged rival Dexia Mons-Hainaut 65-66 on the road on Saturday. Chris Hill, who scored the game-winning points from the line with 2 seconds remaining, paced the winners with 16 points. Charleroi leads the league with an 11-1 record. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 17-23, 2011

While some domestic leagues throughput Europe feature runaway favorites for titles, others see drama increase weekly as the races get closer and closer. Nowhere is that true more than in the Adriatic League, where defending champ Partizan mt:s’s win over Union Olimpija in an all-Turkish Airlines Euroleague affair set the stage for a five-way tie for first place. Those two teams are tied with Zagreb CO, Buducnost and Krka Novo Mesto all with 11-7 records. Partizan beat Olimpija 61-50 on Saturday was James Gist scored 21. Big wins for Regal FC Barcelona and real Madrid over respective Eurocup opponents keep the two rivals locked in first place in the Spanish League with 15-3 records. Madrid bashed Asefa Estudiantes 82-61 in the capital city derby as Sergio Llull netted 17 and Ante Tomic added 13. Barcelona took care of Gran Canaria 2014 54-75 thanks to 23 points from Juan Carlos Navarro. The French League race is also a tight one with four teams separated by one win. Chorale Roanne sits on top at 12-3 after Cholet Basket lost, while Sluc Nancy and Chalon/Saone are also tied for second at 11-4. Ronnae downed Le Mans 90-76 thanks to 21 points and 5 assists from Pape Phillippe Amagou. And in the Russian League, CSKA Moscow is back on top following an 85-53 whipping of Nizhniy Novgorod behind Trajan Langdon’s 18 points. However the perennial champs, now 8-2, only lead Unics Kazan and Lokomotiv Kuban by a single victory. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 10-16, 2011

With the return of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup just around the corner, a number of top contenders set themselves apart from the rest with major wins in their domestic competitions. Defending Italian League champ Montepaschi Siena continued to romp even without star guard Terrell McIntyre by downing fellow Euroleague side Lottomatica Roma on the road 67-73. Rimantas Kaukenas scored 17 and David Moss added 12 to lead a well-balanced Siena effort. Vladimir Dasic scored 14 and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead Roma. Pepsi Caserta took care of Benetton Bwin 67-90 in an all-Eurocup matchup. Eric Williams scored 20 and grabbed 8 rebounds and Timmy Bowers added 18 points for the winners. In its last game with Rimantas Grigas on the bench, Zalgiris improved its perfect record in the Lithuanian League to 12-0 by beating Rudupis 97-83 behind 18 points form Marty Pocius and 17 from Travis Watson. Cedevita upset defending Adriatic League champ Partizan 88-84 behind a monster 23-point, 6-assist and 6-steal effort from Dontaye Draper. Cedevita closed to within two wins of first place after Cibona downed Union Olimpija thanks to 24 points from Leon Radosevic. And in the German League, Julius Jenkins and Derrick Allen combined for 86 points as last season’s Eurocup runner-up Alba Berlin took down Phoenix Hagen 108-78. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 3-9, 2011

It was a stellar week for Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams in the best domestic leagues on the continent with several recording sweeps over the rest of the competition. The Euroleague’s most heavily populated domestic league, the Spanish League, saw four of the five Top 16 teams win – the lone exception being Unicaja, which only lost to another Euroleague side, Regal FC Barcelona. Additionally, the top four spots in the standings belong to teams in the Top 16 – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Caja Laboral and Power Electronics Valencia. Madrid got 18 points apiece from Sergio Llull and Carlos Suarez to beat Menorca 95-84 and keep pace with Barca atop the standings at 12-3. In the Greek League, powerhouses Panathinaikos and Olympiacos remained undefeated and tied for first at 11-0 with respective wins, though that won’t last for long with the two set to meet on Wednesday. Panathinaikos beat Ikaros Kallithea 62-91 behind 17 points on perfect shooting from Stratos Perperoglou, while Olympiacos downed Kavala 81-60 Ioannis Bourousis tallied 19 points and 8 rebounds. The two Turkish League representatives also recorded wins. Fenerbahce Ulker defeated Mersin 74-86 led by Omer Onan with 20 points. Efes Pilsen edged Besiktas Cola Turka 85-83 at home in overtime as Kerem Gonlum posted 26 points and 12 rebounds. FB Ulker is tied for first with BK Banvit, while Efes is fourth with two wins fewer than the leaders. And in a knock-out competition, Maccabi Electra returned to the Israeli Cup semifinals by disposing of upstart Ashkelon 105-75 behind 19 points from Lior Eliyahu and a Richard Hendrix double-double. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 27, 2010- January 2, 2011

The end of 2010 and start of a new year brought with it a number of big games throughout European basketball’s top domestic leagues. The team with the best record in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Maccabi Electra, flexed its muscles in the Israeli League by downing archrival Hapoel Jerusalem 73-84 on the road in the Israeli capital on Sunday, improving to 11-1 and further extending its lead over second-placed Jerusalem and Maccabi Ashdod to four victories. Doron Perkins tallied 22 points and 8 rebounds and Sofoklis Schortsanitis was a force in the paint with 15 points as Maccbi outrebounded Hapoel 18-38. Ksistof Lavrinovic led the way with 17 points as defending champ Montepaschi Siena opened up a two-win lead atop the Italian League standings by downing Canadian Solar Bologna 92-80 on Sunday. Two other results of note in Italy saw a pair of Eurocup teams take down Euroleague sides. In a matchup up two teams that survived the regular seasons in their respective European competitions, Pepsi Caserta edged Lottomatica Roma 68-60 as Eric Williams amassed 16 points and 10 rebounds. Also Bennet Cantu got 19 points from Nicolas Mazzarino as it beat Armani Jeans Milano. Despite going through some roster changes, Lietuvos Rytas racked up two more wins in the Lithuanian League. Teenage sensation Jonas Valanciunas posted double doubles in each to help his team to a 9-1 record. The French League rang out 2010 on a celebratory note with the annual all-star game. Asvel Basket forward Davon Jefferson was named MVP after posting 21 points and 9 rebounds to lead the foreign team over the Frenchmen 90-103. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 20-26, 2010

The winter holiday break saw many of the top domestic competitions in Europe take time off, while some others spread their games over a wider period. The result was only three main leagues finishing a regularly scheduled round of action over the week. Fenerbahce Ulker bounced back from its first loss in the Turkish League season by trouncing Tofas 83-61 on Saturday. The defending champs improved to 10-1 with the win. Can Maxim Mutaf paced the winners with 12 points, Emir Preldzic added 11 and Mirsad Turkcan recorded 10 points and 7 assists. Galatasaray Café Crown remained hot on Fener’s tail after stomping Oyak Renault 72-90 as Luksa Andric and Preston Shumpert scored 14 points apiece. In a rematch of the Ukrainian League finals, defending champion Azovmash knocked rival Budivelnik from the top spot with an 81-71 victory in their showdown on Sunday. Demetrius Alexander scored 20 points and Chris Owens added 17 to pace Azovmash, which pulled away from a tight game in the fourth quarter. Azovmash improved to 13-8 and sits in fourth place in the league, Budivelnik dropped to 16-4 and now trails Donetsk by one win for first. BC Siauliai climbed into the top half of the Baltic League table by beating Liepajas Lauvas 92-67 to improve to 6-6. Center Roman Gumenyuk scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in his second straight big game for Siauliai. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 13-19, 2010

With the winter break coming close in many of Europe’s most prominent domestic leagues, it is a great time to salute some teams that have shot to the top of the standings ahead of perennial powers. The big battle in the Russian League Sunday saw CSKA defeat BC Khimki Moscow Region 74-85 on the road thanks to 21 points from J.R. Holden. That result knocked Khimki from the top spot and left Unics Kazan and Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar tied for first at 5-2. Buducnost and Union Olimpija sit atop the Adriatic League with 8-4 records after respective wins on Saturday. Buducnost pulled away later to down Turkish Airlines Euroleague side Cibona 80-71. Marko Scekic and Vladimir Mihailovic fueled a 17-5 fourth-quarter charge as Buducnost took the lead for good. Scekic and Mihailovic led five Buducnost scorers in double figures with 14 points apiece. Olimpija bested Crvena Zvezda 80-67 behind Goran Jagodnik, who came off the bench for 19 points in 19 minutes. There is a major surprise atop the Polish League standings, where Energa Czarni Slupsk leads with a 10-1 record, ahead of perennial champ Asseco Prokom Gdynia, which is second at 5-2. Czarni edged Polonia Warszawa 78-82 on the road on Saturday. Mantas Cesnauskis led the winners with 18 points. In the Italian League, it was a great weekend for ULEB teams as all six teams won. Defending champ Montepaschi Siena and Bennett Cantu both won in blowouts, Armani Jeans Milano also won by double figures and Benetton Treviso, Lottomatica Roma and Pepsi Caserta survived nail-biters. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 6-12, 2010

A number of exciting plots keep Europe’s leading domestic competitions as exciting as ever as we move towards the end of the calendar year. One victory separates five teams at the top of the French League. Defending champion Cholet Basket and Chorale Roanne share first place at 8-2 with three more close behind. Cholet beat Hyeres-Toulon 67-79 thanks to Antywane Robinson’s 18 points and 15 from Sammy Mejia added 15. Roanne defeated Poitiers 88-76 as Alex Gordon scored 16 and Pape Philippe Amagou 13. Asseco Prokom’s third straight win brought the defending champs to second place in the Polish League at 5-2. Prokom topped Polpharma Starogard Gdanski 89-82 in Gdynia behind 17 points from Dan Ewing. Energa Czarni Slupsk remains in first in Poland with an 8-1 mark. Things got interesting in the Turkish League when Banvit BK defeated Efes Pilsen 59-56. Lance Williams paced the winners with 18 points, while Igor Rakocevic came back from injury to score 17 for Efes. Meanwhile Fenerbahce Ulker remained undefeated after edging Erdemir 90-83 in overtime. Omer Onan led the winners with 18 points and Sean May added 14. And in the Spanish League, Real Madrid thrashed CAI Zaragoza 84-65 in the Spanish capital and took advantage of Caja Laboral losing 99-95 road loss against Bizkaia Bilbao Basket, results that combined to put Madrid along in first place at 9-2. Clay Tucker led Madrid with 16 points. Laboral and Regal FC Barcelona, which beat Blancos de Rueda Valladolid 55-65, are tied for second place at 8-3. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 29 - December 5, 2010

The first weekend of December featured a number of high profile clashes in Europe’s top domestic competitions, including a handful of All-Euroleague duels. One of those came in the Italian League, where Montepaschi Siena crushed Armani Jeans Milano 99-67 to take sole possession of first place. Bo McCalebb scored 24 points and dished 6 assists to pace the defending champs, who improved to 7-1 while dropping Armani Jeans to 6-2. In the Spanish League, Real Madrid avenged its midweek Turkish Airlines Euroleague loss in Malaga by downing Unicaja 88-72 in the Spanish capital on Saturday. Felipe Reyes paced the winners with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Also in Spain, a pair of Eurocup teams downed Euroleague counterparts as Cajasol trounced Caja Laboral 91-71 behind Mindaugas Katelynas’s 17 points and 9 boards and Asefa Estudiantes edged Regal FC Barcelona 63-62 on a Nik Caner-Medley free throw with 3 seconds left. BC Khimki Moscow Region now boasts the best record in the Russian League after winning over the weekend while perennial champion CSKA Moscow lost. Khimki bested Krasnie Krylia 75-67 as Keith Langford and Vitaly Fridzon scored 18 points apiece, improving the team to 4-1. CSKA dropped to 4-2 following an 83-65 loss at Enisey. Zalgiris romped past Eurocup team BC Siauliai 92-66 to remain perfect in the Lithuanian League. Paulius Jankunas posted 20 points and 10 rebounds for Zalgiris. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 22-28, 2010

Two of just six teams still undefeated in the major European domestic competitions can be found in the Greek League, where traditional powerhouses Olympiacos and Panathinaikos bounced back from Turkish Airlines Euroleague losses mid-week to raise their records to 5-0, two victories better than their nearest pursuers. Olympiacoas blew out Panellinios 65-92 on the road behind 18 points from Loukas Mavrokefalidis, while Panathinaikos won as easily at home, 102-65 against Maroussi, as Ian Vougioukas scored 20. In the Adriatic League , Union Olimpija rolled past visiting Buducnost m:tel by 68-53 as Goran Jagodnik scored 16 points to join a three-way tie for first place with Hemofarm and Krka. Eurocup team Chorale Roanne kept pace among a trio of French League leaders who won this weekend by downing Vichy 93-67 as Pape Amagou scored 18 points. And in the Spanish League, Eurocup team Gran Canaria took a big home win over Real Madrid, 70-59, as Taurean Green scored most of his 15 points in a 17-1 breakout run. Power Electronics Valencia scored a valuable road win 75-82 over Lagun Aro, while Unicaja, Barcelona and Caja Laboral all won at home. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 15-21, 2010

More than halfway through November, some of Europe’s top clubs are still romping through their respective domestic leagues with perfect records – two of them after serving big tests over the weekend. Fenerbahce Ulker bounced back from its first loss in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague to beat rival Besiktas Cola Turka 67-74 in a highly-anticipated game in the Turkish League in Istanbul. FB Ulker keeps improved to 6-0 thanks to 20 points from Omer Onan and a defensive effort that limited Besiktas’s star signing Allen Iverson to just 2 points. The hot showdown of the Lithuanian League went to Zalgiris Kaunas, which defeated archrival Lietuvos Rytas 85-60 in Kaunas on Sunday. Marty Pocius led the winners with 13 points and Tomas Delininkaitis added 11 as Zalgiris reached 8-0. Jonas Valanciunas led L. Rytas with 19 points. The two chiefs of the Greek League are a perfect 5-0 after respective wins. Panathinaikos had an easy time beating Kavala 100-72 at home as Ian Vougioukas scored 16 points and Stratos Perperoglou 15. Olympiacos overwhelmed Maroussi BC 70-94 as Rasho Nesterovic netted 19 and Milos Teodosic posted 17 points and 8 assists. Defending German League champion Brose Baskets Bamberg remained undefeated with a 75-64 victory over Telekom Bonn on Sunday. John Goldsberry tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals for the victors. The perfect records are not only for Euroleague teams. In the Dutch League, GasTerra Flames is 12-0 following a 56-70 win over Magixx Playing for KidsRights behind 21 points from Matt Haryasz. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 8-14, 2010

Days before the start of the Eurocup regular season, a number of competitors with eyes on achieving glory in Europe’s second competition showed they were ready with big wins in domestic leagues. CEZ Basket Nymburk picked up a marquee win in the Adriatic League by taking down defending champion Partizan 73-69. Tre Simmons dominated with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals and Afik Nissim added 21 points as Nymburk improved to 5-2 and joined fellow Eurocup power Hemofarm Stada and Euroleague force Union Olimpija in first place. Two of the Greek League‘s three teams looked sharp in wins. PAOK downed AEK 92-70 in Thessaloniki behind 17 points from Giorgos Dedas. Aris edged Ilissiakos 82-87 after overtome on the road as PJ Tucker led the way with 17 points. Meanwhile, Panellinios, which lost at home to Panionios 59-67, brings with it the experience of reaching last season’s Eurocup Finals. Both Besiktas ColaTurka and Banvit BK were victorious in the Turkish League. Eurocup newcomer Banvit bested Erdemir 88-72 as Baris Ermis recorded 14 points and 6 assists. Besiktas topped Oyak Renault 81-87 as Mire Chatman dominated with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. And in the German League, least season’s Eurocup runner-up, Alba Berlin, blasted Gloria Giants Dusseldorf 91-47 at home on Friday. Julius Jenkins led six Alba scorers in double digits with 16 points, Tadija Dragicevic scored 15 and grabbed 7 rebounds and Immanuel McElroy scored 10 and dished 7 assists for the victors, who are now 6-1 in Germany. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 1-7, 2010

With the start of the Eurocup season a week away, some top teams from Europe’s second competition tested themselves against Turkish Airlines Euroleague sides in different domestic competitions with mixed results. Defending German League champion Brose Baskets Bamberg improved to 8-0 by downing BG Goettingen 76-59. Rey Terry scored 17 and Casey Jacobsen 14 for the hosts, who raced to a 40-23 halftime lead. Dwayne Anderson scored 11 for Goettingen, which makes its Eurocup debut this season. In the Spanish League, reigning Euroleague champion Regal FC Barcelona bested Cajasol on the road 67-75 led by Pete Mickeal’s 23 points. The Spanish League also featured an all-Euroleague clash, in which Caja Laboral topped Power Electronics Valencia 67-81, and an all-Eurocup battle in which Asefa Estudiantes edged Gran Canaria 2014 73-71. Meanwhile defending French League champion Cholet Basket pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to an 80-63 win over Asvel Basket to improve to 4-1. Sammy Mejia scored 17 and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead Cholet. Matt Walsh scored 25 and Davon Jefferson tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds for Asvel in defeat. It was a double strike for Eurocup sides in the Adriatic League. Milan Macvan scored 24 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead Hemofarm Stada to an 84-74 victory over Union Olimpija in a to-of-the-table clash. And CEZ Basket Nymburk edged Cibona 85-86 on an Afik Nissim buzzer-beater. Nissim finished with 17 points and 5 assists. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 25-31, 2010

The end of October brought about some exciting clashes in domestic leagues throughout Europe, including a handful of all-Euroleague and all-Eurocup contests. The biggest rivalry in the Israeli League was renewed when Maccabi Electra hosted Hapoel Jerusalem and it was Maccabi that came out on top again, 75-55. After a close first half, Guy Pnini helped break the game open with three three-pointers and 12 points in an 18-3 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters and sealed the outcome. Pnini, a former Jerusalem player, finished with 15 points for Maccabi. Union Olimpija remained tied atop the Adriatic League after edging Partizan 75-73 in an all-Euroleague matchup. Vlado Ilievski scored 18 and Kevinn Pinkney 17 for the winners. Powerhouses Panathinaikos and Olympiacos shined in the Greek League, where in an all-Eurocup affair, Aris BSA 2003 beat Panellinios on the road, 62-72 as Nikos Hatzivrettas and PJ Tucker netted 15 points apiece. In the Italian League, Bennet Cantu struck a blow for Eurocup teams against Euroleague counterparts when it upset Virtus Roma 66-78 thanks to 19 points from Vladimir Micov. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 18-24, 2010

The time has arrived in the European basketball season that all of the major domestic leagues are underway, featuring all of the teams form the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup. The two Euroleague representatives in the Russian League each improved to 2-0 with respective wins. CSKA topped Spartak St. Peterburg 77-71 at home behind Jamont Gordon’s 20 points. BC Khimki downed Nizhny Novgorod 75-85 as Keith Langford recorded 27 points and 9 rebounds. In the Polish League, perennial champ Asseco Prokom picked up its first road win of the season by thrashing Siarka Tarnobrzeg 71-88. Bobby Brown led the winners with 25 points and Adam Hrycaniuk added 22. French League champion Cholet Basket and French Eurocup sides Chorale Roanne and Le Mans are among nine teams tied for second in that league at 2-1. Cholet bounced back from tough losses in the Euroleague and French League by edging Orleans 75-67 as Sammy Mejia scored 19. Le Mans beat Strasbourg 59-80 thanks to Ben Dewar’s 19 points and Roanne topped Chalon 74-83 as KC Rivers scored the same amount. GasTerra Flames remained undefeated in the Dutch League with three more wins this week. On Saturday, GasTerra improved to 6-0 by besting Amsterdam Basketball 58-71 on the road behind 17 points and 13 rebounds from John Turek. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 11-17, 2010

The middle of October brought several more domestic competitions into action with eight Turkish Airlines Euroleague and 11 Eurocup teams kicking into gear. All three Euroleague teams in the Italian League won their openers – two of them on the road. Defending champion Montepaschi Siena worked hard to come from behind and beat Vanoli-Braga Cremona 68-71 as Rimas Kaukenas scored 21, while Armani Jeans Milano edged Banca Tercas Teramo in overtime 83-89 thanks to Stefano Mancinelli, who scored 6 of his game-high 27 points in the extra period. Virtus Roma was Italy’s other Euroleague winner. In the Turkish League, Darjus Lavrinovic scored 24 to help defending champion Fenerbahce Ulker edge Eurocup newcomer Banvit 67-70 on the road. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv started its season with a trophy in hand after topping rival Hapoel Jerusalem 87-77 in the Israeli League Cup final. Jeremy Pargo scored 20 and dished 5 assists and David Blu added 15 points to lead Maccabi to another local title. And Euroleague runner-up Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Aris and PAOK advanced to the Greek Cup semifinals with respective midweek wins. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 4-10, 2010

Several more high profile domestic leagues tipped off in the first full week of October with a number of Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup teams starting strong. Cholet Basket opened the French League season in style by crushing Pau-Lacq-Orthez on Thursday. Sammy Mejia scored 18 points in 23 minutes and Fabien Causeur added 16 to lead a balanced Cholet effort. In the opening weekend of the Adriatic League, a Nikola Otasevic layup with six seconds remaining lifted Buducnost to a 78-79 road win at Partizan. Vladimir Dragicevic paced the winners with 15 points. Hemofarm STADA finished the game on a 10-1 run to beat Cibona 86-80, Nymburk cruised to a 93-74 win over Crvena Zvezda in its competition debut and Cedevita registered a 70-66 win over Zadar. Zalgiris sits atop the Lithuanian League after downing newcomer Rudupis 74-80 on the road for its third win in as many games. Zalgiris needed to work hard, but held on for the win thanks to 16 points from Arturas Milaknis and 13 from Mantas Kalnietis. Lietuvos Rytas recorded an 83-71 victory over Nevezis in its Lithuanian League opener. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: September 29- October 3, 2010

The 2010-11 basketball seasons around Europe began in earnest over the past week with games taking place throughout Europe. Defending Euroleague champion Regal FC Barcelona started the Spanish League in style by routing Gran Canaria 2014 83-58. Former Euroleague MVP led the way with 18 points for the winners. In addition to Barcelona, all of Spain’s four other Euroleague clubs – Real Madrid, Caja Laboral, Unicaja and Power Electronics Valencia – all started the season with wins. In the German League, the top teams were also all winners, including defending champ Brose Baskets Bamberg, which used impressive defense en route to a 70-59 win over ratiopharm Ulm. Anton Gavel paced Bamberg with 15 points. Generali Okapi Aalstar, Telenet BC Oostende and Antwerp Giants were the season’s first three winners in the Belgian League, which had an abbreviated round with Spirou Charleroi still active in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds. The Baltic League was one of the first in Europe to get underway with five games played while the calendar was still on September. Among the first winners were VEF Riga and Ventspils. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues 2010-11

The 2010-11 European domestic competitions are set to start this week, as several domestic leagues started all around the continent. Real Madrid took the Spanish League opening game by rallying to beat archrivals Asefa Estudiantes 79-84 on Thursday. Carlos Suarez, who joined Madrid from Estudiantes this summer, paced the winners with 21 points. The Baltic League changed its competition system, as defending champion Zalgiris and archrivals Lietuvos Rytas won't join in until the playoffs. VEF Riga defeated Valmiera 59-44 with 17 points from Artsiom Parahouski. The German League also starts this weekend with 17 teams trying to dethrone reigning champion Brose Baskets. Action has started in the Ukrainian League and defending champion BC Azovmash had to battle hard to defeat Kryvbasbasket 90-83 in its opening game on September 24. Fred House led the way for Azovmash while Charles Thomas and Ramel Curry each added 19. Elsewhere in the Latvian League, VEF Riga will join the competition in the playoffs. Ventspils will to try to regain the Latvian crown in 2010-11. Last but not least, the Belgian League opens this week, even when Spirou's game against Optima Gent was postpond due to the Euroleague Qualifying Round. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competition all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!