European domestic leagues review: March 8-14, 2010

Playoff fever is slowly growing across the continent as many of the top leagues in Europe edge closer to the end of the regular season. With the Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs just a week away, the excitement and drama of playoff basketball is certainly in the air. One place where it’s closer than ever is the Baltic League, where Zalgiris edged its chief rival Lietuvos Rytas 85-82 in Kaunas on Saturday as Tadas Klimavicius led the winners with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Zalgiris and L. Rytas finished the regular season with 16-2 records and qualified directly for the competition’s final four. Meanwhile in the Italian League, defending champion Montepaschi Siena has already clinched a playoff berth even though there are still nine games to play. Montepaschi improved to 21-0 by beating Angelico Biella 97-65 as Romain Sato led five Montepaschi scorers in double figures with 17 points. Likewise, Regal Barcelona has already secured a playoff spot in the Spanish League, where it had to battle harder than expected to edge CB Granada 79-72 at home on Sunday behind 23 points from Pete Mickeal. And in the Turkish League, the two big powers, Efes Pilsen and Fenerbahce Ulker, are also already in the playoffs. Efes had no trouble beating Aliaga Petkim 104-78 as Igor Rakocevic scored 21, while FB Ulker edged Tofas 88-86 asEmir Preldzic and Omer Onan scored 18 each. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: March 1-7, 2010

With one more game left to decide the last remaining spots in the Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs, five teams still have everything to play for. Those came five teams all showed they were ready for this week’s showdowns by tuning up with victories in their domestic leagues. In Group E, Maroussi and Partizan Belgrade vie for one ticket to the quarters. Maroussi showed it is ready by taking down Trikala 78-65 in the Greek League. Jamon Lucas scored 21 points and Kostas Kaimakoglou added 16 as Maroussi improved to 14-5 to stay in this place in Greece. Partizan shined in a 73-81 win over Union Olimpija in Ljubljana to improve to 17-5 in the Adriatic League – two wins fewer than first placed Cibona. Jan Vesely led the winners with 27 points on near-perfect shooting. Meanwhile Cibona, which still contests a Euroleague playoff spot from Group H alongside BC Khimki Moscow Region and Caja Laboral, downed cross-town rival Zagreb CO 76-87 on the road as Marko Tomas scored 19 and Samo Udrih added 17. In the Russian League, Khimki edged Krasnye Krylia 59-69 behind Vitaliy Fridzon’s 21 points. Fedor Dmitriev sank back-to-back threes in a fourth-quarter rin to break open the game as Khimki upped its record to 11-3, second only to CSKA Moscow. Laboral recorded a 104-79 victory over DKV Joventut, which faces a must-win game this week in the Eurocup to reach that competition’s Quarterfinals. Carl English scored 27 and Pau Ribas 21 as Laboral remained two wins behind Spanish League leader Regal Barcelona with a 20-4 record. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: February 22-28, 2010

This season's Euroleague Top 16 is producing more drama than any other in recent years and the focal point is in Group F, where all four teams are tied with 2-2 records. That foursome all gained momentum over the weekend with victories in their respective domestic leagues before big upcoming Top 16, Week 5 showdowns. Montepaschi Siena, which travels to face Maccabi Electra on Thursday, remained undefeated in the Italian League by topping another team that started the season in the Euroleague, Armani Jeans Milano. David Hawkins scored 17 points to lead Montepaschi past his former team as it improved to 19-0. Maccabi cruised in the Israeli League by downing Ironi Ramat Gan 79-101 led by 18 points from Doron Perkins. Thursday's other showdown pits Real Madrid against Efes Pilsen. Madrid spanked Meridiano Alicante 55-95 in the Spanish League as Marko Jaric peppered the nets for 19 points. Efes got a big effort from Bostjan Nachbar in the Turkish League to beat Besiktas ColaTurka 78-69 and remain in first place with an 18-2 record. Meanwhile, one week after the big cup week throughout the continent, another one was handed out. Benetton Fribourg Olympic won the Swiss Cup after beating Lugano Tigers 79-78 on a last-second free throw by Edwin Draughan. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: February 15-21, 2010

A week off from the Top 16 was more than enough time for Euroleague teams to collect some new trophies in the form of national cups. In Greece, a great streak was ended as Olympiacos downed Panathinaikos 68-64 in their final as Milos Teodosic scored 22 points. In another all-Euroleague showdown, this time in Spain, Regal FC Barcelona defeated archrival Real Madrid 80-61 behind 14 points from MVP Fran Vazquez for the widest title-game margin in the tournament's 77-year history. In Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker topped Mersin 72-68 for its first cup title in 43 years! In Israel, Maccabi won its 37th cup - although its first since 2006 - with a 77-70 win over Bnei Hasharon. In Italy, Montepaschi Siena made it two in a row by stopping Canadian Solar Bologna 83-75 thanks to 19 points from Shaun Stonerook. In Serbia, Partizan made it three in a row by downing FMP 72-62 as Bo McCalebb netted 16. In Lithuania, the cup final featured that country's two Euroleague representatives, with Lietuvos Rytas beating Zalgiris 77-65 behind 18 points each from Martynas Gecevicius and Milko Bjelica. In France, Asvel Basket was cup champ again, beating Orleans 70-69 on Eric Campbell's game-winning three-pointer. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!

European domestic leagues review: February 8-14, 2010

Some of the most exciting and heated rivalries in European basketball highlighted this weekends slate of domestic action. Partizan won its fifth straight Adriatic League game by topping rival Crvena Zvezda 74-84 thanks to 21 points from Jan Vesely. With the win, Partizan remained two wins behind first-placed Cibona. In the Turkish League , the two elite clubs clashed and it was Fenerbahce Ulker that walked away the winner after crushing defending champion Efes Pilsen 79-60. Onan led the winners with 20 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting. Siauliai handed L. Rytas its first loss of the season in the Baltic League, 107-100, thanks to Arvydas Siksniuss 28 points and 21 more from Mindaugas Kuzminskas. French League leader Le Mans was dealt a crushing blow by SLUC Nancy, 92-70, but still holds a two-win advantage over second placed Cholet Basket. Marcus Slaughter led Nancy with 21 points and Ricardo Greer added 18. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!

European domestic leagues review: February 1-7, 2010

Among the Euroleague teams dominating in their domestic competitions is Efes Pilsen, which now stands atop the Turkish League with a 17-1 record after getting past Eurocup challenger Turk Telekom with an 80-72 victory over the weekend. Igor Rakocevic led the winners with 20 points while Bootsy Thornton added 13, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Meanwhile, in two games between the top four teams in the Greek League, Panathinaikos topped fourth-place Panellinios to improve to 14-1, while in an all-Euroleague standoff, Maroussi edged Olympiacos, 82-74, to tie the Reds in the second place at 13-2 each. Le Mans keeps leading the French League with a 16-2 record after downing Chorale Roanne 73-58 as Dee Spencer paced the winners with 22 points and 8 rebounds. And in the Russian League, CSKA did not find much trouble to stay atop the standings by defeating Spartak 82-96 in St. Petersburg as Ramunas Siskauskas led the winners with 25 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: January 25-31, 2010

A number of primetime clashes between championship contenders highlighted the action in Europe's best domestic competitions in the last week of January 2010. After missing out on qualification for the Euroleague Top 16, German League champion EWE Baskets Oldenburg turned its attention back to its home league where it downed 1008 champ and current league leader Alba Berlin 68-59. Je'Kel Foster shined with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. It was a rematch of last season's title game in the Israeli League, but it was the same result as Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv crushed Maccabi Haifa 101-79 led by 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Chuck Eidson. In the Baltic League, Ventspils made its case as a contender by routing Zalgiris 94-80 as Ernests Kalve and Dairis Bertans combined for 49 points. Zalgiris bounced back from the loss by trouncing Liepajas Lauvas 68-109. The lone all-Euroleague contest of the week was in the Spanish League, where Real Madrid defeated Unicaja 84-67 in the Spanish capital as Novica Velickovic scored 18. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: January 18-24, 2010

A handful of clashes between Euroleague and Eurocup sides highlighted another week of exciting domestic league action. It was a double blow for Eurocup sides in the Greek League, where Olympiacos downed Panellinios 90-70 behind 25 points from Linas Kleiza and Maroussi defeated Aris 75-67 as Kostas Kaimakoglou produced 19 points and 7 boards. In the Spanish League, a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rafa Martinez lifted Power Electronics Valencia over Regal FCB 60-59. Kosta Perovic led the winners with 15 points and 9 rebounds. And Caja Laboral downed Bizkaia Bilbao Basket 71-86 as Tiago Splitter scored 19. It went both ways also in the Adriatic League, where Hemofarm Stada edged Cibona 55-57 on a Goran Jagodnik layup, but Partizan downed Zadar 86-74 as Lawrence Roberts netted 15 points. Meanwhile, the German League celebrated its annual all-star game. Telekom Bonn center Chris Ensminger was named the game's MVP. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: January 11-17, 2010

The first domestic full slate of 2010 took place over the weekend with a handful of Euroleague Top 16 teams and Eurocup Last 16 sides going head to head. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv confirmed its status as the dominant force in the Israeli League by seeing off challenger and Eurocup side Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 103-78. Former Jerusalem player Guy Pnini netted 23 to lead Maccabi, which remained undefeated. In the Russian League, a Eurocup side was victor in the Euroleague/Eurocup duel when UNICS Kazan dealt defending champion CSKA Moscow its first domestic loss of the season 88-94. Kresimir Loncar and Marko Popovic combined for 50 points to lead Kazan. In an All-Eurocup clash in the Spanish League, Gran Canaria 2014's Jaycee Carroll scored 19 and was one of six scorers on his team in double figures in a 79-89 road win over DKV Joventut. Also in Spain, Regal FC Barcelona took care of Xacobeo Blu:Sens 103-82 to stretch its unbeaten run to 15 games. Juan Carlos Navarro led the way with 17 points. Another Eurocup Last 16 qualifier, CEZ Basketball Nymburk, put an end to a rough patch in the Czech League by drubbing BK Breda & Weinstein Opava 54-107 as Phil Ricci led seven in double figures with 16. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: January 4-10, 2010

A number of domestic leagues on the continent finally returned to action following a winter break, but there was little rust to be seen. There were immediate fireworks in the Adriatic League as leader Cibona fended off Partizan 69-59 in Zagreb in a rematch of last season's title game. Marko Tomas scored a game-high 24 points and keyed a late 15-0 run that wrapped up the victory. Cibona now leads fellow Euroleague sides Partizan and Union Olimpija, who are tie for second place, by three wins. In the Ukrainian League, defending champion Azovmash's game was postponed, allowing Budivelnyk to solidify its grip on first place by beating BC Odessa 100-85 as Khalid El-Amin recorded 28 points and 8 assists. Meanwhile the Turkish League enjoyed a break from regular action to celebrate the annual all-star game, won this year by the All-Turkish team 124-115. Kaya Peker of Efes Pilsen was named MVP after producing 26 points and 12 rebounds. His teammate Sinan Guler won the slam dunk competition while Engin Atsur of Besiktas Cola Turka took the three-point shootout. Lietuvos Rytas remained steady in the Lithuanian League, downing Alytus 73-106 to stay on the heels of first-placed Zalgiris. Milko Bjelica led the winners with 24 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010

2010 began with a bang as many of the top teams across Europe returned to action and starred in exciting clashes. First place in the French League belongs to a pair of Eurocup sides after Cholet Basket took the big showdown against Le Mans 68-66 to join it for a tie of the top spot at 11-2. Sammy Mejia led the winners with 27 points and Randal Falker pulled down 17 rebounds for Cholet. Another all-Eurocup clash took place in the Turkish League where Galatasaray Cafe Crown topped Besiktas Cola Turka 87-96 on the road thanks to 23 points from Rado Rancik and 22 from Mike Wilkinson. In an all-Euroleague challenge in the Italian League, Lottomatica Roma won its second game under new coach Matteo Boniciolli, defeating Armani Jeans Milano 77-69. Kennedy Winston led the way with 14 points. Meanwhile Omar Cook dominated with 35 points and 7 assists as Unicaja set a club record for points at home in the Spanish League with a 112-87 win over CB Granada. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: December 21-27, 2009

Though several top domestic leagues did not play this week during the winter break, those that did more than made up for it with highlights galore. Efes Pilsen won twice in the Turkish League, stretching its win streak to 9 as it improved to 11-1. Kaya Peker and Mario Kasun dominated the paint in the Week 12 victory, while Fenerbahce Ulker got a big game from Semih Erden to dump Besiktas ColaTurka and take sole possession of second place. In the Spanish League, Regal FC Barcelona put on a show as it routed archrival Real Madrid 57-79 behind 18 points and 7 assists from Ricky Rubio. And DKV Joventut edged Unicaja on the road 76-78 on Clay Tucker's buzzer beater. Lietuvos Rytas remained undefeated in the Baltic League as Arturas Jomantas led the team to a pair of midweek wins. And Telekom Baskets Bonn caught Alba Berlin for the most wins in the German League with 11 after downing Giessen 46ers as the backcourt duo of Bryce Taylor and Jared Jordan combined for 40 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: December 14-20, 2009

With the winter breaks approaching soon, a number of leagues played their final regular season games of 2009 this week. Some of them will reach the new year with perfect records after wins over the weekend. Defending champion Montepaschi Siena improved to 11-0 in the Italian League after whipping Sigma Coatings Montegranaro 97-66. Ksistof Lavrinovic dominated with 23 points and 8 rebounds and David Hawkins added 19 points for the winners. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is now 9-0 in the Israeli League following a tough 76-79 road win at Bnei Hasharon. Andrew Wisniewski led the Maccabi attack with 18 points and 5 assists. A number of other undefeated teams still have another game left on the schedule before they can celebrate reaching January with a perfect record. In the Polish League, Asseco Prokom is 13-0 after edging rival PGE Turow Zgorzelec 90-91 in overtime. Ronnie Burrell shined with 20 points and 10 rebounds for Prokom. CEZ Baskets Nymburk has climbed to 19-0 in the Czech League with one game remaining after routing Sokol Vysehrad 95-34 behind six scorers in double figures including Raden Necas with a double-double. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: December 7-13, 2009

Some heated rivalries took center stage in domestic action around Europe this week including a pair of All-Euroleague clashes. In a rematch of last season's title game, Lietuvos Rytas blasted archrival Zalgiris Kaunas 91-74 on Saturday in the Baltic League, improving to 6-0 and handing Zalgiris its first loss. Aron Baynes scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and Bojan Popovic had 14 points and 5 assists to pace L. Rytas. The Russian League also featured a rematch from last year's finals with the same result as CSKA Moscow took the big showdown against BC Khimki Moscow Region 76-74 in overtime on Sunday. CSKA improved to a perfect 7-0 - opening a two-win lead over Khimki - as J.R. Holden scored 20 points and Sasha Kaun posted a double-double. In the Spanish League, two Euroleague teams proved supreme on the road in matchups against Eurocup counterparts. Unicaja picked up a 70-81 win at Bizkaia Bilbao Basket as Georgios Printezis posted 15 points and Caja Laboral got 26 points from Fernando San Emeterio in a 70-77 victory at DKV Joventut. Meanwhile history was made in the Czech League, where defending CEZ Basketball Nymburk beat Basketball Brno 83-45 for its 100th consecutive Czech League home win. Ron Lewis led the winners with 24 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: November 30- December 6, 2009

Even though the calendars show December, there are still a number of Euroleague and Eurocup teams boasting flawless records in their domestic leagues. In fact, one-third of this season's Euroleague teams have yet to suffer a defeat in their home leagues. Among those teams that padded their records this week were perennial Polish League champion Asseco Prokom, which improved to 11-0 with a 68-79 road win at Energa Czarni Slupsk. Qyntel Woods led the winners with 17 points. In the Italian League, Montepaschi Siena rolled to 9-0 after topping Cimberio Varese 87-74. Ksistof Lavrinovic produced a magical effort with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in just 19 minutes on the floor. Maccabi Electra reached 7-0 in the Israeli League after routing Hapoel Holon, the team which shocked it in the 2008 title game. Andrew Wisniewski led Maccabi with 20 points. In the Greek League, Olympiacos has six wins without a defeat after Yotam Halperin scored 21 points to lead the Reds to a tough 67-79 road win at Ilysiakos. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: November 23-29, 2009

Several all-Euroleague and all-Eurocup matchups were in the spotlight during domestic action over the past week. Regal FC Barcelona edged Unicaja 57-63 in Malaga on Saturday in a Spanish League battle between the last two undefeated teams in the Euroleague. Juan Carlos Navarro scored 18 points as Barca improved to 9-1 in the Spanish League, second to only Real Madrid. One of Europe's biggest rivalries took center stage in the Greek League, where in a rematch from last season's Final Four, Olympiacos defeated Panathinaikos 87-76 as Josh Childress posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in his last game before traveling to America for his father's funeral. In the Russian League, a pair of Euroleague sides trumped their Eurocup counterparts. CSKA remained undefeated by edging cross-town rival Dynamo Moscow 73-81 on the road on Sunday. J.R. Holden and Ramunas Siskauskas led the winners with 17 points apiece. And Khimki topped Unics 77-71 at home on Saturday as Kelly McCarty recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile in the French League, Le Mans struck a blow for Eurocup sides with a 68-80 road win at Asvel Basket. Marc Salyers led the way with 23 points for Le Mans, which leads the French League with an 8-1 record. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: November 16-22, 2009

Euroleague and Eurocup teams continue to sit pretty atop most of the toughest leagues on the continent after another week of big-time showdowns. The biggest domestic clash of the past week took place in the Lithuanian League, where Zalgiris Kaunas remained perfect after dropping chief rival and defending champion Lietuvos Rytas 67-64 in an all-Euroleague matchup. Marty Pocius paced the winners with 17 points and Marcus Brown added 15 as Zalgiris improved to 8-0. Le Mans is the leader of the French League after edging Poitiers 79-81 as JP Batista and Dee Spencer came through with 16 points apiece. Le Mans improved to 7-1 with its fifth straight victory. Efes Pilsen rules the Turkish League with a 5-1 mark after beating Eurocup side Galatasaray Cafe Crown 83-73. For the second week in a row Bootsy Thornton scored at least 20 to lead Efes to victory over a rival from the Eurocup. A look at the Belgian League shows Eurocup participant Spirou Basket Sharleroi in first place with a 7-2 record after routing Passe-Partout Leuven Bears 51-67 on the road behind 19 points and 5 assists from Jonathan Tabu. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: November 9-15, 2009

A number of big name showdowns between Euroleague and Eurocup clubs provided highlights during another week of exciting action in domestic leagues throughout Europe. CSKA Moscow is back in a familiar place, sitting atop the Russian League after winning a showdown against that league's other undefeated team, UNICS Kazan. Trajan Langdon scored 18, Zoran Planinic 17 and Viktor Khryapa was strong inside with 14 rebounds to lead CSKA to a 57-69 road win. Meanwhile Regal FC Barcelona tied a Spanish League record with 18 three-pointers in a 100-72 rout of Caja Laboral in a rematch of last season's finals. Juan Carlos Navarro and Terence Morris led the way with 18 points apiece. Real Madrid remained undefeated in Spain after a 67-73 win at Eurocup side Gran Canaria 2014. Travis Hansen and Darjus Lavrinovic paced the winners with 15 points apiece. In the Turkish League, Euroleague and Eurocup sides split a pair as Bootsy Thornton's 26 points led Efes Pilsen over Besiktas ColaTurka 84-88 and Galatasaray Café Crown edged Fenerbahce Ulker in double overtime thanks to Rado Rancik's 17 points. And in the Italian League, defending champs Montepaschi Siena downed Eurocup newcomer Lauretana Biella 72-80 as Nikos Zisis poured in 24 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: November 2-8, 2009

Although already several weeks into competitive domestic league all around the continent, a number of top teams remain undefeated in their respective leagues. Cibona Zagreb is perfect through six games in the Adriatic League after Marko Tomas scored 20 points - including the go-ahead points with three minutes to go - to lead his team in a tough come-from-behind victory over Zadar 68-65. In the Lithuanian League, both Zalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas are 6-0. Donatas Zavackas scored a combined 35 points and Steponas Babrauskas 31 in a pair of weekend wins for L. Rytas. Asseco Prokom got 17 points and 8 assists from David Logan as up upended Sportino Inowroclaw 93-74 to improve to 6-0 in the Polish League. It's Euroleague Group D rival, Real Madrid, is also perfect back home. Madrid rallied from a 9-point halftime deficit to down Meridiano Alicante 78-68 and improve to 6-0 in the Spanish League. Novica Velickovic led the winners with 15 points. And Eurocup power CEZ Basket Nymburk is 11-0 in the Czech League after bouncing Mlekarna Miltra Novy Jicín 87-65 led by Ladislav Sokolovsky. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: October 26 - November 1, 2009

Now all the top basketball leagues on the continent are running strong, it was only a matter of time before exciting showdowns between Euroleague and Eurocup sides began to take place. In Italy the clash between Montepaschi Siena and Armani Jeans Milano was not only between two Euroleague sides, but also a rematch of last season's Italian League finals. Montepaschi was the winner again, 79-91, as Romain Sato rattled in 25 points, David Hawkins 19 and Terrell McIntyre produced 14 points and 9 assists. In just its second week of action, the Greek League featured its first all-Euroleague clash, with Olympiacos getting the best of Maroussi 86-77 on the strength of 27 points from Linas Kleiza and 16 from Sofoklis Schortsanitis in just 19 minutes. Jared Homan paced Maroussi with 23. In the Baltic League it was Euroleague force Lietuvos Rytas against Eurocup side Siauliai, with the former scoring a 99-77 victory behind Martynas Gecevicius's 23 points and 22 from Dejan Borovnjak. And the French League had an all-Eurocup clash with Le Mans edging SLUC Nancy 66-64 as Dee Spencer netted 21. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: October 19-25, 2009

All the top basketball leagues are now underway and Euroleague and Eurocup teams are doing their best to prove themselves among the rest. It was business as usual for Euroleague champion Panathinaikos as it opened the Greek League by crushing Olympia Larissa 48-83 on the road. Rookie Nick Calathes led the winners with 15 points and Nikola Pekovic added 14 in a win for the Greens. Rival Olympiacos also started on the right foot, beating Aris BSA 78-85 behind Linas Kleiza's 24 points. In the Israeli League, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv won its opener, 68-76 at Maccabi Haifa as Alan Aderson led five Maccabi scorers in double digits with 13. The French League had excitement as Entente Orleanaise edged Asvel Basket 76-66 in an All-Euroleague fixture. Cedrick Banks came off the bench for 19 points in 25 minutes to lead Orleans. And in the Czech League, BK Prostejov has joined perennial champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk as the lone undefeated teams through seven games. This week Nymburk crushed Basketball Brno 49-91 after holding the hosts to 5 first-quarter points. Ron Lewis and Petr Benda scored 16 each for the winners. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: October 12-18, 2009

Basketball season is nearly at full speed in Europe with most leagues already underway and Euroleague and Eurocup teams proving themselves in their respective domestic competitions. The Turkish League clebreated twice this week, first with Efes Pilsen topping rival Fenerbahce Ulker 81-74 to claim the President's Cup as Igor Rakocevic shined with 26 points. Over the weekend the defending champs struck again, pouncing on Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi 67-92 on the road in Mersin in the Turkish League regular season opener. Charles Smith and Preston Shumpert each scored 16 to lead Efes. Tarence Kinsey starred as FB Ulker also won its opener. Also underway now is the Russian League, where Euroleague side Khimki bested Eurocup side Spartak St. Petersburg as Keith Langford came through with 17 points. CSKA also won its opener, 55-48 over Lokomotiv Rostov, as Andrei Vorontsevich produced 18 points and 11 rebounds. In the Ukrainian League, Eurocup hopeful BC Donetsk remained undefeated after thrashing Gryfony 85-64 thanks to Ricardo Marsh's 17 points. And in the French League, Asvel Basket thrashed Strasbourg 90-66 for its first win. Ben Dewar paved the way with 17 points. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: October 5-11, 2009

A new parade of domestic leagues across Europe enjoyed the opening days of their regular seasons this weekend, with Euroleague and Eurocup teams widely represented in the winners columns. The Adriatic League got rolling with a big 79-59 home win by Eurocup team Zadar over Euroleague visitor Union Olimpija as Rok Stipcevic had 17 points, 8 assists. Cibona also won by 20 points, 85-65 at home against Siroki, while Eurocup qualifying hopeful Buducnost rocked Crvena Zvezda 71-63. In the German League , defending champion EWE Baskets Oldenburg got off on the right foot, stopping Brose Baskets 67-55 as Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje put up 16 points. In the Spanish League, Caja Laboral impressed with a 68-88 road win at Murcia in which Fernando San Emeterio led the winners with 22 points and DKV Joventut won 66-68 over Gran Canaria in an all-Eurocup showdown. In the Italian League, three-time defending champion Montepaschi Siena stormed to a huge 87-48 home victory, even without All-Euroleague point guard Terrell McIntyre. Lottomatica Roma put up Italy's highest point total in beating Cremona 94-78 as Ibby Jaaber scored 28. Follow all the domestic action all season long on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!!

European domestic leagues review: Sept. 28 - Oct. 4, 2009

Regal FC Barcelona won the 2009 Spanish Supercup! Barcelona lifted its first official trophy in the 2009-10 season by edging archrivals Real Madrid 86-82 in the title game in Gran Canaria on Saturday. It is Barcelona's second Supercup title, as it previously lifted the trophy in 2004. Euroleague MVP Juan Carlos Navarro led the winners with 22 points. Boni Ndong added 13 while Pete Mickeal, Terence Morris and Erazem Lorbek each had 12 for Barcelona. Jorge Garbajosa had 17 points for Madrid, Pablo Prigioni added 12 while Felipe Reyes got 11. Zalgiris already leads the Baltic League with a 3-0 record by registering as many road wins this week. Zalgiris registered its first 2009-10 Baltic League win by edging Siauliai 80-88 in come-from-behind fashion. Travis Watson paced the winners with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Perennial Czech League champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk opened the 2009-10 season in style by downing BK Breda & Weinstein 57-94 on the road on Saturday. Ian Hanavan paced the winners with 21 points on 7-for-7 two-pointers.

European domestic leagues review: September 27, 2009

The 2009-10 European domestic competitions seasons with two Euroleague wins already lifting respective trophies. Union Olimpija opened the season in style by lifting the Slovenian Supercup trophy. Olimpija thrashed Elektra Esotech 95-62 at home on Sunday to win its sixth consecutive Supercup title. Jaka Klobucar led the winners with 20 points on 4-for-6 three-pointers. Gasper Vidmar barely missed a double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Matt Walsh fired in 4-for-5 from downtown on his way to 17 points for Olimpija, that outrebounded its opponents by 40-25. Olimpija already won the Slovenian League and the Slovenian Cup titles last season. The first domestic trophy of the 2009-10 season was won on Saturday in a battle between Euroleague rivals from Lithuania. When the dust settled, Zalgiris Kaunas had defeated Lietuvos Rytas 83-78 in a back-and-forth thriller to win the BBL Cup title. Danius Salenga led the winners from Zalgiris with 18 points, while newcomer Martynas Pocius had 17 and was named MVP. Marcus Brown added 12 points for Zalgiris, while big man Travis Watson had a double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds. Mantas Kalnietis and Tadas Klimavicius chipped in 9 points each. For L. Rytas, Milka Bjelica and Bojan Popovic led the way with 16 points each, while Martynas Gecevicius had 14 and Arturas Jomantas 11.