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 The 2008-09 Euroleague Basketball season opened up with 12 games in eight countries over a span of four days this week as teams began to unveil the potential that for one side will result in a Euroleague title. This week’s games had one major theme – homes teams won 10 and only lost two. Also of note, while four games were decided by a total of 13 points, another four games saw the winners cruise to victories by more than 20. It all began on Monday when Tau Ceramica bested Fenerbahce Ulker 80-70 in the traditional Openeing Game in Vitoria, Spain. Will McDonald led the charge with 18 points, 8 rebounds and a career-best 5 blocks. The action continued on Wednesday with four more contests featuring the last two champions in action. Defending champion CSKA Moscow crushed Armani Jeans Milano 90-64 as Final Four MVP Trajan Langdon led five scorers in double figures with 18. The 2007 champion was also in excellent form as Panathinaikos blasted Zalgiris Kaunas 78-51 led by Dimitris Diamantidis’s 15 points. Another teams from last season’s Final Four, Italian champ Montepaschi Siena, was an 80-71 winner over Asseco Prokom. Last season’s stars Terrell McIntyre, Ksistof Lavrinovic and Rimas Kaukenas joined with newcomer Henry Domercant to lead the scoring charge. Also Wednesday, Unicaja beat Le Mans 84-79 behind excellent performances off the bench from Boniface NDong and Jiri Welsch. Seven games on Thursday completed the week’s schedule. After honoring basketball legend Drazen Petrovic before tip-off, Cibona edged Maccabi Electra 81-79 as Davor Kus and Rawle Marshall combined for 43 points. In another nail-biter, Milos Vujanic helped Efes Pilsen hold off Partizan Belgrade 61-60 with 17 points and 4 assists. Ersan Ilyasova shined with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds as Regal FC Barcelona scored a 54-82 road win at Sluc Nancy. At the site that will host the 2009 Euroleague Basketball Final Four, the o2 Arena in Berlin, Germany, Alba Berlin overcame Lottomatica Roma 68-63 as Immanuel McElroy inspired his teammates with 17 points. Pops Mensah-Bonsu dominated the paint in helping DKV Joventut beat Union Olimpija 81-64. Mensah-Bonsu finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Real Madrid coasted past Panionios On Telecoms 87-66 thanks to strong outings from Quinton Hosley and Felipe Reyes. And in the game that wrapped up the opening week, Josh Childress looked strong in his Euroleague debut as Olympiacos Piraeus defeated Air Avellino 69-83. Childress led five Reds in double figures in points with 14.
 Olympiacos demonstrated its status as a Final Four candidate by beating Euroleague debutant Air Avellino comfortably 69-83 in its Group A opener. Josh Childress paced five players in double figures in his first ever Euroleague game with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Zoran Erceg and Yotam Halperin each tallied 11 points for the Reds. Olympiacos started slow, but turned things around to outscore Avellino 47-69 in the final three periods for the team’s fourth win in its last four on the road dating back to last season.
Cibona remained perfect with its ninth Euroleague opening night win in as many chances by edging Maccabi Electra 81-79. Davor Kus and Rawle Marshall combined for 43 points to pace the winners, while Maccabi’s D'Or Fischer led all Week 1 scorers with 26 points on 11-for-12 shooting. Before the game, Cibona paid homage to world basketball icon, the late Drazen Petrovic, in the arena named after him on the night after what would have been his 44th birthday.
Unicaja defeated Le Mans 84-79 on Wednesday night at the Martin Carpena Sports Palace in Malaga, Spain – the club’s 18th consecutive home win in the Euroleague dating back to December 2006. Second-year big man Boniface Ndong led the winners with 14 points. It marked the first time he has ever led Unicaja in scoring. He has averaged 8.5 points in 20 career Euroleague games with Unicaja.
Panathinaikos blasted Zalgiris Kaunas 78-51 to stretch its unbeaten run at OAKA to 17 game. Dimitris Diamantidis led the Greens with 15 points and newcomer Nikola Pekovic added 14 points in 14 minutes. Loren Woods led Zalgiris with 17 points and 16 rebounds. It was also Panathinaikos’s fifth straight opening night win. The last time head coach Zeljko Obradovic’s squad lost its season opener was at Zalgiris in November 2003. Panathinaikos is now 10-1 all-time vs Zalgiris.
 Regal FC Barcelona slammed Sluc Nancy 54-82 in the latter's Euroleague debut on Thursday night in France. Ersan Ilyasova shined bright with 18 points and 12 rebounds, leading Barca to its 10th consecutive win in European club competitions in France. Barcelona has not lost in France since January 1998 when it came up short 69-68 at Racing Paris. The club’s star guard Juan Carlos Navarro made his Euroleague debut as a teenager that night.
Montepaschi Siena downed Asseco Prokom Sopot 80-71 on Wednesday night. Reigning ULEB Cup MVP Henry Domercant led the way with 15 points, while All-Euroleague big man Ksistof Lavrinovic recorded his first career Euroleague double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
With star center Tiago Splitter sidelined, Will McDonald turned in the best performance of his Euroleague career to lead Tau Ceramica to an 80-70 win over Fenerbahce Ulker in the Euroleague Opening Game on Monday night in Vitoria, Spain. McDonald recorded 18 points on perfect shooting, 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots and Igor Rakocevic rifled in 24 points to start the season on the right foot.
DKV Joventut used a big fourth quarter to dump Union Olimpija 81-64. Pops Mensah-Bonsu led the charge with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Olimpija’s Mirza Begic had his best Euroleague performance with 17 points, 7 boards and 4 blocked shots. Joventut shot 11 for 20 from downtown, while Olimpija committed 21 turnovers. The result marked the first time that Joventut won its Euroleague season opener since September 1993, when it bested ASK Broceni on the road 79-81. The club went on to win the Euroleague title that season.
Alba Berlin came from behind to top Lottomatica Roma 68-63 at the o2 Arena, site of the 2009 Euroleague Basketball Final Four. Immanuel McElroy scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the winners.
 CSKA Moscow opened its Euroleague title defense with a resounding 90-64 win over Armani Jeans Milano. Final Four MVP Trajan Langdon led the way with 18 points on 4 for 5 three-point shooting. His first triple of the game gave him 250 for his career, the fourth player in Euroleague Basketball to achieve that distinction. Nikos Zisis added 15 points for CSKA, matching his best scoring output for the club.
Efes Pilsen held on for a hard-fought 61-60 win over Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night at Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. A clutch Milos Vujanic three-pointer with a minute-and-a-half remaining broke a 55-55 tie and the hosts held on down the stretch helped head coach Ergin Ataman’s charges open Group D with a win. Vujanic led Efes with 17 points and 4 assists.
Real Madrid coasted to an 87-66 win over Panionios On Telecoms. Six different Madrid players scored at least 8 points in the well-balanced effort, led by Quinton Hosley’s 17 points. It was the first meeting between these sides since 1992 and only the third ever. Madrid has won all three of those games.
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Euroleague.net
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