European domestic leagues review: June 8-14, 2009

In a week that was without any new champions, several Euroleague and Eurocup clubs put themselves in position to clinch crowns by advancing to their domestic league’s respective finals. Montepaschi Siena remained perfect in the Italian League playoffs by starting the best-of-seven finals with three wins against Armani Jeans Milano. The finals in the Spanish League between Tau Ceramica and Regal FC Barcelona are knotted at 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 set to take place in Barcelona next week. The top two clubs in the French League regular season, Asvel Basket and Orleans, will meet in that league’s single-game final after Asvel ousted defending champion SLUC Nancy in the best-of-three semifinals and Orleans topped France’s other Euroleague side, Le Mans. Telekom Baskets Bonn bested Alba Berlin in the German League semifinals and the proceeded to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five finals by beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the series opener. Be sure to check back to Euroleague.net all week long as the 2009 crowns will be handed out in several of these and a few other domestic leagues in the coming days.

European domestic leagues review: June 1-7, 2009

Another string of champions emerging from the national leagues this week was headed by a familiar team dressed in green. None other than Euroleague champion Panathinaikos completed a triple-crown season by defeating Olympiacos 94-81 in Game 4 of their best-of-five final series to claim a seventh consecutive Greek League crown and the team's 30th overall. The trophy-lifting continued all week and included: Union Olimpija winning the Slovenian League for the 15th time with a 3-0 sweep over Helios Domzale; Croatian League making off with its own 15th Croatian League title thanks to Niksa Prkacin's buzzer-beater, good for a 3-1 series win over Zadar; a first-time champion in the Austrian League as WBC Kraftwerk Wels downed Allianz Swans Gmunden 3-1 in their best-of-five final series; BC Kalev/Cramo returning to the top of the Estonian League after three seasons by dethroning two-time defending champ Tartu Rock with a 4-2 series decision; and Sport Lisboa Benfica taking its first Portuguese League trophy in 14 years by sweeping the best-of-seven title series against Ovarense Dolce Vita by 4-0 to round out a a near-perfect domestic season! Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: May 25-31, 2009

Several domestic leagues keeping coming to an end and some signature teams in European club basketball keep proving their value in the most important months of the season. CSKA Moscow lifted its seventh consecutive Russian League crown, its 16th since the Russian League was created in 1992 and its 40th counting Soviet Union titles by winning its best-of-five title series against BC Khimki Moscow region by 3-1. CSKA finished its season by simply overwhelming Khimki 45-78 in Game 4 on Monday behind 14 points from Erazem Lorbek. Azovmash won its fourth consecutive Ukrainian League title - sixth overall - by downing BC Donetsk 78-90 in Game 3 of the best-of-five finals, enough to sweep the series. Dijon Thompson led the winners with 19 points and 13 rebounds. CEZ Nymburk lifted its sixth consecutive Czech League trophy by sweeping the best-of-seven series against Geofin Novy Jicin. Nymburk ended up winning all but one of its 50 games in played in the Czech League this season. EclipseJet MyGuide Amsterdam successfully defended the Dutch League title and lifted its seventh trophy in the last 12 years by beating EiffelTowers Den Bosch 83-71 in do-or-die Game 7 to win the best-of-seven series 4-3. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: May 18-24, 2009

Several major leagues came to an end this week and some of the best teams in European club basketball extended their dynasties in their domestic competitions. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv was once again the Israeli League champion for the 38th time in 40 years after an 85-72 victory over Maccabi Haifa Heat in the title game. Carlos Arroyo was named the MVP award of the finals after producing 22 points and 6 assists. For the eighth consecutive season, Partizan lifted the Serbian League trophy after downing Crvena Zvezda 73-61 in the fifth and final game as Aleksandar Rasic scored 17 points. Asseco Prokom Sopot turned away rival PGE Turow Zgorzelec 96-74 in Game 5 to take the best-of-seven Polish League finals 4-1. Qyntel Woods shined with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the perennial champs, that won their sixth straight title. Buducnost m:tel wrapped up its third consecutive Montenegrin League title, besting Primorje 97-72 in Game 3 at Moraca Hale behind 18 points from Nemanja Gordic. Last but not least, Lietuvos Rytas became the Lithuanian League champion, downing Zalgiris 50-82 in Game 5 to win the best-of-seven series 4-1. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: May 11-17, 2009

Playoff fever spread around Europe this weekend as several more major leagues saw their playoffs start, joining so many other already in progress. There was one Euroleague team, however, that finished the weekend with another national title in reach. Asseco Prokom Sopot is on the brink of a sixth consecutive Polish League crown after defeating host PGE Turow 77-85 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven final series thanks to an 18-point, 15-rebound explosion by Qyntel Woods. Elsewhere around the continent, another classic final series is served in the Greek League after both Euroleague champion Panathinaikos and its archrival Olympiacos swept their semifinals 3-0. In the Spanish League, Regal FC Barcelona and Tau Ceramica managed tough home victories to open the quarterfinals, Real Madrid won big and Kalise Gran Canaria upset Unicaja on the road. The most remarkable finish of the week saw Cibona Zagreb clinch first place going into the Croatian League playoffs thanks to a game-ending 11-0 run to beat visiting Zagreb 85-81. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: May 4-10, 2009

With nearly all of the major domestic leagues in Europe now in the playoffs, Euroleague and Eurocup teams are taking aim at titles. Tau Ceramica, Montepaschi Siena, Efes Pilsen and Alba Berlin are among the Euroleague teams whose regular seasons came to an end this weekend and head into the playoffs as the top seeds. Alba topped rival EWE Baskets Oldenburg 89-82 in a winner-takes-all showdown for first place in the German League behind 22 points from Julius Jenkins. Oldenburg dropped to third. Maccabi Electra advanced to the Israeli League final four after winning its quarterfinal series against Ashkelon 3-1. Carlos Arroyo recorded 21 points and 6 assists in the series finale. Asseco Prokom began the Polish League finals on the right foot by downing PGE Turow 95-79 as Qyntel Woods netted 25 points. In the Lithuanian League, Eurocup champ Lietuvos Rytas crushed Zalgiris 100-58 to take a 2-0 series lead. Artura Jomantas paced the winners with 16 points. And Barons/LMT will meet Ventspils in the Latvian League finals beginning next week. Barons bested ASK Riga in the semifinals 3-1, while Ventspils swept VEF 3-0. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: April 20-26, 2009

The games get bigger and bigger each week as domestic leagues across Europe move to the clutch part of the season. In one of them a new champion was crowned over the weekend. Lietuvos Rytas won the Baltic League for the third time in four seasons by downing archrival Zalgiris Kaunas 97-74 in the title game on Saturday. Chuck Eidson was the Final Four MVP after exploding for a final-game record 41 points plus 8 rebounds and 8 assists to lead L. Rytas to its second major crown of the season. As the Italian League nears the end of the regular season, Lottomatica Roma beat Armani Jeans Milano 83-71 thanks to 21 points from Ibby Jaaber to take sole possession of second place. The playoffs are underway in many other leagues, including the Czech League, where defending champ CEZ Nymburk started with two easy wins, the Greek League, where Olympiacos and Panathinaikos dominated their openers, the Latvian League, where Barons/LMT reached the semifinals and the Ukrainian League, where both Azovmash Mariupol and BC Kyiv advanced to the semifinal. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: April 13-19, 2009

More and more domestic leagues throughout Europe are finishing their regular seasons and starting the playoffs every week, while some trophies are already being handed out in others. One of the first leagues to decide its champion for the 2008-09 season was the Adriatic League, where Partizan Belgrade topped Cibona Zagreb 63-49 in an all-Euroleague final to repeat as champion. Novica Velickovic was named Final Four MVP after posting 17 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side. The British League regular season came to an end with Newcastle finishing in the top spot. The Eagles celebrated first place by downing rival Guildford Heat 96-100 on the road as Charles Smith netted 30. Allianz Swans Gmunden finished in first place as the Austrian League prepares for its playoffs, EclipseJet MyGuide Amsterdam did the same in the Dutch League, and in the Israeli League, Maccabi Electra topped the table. The playoffs are underway in many other leagues, including the Lithuanian League, where Zalgiris and Lietuvis Rytas swept through the quarterfinals, the Russian League, where CSKA Moscow cruised into the semis and the Polish League, where Asseco Prokom survived a five-game challenge from Atlas Stal to reach the semifinals. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: April 6-12, 2009

The playoffs in the top domestic leagues in Europe draw closer every week, with the top teams already clinching berths each week. Olympiacos Piraeus clinched first place in the Greek League regular season and the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by downing at home Triakala 81-60, while rival Panathinaikos lost on the road to PAOK in overtime 77-76. Josh Childress and Milos Teodosic scored 14 points apiece to lead the Reds to their 23rd victory in 24 games. It marks the first time since 2002 that Panathinaikos has not finished first, and first time in a decade that Olympiacos has. In the French League, Asvel Basket distanced itself from second placed Orleans with a 71-59 win in a head-to-head showdown between them. Ali Traore led the winners with 17 points as Asvel improved to 19-6 – two wins more than Orleans. The Russian League regular season came to an end with Khimki, Dynamo Moscow and Unics Kazan finishing second, third, and fourth, respectively on tiebreakers after all three won Saturday to boost their records to 16-6. CSKA Moscow finished first. And the second phase of the Serbian League season is underway with Partizan, led by Uros Tripkovic; Crvena Zvezda, led by Andre Owens; and Hemofarm led by all recording big wins in their openers. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: March 30- April 5, 2009

More and more teams that went deep into the Euroelague and Eurocup this season are left with only their domestic leagues to focus on as the seasons draw closer to the climax. Maccabi Electra wrapped up first place in the Israeli League regular season with a 103-86 home win over Ironi Ramat Gan to improve to 18-2 with two games remaining. Marcus Brown hit 3 three-pointers for Maccabi’s first 9 points and finished with 20 to lead Pini Gershon’s men to victory. Lior Eliyahu added 15 for Maccabi. The playoffs are already underway in the Polish League, where defending champion Asseco Prokom bounced back from a stunning loss in Game 1 to knot its best-of-five quarterfinals against Atlas Stal Ostrow Wlkp. at 1-1. Qyntel Woods scored 27 points in an 84-78 win in Game 2. The closest race in Europe could be in the Belgian League, were one win separates defending champion Spirou Basket Charleroi, Dexia Mons-Hainaut and Generali Okapi Aalstar. All three won over the weekend: Spirou edged Antwerp Diamond Giants 77-76 behind 20 points from Wes Wilkinson, Mons picked up a 62-73 road victory over Optima Gent and Okapi Aalstar prevailed 83-87 over Belgacom Liege Basket as Matt Lojeski netted 32 points. Meanwhile Ventspils edged Barons/LMT 65-63 to break the tie between the two for first place in the Latvian League. Janis Strelnieks drilled the go-ahead triple for Ventspils with 36 seconds remaining. Warren Carter led the winners with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: March 23-29, 2009

It was a successful weekend in domestic competition for a number of Eurocup Final Eight teams that will head to Turin with a sweet taste after recording important wins. Dynamo Moscow and BC Khimki both won in the Russian League to move into a tie for second place. Dynamo leapfrogged Unics Kazan with crushing 79-53 win as Sergey Monya posted 18 points and 10 rebounds and Travis Hansen added 16 points. Khimki topped Universitet Surgut 67-75 thanks to Anton Ponkrashov, who scored 17 and dished 6 assists off the bench, and Mike Wilkinson, who scored 12 and grabbed 8 rebounds. In the Lithuanian League, Lietuvos Rytas won its 12th straight game by blasting Sakalai 120-77 as Martynas Gecevicius scored 23 and Michail Anismov added 15 – both off the bench. L. Rytas’s Final Eight quarterfinal opponent, Benetton Treviso enjoyed its biggest win of the Italian League season by trashing Scavolini Pesaro 54-81. DaShuan Wood paced five Beneton scorers in double figures with 18 points. Meanwhile the race in the Austrian League is as close as ever after Allianz Swans Gmunden downed defending champion BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld 99-101 in a thriller to knot the two teams atop the standings at 19-8. Shelton Colwell and Deteri Mayes scored 26 and 25 points, respectively, to lead Gmunden. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: March 16-22, 2009

The races for first place at the end of the regular season and home-court advantage in the playoffs continues to heat up in domestic leagues across the continent. Defending champion Montepaschi Siena cruised to a win in the Italian League and then benefited from Lottomatica Roma’s loss to Virtus Bologna to secure first place with seven games to go. Shaun Stonerook scored 16 and Terrell McIntyre came off the bench for 12 points and 5 assists as Montepaschi bested Angelica Biella 76-62 to improve to 76-62 and gan some momentum ahead of the Euroleague Quarterfinal Playoffs. Asvel Basket climbed into first place in the French League by beating Chorale Roanne 79-89. Benjamin Dewar drilled all of his 5 three-point attempts to finish with 20 points for Asvel, now 16-6. Orleans, which entered the weekend tie with Asvel for first, lost 72-66 at Dijon. In the German League, EWE Baskets Oldenburg remained ahead of Alba Berlin atop the table as both teams won. Oldenburg topped Giants Nordlingen 56-61 on the road to bring its record to 20-5. Berlin is 18-5 after beating Paderborn Baskets 68-74 behind 16 points and 5 assists from Julius Jenkins. Meanwhile the Polish Cup featured a first time winner as Kotwica Kolobrzeg downed defending Polish League champion and Cup winner Asseco Prokom 89-98 in Sunday’s final. Kevin Hamilton paced Kotwica with 18 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: March 9-15, 2009

It was a pivotal weekend in basketball leagues across Europe where post-season spots were clinched and silverware was handed out. The teams that will play in the Adriatic League final four were decided although one more week remains to be played. Partizan, last year’s winner, had already sealed a final four berth before it lost to Cibona, which advanced alongside fellow weekend winners Crvena Zvezda and Hemofarm Stada. Alan Anderson scored 23 to lead Cibona to a 66-58 win in an all-Euroleague showdown. Saso Ozbolt scored 18 as Union Olimpija beat fifth-place Zadarto end its chances. The Baltic League regular season came to a close with Lietuvos Rytas on top and Zalgiris second. Kalev/Cramo, ASK Riga, Siauliai and Tartu Rock finished third through sixth, respectively, and will compete in quarterfinals series for two remaining tickets to that competition’s final four. Levski provided one of the biggest upsets in Bulgarian Cup history by downing heavy favorite Lukoil Academic 81-89 in the title game on Sunday. Marcus Hall led the winners with 23 points. And in the British League the BBL Trophy went to the Newcastle Eagles, who bested the Guildford Heat 71-83 thanks to Trey Moore’s 28-point effort. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: March 2-8, 2009

Almost every league has a different story as the stretch run nears and the fight for playoff spots and home-court advantage in those playoffs rages on. Zalgiris Kaunas extended its unbeaten run in the Lithuanian League with a pair of wins over the weekend. Jonas Maciulis amassed 43 points as Zalgiris beat Sakalai and Kaunas Triobet by a combined 44 points to improve to 16-0. Asseco Prokom clinched first place in the Polish League regular season thanks to an 87-93 road win over AZS Koszalin. Qyntel Woods paced the winners with 23 points and Pat Burke added 21 as Prokom upped its record to 18-6 with two games left to play. In the Turkish League, Fenerbahce Ulker ended archrival Efes Pilsen’s 19-game winning streak with an 84-80 overtime victory. Omer Onan and Semih Erden paced the winners each with 14 points. One of the closest races in Europe is in the Belgian League, where one win separates three teams. Dexia Mons-Hainaut edged Generali Okapi Aalstar 64-65 to knock Generali Okapi off the top spot in the Belgian League and claim it for itself. Mons leads the standings with a 16-5 record, while Okapi Aalstar and defending champion Spirou Basket Charleroi follow at 15-5. Nate Reinking led Mons with 14 points. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: February 23- March 1, 2009

One week after national cups were handed out in over 10 countries throughout Europe, another two were handed out over the weekend to teams from the Euroleague and Eurocup. Alba Berlin won its sixth German Cup and first since 2006 by downing Telekom Baskets Bonn 44-69 in the title game in Hamburg, Germany, on Sunday. Julius Jenkins paced the winners and earned final four MVP honors with 25 points. Benetton Fribourg Olympic claimed the Swiss Cup for the seventh time by downing Sdent BBC Nyon 81-74 in the final thanks to 32 points from Denis Harrison. Meanwhile in league action, CSKA Moscow wrapped up first place in the Russian League and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by downing Lokomotiv Rostov 75-57 for its 17th victory in as many games. Big men Erazem Lorbek and Matjaz Smodis combined for 30 points to pace CSKA. In the Turkish League, Efes Pilsen stretched its lead atop the standings to three wins by seeing off second place Galatasaray Café Crown 79-75 as Charles Smith netted 19. It marked Efes’s 19th straight league win since falling on opening night. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

National cups week: February 17 to 22, 2009

The roll call of Euroleague and Eurocup participants winning national cups seemed not to stop all weekend as high drama led to trophy lifting everywhere. Tau Ceramica took its sixth Spanish Cup on Pete Mickeal's heroics in OT by 98-100 over Unicaja. Montepaschi won its first Italian Cup title 70-69 over Virtus Bologna on Henry Domercant's game-winning shot. Panathinaikos won the Greek Cup for a fifth straight time and 12th overall as a late barrage of triples by Dimitris Diamantidis beat archrival Olympiacos 80-70 in the final. Efes Pilsen took its 10th Turkish Cup 70-79 over Erdimer as Charles Smith scored 20. Le Mans was the French Semaine des As winner for a second time as David Bluthenthal starred in a 64-74 win over Orleans. Union Olimpija made its 15th Slovenian Cup look easy, 75-58 over Electra Esotech. Cibona lifted its 15th Croatian Cup by downing Zagreb 73-63 as MVP Alan Anderson produced 24 points and 7 rebounds. Partizan won its 10th Serbian Cup by 80-65 over Crvena Zvezda behind 18 points from MVP Novica Velickovic. Buducnost won its third consecutive Montenegrin Cup 89-70 over Mogren 89-70 with Ivan Maras and Vladimir Micov scoring 16 each. The Russian Cup found a new home after Unics Kazan bested Dynamo Moscow 81-60 in the final as Kresimir Loncar scored 20 and was named MVP. Follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!!

European domestic leagues review: February 9-15, 2009

With two games to go still in the Baltic League, the first participant in that competition's Final Four is Lietuvos Rytas, which clinched first place with a 106-96 home win over second place Kalev/Cramo of Estonia over the weekend. By raising its record to 15-2, L.Rytas ensured one of the two places that come with automatic berths in the Final Four, while the teams that finish third through sixth i the competition compete in a playoff for the other two. The last Eurocup weekly MVP, Chuck Eidson, paced L. Rytas with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Elsewhere around Europe, Real Madrid rallied from 22 points behind to win 81-79 at home and end Spanish League leader Tau Ceramica's 16-game domestic win streak. Lou Bullock led Madrid with 22 points. In the Turkish League, Efes Pilsen extended its winning streak to 18 games by winning 82-94 on the road at Besiktas Cola Turka as Michalis Kakiouzis led the way with 16 points while Fenerbahce Ulker rallied from 13 behind to defeat visiting Oyak Renault 77-70 as Mirsad Turkcan scored 9 of his 15 points in the final quarter, won 29-9 by the winners. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: February 2-8, 2009

There was movement atop the standings in a number of the top leagues in Europe over the weekend with some teams losing their grip on the top spot, while in others the leaders distanced themselves from the pack. In the French League, Asvel Basket took advantage of Orleans’s loss and rallied to beat Gravelines 89-69 to force a tie for first place at 14-3. Chevy Troutman played a key role with 25 points and 9 rebounds for Asvel. Maccabi Electra trumped rival Hapoel Jerusalem 97-81 to retake a share of first place in the Israeli League at 11-2. Carlos Arroyo scored 24 points and D’Or Fischer had 20 to lead Maccabi, which shares the league-lead with Hapoel at 11-2. Partizan saw off the challenge of second place Crvena Zvezda 82-85 to increase its lead in the Adriatic League to three wins. Red-hot Novica Velickovic led Partizan with game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds plus a key offensive rebound and free throws to seal the win. And in the Russian League, perennial champion CSKA remained undefeated as Erazem Lorbek and Aleksandr Kaun combined for 35 points and 16 rebounds in a 96-66 win over Enisey Krasnoyarsk. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: January 26- February 1, 2009

There was plenty of extra excitement in some of the top domestic leagues in Europe over the weekend as overtime was needed for league leaders in several different countries to keep their spots atop the standing. In the Czech League, perennial champion CEZ Basket Nymburk needed some late heroics from point guard Arthur Lee to see off rival Geofin Novy Jicin for its sixth straight win. Lee assisted on the game-tying basket with 3 seconds left in regulation and scored the first 7 points of the extra period to lead his team to a 79-85 win. Lee finished with 31 points. BC Kyiv remains atop the Ukrainian League standings after surviving a tough overtime battle to better BC-93 Pulsar 84-92. Jovo Stanojevic paced the winners with 28 points on 11-for-15 two-point shooting and Scoonie Penn stepped up early in the extra period to lead a 0-8 run that sealed the outcome. Tau Ceramica highlighted a thrilling weekend in the Spanish League when it topped CB Granada 86-87 on the road on a game-winning fadeaway jumper by Pete Mickeal at the overtime buzzer. Igor Rakocevic led Tau with 30 points while Mickeal added 26 and 11 rebounds for the winners. Meanwhile in the French League, defending champion SLUC Nancy rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to beat Hyeres-Toulon 98-87 behind 24 points and 11 rebounds from Ricardo Greer. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: January 19 to 25, 2009

For the first time in 19 years, Ovarense Aerosoles became the Portuguese Cup champion with a thrilling 92-87 double-overtime victory against Vagos. John Waller paced the winners with 23 points while a double-double of 16 points and 18 rebounds earned Rolan Roberts the MVP honor. Elsewhere around Europe on the weekend, Tau Ceramica remained golden in the Spanish League with a 100-90 home win over fellow Euroleague regular season group winner Unicaja as top scorer Igor Rakocevic outdid himself with 37 points. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos advanced to the Greek Cup, final with semifinals victories over Panionos On Telecoms and Marouissi, respectively. Vassilis Spanoulis scored 20 as the Greens prevailed 72-76 on the road, while Lynn Greer put up 18 in an 84-79 home victory for the Reds. The title game will be played on February 22 on the neutral court of Hellinikon Olympic Complex. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: January 12 to 18, 2009

Despite being midway through the opening month in 2009, the weekend brought some domestic champions around the continent. BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld Panthers are the Austrian Cup champions, surviving a thrilling final four with two down-to-the-wire games. The Panthers edged Arkadia Traiskirchen 96-97 on a buzzer-beating triple by Miljan Goljovic in one of the semifinals on Saturday, and then rallied from a double-digit margin to edge WBC Kraftwerk Wels 79-80 in the title game on Sunday. Bryan Lucas led the winners with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The Everton Tigers are the British Cup champions by simply overwhelming the Plymouth Raiders 103-49 in the title game at the NIA in Birmingham on Sunday. Marcus Bailey and Andre Smith led the winners each with 26 points. Elsewhere in the Greek League, Maroussi Costa Coffee sent a message that echoed all around the continent by downing mighty Panathinaikos 80-70 behind 21 points from Jarod Stevenson. In the Spanish League, Real Madrid beat Unicaja 90-78 at home on Sunday. Louis Bullock led Madrid with 25 points against his former team. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: January 5 to 11, 2009

In a Euroleague-Eurocup battle in the Polish League over the weekend, Asseco Prokom retained first place in the standings by beating PGE Turow Zgorzelec 77-65 at home in Sopot. Przemek Zamojski paced the winners with 15 points, while Pat Burke added 14 and 9 rebounds. Prokom's now has a 12-3 second, with Polpharma Starogard Gdanski second at 13-4 and Kotwica Kolobrzeg third at 12-5. In a showdown of Euroleague teams in the French League over the weekend, Le Mans downed Nancy 92-82 at home behind 28 points from Dewarick Spencer to move into a tie for third place in the standings. The Spanish League reached its halfway mark this weekend with Pamesa Valencia becoming the qualifier to the Spanish King's Cup when it edged another undefeated Eurocup team, iurbentia Bilbao Basket, by 72-78 on the road thanks to18 points from Kosta Perovic. Pamesa joins first-place Tau Ceramica, Unicaja, Regal FC Barcelonam, DKV Joventut, Real Madrid, Kalise Gran Canaria and host MMT Estudiantes in the King's Cup from February 19 to 22. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: December 27-28, 2008

In the middle of the holidays break in both the Euroleague and the Eurocup, the domestic leagues keep rolling. In the Spanish League, DKV Joventut survived Fuenlabrada at home by a slim 86-84 as Ricky Rubio was back to his best level with 16 points. It was also Jerome Moiso's comeback for Joventut with 15 points. Regal FC Barcelona put on a defensive show to stop Iurbentia Bilbao on the road by 59-66 as Gianluca Basile led the way with 21 points. Elsewhere, in the Italian League, Montepaschi Siena stayed perfect after 12 games to retain sole leadership of the standings. This week's victim was Eldo Caserta, as Siena beat them on the road 66-73 behind Terrel McIntyre's 31 points. Lottomatica Roma was a home winner by 88-70 against Montegranaro. Finally, in the Turkish League, Efes Pilsen won its 11th straight Turkish League game and now sits alone atop the standings with an 11-1. Efes beat Darussafaka 86-63 thanks to a balanced team effort led by Milos Vujanic's 14 points. Also, Besiktas Cola Turka won knocked Galatasaray out of a tie for first with a 66-58 win. Cevher Ozer paced the winners with 21 points. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: December 15-21, 2008

One of the biggest archrivalries in European domestic competitions takes place in the Ukrainian League, as BC Kyiv and Azovmash Mariupol fight for the top spot once again this season. Azovmash improved to 10-2 by beating dangerous Sumyhimprom 88-72 in Mariupol. Dijon Thompson paced the winners with 26 points on 5-for-5 three-pointers while Marc Salyers added 21 for Azovmash. Elsewhere and speaking on archrivals, Regal FC Barcelona took the Spanish League superclassic by thrashing Real Madrid 87-67 at home on Saturday behind 22 points from David Andersen. Tau Ceramica keeps leading the standings with a 12-1 record by topping CAI Zaragoza 84-94 on the road on Sunday with 24 points from Igor Rakocevic. Meanwhile, Efes Pilsen stayed atop the Turkish League standings by beating Casa TED A. Kolejliler 63-77 on the road on Saturday. Preston Shumpert paced the winners with 17 points. Partizan Belgrade remained in pole position in the Adriatic League with a 12-1 record by rallying to beat Bosna ASA BHT 68-72 on the road. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: December 8-14, 2008

In one of several all-Euroleague or Euroleague-Eurocup showdowns across the continent this weekend, Efes Pilsen remained atop the Turkish League standings by downing third place Turk Telekom 80–76 to claim its ninth consecutive win. Ender Arslan led the winners with 21 points and 6 assists. Elsewhere, it was another Euroleague-Eurocup battle as Tau Ceramica continued to lead the Spanish League, standings following its 97-79 victory over iurbentia Bilbao Basket in the local Basque Country derby as Igor Rakocevic and Mirza Teletovic each poured in 27 points. Euroleague teams faced each other in the Adriatic League, , where first-place Partizan Belgrade defeated historical rival Cibona 69-56 as Uros Tripkovic put up a shootout to remember, nailing 8 of 9 three-point attempts on his way to 26 points. Such was the dynamic in the Greek League, too, where Olympiacos made on an incredible 77% of its two-point shots to easily beat fellow Euroleague team Panionios On Telecoms 81-65 at home with Milos Teodosic posting 17 points. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: December 1-7, 2008

As the domestics competitions progress into the heart of the season and the importance of every win grows, a number of Euroleague and Eurocup teams won same nail-biters across the continent this weekend. In the German League, reigning champ Alba Berlin remained in first place after edging the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig 64-63 on a pair of Adam Chubb free throws with 2 seconds remaining. Berlin improved to 8-2, while three others also have eight wins, but all with more losses. SLUC Nancy continues to pressure the leaders in the French League after besting Dijon 76-74 on a game-winning layup by Ricardo Greer. He and Cyril Julian led Nancy with 20 points and combined for 22 rebounds. Nancy and Asvel Basket share second in France at 8-2 with one less win – and one less game played – then Orleans. In the Greek League, Panionios On Telecoms came from behind to defeat Panellinios 72-70 in overtime as Aaron Miles came up big in the extra period. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos also won in Greece and lead the league at 8-1. Meanwhile in the Belgian League, Spirou Charleroi worked hard before topping Belgacom Liege Basket on the road 73-79 to remain in the top spot. Wes Wilkinson paced the winners with 20 points. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: November 24-30, 2008

Partizan Belgrade regained the top spot in the Adriatic League over the weekend thanks to a little help from a rival. Partizan pounded Vojvodina Srbijagas 81-52 behind 14 points apiece from Novica Velickovic and Zarko Rakocevic to improve to 9-1, while Hemofarm Stada handed Red Star its second loss, 84-65, to join its opponenet in a tie for second place at 8-2. Bojan Krstovic was the hero for Hemofarm with a career-high 27 points. There is a familiar face in first place in the Russian League as reigning champion CSKA Moscow remained undefeated by topping Dynamo Moscow 86-78. Ramunas Siskauskas drilled 5 triples en route to 22 points and Nikos Zisis came off the bench for 17 points and 7 assists. CSKA now boasts a 6-0 record, while Khimki is 6-1. In the Bulgarian League, it's business as usual with defending champ Lukoil Academic trouncing Sliven 103-49 behind a 20-point, 16-rebound showing from Kenny Adelke. Meanwhile, Benfica Lisbon extended its unbeaten run atop the Portuguese League standings after scoring a 76-85 road win at Academica behind Diogo Carreira's 19 points. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: November 17-23, 2008

Only a handful of teams can still boast perfect records in their domestic competitions more than halfway into the month of November. One of them comes from the Italian League, where defending champion Montepaschi Siena handled Premiata Montegranaro 88-62 on Sunday. Playmaker Terrell McIntyre was once again the star of the show with 18 points and 5 assists as Montepaschi improved to 7-0. In the Czech League, CEZ Basket Nymburk has not lost a regular season game in over a year. This weekend Nymburk expanded its perfect record to 13-0 by pounding BK Synthesia Pardubice 49-71 as Arthur Lee netted 13 points. Turk Telekom tops the table in the Turkish League with a perfect 7-0 mark after beating Besiktas Cola Turka 87-83 in Ankara. Kennedy Winston finished with 19 points and Tutku Acik scored 18 and dished 6 assists to lead Telekom. Meanwhile there are no more unbeaten teams in the Greek League after Nikola Pekovic led Panathinaikos past archrival Olympiacos 86-69 in the battle of Athens. It was the Reds first loss and they now join the Greens and two others in a tie for first place. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: November 10-16, 2008

It was a weekend of classic rivalries and heated derbies in many of the top domestic leagues in Europe. In the Baltic League, Lietuvos Rytas sits alone in first place after edging Lithuanian League rivals Zalgiris Kaunas 68-70 in a down-to-the-wire thriller. Branko Milisavljevic paced the winners with 14 and Chuck Eidson added 13. In the Turkish League, the two Euroleague teams each met one of the two team that played in last year’s ULEB Cup Final Eight in a pair of Istanbul derbies. Devin Smith scored 20 as defending champion Fenerbahce Ulker outclassed rivals Besiktas ColaTurka 74-47 to remain undefeated. Bootsy Thornton shined with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for Efes Pilsen as it won its fourth straight game, 84-91, at Galatasaray Cafe Crown. The Belgrade derby took center stage in the Adriatic League, where Red Star handed Partizan its first loss, 80-81, thanks to a combined 41 points from Elmedin Kikanovic and Marko Marinovic. The two teams are now tied for first place. In the Ukrainian League, BC Kyiv topped defending champ Azovmash Mariupol 84-76 in a rematch of last season’s finals. Alex Scales scored 21 for the winners. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: November 3-9, 2008

The top teams in some of Europe's best domestic leagues are starting to separate themselves from the competition. But if there is one surprise in the upper echelons, it must be the fact that Kalise Gran Canaria has tied Tau Ceramica are tied for first place in the Spanish League thanks to its fifth victory in a row. Tau had the weekend off, while Gran Canaria downed visiting Unicaja 74-68 behind Carl English's 22 points. At the same time, Regal FC Barcelona fell from its part of the first-place tie by losing at home 71-72 to Estudiantes despite 24 points from Juan Carlos Navarro. Meanwhile, Real Madrid brought its four-game losing streak in specatacular fashion, using a 0-20 game-closing run to beat DKV Joventut 68-79 on the road in Badalona. Asseco Prokom hung on for an overtime win to grab sole possession of first place in the Polish League. Prokom entered the weekend tied with PGE Turow, but the latter was rocked by Polpharma while the defending champs held on to beat Kotwica 84-89. Dan Ewing led Prokom with 21 points, Filip Dylewicz posted 20 points and 9 rebounds and David Logan added 17 points. BC Kyiv is alone in first in the Ukrainian League after rival Azovmash was edged 87-89 by Khimik. Kyiv blasted Sumykhimprom 70-110 as Jovo Stanojevic netted 20 points. BC Kalev/Cramo and Taru Rock defended their perfect records in the Estonian League. Kristjan Kangur totaled 30 in a pair of wins for Cramo, while Timo Eichfuss scored 15 to lead Rock over Rakvere Tarvas 72-91. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: October 27- November 2, 2008

More than a third of the Euroleague teams remain undefeated in their domestic competitions after another week of exciting games across the continent. Panathinaikos needed to knock off another Euroleague side to stay perfect in the Greek League, topping Panionios On Telecoms 71-91. The visitors controlled the paint as the frontline duo of Nikola Pekovic and Mike Batiste combined for 41 points. Hot shooting from Yotam Halperin and Milos Teodosic helped Olympiacos also keep its record unblemished. In the Adriatic League, Partizan Belgrade is now 6-0 after recording an 85-71 win over Buducnost. The hosts needed a late 17-1 run before putting the game away. Stephane Lasme led Partizan with 18 points and Zarko Rakocevic added 15. Defending champion Montepaschi Siena and runner-up Lottomatica Roma are 4-0 in the Italian League after wins on Sunday. Montepaschi routed Carife Ferrara 89-60 as Henry Domercant led five Siena scorers in double figures with 18. Lottomatica used a balanced effort to top Banca Tercas Teramo 96-75. Roberto Gabini paced Roma with 13 points. Le Mans has sole possession of the top spot in the French League at 5-0 following an 85-67 win over Hyeres Toulon. Brian Chase netted 16 points and Alain Koffi posted 15 for Le Mans. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: October 20-26, 2008

There are three undefeated teams left in the Russian League, but the edge for now goes to Khimki after it improving to 4-0 with a 66-58 win over Lokomotiv Rostov as Maciej Lampe netted 19 points. Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow has a 2-0 record now after defeating Spartak St. Petersburg 73-81 on the road as Terence Morris led four scorers in double figures with 18 points. Unics Kazan is also 2-0 thanks to a 78-52 decision against University Surgut behind 17 points from Kresimir Loncar. Asseco Prokom shares first place once again in the Polish League after downing previously undefeated Polpharma 80-81 as Ronnie Burrell scored 20 points and Pat Burke 18. In the Belgian League, champion Spirou Charleroi remained perfect by beating Optima Gent on the road 70-81. Andre Riddick and Jerry Johnson scored 15 each to help Spirou improve to 4-0. The reigning champion in the Bulgarian League, Lukoil Academic, is also perfect after blasting CSKA Sofia 128-87 for its third win. Tim Pickett posted a game-high 27 points for Academic. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: October 6-12, 2008

Although the 2008-09 European domestic seasons are just at the outset, some teams have already lifted their first trophies. Turk Telekom won the Turkish President's Cup by downing Fenerbahce Ulker 79-83 in the title game on Saturday. Serkan Erdogan led the winners with 20 points while Rod Blakney and Kris Lang each added 14 for Turk Telekom, which lifted its first President's Cup trophy since 1997. Some of the biggest leagues in European basketball had their opening games this week. Montepaschi Siena confirmed that it is the team to beat in the Italian League by by overwhelming NGC Cantu 61-96 on the road on Sunday. Rimantas Kaukenas led the winners with 20 points, Terrell McIntyre added 16 and Benjamin Eze had 14 for Montepaschi. The Greek League also tipped off this weekend with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos registering respective wins against Maroussi Costa Coffee and Egaleo. A big showdown took place in the Spanish League, where Tau Ceramica edged Unicaja 69-75 in Malaga on Sunday behind 20 points from an unstoppable Igor Rakocevic. Tau is now tied atop the standings with Regal FC Barcelona, which defeated Pamesa Valencia 74-58 thanks to 21 points from Gianluca Basile. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!

European domestic leagues review: Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2008

Some of the biggest leagues in Europe flung open their doors for action with the first games of the regular season this weekend. That was the case in the French League, where defending champion SLUC Nancy faced down a challenge from Asvel Basket before winning at home 76-73 thanks to a double-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds from Victor Samnick. In the Spanish League, a pair of all-Euroleage clashes marked opening weekend as Regal F.C. Barcelona grabbed a 95-77 derby victory over DKV Joventut with Roger Grimau contributing 15 points and 6 assists, while Unicaja downed Real Madrid 82-65 as Marcus Haislip and Carlos Cabezas combined for 30 points. In the Adriatic League, only defending champs Partizan won among three Euroleague teams, downing Krka Novo Mesto 74-67 at home behind Milenko Tepic's 20 points. In the Ukrainian League, defending champs Azovmash Mariupol started with an 83-72 home-victory against BC Poltava as Tomas Van Den Spiegel debuted with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. In the British League, meanwhile, another reigning champ, Newcastle Eagles, has even bigger news thanks to an 85-98 road win over Worthing Thunder. Newcastle is the competition's only undefeated team after just two games. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long

European domestic leagues review: Sept. 25-28, 2008

Each week that passes sees the domestic seasons heat up as the Euroleague and Eurocup openers draw nearer. This weekend saw three more leagues open up with a number of teams from Europe’s top club competitions taking part. Defending champion Asseco Prokom and runner-up PGE Turow coasted to big wins in the Polish League. Prokom downed Bank BPS Basket Kwidzyn 75-60 at home as Filip Dylewicz recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Turow routed AZS Koszalin 88-61 behind Damir Miljkovic’s 14 points. In the German League, Alba Berlin toasted the LTi Giessen 46ers 66-81 to remain perfect through two games. Immanuel McElroy and Ansu Sesay combined for 35 for the winners. Eurocup side Telekom Bonn edged EWE Baskets Oldenburg 65-62 to also improve to 2-0. Siauliai got the Lithuanian League going in style by thrashing Aisciai 72-57 at home on Sunday. Gintautas Vileita paced the winners with 17 points in 22 minutes. And the defending champion Newcastle Eagles defeated rival Guildford Heat 86-81 in the British League behind Andrew Bridge’s 17-point performance. Be sure to follow domestic league results around Europe on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com all season long!