March 10, 2010 at 5:13 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Chris Scruton
Performer of the week – Andrew Sullivan
Kieran Achara – Angelico BI (Italy Serie A)
Angelico scored an important win at weekend as they defeated Lottomatica 85-80. Kieran played just 10 minutes scoring 4 points. Angelico are on a 9-11 record and 11th in the table.
Robert Archibald – Malaga (Spain ACB)
Malaga had their worse week of the season last week as they were humble in the ACB, and dumped out of Euroleague. Last Wednesday in a must win game against CSKA Moscow they were defeated 76-70. Robert had one of his worst games this season finishing on just 3 points, and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes. the defeat put an end to their Euroleague dreams for this season, but with 1 game to play, Robert & his team mates will be looking to end on a high note. The following weekend saw Malaga entertain Bilbao in what should have been a routine victory. This was not the case and nort for the first time this season Malaga were humbled. Robert did restore some pride to himself as he top scored for his team with14 points off 9-14 shooting & 7 boards. Malaga now 6th on a 12-12 record.
Andrew Betts – Aris ( Greece )
Aris recorded an impressive victory at weekend over Panionios. Finishing 95-78, Betts scored 15 points off 9-14 shooting, and 6 boards in 28 minutes. Prior to this Aris produced a great display in front of their fans against Spanish giants Joventut. Thrashing their opponents 84-54 Betts was on hand to chip in 11 points in 19 minutes, although he did turn the ball over 4 times. Great week for Aris as they are still in with a chance of qualifying for the final 8. As it stands they a 3rd in group I , but level on win/losses (3-2)
Pops Mensah Bonsu – CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Pop’s did not play in the Euroleague victory over Malaga, but was back in league action at the weekend as CSKA took on Enisey at home. Pop’s finished on a credible 11 points in just 18 minutes hitting 7 of his 13 shots plus pulling down 8 rebounds. CSKA stay top with a 13-1 record, and are on course for a euroleague/Russian championship double.
Flinder Boyd – Ourense (Spain LEB Gold)
It’s been a bad 10 days for Ourense. Last Wednesday they took on Tenerife, but went down 55-65. Flinder scoring just 4 points, and 3 boards in 28 minutes of action. The following weekend they were up against Girona away from home. Ourense were well beaten going down 83-54. Flinder scored a disappointing 3 points in 15 minutes and it leaves his team on 3 straight defeats. Ourense slip to 12th with a 12-15 record.
Dan Clarke – Estudiantes (Spain ACB)
Did not play last weekend in the 84-75 away win to Granada. Estuduiantes sit 7th in the ACB on 12-12 record.
Joel Freeland – Malaga( Spain ACB)
In the nightmare week that saw Malaga dumped out of Europe and humbled in the league it was even more dissapointing that Joel could not shine. scoring just 6 pints against Bilbao, and zero against CSKA it will be a week to totally forget for Joel.
Nick George – Fastweb (Italy Lega 2)
A good display by Nick saw his team claim their 13th win of the season. Fastweb comfortably defeated Riveria Sola 85-64. Nick scored 16 points off 8-13 shooting, 6 boards, 2 steals, and 2 assists in 30 minutes. The win puts Fastweb on a 13-9 record and 4th spot in the table.
Jarret Hart – Keravnos (Cyprus)
Jarrett got his hands on silver ware at weekend as his team defeated Achilleas in the Cypriot cup. The game finished 71-65 with Jarrett scoring 4 points. Congratulations to him and his team, hopefully this will give him more confidence to play well in the late stages of the season.
Michael Lenzley – Nymburk (Czech Republic)
As per usual Nymburk eased to domestic win at weekend. This time it was against Opava with the game ending 106-81. Michael continued his good form finishing on 14 points off 7-10 shooting in 22 minutes of action. Nymburk stay top on 30-3 record. Prior to this Nymburk produced another great display in Eurocup as they battered Crvena Zvez 73-55. Michael this time had 12 points and 5 rebounds which helped his team to have a fighting chance of qualifying for the final 8
Nate Reinking – Mons ( Belgium)
Mons got a much needed win at weekend against Leuven. Nate played just 4 minutes scoring 2 points in the process as they defeated their opponents 72-67. Mons currently lie 5th on a 10-10 record.
Andrew Sullivan – Newcastle Eagles
Eagles procuced a stunning performance over nearest rivals Sheffield at weekend. Andrew produced the goods as he went for 23 points off 15-24 shooting, & 7 rebounds in 29 minutes. The game finished 99-79 and moved Newcastle to the top of the BBL, albeit on games played with a 23-5 record
March 10, 2010 at 4:48 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Duncan Ogilvie
Kim Butler – Panionios. Greek A1
There were three games in a week for Panionios. On Sunday 28th Kim and Panionios faced 10th place Apollo Kalamaria. The final score was a 67-61 victory for the home team. Kimberly saw her time limited to just 25 minutes due to picking up an injury early in the third quarter, she did return with three minutes left to ensure a victory for the home side. Kim contributed 10 points (5/10 FG) and grabbed 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
On March 3rd, Panionios travelled to Thessaloniki to take on Aris. In a game that took overtime to separate the 2 teams, it was Aris that walked away with a 73-70 victory. It was a very suspect call that enabled the home side to force overtime, and another controversial decision by the home ref’s ended up costing Panionios the victory. Kimberly played 38 minutes and had a very productive game, hitting a game high 25 points (11/16 FG) grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. This past Sunday 7th March, Panionios returned home to face Esperides, since their last meeting which panionios won Esperides have signed WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes. In a tight game throughout it was Esperides that managed to turn around a 12 point half time deficit into a 5 points victory 55-60. In 25 minutes kim contributed 9 points 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Sunday 14th March will see them travel across Athens to take on 7th placed Faliro. Panionios are currently 8th in the league with a 9-10 record. Louise Gamman – Fila San Martino Di Lupari A2 North Italy
On the 27th Louise and San Martino faced league leaders Virtus Cagliari. In a low scoring game, San Martino let slip a 5 point halftime lead to go down 50-46 at home. San Martino started slow hitting 8 points in the 1st quarter but did a great job holding the league leaders to just 7 points, at half time they still had a slim lead 26-21. Louise struggled to find her shooting touch going 1-6 from the field for 2 points, she did however grab 9 rebounds but eventually fouled out in 29 minutes. The following week (6th March) it was better news for Louise and San Martino as they beat Tecno Allarmi Cervia 67-50 at home. Lousie had a great game hitting 24 points (9/13 FG) and grabbing 13 rebounds in 36 minutes. The win now moves San Martino onto a 11-12 record and 7th in the table. On the 13th the team will travel to 4th placed Iveco Lenzi Bolzano. Julie Page – Aix-en-Provence LFB 1 France
A 6’2 forward/center from Stockport England, Julie is currently playing in the top league in France. Her team is currently lying in 11th place out of 14 with a 5-15 record. Julie’s stats for the year are 14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg 4.1 turnovers per game and 1.7 assists with a evaluation of 12.4. She is currently shooting 35% from 3, 50.3% from 2 and 76.5% from the foul line. She is playing just over 30 minutes a game.
By Steve Waters
With only a few weeks left of the regular season, I thought it was a good time to have a look at all 13 BBL teams and their play-off chances. Cheshire Jets
Good team whose consistent form has made them play-off certainties, I don’t know if they have enough to get home court advantage though!
Prediction – Play offs Essex Pirates
It was always going to be a difficult first season for The Pirates but they have shown enough to give me the belief that they can improve and stick around the league for a few years.
Prediction – 12th Everton Tigers
Nowhere near as dominant as last year but after losing stars like Andre Smith (Turkey) and GB international Richard Midgely (retired) they where never going to be the same team, however bringing in 2 time league MVP Trey Moore midway through the season helped to make them one of the best teams in the L. Although they don’t have the players they had last year I think they can still make the final 4.
Prediction – Semi Finalists Glasgow Rocks
Another very consistent team, Star player – Rob Yanders continues to be one of the BBL’s best performers. Glasgow has both, great perimeter shooters and good strong inside presence; The Rocks remain one of the toughest sides to beat.
Prediction – Semi finalists Guildford Heat
Good deep squad and one of the season’s underachievers, I still think they will make the play-offs.
Prediction – Play offs
Leicester Riders
Much improved this year after picking up some good players in the off season, unfortunately for them, star player Tack Minor left midway through the season, however, Brad Wierzbicki seems to get better all the time,
Prediction – Play offs London Capital
It’s amazing to me that our capital can produce such a weak team, especially when you look back at former London teams, The Towers and Leopards who both dominated the BBL for a few years in the 90s, I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t a team from London in the BBL next year.
Prediction – 13th MK Lions
Great squad with a good mixture of experience and youth, aggressive on both sides of the court and in my opinion are much better than the 6th place position they currently hold.
Prediction – Play offs Newcastle Eagles
Not as strong as last years Eagles team after losing Tafari Toney (Sheffield) and Trey Moore (Everton) in the off-season but still continue to be the best team in the country, despite not having much depth in the squad, I don’t know if this is completely down to the league being weaker this season but credit has to go to Fab Flournoy, who has continued to prove what a great coach he really is.
Prediction – Winners Plymouth Raiders
Very streaky team, they have struggled this year, the new faces have began to settle now but unfortunately it looks like it will be too little too late and The Raiders will fail to make the play-offs.
Prediction – 10th Sheffield Sharks
Without a doubt the BBL’s most improved team this year, great recruitment in the off-season and the biggest contenders to Newcastles throne.
Prediction – Runners up Worcester Wolves
A very up and down season for The Wolves which has seen a lot of changes in staff and personnel, It has been difficult but they now have Paul James who is a great coach and has made a lot of improvements which where clearly needed still one of the weaker teams in the L though. Expect them to be much better next year.
Prediction – 11th Worthing Thunder
Have done well to be serious play-off contenders, especially after losing Ryan Patton (Sheffield) in the off-season. Not sure if they have enough to finish in the top 8. Pictures courtesy and copyright of Tony Fowles/essexsportsagency.com
Prediction – 9th
March 9, 2010 at 2:18 pm · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Duncan Ogilvie
With the NCAA season winding down and March Madness beginning to take shape it was conference tournament week for most of the girls. This was a week where many teams would see their seasons end prematurely and some progress in search of a national tournament appearance. Chantelle Handy – Marshall University NCAA 1
The 27th saw the Herd travel to UAB, Amber Jones connected on a jumper as time expired, giving UAB a 45-44 win over the Marshall University women’s basketball team Saturday evening at Bartow Arena. With 19 seconds left Chantelle had given the Herd a one point lead but they failed to get a stop on the final passion that allowed Jones to seal the game. Handy led the team with 11 and also grabbed 5 rebounds in 35 minutes. On the 3rd March The Thundering Herd women’s basketball team cut a 15-point halftime deficit to just a point, but it was not enough as East Carolina came away with a 75-70 win in Wednesday’s regular season finale at the Cam Henderson Center. In Chantelle’s final collegiate game at home, she contributed 11 points 1 rebound but had a season high 6 assists in 37 minutes. The loss saw the Herd end the regular season with a 14-15 record and 6-10 in C-USA play. The Herd will travel to Tulsa Oklahoma to play in the first round of the C-USA tournament on the 8th.
On the 8th the Thundering Herd faced UCF in the first round on C-USA tournament; the end result was Marshall going down 59—57 in overtime. The Herd finishes the season with a 14-16 mark, its first losing record since the 2002-03 season. UCF advances to play top-seeded Tulane on Tuesday afternoon. In Chantelle’s final college game she played 22 minutes scoring 2 points, 2 rebounds and two assists.
Chantelle finished the season starting 28 out of 29 games and averaging 33.1 minutes a game. She shot 42% from 2pt, 34% from 3pt and 60% from the foul line. She had an average of 11.3 points 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assist a game.
Cristal Turner/Dominique Allen – Oral Roberts University NCAA 1
ORU rounded off the regular season with 2 victorys against UMKC and Southern Utah, finishing the season with a 21-8 record and 15-3 conference record. The will play in the summit league conference tournament in Sioux falls, South Dakota as number 1 seeds. Against UMKC Dominique Allen played 4 minutes hitting 2 points and 1 rebound, while Cristal Turner played 10 minutes getting 1-2 FT for 1 point, she also added 1 block. Against S.Utah, Allen played 12 minutes for 2 rebounds and 2 steals while Turner played 17 minutes for 8 points 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. The win gave ORU their first Conference championship.
In the opening round of the summit Conference Tournament ORU disposed of Southern Utah by a score of 81-97. Allen played 11 minutes going scoreless but grabbing 1 rebound and 3 steals, while Turner went 1-1 from 3pt land in 14 minutes for 3 points and 1 assist. On Monday the 8th they played UMKC in the semi final and walked away with a 77-71 victory. The win moves ORU onto the title game against South Dakota State. Against UMKC Dominique Allen played 11 minutes grabbing 1 rebound, while Turner played 5 minutes and grabbed 1 rebound while missing her only shot of the game.
Lauren Thomas Johnson – Marquette University NCAA 1
On the 27th Marquette travelled to #8 West Virginia only to lose 69-56. Lauren came off the bench again to play 24 minutes. Shooting a poor 1-9 from the field she managed to tally 5 points 2 rebounds and 3 assists. On Monday 1st March Marquette returned home to face Cincinnati, which would be Laurens last home game and ‘Senior Night’ she didn’t disappoint the home fans and gave them something to remember her by scoring 10 of Marquette’s 12 points in overtime as the Golden Eagles held off Cincinnati, 69-63. The Golden Eagles improve to 15-14 overall, 6-10 in the BIG EAST, and snapped a five-game losing streak in the process. With the win MU earns the No. 10 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. Lauren finished the game with 17 points 1 rebound and 1 assist in 33 minutes. Below is a link to a post game news conference with an interview of Lauren.
Marquette started the Big East Tournament with a win against #15 seed Villanova 53-49. In the victory Lauren played 20 minutes contributing 6 points and 1 rebound. With the win, the Golden Eagles (16-14) advance to the second round to play No. 7 seed DePaul on 6th. Saturday night saw Marquettes season came to a close following a 64-54 loss to the Blue Demons. Lauren contributed 6 points and 3 rebounds in 32 minutes of play in her final college game.
Lauren wraps up the season and her college career having played in all 31 games this season starting 27. She averaged 29 minutes a game while shooting 33% from the field and 29% from the 3 point line. She also averaged 8.5 points 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Mary Durojaye – Robert Morris University NCAA 1
The 27th February saw the Colonials close out the regular season with a 62-42 victory over Mt. St. Mary’s. The victory was the ninth consecutive on the road for the Colonials, setting a new program record. Their 12th win overall, RMU (22-7, 17-1 Northeast Conference) also set new program marks for regular season wins (22) and conference victories (17). In the victory mary started and played 25 minutes totaling 11 points and 5 rebounds on 5/6 shooting. The colonials enter the NE conference tournament as #1 seeds.
After 1 week off RMU started the NE conference tournament with a 68-52 victory over #8 Wagner on Saturday afternoon at De Gol Arena in Loretto, PA. In a balanced attach where 5 different players scored double figures Mary contributed 6 points and 8 rebounds. The #1 colonials moved on to the semi finals the following day to take on #5 Saint Francis (Pa.) In the semi final RMU suffered a shock defeat to St. Francis. It took a 3 pointer with 10 seconds left to finally put away the colonials 80-79, after RMU had fought back from a 17 point 2nd half deficit. No stats where available for this game.
RMU having a record on 23-8 will be disappointed not to get selected for the NCAA tournament, (they needed to win the conference tournament to guarantee entry. However as the NEC’s regular season champions, Robert Morris will accept an automatic bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, so we at GBbasketball.net will keep an eye on how they progress. So far it’s been a great season for mary so we hope it can continue for a few more games. Johannah Leedham – Franklin Pearce University NCAA 2
March 2nd saw FPU take on New Haven in the quarterfinals of the NE-10 Conference tournament. FPU went into the game having been stripped of the #1 team in the nation tag, having dropped to #2 following a loss last week. Gannon take over as #1 team in the nation with a 30-0 record. FPU made easy work of New Haven winning 79-68 to progress to the semifinals.
Jo the 2010 Northeast-10 Player of the Year tossed in 29 points and added eight rebounds, seven assists, seven steals and one block. She currently stands at 2,857 points for her career and now needs just 29 more points to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history. In the semifinal the next day FPU took on Bentley and winning to progress to the final 78-60. It was another huge game for Johannah, she tied her career high with 39 points to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history. The night belonged to Leedham, whose 39 points tied a career-high. She now has 2,896 points for her career, which is the 12th most in all of NCAA women’s basketball history. Leedham’s record-breaking shot came at the 10:30 mark of the second half as she laid in a basket, which caused a thunderous roar for the large crowd in attendance. The Division II scoring record added to her list of scoring records broken this season, including: the Northeast-10 women’s career record; the Northeast-10 men’s and women’s career record; and the Franklin Pierce school record. Leedham scored her 39 points on 16-of-32 shooting from the field. She also totaled seven assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks in 39 minutes of action. On Sunday 7th FPU took on Stone Hill in the conference final. FPU walked away with a 70-59 win and the conference championship. Leedham pumped in 31 points to move into the top-10 all-time in NCAA women’s basketball history (Divisions I, II & III) for career scoring with 2,927 points. She also had seven rebounds and two steals to go along with her point total. Her two steals moved her into a tie for eighth place in NCAA Division II history for career thefts with 444. No surprises to note that Leedham was the tournament MVP.
After the game the NCAA committee announced the teams and seeding’s for the NCAA Tournament that will start on March 12th. FPU will take on Nyack (19-11),and are ranked #1 in the region. March 13,15 and 23rd are the 2nd 3rd and quarterfinals rounds, with the semi final on the 24th and final on the 26th in St Joseph, Missiouri. We will be paying close attention to Jo and her progress through the tournament and wish her all the luck in trying to become a national champion.
Other GB players competing in the NCAA this season.
Below is a list of some of the other players that have been playing at various schools across America in the NCAA/NAIA. Although I have not followed them weekly in this report i wanted to note there current progress and performance this season.
Kashmere Joseph (Barking Abbey, London)
Seton Hall (NCAA 1). Record – 9-21.
6’2 Center. Junior
21 games played (2 started), 12.1 mpg, 1.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg.
Ella Joines (Barking Abbey, London)
The Masters College (NAIA 1). Record – 16-13
5’7 Guard. Sophomore.
24 games played, 14.4 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
*Will play in NAIA Tournament next week
Julia Colley (Barking Abbey, London)
University of Bridgeport (NCAA 2). Record – 20-9
5’10 Guard/Forward. Sophomore.
29 games played (19 started), 23.9 mpg. 4.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg.
*Will play in NCAA II National Tournament next week.
Mrashi Karumba (Barking Abbey, London)
Northeastern JC (NJCAA 1). Record 24-5
5’10 Guard. Sophomore.
No stats but team captain / top performer
*Several Division 1 scholarship offers.
*Regional Tournament March 9th/ National Tournament March 16th.
Amber Charles (Barking Abbey, London)
Tennessee Temple University (NCCAA 1). Record 11-15.
Freshman Guard.
No Stats.
Renee Johnson-Allen (Barking Abbey, London)
Drexel University (NCAA 1) Record 17-12.
5’6 Guard. Freshman.
Played 10 games, 8.4 mpg, 0.5ppg, 0.8 rpg,
*Season ending knee injury during season.
Tamzin Barroilhet (St. Maxime France)
Kent State (NCAA 1) Record 19-9
6’0 Guard. Freshman
*Redshirt Year
Hannah Shaw (Nottingham)
University of Miami (NCAA 1) Record 17-13
6’4 Center Freshman
Played 24 games, 7mpg, 1.3ppg, 1.4 rpg.
Azania Stewart (Wood Green, London)
University of Florida (NCAA 1) Record 14-16
6’4 Center. Sophomore.
Played 25 games (started 21). 19.8 mpg, 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 bpg.
Rose Anderson (Scotland)
Univeristy of Central Oklahoma (NCAA 2) Record 22-7
5’10 Guard. Senior.
Played 28 games (started 26), 25.8 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg.
Please feel free to comment if you know of any other GB women playing in the NCAA’s.
March 8, 2010 at 10:53 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Dave Ryan
Luol Deng had a season-low six points on Saturday evening as Chicago Bulls went down 122-116 at home against Dallas Mavericks.
Deng hit just two of his eight field goal attempts in 37 minutes against the in-form Mavs, and added three rebounds and two assists.
Bulls, who have been lost four straight since centre Joakim Noah picked up an injury, shot 52 percent, outrebounded the Mavericks 37-33, turned the ball over just eight times themselves, and stayed in the game despite trailing from the end of the first quarter on, but ultimately Dirk Nowitzki’s 13 points in the fourth period helped his team to their 11th straight win.
Chicago host Utah Jazz on Tuesday before travelling to Orlando on Thursday and Miami on Friday. They are now down to eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-31 record, half a game clear of Charlotte Bobcats.
There was better news for Ben Gordon and the Detroit Pistons as they split their games over the weekend – going down to a predictable loss at Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday before bouncing back to beat Houston 110-107 on Sunday.
In a game marred by the collapse of Pistons’ guard Rodney Stuckey, Pistons were 70-62 ahead until the dying moments of the third period when LeBron James drained back-to-back treys.
Gordon finished with ten points, two rebounds and as many assists in 24 minutes as Pistons went down to a fifth straight loss to Cleveland.
Two nights later he hit just one of his seven field goal attempts as he finished with six points in the overtime win against Houston.
Those kind of numbers probably explain why the [temporary] loss of Stuckey haven’t led to any more court-time for the British passport holder.
Again he collected two rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, but picked up four fouls in the process.
That win means Pistons are now 12th in the east with a 22-41 record, and they host Utah Jazz on Wednesday before Washington are the visitors on Friday. Picture courtesy & copyright of NBAE/Getty Images.
March 8, 2010 at 9:44 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
The weekend’s NCAA roundup by Matt Clear
Charleston 96 Chattanooga 69
Appalachian State 77 Charleston 54
Andrew Lawrence, one of the Brits with the best chance of making it to the Big Dance, saw those hopes go up in smoke as his Charleston team crashed out of the Southern Conference tournament at the semi-final stage.
The Cougars started the weekend well, running over Chattanooga in their quarter-final, with Lawrence scoring eight points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 on threes).
But Charleston took a pounding of their own on Sunday, losing by 23 points to Appalachian State. Lawrence scored five points on 1-3 shooting.
“Appalachian played some great basketball,” said Cougars coach Bobby Cremins. “We were outplayed and outcoached. I’m disappointed we didn’t make it a great game. I’m disappointed for our team. This is one of our toughest losses since I’ve been back in coaching.”
The Southern Conference champions needed to retain their title to secure a place in the NCAA tournament, and are now likely headed to the CBI instead.
Rider 69 Saint Peter’s 57
Siena 72 Rider 62 Rider’s season is over as they were knocked out of the MAAC tournament at the semi-final stage.
The Broncs put in a strong performance on Saturday to beat Saint Peter’s in the quarters. Justin Robinson’s outside shooting was a little off – the junior guard was 1-4 from downtown – but he still contributed 15 points, four rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
But there was only likely to be one winner as they faced Siena in the semis. The Saints went 15-1 to win the MAAC regular season title, beating Rider by an average of 24 points in their two meetings.
The Broncs put up a far more spirited performance yesterday, leading 48-44 with twelve minutes to play before a 16-0 Siena run put the result beyond doubt. Robinson had nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
Niagara 68 Iona 64 Ben Mockford’s season is also over after his Iona team lost their MAAC quarter-final. Despite the Gaels holding the higher seed, an experienced Niagara team was expected to be a tough matchup, and so it proved.
Mockford was on court for less than a minute in the game.
Washington 82 Oregon State 70 Matthew Bryan-Amaning keeps getting better and better. The junior forward tallied only the second 20 & 10 game of his career, making nine of 15 shots for 20 points and eleven rebounds. Bryan-Amaning also had two steals, two blocks and no turnovers as the Huskies finished the season strong with their four straight wins, including two on the road.
That means Washington finished third in the Pac-10 with an 11-7 record. They meet Oregon State again in the Pac-10 tournament quarter-finals on Thursday.
Arizona State 56 UCLA 46
Arizona State also finished the regular season with a win, taking second place in the Pac-10 with a typically gritty victory over UCLA.
Eric Boateng is another big man in form right now – he top-scored for the Sun Devils with 16 points on 7-12 shooting, along with four blocks, three assists and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Asked about his performance in his final home game as a Sun Devil, Boateng said: “You know, it feels good to win, first of all. That’s the aim. I really didn’t care about anything else.”
Boateng’s team-mate and fellow senior Derek Glasser was far less reserved in his assessment of the Londoner’s play: “He’s carrying us. Every game we come in here and we say it’s his best game of the year and the next time I come in here I say it’s (his) best game of the year. I hope we can keep saying that.”
The victory gives ASU a 12-6 record and a quarter-final matchup with Oregon. If the Sun Devils and Huskies both win their quarter-final games, we’ll have an epic Brit v Brit matchup in the semi-finals. Massachusetts 69 Rhode Island 67
Ben Eaves had his best game of the year with ten points and four rebounds on 4-5 shooting. Eaves, a senior, will graduate this year, but is eligible to play for one more season.
The defeat puts URI in fifth place in the Atlantic-10 with a 9-7 record. They’ll meet Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the A-10 tournament tomorrow, and need a strong showing in the tournament to make it to the Big Dance. Nevada 79, Louisiana Tech 68
The Wolfpack won to finish second in their league. They play Idaho on Thursday as the WAC tournament begins. Patrick Nyeko played just one minute here, and isn’t likely to feature much in postseason play.
Our next update will come on Wednesday, following Rhode Island’s matchup with Saint Joseph’s.
Picture courtesy & copyright of Willis Glassgow/College of Charleston Media Relations
March 7, 2010 at 9:54 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Dave Ryan
Chris Finch and Nick Nurse both saw their teams split their NBA D-League games over the weekend.
Finch and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers won 124-106 at Bakersfield before losing 116-114 in the following day’s game, while Nurse’s Iowa Energy snapped a three game losing streak at Erie on Friday, but suffered a surprise defeat the following day.
On Friday, Vipers’ forward Ernest Scott scored a career-high 29 points on nine from 15 shooting from behind the arc, while Kenny Hasbrouck finished with a career-high eight assists to go with 19 points. Stanley Asumnu had his best game of the season, with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals and Julian Sensley finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in his return from injury.
The Vipers converted 16 of their 28 shots from the Land of Plenty including five of their first seven as they rushed into a 40-24 first quarter lead before Jam scored 17 of the first 21 points in the second period to close the gap to three with 5:41 left in the half. But Vipers hit five of their next six shots, including two three-pointers, and went into the locker room 64-53 ahead.
Scott hit a pair of three-pointers Craig Winder hit one and Julian Sensley drained a lay-up as the Vipers opened the third quarter on an 11-3 run to take a 75-56 lead, and they never looked back.
Things were different the following day as Jam guard Trey Johnson hit a fall-away jumper to give his victory.
Craig Winder hit a long three-pointer from the left wing to tie the game 114-114 with 10 seconds left before Johnson hit the game-winner.
It was definitely one that got away for Vipers, as they led 101-89 with 5:50 remaining. They had trailed 23-20 at the first break and 53-41 at half-time before outscoring the home side 41-21 in the third period to take control of the game.
Vipers’ Kenny Hasbrouck finished with a career-high 29 points while hitting 12-of-20 shots. Winder scored 28 points to go with a career-high nine rebounds, five assists and a career-high tying five steals.
Finch’s team are still top of the Western Conference in the D-League with a 27-11 record. They host Austin on Tuesday and Wednesday before Tulsa are the visitors on Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile Nurse and the Iowa Energy continue to stutter, but remain on top of the Eastern Conference.
Thirty-five points and 24 rebounds from Earl Barron helped them to a 116-111 win at Erie BayHawks on Friday, but the following day they went down 127-120 at the same side as they finally got a win against Iowa at the tenth time of asking this season.
In Friday’s game, Barron scored 11 early points as Energy led by 16 points in the first period before Erie fought back over the next two periods and were up by eight with 7:28 to play in the game. But the Energy responded by outscoring the BayHawks 24-11 in the remaining minutes to chalk up the win.
Jeff Trepagnier added 22 points and Pat Carroll and Tyndale each chipped in 17 for the first place team in the Eastern Conference.
The following night saw Energy lead 36-30 at quarter-time before the teams went into the locker room tied at 66 following a high-scoring half. The third period saw five lead changes, but it was the home team who shaded it by a point before wrapping up the win with a 35-29 fourth quarter.
Energy were led by Cartier Martin’s 37 points, including six of his eight attempts from downtown, and Earl Barron’s double-double of 23 points and 10 boards as Nurse’s team slipped to 31-10.
Iowa now travel to second placed Maine for a double header on Friday and Sunday.
March 7, 2010 at 3:57 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
Friday’s NCAA round-up by Matt Clear
Elon 66 Davidson 59
Davidson fell at the first hurdle in the Southern Conference tournament, losing 66-59 to Elon. The defeat means their season is almost certainly over.
Ben Allison made a solid contribution with six points on 3-6 shooting and six rebounds in 15 minutes.
The Wildcats will be hoping a solid if unspectacular regular season will be enough to earn them a place in the less prestigious NIT or CBI tournaments.
Duquesne 111 Fordham 100
Elsewhere, Duquesne finished up the regular season as expected with a win over Fordham. The Dukes will have to wait on today’s Atlantic-10 results to find out where they’re seeded for the conference tournament.
Mike Williams was relegated to the bench after his poor showing against St Bonaventure. The sophomore centre played only four minutes, grabbing one rebound and missing his only shot.
March 5, 2010 at 7:17 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Matt Clear
Top performer: Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Bryan-Amaning continues to impress, as he notched his first ever Pac-10 double-double in a win over Washington State. The Londoner was 8-11 from the field for 17 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, although he did cough up five turnovers.
Turnovers aside, UW blogger Josh Anderson called it “MBA’s best game as a Husky”, and said: “Seeing him do it against DeAngelo Casto, the Pac-10’s most underrated player and a (future) legit pro prospect, was encouraging. MBA’s M.O. has so commonly been to play better against bad competition, so this was a true breakthrough for him.” The Seattle Times’ Percy Allen thinks Bryan-Amaning might be the best post player in the Pac-10 right now.
MBA’s streak of double-figure scoring games ended in a win over Oregon last night, but only just – the junior forward finished with eight points on 4-9 shooting, and almost had another double-double as he grabbed ten boards. Bryan-Amaning also had two blocks, a steal and three turnovers, and was limited to 22 minutes by foul trouble.
Explaining MBA’s upturn in form, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said: “I thought about six weeks ago, Matthew put it upon himself to come out to practice and really be focused and really try to be dialled in to try to be the best that he can be. Maybe nothing (has changed) in terms of his play, but in terms of his approach and his focus, I think that’s different.”
Washington closes out the regular season with a winnable road game against Oregon State. They have a shot at finishing second in the Pac-10 if they can beat the Beavers.
How the other Brits fared:
• Eric Boateng scored a career-high 24 points against Stanford last Thursday, making all eleven of his field goals. Boateng also had six rebounds, three assists, a block and no turnovers in a career-best performance.
A win at Cal would have seen Arizona State go top of the Pac-10 but it was sadly beyond them, as the Sun Devils went down 62-46. Boateng again made all his field goals but he had only two attempts this time, finishing with four points as he missed all four of his free throw attempts. The senior centre had ten rebounds and two assists, but also four turnovers.
Boateng was solid in a win over USC last night, scoring five points on 2-3 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks. One of the blocks came as ASU led 57-54 with six seconds to go, sealing the win for the Sun Devils.
ASU closes out the regular season with a home game against UCLA tomorrow. They’ll need to win and hope Cal slips up in order to take the Pac-10 title.
• Reaching the NCAA tournament this year was always going to be a tough ask for Rider, given that they’d have to go through defending MAAC champions Siena to do so. The Saints underlined their supremacy with an 82-64 victory back in December, and the Broncs could do no better this time on their own court, going down 80-54. Justin Robinson wasn’t much of a factor for Rider, scoring only five points on 2-7 shooting. Robinson had three assists and two rebounds, but also turned the ball over four times.
Rider then faced Canisius on Sunday in what was a crucial final game of the regular season. With both teams tied on 8-9, the winner would be guaranteed a first-round bye in the MAAC tournament and an extra day off.
And it was Robinson who led the Broncs to victory, scoring a career-high 27 points in an astonishing shooting display. Robinson made all five of his three-pointers and all six free throws, missing just two of ten field goal attempts. The junior guard also had three rebounds and two assists. He finishes the season second in the MAAC in three-point percentage, with 45.3%.
The win means Rider will finish fifth in the MAAC with a 9-9 record. They will play fourth-placed Saint Peter’s in the MAAC tournament quarter-finals tomorrow.
• One MAAC team who have more genuine aspirations to knock off Siena are Ben Mockford’s Iona. A win against Fairfield would have seen Iona move up to second place in the league behind the Saints – instead, they lost 71-54.
Iona, like Rider, then faced a team with an identical record on Sunday – Saint Peter’s at 11-6 – clinching third place with a 49-48 win.
Mockford, a freshman, has been used sparingly since conference play began, and there was little change in this week’s games as he played five and 13 minutes respectively, going scoreless in each.
Iona will play Niagara in the MAAC quarter-finals.
• Charleston wrapped up the regular season with a 69-66 victory over Furman. Andrew Lawrence had a good game, going 2-4 from the field for six points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes.
With a first-round bye in the Southern Conference tournament locked up a week ago, the Cougars will play either Chattanooga or Georgia Southern in their quarter-final tomorrow.
• Davidson’s spot in the tournament was also fixed a week ago, but they went ahead and won their two games this week anyway. Ben Allison’s offensive woes continued as he missed all three of his shots against Chattanooga and turned the ball over three times, but he did grab five rebounds.
Allison was much better against Elon, going 2-5 from the field to finish with eight points and seven rebounds, although he again picked up three turnovers. Davidson prevailed 99-96 in double overtime for a tough road win, which will give them a boost when they meet Elon again today in the first round of the SoCon tournament.
• Mike Williams continues to start for Duquesne, putting in a solid performance against Saint Louis with six points on 3-5 shooting and four rebounds in 20 minutes.
But Williams struggled mightily in the Dukes’ crucial game against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday. After the big man picked up his third foul and fourth turnover with 17 minutes to go in the game, coach Ron Everhart pulled Williams and he did not play again. The sophomore centre failed to register a points or a rebound in eight minutes on the court.
Duquesne dropped to 6-9 after losing both the games. Their final game of the season – hosting 0-15 Fordham tonight – is almost a guaranteed win, but the Dukes could finish eighth, ninth or tenth in the Atlantic-10 depending on results elsewhere.
• Flying somewhat higher in the A-10 are Rhode Island. Rhody are currently sixth in the league, but could finish fourth if results go their way this weekend.
A 80-58 thumping of fifth-placed Charlotte on Wednesday helped keep their hopes of an A-10 tournament first-round bye alive, though it might already be sewn up if they hadn’t slipped up to St. Bonaventure last weekend. Ben Eaves continues to play only a minor role for the team, playing a total of ten minutes in their two games this week.
• Nevada won two of their three games this week to go to 10-5, and will take either second, third or fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference. Patrick Nyeko has averaged about a minute per game since the Wolfpack began conference play, and there was no change there this week.
• Both Jamie Vanderbeken and Iowa State will be counting the days till the season is over. Vanderbeken has been sidelined since January and won’t play again this year, while ISU are 11th in the Big 12 with a dismal 3-12 record.
With conference tournaments kicking off this weekend, we’ll be bringing you daily updates of how our NCAA-based Brits are faring in the postseason, starting tomorrow.
March 5, 2010 at 3:31 am · Filed under Brits Abroad
By Dave Ryan
Luol Deng returned to action on Thursday night, but he couldn’t prevent Chicago Bulls going down to a 105-96 home loss against Memphis Grizzlies. Picture courtesy & copyright of NBAE/Getty Images.
The team GB captain led his side with 23 points off a 9/16 shooting night in 42 minutes of action. He was perfect at the foul line, and added six boards, two assists, as many steals and a block but couldn’t prevent the Bulls slipping to 31-30.
Zach Randolph, taking advantage of the Bulls’ complete lack of an inside game, scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds and the Grizzlies came back from a 16-point first quarter deficit to take command in the fourth quarter and inflict Chicago’s third straight defeat.
Chicago led32-19 at the first break, but that was as good as it got as Memphis narrowed the gap to 51-45 at half-time and 77-75 at the final break before taking control in the last stanza.
Bulls host in-form Dallas Mavericks on Saturday before Utah Jazz visit the United Centre on Tuesday, and they are now down to seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, it doesn’t get any better for Ben Gordon and the Detroit Pistons as they went down 128-104 at New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Gordon finished with ten points and a couple of assists in 23 minutes.
Knicks led 67-55 half time lead behind a combined 39 points from Tracy McGrady, Al Harrington and Bill Walker, but although they led by as many as 14 points in the second half, Detroit cut it to 80-75 on a dunk by Jason Maxiell late in the third period
New York went into the final break leading 94-85 and ensured that Pistons would go down to their fifth straight loss with a 34-19 fourth period.
The result saw the injury-hit Pistons fall below Knicks into 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a 21-40 record. They visit Cleveland on Friday before hosting Houston Rockets on Sunday.
