World Basketball

    Halcon Avenida Salamanca won against Ciudad Ros Casares Valencia 61-49 [14-15, 14-14, 18-10, 15-10].

    What a F4 ! was very boring matches :roll:


    I believe Spartak will be champions..They really deserved to be champions..


    they managed to eliminate Fenerbahce and UMMC

    "Lo sbaglio più grande e quello di credere di aver vinto prima ancora di giocare la partita"

    The matches were very interesting. The Top 4 Teams in Europe. Tomorrow Perfumerias may be very dangerous.

    What a sensation in Russia :!:
    Halcon Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca the European Champion :!:
    UMMC Ekaterinburg with the Bronze Medal.

    The First Semi-Final:




    Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje stunned hosts UMMC Ekaterinburg in the opening game of the 2011 EuroLeague Women Final Four on Friday.


    Winners of four consecutive titles, Sparta&K trailed 31-22 early in the second half but then hit their stride and stormed to a 54-43 triumph.


    Sparta&K have defeated UMMC for the fourth consecutive year at a Final Four and stayed on course for a fifth consecutive EuroLeague Women title.


    They will face the winner of the second Semi-Final between Ros Casares and Halcon Avenida for the European championship.


    Epiphanny Prince led a balanced Sparta&K attack with 13 points while Jelena Milovanovic had 12, most of them coming when Pokey Chatman's team took control.


    Evergreen Sparta&K center Taj McWilliams also had an MVP type performance with 11 points and 10 rebounds.


    UMMC appeared to be cruising when Olga Arteshina, the MVP of UMMC's Russian Cup win this season, hit a jumper for a 31-22 advantage two minutes into the third quarter.


    The hosts then lost their way.


    Russia international Irina Osipova, who has been with Sparta&K for every one of their European titles, started the comeback with a jumper and Milovanovic then followed with another for her third and fourth points of the contest.


    Noelle Quinn scored her first two on a fast break to reduce the arrears to 31-28.


    Candace Parker was called for travelling and 40-year-old McWilliams, who only joined Sparta&K in January as a replacement for injured Lauren Jackson, split a pair of free-throws to make it a two-point game.


    UMMC's offense ground to a halt.


    As they continued to miss shots and turn the ball over, Sparta&K took advantage.


    Quinn buried a jumper to knot the game at 31-31 and then hit another to put her team in front.


    Milovanovic made it 13 unanswered points with another jump shot as Sparta&K led 35-31.


    The arena was silent.


    Parker stopped the rot by making one of two at the line, but Sparta&K had the final say in the third quarter.


    With the game clock winding down, Milovanovic missed from behind the arc but Prince chased the ball down in the lane and released a jumper right before the buzzer sounded.


    The ball fell through the hoop, hitting nothing but net, for a 37-32 lead.


    Sparta&K, having trailed by nine, found themselves on top by five with 10 minutes to go.


    UMMC began the last frame well with a Pondexter tip-in but Milovanovic, a big signing last summer from MKB Euroleasing Sopron, replied with a jumper.


    Russia international captain Maria Stepanova scored again for UMMC but Prince answered immediately with a jumper.


    The closest UMMC would get the rest of the way was two points with 6:30 left.


    Arteshina reached in and stole the ball from McWilliams, and that led to a basket by Stepanova.


    Ilona Korstin split two free-throws and Milovanovic and McWilliams followed with jump shots.


    When McWilliams added another tip-in, the advantage was 48-39 with 2:32 to go.


    Chatman's team ended up winning by 11.


    What sort of afternoon was it for UMMC?


    The team that was supposed to win the title in the opinion of many missed all 13 shots they took from long range.


    They were just 20 of 67 from the field overall and three of seven at the free-throw line.


    Sparta&K also out-rebounded them 46-39.


    Parker had 11 points and nine rebounds but it wasn't nearly enough for Ekaterinburg as they experienced another painful EuroLeague Women setback to their rivals.

    The Second Semi-Final:




    Halcon Avenida ran into a determined Ros Casares on Friday at the EuroLeague Final Four but beat their Spanish rivals for the fourth time in a row.


    The Salamanca club pulled away for a 61-49 triumph to set up a rematch of the title game from 2009, when they lost to Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje in Salamanca.


    Avenida and four-time defending champions Sparta&K know each other well.


    They met during the Qualifying Round, with each team winning once.


    Lucas Mondelo's team, just as it did in its last game against Ros Casares in Valencia last month, encountered some problems early on.


    The Valencia outfit, which hosted last year's Final Four and lost to Sparta&K in the title game, led Avenida 29-28 at half-time.


    A three-pointer from Edwige Lawson-Wade midway through the third quarter put Nata Hejkova's side into a 39-36 lead.


    A basket by Anke De Mondt reduced the deficit to one and then Erika De Souza made three of four free-throws to put Avenida in front, 41-39.


    The Salamanca outfit then hit Ros with a couple of blows they didn't recover from.


    With 28 seconds to play in the third quarter, De Mondt was several feet behind the arc when she launched a shot that fell through the hoop for a five-point lead.


    Avenida then got the ball back after a Ros Casares turnover to set up an Alba Torrens buzzer-beater.


    With just seconds remaining, the Spain international knifed her way into the lane and while jumping off her right foot, released the ball with both hands from close to the free-throw line and banked it in for a 46-39 lead at the end of the quarter.


    Ros lost their way offensively in the fourth quarter and Avenida kept the pressure on.


    Torrens was fouled by Lithuania international Agne Abromaite midway through the quarter while attempting a shot from the arc.


    The youngster went to line and made all three free-throws for a 53-42 lead.


    There was no way back for Ros.


    The lead ballooned to 60-45 in the last minute after two Silvia Dominguez free-throws.


    Sancho Lyttle had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Avenida.


    The Bronze Medal Match:




    UMMC Ekaterinburg beat Ros Casares 64-52 on Sunday to clinch third place in the EuroLeague Women.
    Gundars Vetra's side trailed late in the third quarter when Deanna Nolan sparked a 10-0 run with a three-pointer.
    That gave the Final Four hosts a 42-41 lead and the Russian team, which lost to Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje in the Semi-Finals on Friday, got a Nolan at the beginning of the fourth quarter to continue the decisive spurt.
    Maria Stepanova followed with two free throws before Olga Arteshina drilled a shot from the arc to cap the scoring run that left UMMC on top for good.
    Ros Casares closed the gap to 53-48 on a three-ball from Edwige Lawson Wade with 4:19 to go but Sandrine Gruda, who had a game-high 14 points and nine rebounds, replied with a basket for UMMC and the visitors from Spain got no closer.
    Gruda's fellow France international Celine Dumerc added six points and five steals for UMMC.
    Katie Douglas had 10 points, six rebounds, five steals and also five turnovers for Ros Casares, who had fallen to Halcon Avenida in their game on Friday.


    UMMC Guard Cappie Pondexter:
    "The game for the 3rd place was very complicated for both teams, but we worked hard."


    UMMC Head Coach Gundars Vetra:
    "I hope you understand it was not the game we were eager to play. I hope you understand how hard it was for a coach to say the same words for the third time: 'We failed to win the first game, now we must concentrate, and do our best in this one.' For the first time it was a misfortune, for the second - a failure, but now it was a great failure. It was a hard task to motivate the team. The players were nervous in the beginning; we couldn't demonstrate our usual play. But when tiredness de-stressed the girls, they started to play aggressively and more confident. I want to congratulate our team on their win, though it was not the win we waited for."


    Ros Casares Center Rebekkah Brunson:
    "We've made a great effort, fighting with UMMC. It is a very strong team, and they have a lot of great players. It was hard to play against this opponent, but we have made an effort to win."


    Ros Casares Head Coach Natalia Hejkova:
    "We tried to fight, but we have no such players, like UMMC - leaders of WNBA teams. Our bench is shorter. We tried to make a surprise for the opponents, used zone defense and one-to-one, but it didn't help us. At least, we've tried. And I must thank our players for the work they have done."

    The Gold Medal Match:




    Halcon Avenida ended the four-year reign of Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje by winning the EuroLeague Women title game 68-59 in Ekaterinburg on Sunday.


    The Salamanca club, beaten by Sparta&K in the championship game two seasons ago when they hosted the Final Four in Spain, got on top of Pokey Chatman's team early and never gave up the lead.


    With Lucas Mondelo's team boasting the impressive frontline of Sancho Lyttle and Erika De Souza, it was the backcourt of captain Silva Dominguez and Alba Torrens and sharpshooter Belinda Snell that wreaked havoc in the first half.


    The three players had seven points apiece at the break when Avenida led 30-22 and when Sparta&K made a run early in the third quarter, Dominguez stopped them cold in their tracks with a tip-in.


    That started a 13-2 surge for Avenida that was finished off by the point guard's jump shot with 4:42 to go in the third.


    That gave the Salamanca outfit a 43-28 advantage and took Dominguez's points haul to 11.


    With 2:45 to play in the frame, shouts of "Vamos!" echoed through the arena when a Torrens three-ball stretched the lead to 50-30.


    Sparta&K continued to fight, however, and chipped away at the deficit.


    When Sparta&K center Taj McWilliams hit a jumper with 1:45 to play in the game, the Russians had shaved 14 points off the 20-point advantage.


    The free-throw line then became a huge factor for the Spaniards.


    Epiphanny Prince fouled Anke De Mondt and the Belgium international calmly sank two free-throws.


    McWilliams went to the other end and scored to make it a six-point game again, but Avenida kept their noses in front.


    Lyttle drew a foul and also made two at the charity stripe to take the advantage back to eight.


    Prince and Sparta&K refused to go quietly.


    The American guard buried a three-ball to reduce the arrears to five but Noelle Quinn fouled De Mondt and she once again hit two at the free-throws for a seven-point advantage.


    After a Sparta&K timeout, Quinn's pass was intercepted by De Mondt and the Belgian was again fouled and made two more at the line.


    Chatman's team played hard for the remainder of the game but Avenida continued to make free-throws and secured the most famous win in their history.


    Avenida only made 21 of 29 free-throws, but sank their last 10 inside the final 1:35 to seal the triumph.


    Dominguez, the captain, had 16 points in her finest-ever game for the club.


    Torrens scored 13 points and Lyttle had 12 points and 13 rebounds.


    For Sparta&K, McWilliams finished with a game-high 17 points and Sue Bird had 16.


    Prince added 12 points in defeat.


    Halcon Avenida Salamanca Forward Anna Montanana:
    "It was a difficult game; it was hard to score in the beginning. Both teams played neck to neck, but we believed and succeeded to take the lead."


    Halcon Avenida Salamanca Head Coach Lucas Mondelo:
    "Our plan for the game was to stop the important players of the opponent - Sue Bird and Epifaniya Prints. Moreover, we used alternative defenses, some new moments, built our play from inside to outside and everything turned out well for us. We came out nervous; everybody usually is in all finals like this. At the end Sue Bird took her team on her shoulders, and once again proved her worth. I must say, Sparta&K is a great team, they have great coaching staff, but we prevailed."


    Sparta&K Guard Ilona Korstin:
    "As you could see, the score of all the games was low. All the players had a hard time scoring - excitement told on them. It's really frustrating, that after all difficulties we reached final, but failed to make the last step. We were ready to compete with Avenida, but shooting percentage was awful."


    Sparta&K MR Vidnoje Head Coach Pokey Chatman:
    "Congratulations to Avenida for their win. We were very much aware of this team and ready to oppose them, but all the players were tired. They were more aggressive, and built better defense. Our shooting percentage was 10% less."