EuroCup #2
By Orli Klinger
In round two of the first stage, the 4 Israeli teams were involved in 3
blowout games. Raanana was the only one who lost, and that's a big
understatement.
Ramat Hasharon 75 - Astir (Greece) 53
At least Ramat Hasharon can be satisfied with their EuroCup performance.
Astir lasted one half, but in the 2nd they gave in to the local defense of
all things as Ina Gourevitch who played great was resting on the bench.
It started out close, as a 3 by Gourevitch gave Ramat Hasharon its first
lead, 15-12. They were up 21-19 after 1, increased the lead to 7 during the
2nd quarter, and took a 37-33 lead into the locker rooms.
The player who led Astir in their win over Adana in round 1, Zuzi Klimsova
(of the Indiana Fever), was very quiet and American Jermisha Dosty had foul
trouble.
Led by Gourevitch and Lidiya Varbanova, Ramat Hasharon broke the game open
in the 3rd. Astir needed 7:40 to get their first field goal, but that hoop
sparked a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 44-56 after 3. The gap kept growing
till the final buzzer.
For Ramat Hasharon:
Varbanova - 21 pts (10/14 FGs, 1/1 FTs) & 4 rebs.
Gourevitch - 23 pts (6/11 2pt FGs, 3/4 3pt FGs, 2/4 FTs), 5 rebs.
Tamar Maoz 9 pts, Paunovic 6 pts.
For Astir:
Dosty - 13 pts (5/7 FGs, 3/4 FTs), 7 rebs.
Klimsova - 8 pts (4/13 FGs), 6 rebs.
Ramat Hen 93 - Burgas (Bulgaria) 54
Ramat Hen cruised to its 2nd win with no trouble. They led 22-7 after 1 and
49-23 at the half against a weak opponent.
For Ramat Hen:
Vicky Hall - 23 pts (6/10 2pt FGs, 1/3 3pt FGs, 8/8 FTs), 10
rebs.
Rivi Grinboym - 20 pts (4/6 2pt FGs, 3/4 3pt FGs, 3/3 FTs), 5 rebs.
Simone Edwards - 17 pts (8/12 FGs, 1/1 FTs), 12 rebs.
Tal Zalts - 15 pts (7/8 FGs, 1/2 FTs).
For Burgas:
Zoia Stanoeva 19 pts.
Bnei Yehuda 82 - Burgas 64
24 hours after getting whooped by Ramat Hen, Burgas tried their luck in Bnei
Yehuda and managed to lose only by 18. Bnei Yehuda outscored the Bulgarians
26-4 in the 3rd quarter and got its first EuroCup win.
For Bnei Yehuda:
Travesa Gant - 33 pts (10/14 2pt FGs, 2/4 3pt FGs, 7/8
FTs), 5 rebs, 3 steals, 5 TOs.
Tawona Alhaleem - 20 pts (8/10 FGs, 3/3 FTs), 3 rebs, 4 assists.
Goni Tanchelson - 9 pts (0/3 2pt FGs, 3/3 3pt FGs), 3 steals, 4 TOs.
Ina Boutenko 7 pts, Draguslava Zakula 6 pts.
For Burgas: Zornitza Kostova 18 pts.
Maccabi Raanana 28 - Astir 57
This is not a typo. Raanana scored an all time low by an Israeli team in
Europe - 28 points in a whole game. Astir recovered from the defeat in Ramat
Hasharon and led 28-9 at the half. Raanana's shooting percentages are not
for the weak of heart: 6 for 23 from 2pt range, 5 for 23 from downtown and 1
for 12 from the FT line! Somebody will have to pay for this disaster of a
game, and word is that it'll be Americans Tatum Brown & Nikki Thompkins.
For Astir:
Klimsova - 12 pts (6/12 FGs) and 14 rebs.
Dosty - 6 pts (3/5 FGs) & 10 rebs.
For Raanana: Sharon Zeevi - 9 pts (4/4 2pt FGs, 1/3 3pt FGs).
Thompkins - 5 pts (1/3 2pt FGs, 1/1 3pt FGs, 0/4 FTs).
Brown - 3 pts (only 1/2 FGs, 1/2 FTs) & 9 rebs.
Information reprinted with permission of Lior Klinger and Orli Klinger. Send an e-mail to be put on the mailing list.