National Basketball Cup Roundup
It was a busy weekend for basketball all over the world. The NBA held its annual All-Star weekend in the United States, while many National Basketball Cups were played all over Europe. Here is a quick roundup of some of aforementioned Cups.
Russia
BC Novosibirsk defeated PSK Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 69-67 to claim the Russian National Cup. Novosibirsk is currently the top team in the Russian Superleague with a 15-4 record.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian powerhouse BC Igokea Aleksandrovac exploded out of the gates and controlled the game to come away with the 79-67 victory over Bosna-Royal. Danilo Sibalic led the champs with 17 points.
Bulgaria
BC Beroe rode a huge double-double performance from Aaron Jones (19 points, 17 rebounds) to lock in the Bulgarian National Cup. They were able to upset league leader, Lukoil Academic Sofia, 78-62
Slovenia
Fierce league rivals clashed in this duel of dominant teams, but at the end of the day, Union Olimpija Ljubljana would claim their 20th Cup title. They defeated previous title holders, Krka Novo Mesto, 86-81. Nikola Jankovic would pace Union Olimpia with a game-high 33 points.
Montenegro
There weren’t many surprises here. KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica brought home yet another trophy for their ever-expanding collection. The Montenegrin Juggernaut down worthy challengers, KK Mornar Basket Bar 72-68. Nemanja Gordic and Suad Sehovic would team up to lead Buducnost with 15 points apiece.
Belgium
BC Telenet Oostende managed to defend their title over Hubo Limburg United, 60-76. This is the fifth-straight cup title for BC Oostende, extending their reign for yet another year. They led from the beginning and still managed to finish with a strong fourth quarter to seal up the game.
Lithuania
BC Zalgiris Kaunas was true to form and dominated Panevezys Lietkabelis 84-63 to win another Lithuanian Cup title. It was an excellent team effort by the Zalgiris squad, with five of their players managing to score in double figures. Kevin Pangos and Brock Motum would lead the way with 14 points each.
Serbia
What would a Radivoj Korac Cup be without an exciting game between Eternal Derby rivals, Crvena Zvezda and BC Partizan going toe-to-toe to contest the title? The game would remain close throughout the first half, however, Crvena Zvezda would bust the game wide open in the fourth quarter to secure the 74-64 win.
Turkey
Banvit BK would overcome a huge 25-point, 12-rebound game from Anadolu Efes’ Derrick Brown to come away with the Turkish Cup title thanks to a massive run in the fourth period. Banvit exploded for 23 points in the final frame, en route to their 75-66 victory.
France
League leaders, AS Monaco defended their Leaders Cup crown in a close 95-91 win over ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne. It was a close game, but thanks to Sergii Gladyr and Dee Bost, who chimed in with 22 points each, Monaco would walk away raising the cup over the heads in front of a packed crowd at the Disneyland Events Center.
Italy
Richard Hickman dropped a game-high 25 points on Banco di Sardegna Sassari to lead EA7 Emporio Armani Milano to a convincing 84-74 win.
Spain
Two Top 4 teams locked horns in the game, but it would be Real Madrid to edge out Valencia Basket 97-95 and claim the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid’s Sergio Llull and Anthony Randolph would combine for 42 of the team’s 97 points to make sure their team would take up home the cup in an exciting flurry of action in the dying minutes of the game.
Germany
Brose Baskets Bamberg defeated FC Bayern Muenchen 71-74 in front a capacity crowd in what would be one of the closest games this weekend. Fabian Causseur and Daniel Theis would be the dynamic duo for Brose Baskets in this game, scoring 18 and 17 points, respectively.