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May 24, 2013

European domestic leagues Champions 2011-12
2011-12 CHAMPIONS SLIDESHOW

Adriatic League: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
Baltic League: Zalgiris Kaunas
Belgian League: Telenet BC Oostende
Bulgaria League: Lukoil Acadedmic
Croatian League: Cibona Zagreb
Czech League: CEZ Basket Nymburk
Dutch League: EiffelTowers Den Bosch
French League: Elan Chalon/Saône
German League: Brose Baskets Bamberg
Greek League: Olympiacos Piraeus
Israeli League: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv

Italian League: Montepaschi Siena
Latvian League: VEF Riga
Lithuanian League: Zalgiris Kaunas
Polish League: Asseco Prokom Gdynia
Russian League: CSKA Moscow
Serbian League: Partizan mt:s Belgrade
Slovenian League: Krka Novo Mesto
Spanish League: FC Barcelona Regal
Turkish League: Besiktas Milangaz
Ukrainian League: BC Donetsk

Week-by-Week, Domestic Leagues 2011-12

Adriatic League Website	Baltic Basketball League Website	Belgium Website	Croatia Website
Czech Republic Website	France Website	Germany Website	Greece Website
Israel Website	Italy Website	Latvia Website	Lithuania Website
Poland Website	Russia Website	Serbia Website	Slovenia Website
Spain Website	The Netherlands Website	Turkey Website	Ukraine Website

Adriatic League champion: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv

Maccabi Electra wins 2012 Adriatic League (Photo: Maccabi.co.il)

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv won the Adriatic League for the first time on Monday night by beating Cedevita Zagreb 87-77 in the final at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. Keith Langford scored 21 points and was named Final Four MVP. Maccabi took charge from the start by scoring the game’s first 7 points and racing out to a 27-11 lead through 10 minutes. Cedevita struggled and made just 1 of 18 two-pointers in the first half, which paved the way for Maccabi to win the game and the title. Richard Hendrix added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, David Blu scored 13 and Yogev Ohayon compiled 7 assists and 3 steals for the winners. Chris Warren paced Cedevita with 24 points, Vedren Vukusic 14 and Chris Owens 13 in defeat. MORE

Baltic League champion: Zalgiris Kaunas

Zalgiris Kaunas is 2012 Baltic League champion (Photo zalgiris.lt)

Zalgiris Kaunas won the Baltic League for the third straight year and fifth time overall Sunday be beating archrival Lietuvos Rytas 74-70 in the final in Siauliai. Mantas Kalnietis paced the winners with 19 points. Rytas led by as many as 8 in the first quarter, but six different Zalgiris players scored in a 16-1 run that bridged the first and second quarter to make it 34-27. The lead sat at 42-36 at halftime before Rytas rallied and eventually went ahead 51-52 on a Jonas Valanciunas slam with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter. However Marko Popovic and Mindaugas Kuzminskas connected from downtown as Zalgirs jumped ahead 59-54 heading into the fourth quarter. The lead peaked at 72-58 with 4:21 to play. RYtas made one last charge led by Tyrese Rice, but it proved to be too little, too late as time ran out with Zalgiris still ahead by 4. Popovic and Kuzminskas added 11 points each – Popovic also dished 6 assists. Rice led Rytas with 20 points and Samardziski collected 15 points and 8 rebounds in defeat. Earlier, VEF Riga claimed third place by beating BC Siauliai 75-92 behind 24 points from Antanas Kavaliauskas. MORE

Belgian League champion: Telenet BC Oostende

BC Oostende champ Belgian League 2011-12 (photo bcoostende.be)

Telenet BC Oostende won its 13th Belgian championship and first since 2007 by edging Belgacom Spirou Basket 75-74 after overtime Friday in the fifth and deciding game of the series. Matt Lojeski scored the go-ahead triple with 23 seconds left in overtime. Spirou’s Justin Hamilton got to the line with 8 seconds to go, but missed twice and Oostende capitalized to claim the title. Lojeski finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the new champs. Kennedy Winston added 14 and 9 and Brent Wrigth scored 11 for Oostende. Demond Mallet led Spirou with 19 points, Toko Shengelia added 14 and Chris Hill scored 12 in defeat. MORE

Bulgarian League champion: Lukoil Academic

Lukoil Academic Champ Bulgarian league 2011-12 (photo basketball.bg)

Lukoil Academic used a high-scoring fourth-quarter rally to put its stamp on another Bulgarian League title by defeating host Levski 82-87 on the road Sunday. The victory gave Lukoil a 3-0 sweep in the best-of-five series and its 10th consecutive national crown, but it took a 30-point outburst in fourth-quarter scoring to get it done. The back-and-forth game featured many changes on the scoreboard, with Levski holding a seven-point lead, 70-63, with 8 minutes left to play. That's when back-to-back baskets by Brandon Heath sparked a 0-12 run that lasted 4 minutes and turned the game in Lukoil's favor at 70-75. Levski responded, however, with an 8-0 run featuring 2 baskets by Anguelov Dmitrov. Levski still led 81-80 on a free throw by Marcus Hall with 53 seconds left, but a three-pointer by Lamont Mack and free throws from Heath and Todor Stoykov finished the job on Lukoil's10th national title in a row. Heath led the winners with 25 points and 5 assists. Damjan Stojanovski added 13 points while Andre Owens had 12 points, Mack 11 and Bozhidar Avramov 10. Levski got 22 points from Aaron Harper, 13 from Chavdar Kostov and 11 from Vassil Evtimov. MORE

Croatian League champion: Cibona Zagreb

Cibona Zagreb champ Croatian league 2011-12 (photo Tonci Vrandecic - Kosarka.hr)

Cibona Zagreb regained the Croatian League championship after a one-year hiatus on Tuesday by downing rival Cedevita 64-77 to win the best-of-five finals series in four games. Guards Davor Kus and Khalid El-Amin paced the winners with 18 and 16 points, respectively, on a combined 8 of 17 from downtown. Cedevita was doomed by poor outside shooting (5 of 21 from downtown, 23.8%) and 19 turnovers. Cibona got the job done with defense, by holding the hosts to just 12 points in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth, as well as offense, by scoring 25 in the third quarter. Cibona built a 30-38 halftime lead and increased it to 41-60 late in the third quarter before Cedevita narrowed the gap to 50-63 through three quarters. However a pair of El-Amin triples early in the fourth quarter essentially wrapped up the win and the championship for Cibona. Goran Suton added 13 points and 9 rebounds and Marin Rozic scored 11 for the winners. Chris Owens led Cedevita in defeat with 14 points and 8 rebounds. MORE

Czech League champion: CEZ Basket Nymburk

CEZ Nymburk champ Czech league 2011-12 (photo basket-nymburk.cz)

CEZ Basketball Nymburk is once again the Czech League champion! Nymburk won its ninth consecutive Czech League title by sweeping the best-of-seven finals against Prostejov. Nymburk topped Prostejov 67-84 in Game 4 on Saturday to get the celebration started. A.J. Abrams led the winners with 14 points. Mike Lenzly added 12 while Michal Kremen and Radek Necas each had 11 for Nymburk. Pavel Slezak had 15 points for Prostejov while Jamar Smith and Jaromir Bohacik each added 10. Prostejov had a strong start and a three-pointer by Smith gave his team a 12-7 lead. A 0-9 run that Necas capped with a basket allowed Nymburk to keep a 18-19 edge after 10 minutes. Bertengeh Cadri-Nicholson made Prostejov get its last lead, 35-33, midway through the second quarter. It didn't last long, however, as Nymburk's perimeter players made the difference late in the first half. Kremen, Pavel Pumprla, Abrams and Lenzly allowed the guests to get a 14-point margin, 39-53, at halftime. Prostejov tried to change things after the break with better defense and a basket by Smith made it a four-point game, 53-57. Lamayne Wilson and Recas allowed Nymburk to restore a 56-65 edge after 30 minutes. Necas and Wilson led a 2-15 run that sealed the outcome, 58-80, with 4 minutes to go. Prostejov never recovered and Nymburk had plenty of time to celebrate yet another Czech League title! MORE

Dutch League champion: EiffelTowers Den Bosch

EiffelTowers champ dutch league 2011-12 (photo eiffeltowers.nl)

After four years of disappointment that included two Game 7 losses in the finals, EiffelTowers Den Bosch has returned to the top in the Dutch League with a 61-65 road win Sunday over defending champion Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden. The victory decided their best-of-seven final series 4-1 in favor of EiffelTowers, which had also been national champion four times between 2001 and 2007. EiffelTowers ended the series early with a second-half comeback after having fallen behind Lieden, the regular season winner, by 37-30 at halftime. The visitors came back to tie 48-48 after three quarters, but fell behind 56-50 again before rallying behind Peter van Paassen and getting important free throws from Rogier Jansen to safeguard the big victory. Frank Turner paced the winners with 17 points while Jansen added 16 and Stefan Wessels ripped 10 rebounds. For Leiden, Seamus Boxley led all scorers with 22 points. The new champions won the hard way, taking three games on Leiden's court by a combined total of 9 points, while suffering their only loss at home in Den Bosch in Game 4. EiffelTowers had also ousted last season's Eurocup representative, GasTerra Flames, by a single point in the fifth and last game of the semifinals. MORE

French League champion: Elan Chalon/Saône

Elan sportif chalonnais is the French League champion! Chalon won its first-ever French League title by downing Le Mans 95-76 in the final on Saturday. Chalon became the first team to win the French triple crown - league, cup and Semaine des As - and earned the right to play in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Blake Schlib paced the winners with 20 points and 10 assists, earning MVP honors. Ilian Evtimov had 15 points, Nicolas Lang and Steed Tchicamboud each added 14, Malcolm Delaney got 12 while Alade Aminu contributed 10 for Chalon. Marcellus Sommerville led Le Mans with 24 points. Alex Acker added 14 while JP Batista and Taylor Rochestie each had 10 for Le Mans. Back-to-back baskets by Rochestie and a three-pointer by Acker gave Le Mans an early 4-7 lead. An outstanding Schlib followed a tip-in with consecutive triples to give Chalon its first lead, 16-11. Evtimov joined the three-point shootout and Schilb nailed a corner three-pointer to make Le Mans call timeout at 22-13, enough for Chalon to keep a 25-18 edge after 10 minutes. Bryant Smith and Lang hit one from beyond the arc in a 15-0 run that broke the game open, 38-18, keeping Le Mans scoreless for almost 6 minutes. Rochestie and Sommerville tried to change things for Le Mans but Schlib, Evtimov and a wild triple by Delaney allowed Chalon to get a 24-lead, 52-28, at halftime. Batista led a 0-7 run that gave Le Mans some hope, 52-35. A three-pointer by Sommerville got his team even closer, 54-40. Schlib, Evtimov and Lang stepped up to make Chalon seal the outcome, 72-49, after 30 minutes. Le Mans kept trying but all Chalon fans had plenty of time to celebrate that their team that finally won the French League title! MORE

German League champion: Brose Baskets Bamberg

Brose Baskets Bamberg celebrates 2012 German League title

Brose Baskets Bamberg won its fourth consecutive German League trophy in thrilling fashion on Sunday by downing ratiopharm Ulm 97-95 with a rally at home to sweep their best-of-five playoff final series 3-0. With the victory, Bamberg returns to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague next season and became just the fourth team in 66 years of German League history to win four consecutive titles. A sold-out crowd of 6,800 fans at Stechert Arena exploded when Casey Jacobsen hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 51 seconds left for Bamberg, after which Tibor Pleiss added the clinching basket with 9 seconds left. The action had started with a promising 10-2 run for Bamberg, but Ulm answered with its own 0-11 blast and the battle was joined for the rest of Game 3. Ulm led 22-23 after one quarter and soared ahead 43-51 at the half on the strength of 5 consecutive points by Per Gunther and a triple on the buzzer by Keaton Nankivil. Ulm kep ahead by 68-74 after three quarters as Isaiah Swann proved unstoppable. An 8-0 run featuring triples by Karsten Tadda and Julius Jenkins sezied an 81-84 lead for Bamberg, but Ulm took it back on a Swann two-pointer to make it 91-92 going into the final minute. Bamberg drilled the next 5 points, however, as Jacobsen struck from downtown before Brian Roberts assisted Pleiss for the deciding basket with 9 seconds left. Ulm called timeout and got a three-point play from Nankivil to make it 96-95, but after Gavel's free throw, couldn't get a shot off. Roberts led six Bamberg double-figure scorers with 16 points. Predrag Suput added 15, Pleiss 14, P.J. Tucker 13, Gavel 11 and Jacobsen 10. For Ulm, Swann buried 8 of 12 three-pointers on his way to 36 points, while Gunther added 17 and Nankivil 13. The MVP of the finals was Bamberg's Tucker, who averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds over the three games. Bamberg's victory marked the first sweep in the German League finals since 2003. MORE

Greek League champion: Olympiacos Piraeus

Olympiacos champ Greek league 2011-12 (photo esake.gr)

Three weekends after winning the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the first time in 15 years, Olympiacos Piraeus has done it again! The Reds seized their first Greek League title in 15 years, too, by ousting archrival and nine-time defending champ Panathinaikos 82-76 in the fifth and last game of the playoff finals on Saturday. The victory, at home before a sold-out Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, gave Olympiacos its 10th national title. Vassilis Spanoulis, the MVP of the Final Four, again led the Reds with 24 points while shooting 3 for 6 on three-pointers. Euroleague title-game hero Georgios Printezis added 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Acie Law came off the bench to score 10 for the winners. Panathinaikos didn't go down without a fight, rallying from 14 points behind with 5 minutes to play, but running out of time at the end. Nick Calathes led the Greens with 17 points. Dimitris Diamantidis added 13, but shot just 1 for 7 from beyond the arc, while Stratos Perperoglou scored 11 and Kostas Kaimakoglou 10. A huge dunk by Kyle Hines and a short jumper from Evangelos Mantzaris gave to the Reds an 18-11 margin that Perperoglou cut to 24-20 on a three-pointer from the corner on the first-quarter buzzer. Olympiacos dominated the second quarter, extending its lead to 48-31 on a shot from downtown by Spanoulis in minute 19, although back-to-back baskets by Calathes kept Panathinakios within 48-36 at halftime. Panathinaikos kept charging after the break to expand its run to 14-0 behind Diamantidis and Aleks Maric and pull within 48-45. Kostas Sloukas came to the rescue with an off-balance three-pointer to end 4 scoreless minutes for the Reds before Law hit a jumper for a 53-45 scoreboard midway through the the quarter. Kaimakoglou finished a break to make it 57-61 but Law answered from beyond the arc, and a deep triple of Spanoulis gave Olympiacos another double-digit margin, 66-55. The 2012 Final Four MVP then beat the buzzer with another long-distance shot to finish the third quarter with his team ahead 70-56. Pero Antic beat the 24-second shot clock, also from downtown, for the game's biggest lead, 75-59, with 8 minutes left. But Panathinaikos got back in the game as three-pointers from Diamantidis and Perperoglou lowered the difference to 78-71. Again from downtown, Perperoglou reduced the difference to 80-76 before a dunk of Printezis, assisted by Kostas Papanikolaou, gave the Reds an 82-76 margin with a minute left. Panathinaikos missed 4 consecutive three-pointers after that, which allowed the Reds to lift the Greek League trophy for the first time this century! MORE

Israeli League champion: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv

Maccabi Electra is 2012 Israeli League champion (Photo: BSL)

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv celebrated its 50th Israeli League championship by beating Maccabi Ashdod 83-63 in the title game at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Yogev Ohayon was named Final Four MVP after pacing the Maccabi attack with 10 points and 10 assists. Ashdod kept it close longer than most people expected, but ran out of steam. Josh Carter pulled Ashdod within 59-53 late in the third quarter only to see Maccabi reel off 13 unanswered points to erase any doubts. Ohayon sparked the blitz with a basket and 3 assists and Ashdod never threatened again. Maccabi was a lethal 15 for 24 from downtown (62.5%) compared to a paltry 3 for 23 by Ashdod (13%). Keith Langford and Devin Smith scored 16 points apiece for the winners and David Blu added 14. Alex Tyus paced Ashdod with 16 points and 9 rebounds and Carter added 14 in defeat. MORE

Italian League champion: Montepaschi Siena

Montepaschi Siena celebrates Italian tilte (photo: www.menssanabasket.it)

Montepaschi Siena became the first team in the 63-year history of the Italian League to win the title for a sixth consecutive season when it blew out visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Sunday with an 84-73 victory in Game 5 of their best-of-five final series. Siena's 4-1 series victory gave it a 23-3 record overall in the finals since 2007 and pushed its streak past that of Borletti Milano, which won five titles between 1950 and 1954. On Sunday, Ksistof Lavrinovic led the winners with 22 points, while Bo McCalebb added 16, Nikos Zisis 15 and Shaun Stonerook 11. For Milan, Ioannis Bourousis scored 18, Malik Hairston 15 and Stefano Mancinelli 10. It was Mancinelli's 8 points soon after tipoff that gave Milan an early 5-11 advantage, but Siena rallied to lead 19-18 on Lavrinovic's three-pointer to end the first quarter. Pietro Aradori and Zisis, who had 10 points in the second quarter, gave Siena its first double-digit lead, 38-28, on the way to a 42-31 halftime edge. After the break, Lavrinovic and McCalebb quickly pushed the lead to 20 points, at 54-34, after 26 minutes. Milan got as close as 69-57 on point by Omar Cook and Hairston before McCalebb's three-point play seemed to calm Siena. But then Bouroussis hit a triple and Hairston a two-pointer to make it 72-64, the first single-digit difference in almost 20 minutes. Zisis answered with a three-pointer for Siena, but Alessandro Gentile matched it. Then the situation was reversed, with Hairston's next basket from long range making it 77-61 before Stonerook answered from downtown. Lavrinovic's steal and dunk sealed it for Siena, up 82-71 now with under a minute left as the fans celebrated something no team in Italy had ever done before, six "scudetti" in a row! MORE

Latvian League champion: VEF Riga

VEF Riga champ Latvian league 2011-12 (photo vefriga.com)

VEF Riga pounded BK Ventspils 100-70 to win its second straight Latvian League championship, closing out the series 4-1 before its home crowd. Riga completely dominated the contest, opening up a 28-14 lead after the first quarter and piling on points from there. Six Riga players scored in double figures, led by Gatis Jahovics, who tallied 18, including 3 of 3 from downtown, while Kristaps Janicenoks and Kaspars Berzins had 14 apiece, and Antanas Kavaliauskas and Curtis Millage added 13 each. Mamadi Diane paced Ventspils with 14 points in defeat. MORE

Lithuanian League champion: Zalgiris Kaunas

Zalgiris Kaunas Champ Lithuanian League 2011-12 (photo lkl.lt)

Zalgiris claimed its second straight Lithuanian League championship on Sunday, beating archival Lietuvos Rytas 90-84 in Kaunas to sweep the best-of-seven finals. Zalgiris controlled the boards, outrebounding archrival rytas 35-21 to stay out front in the close contest. While Zalgiris could never pull ahead by more than single digits, they never surrendered the lead, taking a 47-44 halftime lead and padding it slightly in the second half. Marko Popovic starred for the hosts with 20 points and 6 assists, while Tomas Delininkaitis netted 19 and Robertas Javtokas added 14. Paulius Jankunas also grabbed a game-leading 10 rebound for the winners. Rytas got 24 points and 8 rebounds from Renaldas Seibutis and 14 points from Steponas Babrauskas. MORE

Polish League champion: Asseco Prokom Gdynia

Asseco Prokom Gdynia is the 2012 Polish champion (Photo: PLK)

Asseco Prokom Gdynia won its ninth straight Polish League title on Wednesday at home by beating rival Trefl Sopot 76-68 in Game 7 of the best-of-seven finals. Donatas Motiejunas dominated with 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Prokom, while Jerel Blassingame was named finals MVP after posting 17 points and 4 assists for the champs. Motijunas hit a triple in a 9-0 first-quarter run as Prokom jumped ahead 20-16 after 10 minutes. The real damage was done in the second quarter, when Sopot was held without a basket for the first five minutes and Adam Hrycaniuk scored twice in a 10-1 run. A pair of Przemyslaw Zamojski triples lifted the lead to 20 before settling for a 43-25 halftime advantage. The lead reached 23 in the third before Lukasz Koszarek and Filip Dylewicz rallied Sopot to 62-49 through three quarters. Sopot kept the momentum going by outscoring the hosts 0-10 in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. Saulius Kuzminskas free throws made it 62-59, but Motiejunas scored twice and Blassingame drained a triple to restore a 71-62 cushion and later sank a free throw with 29 seconds left to seal the win and start the celebrations Dylewicz led Sopot with 22 points, Koszarek added 16 points and 5 assists and John Turek tallied 10 points and 7 rebounds. MORE

Russian League champion: CSKA Moscow

Russian League champion 2011-12 - CSKA Moscow (photo pbleague.ru)

Turkish Airlines Euroleague runner-up CSKA Moscow reiterated its dominance at home in the Russian League on Saturday by sweeping to its 10th consecutive domestic title by blasting Eurocup champion Khimki Moscow Region 75-90. The road win game CSKA a 3-0 sweep in the best-of-five finals. CSKA's accomplishment was all the more noteworthy because it played the entire series without Andrei Kirilenko, who was the Euroleague MVP this season. Nonetheless, CSKA had five double-figure scorers on Saturday and out-rebounded Khimki 31-22. CSKA roared ahead by 19-26 after one quarter and 37-48 at the half, but Khimki rallied after halftime to get within five points, 65-70, heading into the final quarter. As it had all series, CSKA dominated the final 10 minutes, allowing Khimki just 10 points while doubling that total itself. Alexey Shved led the winners with 18 points, while Nenad Krstic added 17 while Viktor Khryapa posted 14, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Milos Teodosic had 13 points and 6 rebounds, while Jamont Gordon chipped in 10 points. CSKA made 12 of 21 three-point shots (57%), including 3 each by Shved and Teodosic. For Khimki, Vitaly Fridzon poured in 20 points and dished 5 assists. Kresimir Loncar followed with 17 points, 6 rebounds. Thomas Kelati added 13 points, 6 assists, while Zoran Planinic scored 10 points. Khimki, as Eurocup champion, will join CSKA in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague next season. MORE

Serbian League champion: Partizan mt:s Belgrade

Partizan mt:s became national champion for the 11th year in a row Friday after edging rival Crvena Zvezda Diva 82-86 to win the best-of-five Serbian finals in four games. Milan Macvan amassed 19 points and 8 rebounds and Vladimir Lucic added 14 points. Omar Thomas scored 23 and Petar Popovic 22 for Crvena Zvezda, but neither could score in the final minute. Partizan went ahead early with a high-scoring first quarter for a 21-28 lead. Zvezda tied it at 30-30 on a Bojan Popovic three-pointer and went ahead on a Petar Popovic basket, but Davis Bertans had the hot hand with 8 points in a 2-10 finish to the half that left Partizan up 42-48 at the break. The hosts stormed ahead with the first 14 points of the third quarter led by Thomas, but the visitors responded with 15 straight and the game headed into the fourth quarter with Partizan on top 60-65. Zvezda powered on and regained the lead at 72-71 on a Petar Popovic basket midway through the fourth quarter. The lead switched hands a few more times and Petar Popovic evened the score at 80-80 heading into the final minute. However Miroslav Raduljica gave Partizan the lead for good with a pair of free throws with just under a minute to go and after Vuk Radivojevic missed on a drive, Dominic James whipped a perfect pass to Macvan to make it a 4-point game with 26 seconds remaining. Bojan Popovic missed a rushed three and Lucic sealed the Partizan win and championship from the line. Bertans finished with 11 points in 9 minutes and James tallied 8 points and 7 assists for the champs. Bojan Popovic added 10 points and 6 assists in defeat. MORE

Slovenian League champion: Krka Novo Mesto

Smiljan Pavic and Afik Nissim celebrate Krka winning Slovenian League title (Photo: KZS)

Krka Novo Mesto conquered its third consecutive Slovenian League title by downing Union Olimpija Ljubljana on the road 55-67 in Game 4 of the best-of-five finals Thursday. A 7-18 run in the final quarter made the difference for the guests. Afik Nissim was named finals MVP after putting up 18 points in the game and averaging 14.3 points and 3.3 assists in the series. The hosts led 18-16 at the end of the first quarter, 34-33 at halftime and 48-47 through three quarters. A Smiljan Pavic dunk opened the last quarter and gave the lead to Krka. Then a free throw by Jure Balazic capped a 9-0 run for a 48-56 advantage midway through the last quarter. The visitors held that margin the rest of the way to get the victory and the title. Balazic added 14 points and Jure Lalic 11 for the winners, while Dijon Thompson bagged 18, Vladimir Dasic 13 and Jaka Blazic drilled 11 for Ljubljana. MORE

Spanish League champion: FC Barcelona Regal

FC Barcelona Regal is once again the Spanish League champion! Barcelona successfully defended the title and lifted the Spanish League trophy for the 17th time in club history by downing Real Madrid 73-69 in do-or-die Game 5 of the best-of-five final series at Palau Blaugrana on Saturday. Pete Mickeal led the winners with 17 points. Fran Vazquez added 16 while Erazem Lorbek got 10 and was chosen as the Finals MVP. Jaycee Carroll led Madrid with 16 points. Kyle Singler and Sergio Llull each added 12 while Nikola Mirotic had 10 for the guests. Mirotic stepped up early with a tip-in and a dunk. Lorbek and Mickeal allowed Barcelona to tie it at 6-6. Free throws by Felipe Reyes put Madrid back ahead, 9-10, but C.J. Wallace struck from downtown, Chuck Eidson sank a jumper and a close basket by Vazquez gave Barcelona a 16-12 lead after 10 minutes. Reyes tied the game with a layup, 16-16, but three-pointers by Ingles and Victor Sada sparked an 8-0 run that forced Madrid to call timeout at 24-16. Mirotic and Sergio Rodriguez stepped up in an 2-14 run that Singler and Carroll capped with back-to-back triples to restore a 26-30 Madrid edge. Juan Carlos Navarro downed a three-pointer and Vazquez had 8 points, including consecutive dunks, late in the first half to give Barcelona a 39-34 edge at the break. Vazquez kept pacing Barcelona after the break and a jumper by Mickeal made it a nine-point game, 43-34. Madrid managed to get within 46-45 on a three-pointer by Singler but Mickeal led an 8-0 run that gave Barcelona some fresh air, 54-45, enough for the hosts to keep a 56-47 margin after 30 minutes. Llull and Mirotic brought Madrid within 56-53 early in the third quarter. Barcelona found a go-to guy in Lorbek, who had two critical baskets to give his team a 62-56 edge with 3 minutes to go. Mirotic and Carroll made it a two-point game, 64-62, with a minute left. Mickeal scored in penetration with 48 seconds left, Singler missed at the other end and Lorbek seemed to seal the outcome, 68-62. Three-pointers by Carroll and Singler gave Madrid a slim chance, 70-68. Rodriguez drew a foul and missed the second attempt on purpose but Barcelona got the ball back and free throws by Wallace allowed all Barcelona fans at Palau Blaugrana to start celebrating a historical win. MORE

Turkish League champion: Besiktas Milangaz

Besiktas Milangaz is 2012 Turkish champion (Photo bjk.com.tr)

Besiktas Milangaz won its first Turkish championship since 1975 on Monday by beating Anadolu Efes 80-76 at Abdi Ipekci to claim the best-of-seven series 4-2. Carlos Arroyo starred with 18 points and 8 assists and Erwin Dudley and Zoran Erceg added 15 points apiece to pace the winners, who celebrated with passion after the final buzzer. The game was close down the stretch and Efes had a shot to tie it, but missed and Dudley sealed the win from the line. Pops Mensah-Bonsu added 10 points and 8 rebounds and David Hawkins tallied 10 points and 8 assists for the winners. Kerem Tunceri led Efes with 22 points, Oliver Lafayette scored 13 and Kerem Gonlum 10 in defeat. Efes started well and held Besiktas without a basket for more than three minutes, but a Hawkins three-pointer evened the game at 8-8 midway through the opening quarter. The score remained tight and Arroyo lifted the hosts to their first lead, 20-18, with a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter. Besiktas then held slim leads through much of the second quarter and reached the break leading 40-39 on a Dudley basket in the last second of the half. Lafayette tied the game with a triple and then gave Efes its first lead of the second half, 44-46. After multiple lead changes, a Tunceri triple left the teams all square at 61-61 through three quarters. The fourth quarter featured six lead changes and 2 ties with neither team taking a lead of more than 3 until Serhat Cetin nailed a clutch three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining that made it 74-69. A Tunceri three-pointer gave Efes hope at 78-76 with 9 seconds to go. Efes sent Cetin to the line, but he made only 1, which left Efes a chance to tie it. However after a timeout, Sasha Vujacic forced a shot from the corner and missed and a Dudley free throw with 6 seconds left sealed the outcome. MORE

Ukrainian League champion: BC Donetsk

BC Donetsk is 2012 Ukrainian champion! (Photo superleague.ua)

BC Donetsk became the Ukrainian champion for the first time Thursday after edging Azovamsh Mariupol 79-84 on the road in Game4 to sweep their best-of-seven finals series. After falling behind early, Donetsk dominated the second half to march to victory. Vojdan Stojanovski led the winning effort with 17 points and Ivan Radenovic added 16. Donetsk led 23-24 after 10 minutes before Azovmash put together an amazing run led by Matt Walsh to climb in front 51-32 at halftime. However, after the intermission, Coach Sasa Obradovic teams started its comeback and cut the deficit to 70-60 at the end of the third. Enthusiasm and a great defensive effort made the difference for Donetsk in the last 10 minutes, as they limited Azovamsh to just 9 points. Vule Avdalvoc and Viacheslav Kravstov added 12 points apiece and Maksym Pustozvonov scored 11 for the new champs. Walsh paced Azovmash with 21 points, Radoslav Rancik added 18, Artur Drozdov 16 and Igor Zaytsev 10 for the hosts. MORE

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