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EuroCup Finals Game 2 April 12th

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Yakin Dogu University celebrate their 2017 EuroCup Championship

April 12, 2017

The two finalists met for the third game in a row as it was another battle of university-sponsored teams.  Abdullah Gul University had some momentum from the weekend game and used it early, overturning the deficit from Kayseri.  The hosts were in poor shape heading into the final period, but surged to bring the aggregate back to even before taking the outright lead and winning 63-58, which was enough for a 136-127 overall win.  Both teams also figure to be position to challenge for another trophy when the Turkish league continues.

Yakin Dogu Universitesi vs. Bellona AGU 63-58 YDUB Hollingsworth 16/10r Leuchanka 13/9r Carson 9 McBride 8 Vandersloot 6/8a Robinson 6 Cakir 3 KAYS Gray 16/6a Sanders 12/8r Wright 12 Dubljevic 10/6r Wauters 8/8r Mazic 0

Yakin Dogu Universitesi wins series 136-127

WNBA Players “Down Under”

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PHOTO: Townsville Fire celebrate winning back-to-back WNBL championships. (ABC News: Isobel Roe)

October 3, 2016

The Australian League kicks off this Friday, October 7th with the Perth Lynx taking on the Uni Flames from Sydney. The WNBL has continued to grow its fan base as basketball is not the most popular sport in Australia. Some would argue that it’s not even the second favorite sport in the country. However, the women’s league continues to attract great talent from the WNBA each year. Australia also produces some of the best women’s basketball players in the world. With the likes of recently retired guard Penny Taylor, the great Lauren Jackson and current Olympian Elizabeth Cambage, the Aussies have proven to the world that they can compete on all levels. Last season, the Townsville Fire won the league championship, their second in a row. Anchored by Cayla George who had a stint in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury and Natalie Novosel who was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2012. As more former and current WNBA players flock to the Outback to compete in the WNBL, this league will soon become one of the best in the world. Be sure to follow along as these 8 teams battle to become the newest WNBL champion.

ROUND 1

FRI OCT 7 7:30 PM SYDNEY UNI VS PERTH

SAT OCT 8 3:00 PM UC CAPITALS VS DANDENONG

SAT OCT 8 7:30 PM BENDIGO VS ADELAIDE

SUN OCT 9 1:00 PM TOWNSVILLE VS PERTH

SUN OCT 9 3:00 PM MELBOURNE VS ADELAIDE

 

Former and Current WNBA Players Competing in the WNBL For the 2016-2017 Season;

Samantha Logic (ADELAIDE LIGHTNING)

Blake Dietrick (BENDIGO SPIRIT)

Kelsey Griffin (BENDIGO SPIRIT)

Ally Malott (DANDENONG RANGERS)

Natalie Novosel (DANDENONG RANGERS)

Chante Black (MELBOURNE BOOMERS)

Ruth Hamblin (PERTH LYNX)

Monica Wright (PERTH LYNX)

Jennifer Hamson (SYDNEY UNI FLAMES)

Leilani Mitchell (SYDNEY UNI FLAMES)

Belinda Snell (SYDNEY UNI FLAMES)

Asia Taylor (SYDNEY UNI FLAMES)

Suzy Batkovic (JCU TOWNSVILLE FIRE)

Natasha Cloud (JCU TOWNSVILLE FIRE)

Jazmon Gwathmey (CANBERRA CAPITALS)

Marianna Tolo (CANBERRA CAPITALS)

Olympic Women’s Basketball Roundup 8/8

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August 8, 2016

The 2016 Rio Olympics have officially began and women’s basketball started their preliminary games Saturday morning. Teams from Group A and Group B will battle it out to determine which eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals which begin August 16th. The preliminaries are grueling as teams have to play back to back games.

There has been clear separation from the rest of the field by the United States as they have been completely dominant in their first two games. First defeating Senegal 121-56 and winning game two against Spain 103-63; a 52.5 point winning margin! Another team who surprisingly sits atop of their group is Japan who have won both of their games in convincing fashion. They started the tournament by defeating Belarus 77-73 followed by an impressive win against the Brazilian hosts 82-66. Australia, who is ranked second in the world by FIBA just behind the U.S. are also undefeated as they defeated both Brazil and Turkey so far. Canada have attracted some attention after winning against China and Serbia. France has also shown well as they too have not lost a game. Most disappointing has been Belarus and Olympic host’s Brazil who both have yet to win a game. Belarus lost a heart-breaker on a last second basket against France. Brazil lost to both Australia and Japan by double figures. Serbia who fields a team with a few WNBA players still haven’t won a game as Canada handed them their second loss earlier today. China and Spain have both won a game a piece while Turkey and Senegal are in search of win number one.

Below are the current standings after games played on 8/8. Games continue tomorrow as Australia takes on France, Brazil faces Belarus, and Turkey will battle Japan. The U.S. will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Serbia at 1:30pm.

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Top Olympic Medalist in Women’s Basketball

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August 2, 2016

The United States women’s national basketball team are the defending Olympic and world champions. The women have won a record seven Olympic gold medals and nine FIBA world championships. Starting from 1994, the U.S. women went almost 12 years without an international loss! It wasn’t until 2006, that the national team was defeated by Russia in the world championships and took home a disappointing bronze medal. At the last Summer Olympic Games in London in 2012, the U.S women won their 5th consecutive gold medal. They are now looking to win their 6th consecutive and 8th overall gold medal in Rio. The women are in Group B which includes China, Canada, Senegal, Serbia and Spain. They open up against Senegal on Sunday August 7th at 10am.

There have been many great players to pass through the United States Women’s National Team. Arguably, this year’s team headed to Rio, may be the best to ever take the court. I’d argue that the team that played in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece were the best to ever do it. Just take a look at that roster. Incredible. Have you ever wondered who are the most decorated women’s basketball players in Olympic history? Would you be able to take a guess? Here are the top medal winners in women’s basketball;

1. Teresa Edwards 4 GOLD 1 BRONZE

2. Lisa Leslie 4 GOLD

3. Tamika Catchings 3 GOLD

4. Diana Taurasi 3 GOLD

5. Sue Bird 3 GOLD

6. Katie Smith 3 GOLD

WNBA Players May Opt Out of Contracts in Turkey

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July 24, 2016

Over half of the WNBA’s players head to foreign countries after the conclusion of the season to join European and Asian clubs during their “offseason”. With the WNBA’s season lasting just over five months, players use their extra time to earn money overseas and to continue working on their basketball skills. One of the more established and popular countries that is a major destination for many players has been Turkey. Turkey has been popular for many reasons. For one, Turkey has one of the larger leagues in Europe. Last season the league fielded 14 teams with each team carrying up to two American players.  Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, is known to be one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. Istanbul is a modern and vibrant city with tons of nightclubs and a huge variety of restaurants, shopping centers and tourist activities. This makes Turkey a very attractive place for players to head where many people speak english and players feel welcomed and not too far from home. However, with the recent airport attack and the failed coup in Turkey many players are hesitant about heading back to the country they’ve grown to love.

At the end of June 44 people were killed and 239 were injured in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport when three attackers armed with firearms and explosives opened fire before blowing themselves up. Turkey’s Istanbul Ataturk Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe, an airport that all players who head to Turkey travel through on many occasions. On 15 July 2016, a coup d’état was attempted in Turkey against the government but ultimately failed. With Turkey currently in chaos many players fear for their safety. With the season set to begin in October, unless things settle down in the country, many teams will be without their signed players for the upcoming season. [Read more…]

I Blame The Media…

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April 7, 2016

Two nights ago UCONN women’s basketball team won their fourth consecutive National Championship! Their 11th in program history, making head coach Geno Auriemma the coach with the most National Championships in NCAA basketball history. In winning his 11th National Championship, coach Auriemma passed the notable John Wooden who won 10 National Championships with his UCLA Bruins in a 12-year period. However, coach Wooden won a record seven in a row. It is yet to be known if coach Auriemma will be able to top that record. With the departure of Breanna Stewart, who was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player for the fourth year in a row, becoming  the 1st player in Division I history, men’s or women’s to accomplish this feat, it will be difficult for the women of UCONN to capture three more titles in the next three years but with UCONN you should never count those girls out. They never run out of players, they just reload.

The sad part in this all is that if you’re not a women’s basketball fan you would have no idea that 1. UCONN were playing for their 11th National Championship in program history. 2. UCONN were also playing for their fourth consecutive National Championship. 3. Syracuse and Washington were both participating in their first final four in their programs history. And 4. If you’re local to the DMV, which I am, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman, a native of Suitland, Md coached at Newport Preparatory School in Maryland where he was voted the Montgomery County Gazette’s Girls Varsity Private School Coach of the Year. In addition to many other storylines, you would not have known any of these things if you didn’t go out of your way to find them out. And I blame the media!

The night before the Women’s National Championship game I was sitting at home watching the local news as I do every evening. Of course the sports segment came on and for the entire however many minutes it lasted the only thing they talked about were the men! They talked about opening day in baseball and the Men’s National Championship game. Let me rewind to the day of the games between Syracuse and Washington and UCONN and Oregon State. There was NO mention that these games even took place. Disappointed in the lack of coverage, now I’m talking about local news, which I think is very important in bringing in fans who don’t necessarily watch sports channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, or some other sports based channel, there was nothing. So they failed to mention that Syracuse and UCONN had advanced the night before but I just knew there would be some mention of the upcoming National Title game, I mean come on, its the National Championship game! Men or women, its the biggest game, on the biggest stage in college basketball. You’re not going to believe this but the local news did not mention that one, Syracuse and UCONN had advanced in the first games of the Final Four, and two that they would be playing for the title the next night! I sat there in shock, I just knew I must have missed it because its is incomprehensible that they would not even mention the upcoming National Championship game! Being that I didn’t move from the sofa while watching the entire news cast I couldn’t have missed it. They just didn’t bother to let their viewers know that there were actually a Women’s Final Four going on…

How? How do you not mention the biggest game in college basketball. As a producer of a show, which are the ones that write and/or decide what anchors will cover, how can you not see it fit or find the time to mention anything about women’s basketball. At this point it’s just blatant disrespect. You didn’t think the title game was worth mentioning? You don’t think that the many women who are at home from work watching the news would like to see what other women are doing in sport? I’m not asking for an entire segment, which I think is deserved, I’m simply looking for you to acknowledge  that a game had been played and another one was on the way. It take three seconds to say “And tomorrow night UCONN women’s basketball will take on the Orange from Syracuse in the National Title Game!” Is that too much to ask for? Seriously, so yes I blame the media for ignoring women’s sports. I mean if I heard one more time that the guys from Villanova and UNC were brothers! If I heard one more time that Villanova were in pursuit of their first NCAA basketball championship in 31 years. The media sure does know how to wear out a story in the men’s game but don’t even bother to mention anything about women! Who are these producers? Who are these anchors? What is their issue with women’s sports? How would they even know if casual fans were interested if they don’t even cover the stories?

Those responsible for the content of sports shows need to demand that women’s sports are covered and this includes local newscasts. No questions asked. Women are interested in what other women are doing in sports. Men are too. There is excitement in the successes of women in all sports and it should be celebrated not ignored. Women who play sports are not trying to mimic men, they are simply doing what they love and working hard to accomplish goals just like anyone else. We need to take a stand and demand that the media takes responsibility for their lack of coverage. It’s disrespectful, it’s rude and quite frankly it’s shameful! This is not only for the men involved in production. There are plenty of women in positions that can advocate for more exposure for women’s sports and they should be at the forefront. What if your daughter or sister, niece, or cousin wants to play sports? Don’t you want her to see people who look like her on television being successful? Don’t you want her to have positive role models to look up to? Give women the coverage they deserve and let society decide if they’re interested or not. Stop leaving it up to the old news producers in the back who still don’t know the WNBA is entering its 20th season!

Check out my blogpost as well to comment: http://sb.gg/131Id

Monique

Should Women’s Basketball Lower The Rim?

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March 22, 2016

“But when [you] look at other sports like volleyball, their net’s lower. Golf, their tees are closer. It goes on and on. Tennis, they play [fewer] sets. Why not lower our rim and let every single player in the league play above the rim like the NBA can?”

The WNBA’s 2015 league MVP Elena Delle Donne recently made a strong case for lowering the rim in women’s basketball. In an interview with New York Magazine that touched on the rampant sexism that female athletes face in today’s society, Delle Donne was quoted as saying “I just can’t wait for the day where people want to talk about your skills on the court and not your looks.” One of her ideas to thwart these misogynistic views of female athletes is to bring more attention to the sport. And a change that could potentially place more eyes on women’s basketball, and no it’s not tighter uniforms, but lower rims.

The standard height of both men and women basketball goals are 10 feet. The only differences between men’s and women’s professional basketball are that women play with a smaller ball and shorter quarters. The men play 12 minute quarters, the women 10, and the women’s ball is about 1 inch smaller than the men. The average height of a WNBA player is around 6’0″ tall and the average height of an NBA player is 6’7”. However, men and women basketball players are playing on the same height rim. In volleyball, the proper height of the net for men is 8 feet tall and for women it’s 7 Feet 4 Inches. In golf, women generally don’t hit the ball as far as men. To make up for this power discrepancy, golf courses are usually designed with different tee boxes so that the difference in the distance women and men hit the golf ball is accounted for. So why isn’t there any difference in the height of the goal for men and women? Clearly, male basketball players are on average seven whole inches taller than their female counterparts so in turn are vertically closer to the rim which allows them to play the game “above the rim.” Although many praise the women’s game for its fundamentals and team play instead of focusing mainly on athleticism, it is clear that many fans want to see more women basketball players dunk the ball.

The most common question I get after being asked how tall I am is “Can you dunk!?” Everyone wants to know if you can dunk or not, as if that validates you as a basketball player. However, it’s what fans like to see. It brings more excitement to the game, it gives onlookers more to talk about and it would bring a new facet to the women’s game. There are a few players that currently play that can dunk the ball, however no one does it consistently. Don’t hold me to this, but I believe the only player to dunk in a game in the 2015 WNBA season was Brittney Griner. When you watch a men’s basketball game there is usually a dunk almost every other play and fans love it! They want to see players defy gravity. Fans want to see athletes do the impossible, do something that they most likely cannot do themselves and that is dunk the ball! Think about it, almost every time Griner dunks in a game it makes headline sports news. Other than that, the WNBA gets a ticker at the bottom of the screen with scores.

I’m pretty sure the majority of women’s basketball fans would be against lowering the rim. They probably think the integrity of the game would be lost. But would it really? Would fans even notice that the rims were lower? I had no idea that volleyball nets were different heights for men and women. Did you? When you’re watching a volleyball match on television are you sitting there thinking “o that wasn’t that great of a spike because the net is lower!” I don’t think so. So if you were watching a WNBA game and Angel McCoughtry came down the middle of the lane and slam dunks I think you would jump out of your seat in excitement rather than sit back and frown and say, “well the rim isn’t at ten feet.” The women’s game is ever evolving, and you must not forget that professional sports is a business first. If a rule change could bring more excitement to the league which in turn should turn into more fans and more ticket sales and sponsorships, it’s something the the governing body should seriously consider. My only wish is that this could have happened when I was in my 20’s. At least that way I could have had a chance at a break-away dunk. At this point in my career, the only thing that could possibly get me to dunk the ball is a trampoline sitting at the bottom of the net. Let me know what you all think about lowering the rim.

Monique

Israeli League Round 4

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With the round moved to midweek, the national team had more time to prepare for their upcoming qualifiers.  Maccabi Ashdod kept Elitzur Holon winless 72-63.  The day’s strongest individual performance came from Lauren Mincy as she led Ramat Hasharon past Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion 88-81.  Maccabi Ramat Hen stayed undefeated as they beat Hapoel Petah Tikva 79-65.

November 12, 2015

Elitzur Holon vs. Maccabi Ashdod 63-72 HOL Nyingifa 16/15r Oren 16/7a James 12 Ganor 11 Hassell 8/9r ASH Houts 15 Ben Nun 15 Levitsky 13/7r Clark 12/13r Sanni 7 Pelleg 0 Presley 0

Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion vs. Ramat Hasharon 81-88 RIS O’Neill 24, Shields 15/11r/6a Levi 13 Nechama 11/7a Penn 10 HAS Mincy 36 Cannon 21/12r Armstrong 11/9r Baron 11 Alama 0

Maccabi Ramat Hen vs. Hapoel Petah Tikva 79-65 RAH Thornton 19/9r Diamant 19/7r Gardner 16/9r/6a Zairy 12/7a Hopkins 11/11r/8a Shafir 2 Cohen 0 PET Madden 25/13r Hrynko 16 Porat 14 Assaf 8 Wiseman 0 Rothman 0

Romanian League Round 10

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romanian team

Wednesday started with a game between the two remaining winless teams as hosts Rapid Bucharest defeated Satu Mare 50-57.  Arad used a balanced effort to beat Brasov 80-70.  Shanita Arnold had the strongest individual performance of the round to lead Alexandria past Timisoara 72-58.  Cluj beat Timisoara 87-79 despite a big scoring output from Donica Cosby.  Sepsi remained undefeated by beating Galati 86-58.

November 11. 2015

Rapid vs. Satu Mare 50-47 RAP Diaconu 21/7r Burlakova 10 SAT Vilcinschi 15/8r Voica 14/9r/9a Chitanu 10/9r

ICIM Arad vs. Brasov 80-70 ARA Stoenescu 17 Hadzovic 16 Gill 14 McCarthy 13/7r Reid 10/13r Dyer 4/11r BRA Irimia 19 Pesovic 17 Sharpe 16 Bartee 14/9r

Alexandria vs. Timisoara 72-58 ALE Arnold 30/6r/6a Brown 20/14r Chivu 10 TIM Wilson 18/12r Grbic 9 Lough 6

Cluj Napoca vs. Targoviste 87-79 CLU Grimes 24 Wilson 17/7r Ajanovic 17/6r Prlja 14 Ferenczi 11 Clark 4 TAR Cosby 28 Wampler 14/8r Principe 8/7r Thompson 7

Sf. Gheorghe vs. Galati 86-58 SEP Tavic 19/6r Pierre-Louis 16/6r Evans 15/13r Marshall 14/9r Jeffery 14/6r GAL Walter 20 McKenzie 13/11r Frost 13 Rochel 8/9r

Standings:

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Korean League Update Nov. 12

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WKBL/KDB

WKBL/KDB

Winnus KDB started the season off 0-2 but were able to get their first win on the road against KB Stars. In what was a close game throughout KDB made some big shots at the end which sealed the deal. Pierson continues to lead the way for her team.

Samsung who were also looking for their first win this week were on the road against KB stars. A close game throughout Samsung turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter and came away with the win.

In a thriller on Tuesday night undefeated Woori Bank lost by 1 point to Hana Bank. With Houston out due to injury Bernice Mosby stepped up and had an amazing 28 points and 13 rebounds.

Winnus KDB handed Shinhan Bank their first loss of the season. In control for most of the game and holding Shinhan to just 6 points in the second quarter KDB went into the half with a comfortable lead. KDB won the third quarter by just six points as Shinhan began to claw their way back into the game. Shinhan outscored KDB 31-19 in the fourth but it wasn’t enough to come out with the win. KDB held Currie scoreless in the first half but she came alive in the second and finished the game with 29 points. Pierson continues to be a consistent force for KDB as she finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds.

KDB vs. KB Stars 66-61 KBD Pierson 26/10/5 (33min) Baugh 4/3 (6min) KB Howard 21/5 (33min) Hamby 6/1/1 (7min)

KB Stars vs. Samsung 57-67 KB Howard 19/7/1 (27min) Hamby 6/4/1 (12min) SAM Harris 6/7/4 (13min) Stokes 13/7/1 (26min)

Woori Bank vs. Hana Bank 62-63 WOO  Stricklen 10/5 (15min) Goodlet 15/11 (25min) Mosby 28/13/2 (33min) Chelsey Lee 15/12/2 (36min) Houston DNP

Shinhan Bank vs. KDB 67-74 SHI Currie 29/9/2 (27min) Gatling 4/1 (13min) KDB Pierson 23/8/4 (26min) Baugh 8/8/1 (13min)