Tab And Title, Two Games Away
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad
Ex Tall Blacks head coach Tab Baldwin and his U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca squad sit two games away from a championship in Romania.
Cluj-Napoca lost game four of the Romania Basketball Divizia A finals 82-75 on Sunday, as regular season champions Asesoft CSU Ploiesti leveled the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
Baldwin’s Red Caps gained the advantage with a 77-68 game three win on Saturday, taking a 2-1 lead, before losing game four on their home floor, and now head to Ploiesti for game five on Friday and return to Transylvania for game six next Tuesday.
Tall Blacks centre Craig Bradshaw has seen a season end at the semifinals stage for the second time in 2008.
Bradshaw and his Efes Pilsen Spor Kubulu team were eliminated from the Turkey Basketball League playoffs after an 82-75 game two loss on Sunday, completing the 3-0 sweep.
The 23-year-old had nine points (1/4 FG, 0/1 3pt, 7/9 FT), 10 rebounds and a block in 21 minutes in game two, following his three points (1/6 FG, 1/3 3pt), two rebounds, an assist and steal in 12 minutes in the 76-65 loss in game one.
As per Turkish league rules, Fenerbahce took a 1-0 lead into the semifinal series after sweeping Efes 2-0 in the regular season, and needed only to games to upset the second qualifiers on their home floor.
It was a quiet weekend for Kiwis in Australia Basketball Association (ABA) leagues, with only Adrienne Gilbert and Jess Spinner recording wins with their teams.
Gilbert had three points (1/6 FG, 0/1 3pt, 1/5 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 31 minutes in a 60-48 win over the Sydney Comets in round 11 of the Waratah League, stretching their unbeaten streak to start the season to seven games.
Former Tall Fern Spinner had four points (2/6 FG, 0/2 3pt), four rebounds, an assist and a block in 10 minutes in an 83-52 win over the Rockingham Flames in round nine of the State Basketball League (SBL) in Western Australia.
In other leagues, former Fern Julie Ofsoski had 11 points (5/10 FG, 1/3 FT) and two rebounds in 29 minutes as her Frankston Lady Blues went down 69-62 to the Launceston Tornadoes in round 13 of the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL), while Gemma Kerr compiled five points (2/9 FG, 0/2 3pt, 1/3 FT), five rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of her Kilsyth Cobras 74-68 loss to the Southern Districts Spartans.
Zeke Meehl provided two points (1/4 FG, 0/2 3pt), a rebound and assist in 15 minutes as his Maroochydore Clippers lost their sixth straight to begin the Queensland Australia Basketball League (QABL) season with a 106-88 loss to the Logan Thunder in round six. Shannon Proffit did not play as the Maroochydore women’s team went down 80-47 to the Thunder.
