Europe 95 Rest of the World 105
TURK TELECOM’S American center Erwin Dudley scored 23 points to help the Rest of the World team defeat Europe 105-95 and earn the MVP award in the FIBA EuroCup All Star Game 2007 on Tuesday night in Limassol.
It is the fourth consecutive win for the undefeated Rest of the World team over their European counterparts.
“I was surprised that I was selected. My team-mates played well and I thought one of them could have won, but I got it and it is a great accomplishment,” Dudley told the official web site of the FIBA Europe.
The Europe team, led by Aksavayu Girona head coach Svetislav Pesic, were trailing throughout the game and fell as far as 19 points behind midway through the third period. However, they never gave up and tried to get back in the game in the final period.
The Spanish national team center Marc Gasol cut the score to just one point at 90-89 with 5:44 remaining on the clock, and the teams were even at 94 after Bekir Yarangume’s lay-up with 3:34 remaining. But the Europeans failed to take control of the game as the Rest of the World team went on 11-1 run to claim the victory.
“I was satisfied with the seriousness with which my team played this game and it was not easy against such good European players to stay ahead the whole game from plus 20, so compliments to the players who did their best,” said the Rest of the World’s coach Zare Markovski.
“The Europeans were serious too, especially in the second half when they came back from 20 points down to two, so it was really a game, not just a show, a really tough game,” he added.
Serhiy Lishchuk led the Europeans with 15 points, while Arvydas Cepulis added 12. Laurent Sciarra and Artur Drozdov had 11 and 10 points respectively.
Marque Perry, Kennedy Winston and Andre Hutson had 14 points each for the Rest of the World. Ariel Mc Donald scored 13, while Khalid El-Amin added 11.
Two players who play in the Cyprus league won the traditionally entertaining 3-point shoot-out and slam dunk competition. YDRA Asphalistiki ENAD’s guard Andreas Pilavas won the 3-point contest which also featured Laurent Sciarra, Arvydas Cepulis, Jeron Roberts and Guilherme Giovannoni.
“I was nervous,” admitted Pilavas after the competition.
“I didn’t know anyone and they just called me to represent Cyprus. So I started out nervous and I talked to some teammates and said if I make the first two then it’s going to be my show.”
“This is good for me and I hope some scouts saw that and I get the opportunity to go abroad and play for myself and my family,” he added.
American center Ryan Randle who is playing for DTL EKA AEL won the slam dunk contest which included Hassapis Omonoia’s Tshomba Duke, Frederick Achilleas Kimakliou’s Isaac Burton as well as two Slamnation dunking specialists including Kadour Ziani.
Randle, the unlikely winner, was the most consistent throughout the competition and especially in the finals as he made both of his dunks which was enough for him to claim the victory which he celebrated with the overweight Chicago Bulls male cheerleaders, the Matadors.
“This is the second dunk contest I have participated in. Organizers asked me if I wanted to participate in the All Star game and I said sure, I get a free jersey so I’m cool,” Randle added.
