YU-Qwest SIGs: SPORT
YU_SPORT_1: KOSARKA: POCELO JE POCELO !!!
KOSARKA: POCELO JE POCELO !!!
ristic@ibm.net
Thu, 22 Jun 95 07:36:51 -0800
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Yugoslavia, returning to international
competition
after a 2 1/2-year absence because of U.N. sanctions, defeated Greece 84-80
in
overtime Wednesday at the European Basketball Championship.
Dejan Bodiroga had 22 points, hitting all seven of his shots, for the
five-time champion Yugoslavs. With the score 82-80, he made two free throws
with
eight seconds left in overtime to secure the victory.
Yugoslavia's Vlade Divac, the Los Angeles Lakers center, finished with
18
points and 16 rebounds in the Pool A game.
Predrag Danilovic, headed to the Miami Heat next season, played little
in the
first half for Yugoslavia after drawing three fouls less than four minutes
into
the game.
Greece, trying to repeat its 1987 success when it won its only European
title
while playing at home, led 43-34 at the half on 81 percent shooting.
Yugoslavia
went scoreless for the first 5:25.
Divac fouled out with 3:12 left in overtime, but the Yugoslavs stayed in
the
game. With the score 80-80, Yugoslavia's Zarko Paspalj scored from the top
of
the key. Following a miss by Nikos Economou of Greece, Bodiroga converted
the
two clinching free throws.
In another opening-day game, former Seton Hall player Arturas Karnisovas
scored 33 points to pace Lithuania to a 96-82 victory over defending
champion
Germany.
Arvidas Sabonis, the Lithuanian center going to the Portland Trail
Blazers,
scored 20 points despite missing most of the second half because of foul
trouble.
Sarunas Marciulionis, the Seattle SuperSonics guard, had 14 points to
power
Lithuania, the Olympic bronze medalist.
Germany surprisingly won the title two years ago in Munich. But some of
the
team's stars are hurt, and SuperSonics star Detlef Schrempf declined an
invitation to play. Michael Koch led Germany with 21 points.
In another Pool A game, Italy edged Israel 73-71. Russia, runner-up at
the
last European and World Championships, routed Finland 126-74 in its Pool B
opener.
Also in Pool B, France beat Slovenia 89-68, behind 28 points from Yann
Bonato
and 18 from Jim Bilba. Spain downed Turkey 85-70 in the final game of the
day.
Slovenia is one of the three teams from former Yugoslavia competing in
the
14-nation tournament. Croatia is another, plus Yugoslavia, which now
consists
only of Serbia and Montenegro.