Superleague A Russia 8/2008 - Ekaterinburg 83, Nadezhda Orenburg 76

Sometimes you get a visitor that you don't want. In this case, the visitor was Ekaterinburg (6-1), a virtual All-Star team, a major player in Euroleague and a team with a lot of players familiar to WNBA watchers. Having Betty Lennox and Shameka Christon might help you, but not this time, as Nadezhda Orenburg (3-5) loses to Ekaterinburg 86-73 in front of a crowd of 2000 spectators.

The translated boxscore is here.

The quarter-by-quarter score indicates a game with a lot of shifts in momentum. Nadezhda Orenburg led by one at the end of the first quarter, 22-21, but Ekaterinburg would score 30 points in the second quarter and take a 51-39 lead into halftime. They'd extend the lead in the third quarter and fend off a rally by Nadezhda Orenburg in the fourth quarter where Ekaterinburg was held to thirteen points.

Nadezhda Orenburg shot 47 percent from the field, but Ekaterinburg shot 51 percent. Both teams had an even number of rebounds, and Nadezhda Orenburg had 16 total turnovers. Ekaterinburg got 18 visits to the free throw line, and hit 14 of them.

For Nadezhda Orenburg, Betty Lennox led all players with 24 points, and six rebounds (she also had four turnovers). Shameka Christon also scored 14 points and Olga Ovcharenko scored 14 points.

Ashja Jones led Ekaterinburg with 18 points and seven rebounds. Jones is a forward for the Connecticut Sun. Deanna Nolan, a guard for the Detroit Shock, scored 16 points and eight rebounds.

But these aren't the only (somewhat) familiar names playing for Ekaterinburg. Yelena Leuchenka - remember that name, Dream fans? - scored six points. Maria Stepanova, who last played for Phoenix in 2005, scored six points. Sandrine Gruda, a center for the Connecticut Sun, scored 15 points and nine rebounds, and Svetlana Abrosimova, who played with the Sun after the Olympic break, scored five points. Elena Baranova, an original WNBA player who last played with the New York Liberty, scored zero points and two rebounds in seven minutes of play.

I'm surprised there's virtually no coverage - let alone pictures - from this game in the Russian media. Maybe tomorrow.