Lyttle Becomes a Spanish Citizen

According to lokosxelbaloncestofemenino.com, Spain has made Sancho Lyttle a naturalized Spainsh citizen.

From Francisco Caamaño, the Minister of Justice in Spain:

In exceptional circumstances it as having excellent physical and technical qualities to excel in basketball, what may help to raise the national team's potential future projects, as their selection for the World Cup. (Yes, bad translation.)

In short, Lyttle now qualifies for the Spanish National Team. Spain wants to raise its women's team's international profile...and they might have just found a way to do it.

LFB2 26/2009 - Burgos 81, Arxil 64

Burgos stays on top of the LFB2 - the Spanish League second division - with a 81-64 win. Burgos advances to 23-3 with Arxil falling to 5-21 and facing relegation even further below the LFB2.

The box score is here.

For Arxil, Alexandria Anderson scored 13 points and six rebounds. Anderson played at UT-Chattanooga from 2005-08. Camila Blands, a Danish player on the team, played from Alabama from 2006-09. Blands scored eight points and seven rebounds.

As for Burgos and Demetress Adams, she played 19 minutes and had virtually no game:

2 points
1-for-1 shooting
2 rebounds
19 minutes played

LFB Semifinals 1/2009 - Perfumerias 65, Rivas Ecopolis 59

In the opening game of the Spanish League semifinals - Ros Casares will have its hands full on Sunday playing Spartak Moscow in the Euroleague finals - Perfumieras gets the first win at home in Salamanca in a close 65-59 battle. The semifinals is a best-of-three series and if lucky, Perfumerias can close the series with the second game on April 14th.

The box score is here.

Crystal Langhorne came out strong for Rivas Ecopolis in the first quarter, scoring 12 points in just under seven minutes. Sancho Lyttle picked up two quick first quarter finals and found herself on the bench. Down 21-17, Perfumerias managed to close within one point, 23-22 at the end of the first quarter.

Lyttle picked up her third foul in the middle of the second - an important distinction, as in Euroball players only get five fouls. Le'coe Willingham and Olga Podkovalnikova (playing hurt) had to carry the load for Perfumerias. By halftime, Perfumieras was only up 36-34 and both teams would get a rest for the second half.

In the third quarter, the game became a defensive struggle. Perfumerias scored six points, and Rivas Ecopolis scored five in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Perfumerias got a boost and held off Langhorne to end the quarter 46-42 in favor of Perfumerias, giving Lyttle a chance to come back into the game with four fouls. Lyttle was out of kilter but Perfumerias managed to hang on and take a 56-49 lead, a lead which they would keep throughout.

Crystal Langhorne led Rivas Ecopolis with 16 points and eight rebounds. Catherine Joens scored 12 points and Petra Ujhelyi scored seven points and four rebounds.

For Perfumerias, Le'coe Willingham scored 14 points and eight rebounds. Alba Torrens scoed 12 points and four rebounds and Olga Podkovalnikova scored four points and four rebounds.

Sancho Lyttle managed to get 22 minutes in despite four personal fouls:

6 points
5 rebounds
2 assists
22 minutes

Euroleague Semifinals 2009 - Ros Casares 86, Krakow 57

Erika de Souza is looking forward.

In front of 6400 spectators, Krakow hoped that they could extend their amazing season a few steps further by making it to the European finals. Unfortunately, the best Krakow can hope for is third place in Euroleague, as they were thumped on Ros Casares's home ground with a 86-57 loss.

The win by Ros Casares sends them to the finals on Sunday to play Spartak Moscow, who have been Euroleague champs for three years in a row. Krakow plays Ekaterinburg in the consolation game.

The game report, box score, play-by-play and a small gallery can all be found here.

Krakow fell behind 31-15 in the first quarter, and it got worse. With two minutes left in the first half, Krakow was down by twenty points and El Ros took a 57-35 lead into the intermission. In the third quarter, Krakow was held to just seven points and it was all over except for a temporary celebration. Ros Casares shot 53 percent from the field; Krakow only shot 35 percent.

Ewelina Kobryn scored 16 points and nine rebounds for Krakow. The only other player to break double-digits for Krakow was Liren Cohen, who only scored seven points.

Iziane Castro Marques was the third leading scorer for Krakow with nine points, but it was a poor shooting night for Castro Marques:

9 points
3-for-11 shooting
2-for-4 free throw shooting
4 rebounds
3 assists
3 turnovers
27 minutes played

As for Ros Casares, Delisha Milton-Jones scored 17 points and five rebounds. Anna Montanana added 12 points for Ros Casares and Belinda Snell scored just 10 points. But the player of the game, and the winner of the Battle of the Brazilians was Erika de Souza:

23 points
10-for-14 shooting
11 rebounds
3 offensive rebounds

LFB2 25/2009 - Burgos 84, Carmelitas 61

Burgos advanced to a 22-3 record with a 84-61 win over Carmelitas in the second-level Spanish League. Just keeping tabs on how well Demetress Adams is doing. Adams has been invited to the pre-season training camp.

The box score is here.

Carmelitas has a couple of American players. Renee Taylor scored 13 points and six assists. Taylor graduated from Miami University in 2007. Rachill Robinson, a graduate from Bowie State, scored eight points and five rebounds.

It looks like Adams has picked up her game - maybe in preparation for the Dream training camp?

13 points
14 rebounds
6 offensive rebounds
6-for-12 shooting
25 minutes played

LFB 26/2009 - Perfumerias 85, Mariana 61

In their final regular season game of the year, Perfumerias had no trouble with visiting Joventut Mariana. Perfumerias advanced to 23-3 to finish the season, but were stuck in second place behind top finisher Ros Casares (25-1). As for Mariana, the loss keeps them out of finishing at .500 for the year.

Only the top four teams in the Liga Femenina will make it to the posteason. Ros Casares plays Zaragoza and Perfumerias will move forward to play third-place Rivas Ecopolis on April 10th. The second game will be played on April 14th, and if necessary Game 3 will be played on April 17th.

The finals will be a three-game series. The games will take place on April 24th, April 28th and May 1st (if necessary).

The box score is here.

It doesn't seem like much of a game - a game in which Perfumerias extended its lead quarter by quarter. Perfumerias won each of the first three quarters and tied the fourth quarter. Perfumerias led by 15 points at halftime and by 24 at the end of thirty minutes.

Shay Murphy led Mariana with 20 points and 10 rebounds - the only double-double in the game. Murphy is a five year veteran who played with the Indiana Fever last year. Gisela Vega scored 14 points for Mariana and Murriel Page scored 11 points in the loss. Page formerly played for the Mystics and the Sparks.

Five players scored in double figures for Perfumerias. Anke de Mondt scored 17 points and six rebounds, Marta Xargay added 16 points and seven rebounds, Silvia Domingues scored 10 points with five assists and Le'coe Willingham scored 15 points for Perfumerias.

Sancho Lyttle played less than a half of basketball, but still had a great game.

17 points
7-for-8 shooting
7 rebounds
2 steals
19 minutes played

LFB 26/2009 - Ros Casares 79, Estudiantes 58

For Ros Casares, there was nothing to fight for. They had already sealed up first place in the regular season. However, for Estudiantes, it was a fight for their lives to stay in the upper league. They also needed Hondarribia to lose, but if Estudiantes lost they would be relegated - sent down to the bottom league. Unfortunately, their dream of being El Ros was just that - a dream - as they lost 79-58 at home.

The box score is here.

For a few minutes in the first quarter, it looked like Estudiantes was going to fight. They fought to a 6-6 tie after three minutes, led by Laura Herrera.

And then Ros Casares rolled off 20 straight points. 20-0 run. At the end of the quarter, the score was 26-6 in favor of Ros Casares. The game was, for all intents, over. Oh, Estudiantes won the second quarter to close the gap to 44-30. However, Ros Casares stepped on Estudiantes again in the third quarter and led by 28 points after three quarters, 75-47.

In the fourth quarter, both sides mailed it in. Ros Casares scored a grand total of four points, but it was a foregone conclusion anyway. Why get hurt in the final quarter when you have the playoffs to think of? Estudiantes only scored 11 points, so it wasn't as if Estudiantes could take advantage of the ten-minute nap by Ros Casares in the final quarter.

Thyra Liljestrand led all scorers for Estudiantes with 12 points and four rebounds. Marta Zurro scored 11 points and eight rebounds for Estudiantes, and Ashley Battle contributed 11 points in the losing effort. Battle is a five-yeaer WNBA veteran who has played for the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty.

The only player on Ros Casares who played more than 30 minutes was Laia Palau who only scored five points. Delisha Milton-Jones led all scorers with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jana Vesela scored 12 points and Belinda Snell scored 10 points.

Erika de Souza took a serious rest this game. She played for 20 minutes, but even so she did a great job:

14 points
4-for-6 shooting
5 rebounds
20 minutes played

LFB2 24/2009 - Burgos 71, Cajacanarias 66

In the second division of the Spanish League, Burgos remains on top with a 71-66 win on the road over Cajacanarias.

No reporting on this game, just keeping a tab on Demetress Adams, who plays for Burgos. Adams had a great game today: a lot better than her usual sub-par performance.

15 points
7-for-10 shooting
9 rebounds

LFB 25/2009 - Perfumerias 64, Hondarribia 59

There's not much for Perfumerias to fight about. With a 22-3 record after their road win against Hondarribia, they've clinched second place in the Liga Feminina. The 64-59 win is closer than expected against a 7-18 team, but a win is a win is a win.

The box score is here.

Perfumerias was fairly confident of winning, according to the FEB website. Both teams found it hard to score in the first quarter, and Perfumerias barely led 12-11 after the first ten minutes. Sancho Lyttle kept Perfumerias ahead on the scoreboard and only a last-second shot by Anna Deforge of Hondarribia kept Perfumerias's lead within a couple of baskets, 32-27 at halftime.

Perfumerias kept the lead until Hondarribia made a 10-0 third quarter run, leading 55-49 at one time. This forced Perfumerias to clamp down on defense, and Perfumerias fought their way back to a 57-57 tie with 4:40 left. Le'Coe Willingham stepped up for Perfumerias in the last few minutes and helped the visiting team get the victory.

Anna Deforge scored 23 points and four rebounds for Hondarribia. Deforge played seven games for the Detroit Shock last season in the WNBA. The only other player scoring in double-figures for the home team was Maria Sanchez-Aguilera was 11 points. Neither team was effective on the boards, but Perfumerias won that battle 33-23.

Le'Coe Willingham scored 14 points and five rebounds for Perfumerias, and Anke de Mondt also scored 10 points for Perfumeria, but the player of the game - and possibly the player of Spain - is Sancho Lyttle, with another amazing game. Lyttle is averaging over 10 rebounds a game in Spain.

18 points
8-for-13 shooting
14 rebounds
3 assists
5 steals
36 minutes played

LFB 25/2009 - Ros Casares 105, Real Canoe 61

El Ros has run away with the regular season crown.

Ros Casares has already sealed the top spot in the Spanish postseason, and they only have one more game to play after the one they played against Real Canoe today. It wasn't much of a competition as Ros Casares advanced their regular season record to 24-1 with a 105-61 win against Real Canoe.

The box score is here.

There's not much to say about this one - it was a rout, with El Ros starting out 7-0 and forcing Real Canoe coach John Diniz to ask for a time out. Ros Casares was leading 25-9 after the first quarter and 48-20 at halftime. Ros Casares won every quarter by at least seven points, shooting 60 percent from the field and holding Real Canoe to 15 total rebounds.

Laura Garcia Salinero lead Real Canow with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Cela Maria Menendez Anatoli was the only other Real Canoe player to break double figures with 17 points.

As for Ros Casares, it was an easy victory with five players in double figures, including Delisha Milton-Jones with 18 points and 7-for-10 shooting, and Belinda Snell with 15 points and five steals. (The crowd at Valencia - this was Ros Casares's final regular season home game - was shouting "MVP! MVP!" for Milton-Jones.) Erika de Souza was the informal player of the game, racking up a lot of points in a very short time:

17 points
8-for-11 shooting
9 rebounds
2 steals
22 minutes of play

Lyttle and De Souza: Teammates in 2010-11 in Spain?

A very interesting article from Tribuna.net in Spain.

Right now, Atlanta's posts - Erika de Souza and Sancho Lyttle - play for two different teams in Spain, Ros Casares and Perfumerias respectively.

It appears that both de Souza and Lyttle are thinking about contract negotiations for next season. Furthermore, this year is the final year of Erika de Souza's contract with Ros Casares. And now the surprise - Ros Casares would like Sancho Lyttle to play for them...and Perfumerias wants Erika de Souza.

If those two players end up on the same team in the 2010-11 season, look out Liga Femenina!

LFB 24/2009 - Ros Casares 72, Perfumerias 68

Ros Casares went on the road to Salamanca, and for Perfumerias it was the same old story: a defeat at the hands of one of the best teams in Europe, this time losing 72-68 at home. El Ros advances to 23-1 and with two games left in the regular season secures first place for the rest of the season. Ros Casares secures home team advantage throughout the post-season.

The box score is here.

Ros Casares led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter, but Perfumerias came on strong in the second quarter. Perfumerias went on a 12-2 run and another 7-0 run that gave Perfumerias a halftime lead of 46-32, Perfumerias's highest lead in the game. But Delisha Milton-Jones and Belinda Snell led a comeback that rapidly dwindled Perfumerias's 14-point lead.

Erika de Souza earned her fourth foul two minutes into the third quarter and was mostly consigned to the bench. El Ros clamped down the defense, and with Snell and Jana Vesela working the perimeter, Perfumerias only led 56-53 at the end of three quarters. With five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Ros Casares took a 63-62 lead and was in control for the remainder of the game.

Le'Coe Willingham had 14 points and five rebounds for Perfumerias, and Alba Torrens added 13 points and three rebounds. Leading Perfumerias was Sancho Lyttle:

10 points
3-for-6 shooting
9 rebounds
32 minutes played

For Ros Casares, Delisha Milton-Jones scored 22 points to lead the winners. Belinda Snell had 14 points and six rebounds, and Laia Palau had four points and nine rebounds.

Erika de Souza didn't have much of a game, playing only for 16 minutes.

6 points
3-for-5 shooting
5 rebounds
4 fouls
16 minutes played

LFB2A 23/2009 - Burgos 73, University of Ferrol 63

Burgos remains on top of the Spanish League 2 (A level) with a 73-63 win over visiting University of Ferrol. The box score of the game is here.

I'm not going to report in depth about any of these games because it's unlikely that you've heard of any of these players. I'll just highlight which American players ended up in the Liga Femenina 2.

University of Ferrol

Britany Miller: Miller played eight minutes for the Detroit Shock last year. She scored seven points and four rebounds before fouling out after 33 minutes. She's averaging 16.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg in the Liga Femenina 2.

Kate Mills: Mills graduated from Massachusetts in 2008. Mills was University of Ferrol's top scorer, scoring 24 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 9-for-13. Mills averages 16.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg this year for the University of Ferrol.

Burgos

Demetress Adams: Adams only scored 2 points, but had 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 turnovers in 28 minutes of play. Adams averages 6.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg in Spain's lower league.

"And you thought WNBA Live Access was disappointing...."

From the Spanish sports site enCancha.com:

Feb.es. The website of the Spanish Federation continues to provide coverage for the day of very poor quality. In broadcasting, the actual quality of the image and position of the chambers are very poor in most games. No comments, no placards and time marker, but a deafening sound environment. Nothing more was heard of "The match of the day" of the Women's League. Too much expense for the FEB.

The alternative is the "Basketball in vivo.A good idea, if it were not for the markers are not so vivid. Often left standing during matches, and sometimes never even get started. These are failures that we suffer for a long time and remain unresolved. This neglect by those responsible for the FEB website is a reflection of the attitude of its leaders to the Women's League. It is not a money issue, is an attitude problem.

Maybe that should be the counter-argument. "It's not a money problem, it's an attitude problem." I'm going to remember that the next time the WNBA pleads poverty on something.

LFB 23/2009 - Perfumerias 94, Real Canoe 46

First place and second place look secure in the Liga Femenina as second-place Perfumerias comes to Madrid and rolls over home team Real Canoe 94-46. Perfumerias advances to 21-2 with Real Canoe falling to 7-16.

The box score is here.

The game was a disaster for Real Canoe. Perfumerias stated out 8-0 and scored 20 points in five minutes against Real Canoe's 2-3 zone. Up 59-25 at halftime, Perfumieras buried Real Canoe in the third quarter, holding Real Canoe to just six points. The score was 80-31 after thirty minutes.

Real Canoe only played seven players, with four of those players scoring three points or less. Marta Blanes and Evelina Guneva were the only players to break double-digits for Real Cano with 11 and 13 points respectively.

Five players scored in double figures for Perfumerias. Alba Torrens scored 17 points and Anke de Mondt and Marta Xargay each had 11 points. The player of the day for Perfumerias, however, was Sancho Lyttle who turned in another amazing performance:

22 points
7-for-11 shooting
8-for-9 free throw shooting
11 rebounds
5 offensive rebounds
4 assists
29 minutes of play

LFB 23/2009 - Ros Casares 93, Gran Canaria 69

The first game of note this Saturday turned out to be a laugher - Gran Canaria was down 27-5 at one point in the first quarter and was down by 23 points at the end of the first half. They never returned to make a contest of it as Ros Casares won 93-69 at home in Valencia. Ros Casares jumps up to 22-1 with just three games left in the regular season. Gran Canaria falls to 10-13 and hangs on to 7th place, still hoping for a run at th post-season - the top eight teams go to the post-season.

The box score is here.

Gran Canaria turned the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes. In the final period, both sides rested their players, thinking about the post-season.

Arina Markotenko and Jaklin Zlatanova each had 15 points for Gran Canaria - even though Zlatanova also had six turnovers. Utah graduate Morgan Wharburton added eight points but also had six turnovers.

Belinda Snell had 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists for Ros Casares. Delisha Milton-Jones led the team with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. She was the best player of the game, barely edging out Erika de Souza.

How did Erika de Souza fare? Very well:

17 points
8-for-10 shooting
11 rebounds
4 offensive rebounds
5 blocked shots
27 minutes played

LFB 22/2009 - Ros Casares 85, Ibiza 68

Ibiza continues to fight for its life, sitting at the bottom of the Liga Femenina and facing relegation. A battle against Ros Casares couldn't help, and I'm sure any Ibiza fan simply hoped that the outcome wouldn't be too embarrassing. I suppose that an 85-68 defeat wasn't too bad for Ibiza, which falls to 3-19.

The box score is here.

As in the Perfumerias game, Ros Casares won the first two quarters, 44-33. El Ros came out strong in the third quarter and extended the lead to twenty points, with Ros Casares slowing down a bit in the final quarter.

Shannon Johnson, now retired from the WNBA, scored 19 points for Ibiza but had six turnovers. All in all, Ibiza shot 51 percent in the game. Sandra Pirsic added 14 points and Alicia Polez added 10 points and five assists.

Delisha Milton-Jones led all players with 23 points and six rebounds. Belinda Snell had 18 points and five assists, and Amaya Valdemoro scored 17 points and had four steals.

Erika de Souza didn't have much of a game, playing less than a full half.

4 points
4 rebounds
2 assists
18 minutes played

LFB 22/2009 - Perfumerias 83, Estudiantes 60

There's only one more month of regular season basketball left in the Liga Femenina. Perfumerias will retain its lock on second place with an 83-60 win over visiting Estudiantes. The win moves Perfumerias to 20-2 on the year and one game behind Ros Casares, which will make the Ros Casares-Perfumerias rematch on March 20th very interesting - Perfumieras won 79-78 on the road in the first of the two scheduled matches.

The box score is here.

Perfumieras marched out to a 28-17 lead in the first quarter, won the second quarter by four and the third quarter by nine. Estudiantes was never in the game, falling to 5-17 on the year. Reading one of the write-ups, it says that Ashley Battle "angrily left the bench" of Perfumerias. It had something to do with a foul called against Estudiantes, or possibly due to one not called on Perfumerias.

Marta Zurro Alfonso lead Estudiantes with 16 points and seven rebounds. Laura Herrera added 13 points. Battle had six points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of play.

However, Perfumerias shot 52 percent for the game and 60 percent from 2-point range. Le'coe Willingham had 18 points and four rebounds and Anke de Mondt and Alba Torrens had 10 points each, but the clear MVP was an astonishing performance by Sancho Lyttle, scoring a double-double in slightly more than 20 minutes of play:

22 points
8-for-9 shooting
11 rebounds
5 offensive rebounds
3 assists
2 steals
20 minutes of play.

LFB 21/2009 - Perfumerias 78, Gran Canaria 67

Licking their wounds after being swept by Ros Casares in the Euroleague quarterfinals, Perfumerias made themselves feel better by beating Gran Canaria 78-67 in a Liga Femenina game in Salamanca.

Perfumerias advances to 19-2 and remains in second place. Gran Canaria falls to 9-12. The box score is here.

No pictures, and no write ups just yet. It looked like a close game initally, with the first quarter ending 21-20 and the first half ending 35-34 in favor of Perfumerias. It seems like Perfumerias established a good third quarter lead, holding Gran Canaria to just 10 points. The pendulum swung back in favor of Gran Canaria in the fourth quarter, but not by enough.

Rosuara Sanchez Lujan had 15 points and two rebounds for Gran Canaria, which was led by Morgan Warburton with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Warburton graduated from Utah and was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs but didn't make the team.

Anke de Mondt and Emilija Podrug had 15 points each for Perfumerias. Sancho Lyttle had a good game, but only played 22 minutes:

14 points
6-for-11 shooting
2 rebounds
2 assists
4 turnovers
22 minutes played

LFB 21/2009 - Ros Casares 88, Olesa 73

After knocking Spanish League rival Perfumerias out of the Euroleague on Friday, Ros Casares returned to Valencia and resumed their march through the Liga Femenina, ovrecoming a temporary third-quarter setback to defeat visiting Olesa 88-73.

WIth five games left in the Liga Femenina season, Ros Casares advances to 20-1 on the year, where Olesa falls to 10-11. The box score is here.

No game writeup as of yet, and no pictures. Ros Casares only put seven players on the floor, while only eight Olesa players saw any minutes. Olesa was held to only ten second quarter points and El Ros led 41-27 at halftime. However, Olesa exploded in the third quarter for 31 poitns and closed the gap to 60-58 at the end of thirty minutes. Ros Casares would prove to be the toughest team, scoring 28 points in the final quarter to seal the victory.

Michelle Maslowski led Olesa with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Maslowski is a graduate of Drexel University. Iva Perovanovic added 14 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

Belinda Snell had 20 points for Ros Casares, but the player of the game was clearly Erika de Souza. Some writers are saying that Erika de Souza might challenge fellow Atlanta Dream player Sancho Lyttle for the MVP title of the Spanish League.

Erika de Souza's game:

24 points
12-for-15 shooting
11 rebounds
4 assists
30 minutes played