The three Storm players playing in the Italian LegA Basket Femminile continue to be very successful. Guard Betty Lennox, who has played four of the seven games each A1 team has played, leads all players with 27.5 points per game and is one of only two players averaging 20+ points per game (Phoenix's Penny Taylor, at 21.2 ppg, is the other). Center Simone Edwards is third at 19.7 points per game and forward Alicia Thompson is sixth at 18.7 points per game. Edwards (first, 12.3 rpg) and Lennox (fifth, 9.3 rpg) both rank in the league's top five in rebounding.

Lennox is putting up big numbers since getting on the court in Italy. Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty

Edwards' Taranto team is coming off of a 67-55 win over Polisportiva Ares Ribera and is now the best of the three Storm players' teams at 5-2. Edwards has played 239 of a possible 240 minutes in the six games since she got to Italy (as has Thompson). Next week, Taranto takes on TermoCarispe La Spezia.

Lennox's Maddaloni team improved to 4-3 with a 74-69 win over Rovereto Basket and faces Terra Sarda Alghero this weekend. Lennox had 34 points and 11 rebounds against Rovereto, and Maddaloni is 3-1 since she returned to the lineup.

Thompson, who is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game to go with her 18.7 points, had 17 and 11 as Acer Priolo beat Meverin Parma last weekend to improve to 3-4. Next week, Acer Priolo battles Phard Napoli.

Kamila Vodichkova is balling for Moscow Dynamo while waiting for Storm teammate Sue Bird to join the team in January. Playing in her native Czech Republic against Loko Trutnov, Vodichkova had 27 points and 14 rebounds as Moscow Dynamo came up with a 99-78 win to run its record 4-0.

"The game was not easy at all, although we were 10 points ahead from the very beginning," Vodichkova told FIBAEurope.com. "The home players played with a lot of effort and with the help of their fantastic crowd managed to keep up with us. We won the game after we controlled the pace and played a bit harder.

"In Trutnov, I have noticed a strong enthusiasm both among the players and their fans in their basketball arena. It is easy to tell they appreciate playing in the Euroleague."

Previously, Vodichkova had seven points and four rebounds as Dynamo picked up a key 66-53 win over MiZo Pecsi, which finished third in Euroleague last year. She is averaging 15.8 points and team highs of 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists, shooting 63.9% from the field.

Dynamo has the rest of the month off and does not resume Euroleague play until Dec. 9, taking on Delta Kosice.

Without Lauren Jackson, the Canberra Capitals have rallied with Storm guard Tully Bevilaqua back in the lineup. 1-4 when Bevilaqua returned on Oct. 29, the Capitals have gone 3-1 and won their last three games with her. (Granting that has something to do with the fact that Canberra has played 2-9 Townsville and 1-10 Perth in those games.) At 4-5, Canberra is now a game and a half back of Adelaide for all-important fourth place, which means a spot in the playoffs.

In Canberra's 97-86 win over Townsville on Saturday, Bevilaqua had 14 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes of action. She scored just two points, but had five assists, four rebounds and three steals despite battling illness as Canberra beat Perth 81-71 in its previous outing.

Bevilaqua and the Caps face an important back-to-back set on the road this weekend, first taking on Perth and then going up against Adelaide in a game that could help Canberra make up ground on the Lightning in a hurry.

"Every game is important for us, but this is certainly a great time to chase and put pressure on the top four," Bevilaqua told the Canberra Times.

On Monday, guard Michelle Greco and the Love & Basketball touring team completed their schedule by beating Cal State Northridge. Love & Basketball finished its nine-game series of exhibitions against California colleges at 7-2, losing to USC and #5/7 Stanford. Against non-Pac-10 teams, Love & Basketball was 6-0.

Greco averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game and scored in double-figures in seven of the nine games, leading Love & Basketball in scoring six times. She scored 29 points against Cal State Northridge Monday.

"Greco is an amazing basketball player," UC Irvine forward Lauren Yadon told the UC Irvine New University. "Anytime you have to go against someone like that, it just gives you a chance to step to the challenge and see where your game is at."

Greco teamed with Phoenix Mercury forward and UC Santa Barbara alum Kayte Christensen for Love & Basketball's win over the Gauchos.

According to the LA Daily News, Greco plans to begin playing overseas now that her tour with Love & Basketball has concluded, and is hoping to join Thompson with Acer Priolo.

Bird isn't playing competitively at the moment, but she was honored this week as one of six finalists for the John Wooden Trophy, presented by Athletes for a Better World (which honored Adia Barnes with the Spirit of ABW award earlier this off-season). Bird, along with Sonics guard Ray Allen, was selected in the professional/Olympic category. The John Wooden Trophy is presented annually to the intercollegiate and professional athlete or coach that most exemplifies the Code for Living as selected by the ABW National Board of Directors. The trophy will be presented in Los Angeles on Jan. 10.

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