#By RENALDO DORSETT
#Tribune Sports Reporter
#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
#POSTSEASON basketball continues for several Bahamian senior men’s national team players in their respective leagues throughout Europe and South America.
#Travis Munnings and Sporting Lisboa Benfica have advanced to the semifinal in Portugal’s Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB).
#Benfica completed a two-game sweep of Povoa in the quarterfinal. In game one, Munnings had five points, four rebounds and three assists in his team’s 77-59 win.
#In game two, Munnings had a perfect shooting night from the field (5-5) and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in an 84-67 win. They will advance to face the winner of CAB Madeira and Munnings’ former club UD Oliveirense.
#In 28 games this season, Munnings averaged 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 61 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arch.
#The 6’6” wing is currently in his second season in the LPB. Last year he averaged 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game for UD Oliveirense.
#Benfica eliminated UD Oliveirense in the quarterfinals of last season’s playoffs.
#Benfica looks to finish the local LPB on a high note and claim back-to-back titles after they were eliminated from FIBA EuroCup playoff contention in April. Munnings finished with a team high 19 points and eight rebounds, but Benfica dropped a crucial 89-72 to Sporting CP.
#In 14 EuroCup games, Munnings has averaged 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
#Zane Knowles and Levski Sofia find themselves in an 0-2 hole to Balkan Botevgrad in the semifinal of Bulgaria’s NBL.
#In game one, Knowles came off the bench to finish with eight points and four rebounds in an 80-74 loss.
#He moved into the starting lineup for game two, and he finished with 17 points and five rebounds in a 76-72 loss.
#Game three is set for May 17.
#Knowles finished with a dominant 28 point, eight-rebound performance in a 116-74 win over Beroe in the first game of the quarterfinals. His statline was highlighted by his first three-point field goal of his career.
#Last season while preparing for the season in Hungary with Zalakerámia ZTE KK, Knowles sought treatment for what he described as a minor hamstring injury when doctors discovered a rare Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) that required surgery.
#In seven games since he has returned to play, he has returned to form with averages of 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
#Tavario Miller and Minas Belo Horizonte advanced to the semifinal in Brazil’s Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) but currently trail Flamengo in their series.
#Miller had just three points and three rebounds in the 76-67 game one loss. Minas advanced with a 3-1 series win over Unifacisa in the qaurterfinal. In game one, he finished with six points and five rebounds in an 85-65 win.
#He followed with 22 points and seven rebounds in a 90-81 game two loss before 13 points and six rebounds in a 88-85 win.
#In the closeout game of the series he finished with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench in a 75-63 win.
#Minas finished the regular ranked third in the league at 25-7.
#The team also finished third in the FIBA Basketball Champions League of the Americas with a win over Quisima in the bronze medal game last month.
#In his first season with the club, Miller is averaging 11.5 points and seven rebounds per game on 65 percent shooting from the field.