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Shavonte Zellous wins arbitration case against Turkish club Galatasary

Indiana Fever guard Shavonte Zellous finally won her arbitration case against her former Turkish club, Galatasary.

Zellous was awarded more than $200,000 in back pay and bonuses this past week by an arbitrator assigned by the international basketball federation. It took about eight months for the case to be decided.

"I'm excited that it's finally over and I got what I deserved," Zellous told The Associated Press in a text. "It took a long time for this to happen. Thank God, it's finally over."

The 28-year-old guard, who earns about $100,000 playing in the WNBA, had refused to go back to the Turkish power until she got what she was owed in bonuses. The team terminated her $315,000 annual contract in late September.

Zellous ended up going to play for Galatasary's rival club Fenerbahce in February. She averaged 14.5 points in 17 games to lead Fenerbahce to the semifinals of the Turkish league.

Before heading overseas, Zellous played in an exhibition game with the Harlem Globetrotters when they came to Indianapolis.

She is missing the beginning of the WNBA season, which starts June 5, as she is playing for Croatia in the Eurobasket tournament, which runs June 11-28. Zellous recently became a nationalized citizen of Croatia this spring to help that team compete for an Olympic spot.

The sixth-year pro averaged 11 points per game for Indiana last season.