Tsmoki Minsk opens Eurochallenge account

There was just a single game in the Eurochallenge this week as Tsmoki Minsk defeated USAK Sportif at home to potentially ignite its season. The rest of Round 4 will be played on December 2nd and 3rd next week.

Tsmoki Minsk vs. USAK Sportif, 85-73
Belarussian club Tsmoki Minsk picked up its first win of the competition by downing Turkish visitors USAK. The victory was not enough to lift the club off the foot of Group H, but there is now some hope that the Minsk outfit can qualify for the next round. The winners have a 1-3 record and are on the hunt behind a USAK team in third place with a 2-2 record.

The hosts were in a scoring mood through the first quarter as the Belarus powerhouse swept through the first frame to lead 23-15 after ten minutes of play. The game opened with a triple for the home team and they held possession of the lead for the rest of the contest. Tsmoki continued to haul buckets in the second stanza as they poured in 27 points, but USAK also improved at the basket and sent home 22 points of their own. Heading into the locker room at the long break the home fans had plenty to cheer as Minsk led 50-37. The consistent scoring continued from the hosts in the third quarter as they built on their impressive double digit lead with a 22-17 run in the third act. At the final split the Belarus contingent had command of the scoreboard at 72-54. USAK finally took control of the hardwood in the fourth quarter and the visitors at least made it interesting as they took 9 points off a 16 point deficit. However, the hosts ultimately had too many points in the bank and held on down the straight to win the game.

Branko Mirkovic had a good all-round game for Tsmoki Minsk with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. Following Mirkovic was Ivan Maras with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Aliaksandr Kudrautsau also claimed 14 points in success.

Eric Buckner topped USAK with 16 points, followed by Courtney Fells with 14 points and Chris Warren with 12.

Igor Grichuk, Tsmoki Minsk’s Head Coach was happy to see his team get off the mark in the Eurochallenge and complimented their work ethic.

“I’m proud of my guys and the whole team. We changed defence – and it worked very well. We won the rebound and shot well from behind the arc. So this game was a pleasure to watch. But we need to continue our work in order to get better.”