VTB League – CSKA and Nizhny win
The semi-finals of the VTB League are underway and Game 1 brought plenty of excitement, including an overtime victory from CSKA Moscow.
The line-up includes CSKA, Unics Kazan, and Nizhny Novgorod from Russia, while Lithuanian giant Lietuvos Rytas is also in the last four. CSKA capped its good week with a strong comeback against Unics to claim a victory in overtime to take a 1-0 lead in their series. In the other game, Novgorod proved too good for Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius at home.
Unics Kazan vs. CSKA Moscow, 92-92 OT
CSKA took a 1-0 lead in the series by picking up an important home win to continue a good VTB League run that has also brought three consecutive victories over Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. It did not start well for the Moscow club though as Unics collected more points during the opening quarter to take an early 22-20 lead after 10 minutes. It did not get any better for the visitors in the second frame as Kazan continued to press on home advantage, eventually leading 48-43 at halftime. CSKA struggled to contain Unics and in the third quarter the hosts extended their lead with a 19-15 run that put the score at 67-58 with the Q4 to come. CSKA kept its recent good VTB League form alive with a blockbuster fourth stanza that saw the Russian juggernaut pile in 25 points to 16. The away team had comeback in the fourth quarter to tie the game after regulation, so the players prepared for overtime. In the extra frame baskets were at a minimum, but CSKA Moscow took the period 7-9 to cap a good comeback.
Milos Teodosic was instrumental for CSKA as he picked up 25 points, 4 boards, and 6 assists. Backing up Teodosic was Nenad Krstic with 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Unics led for much of the game thanks to 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists from Nikolaos Zisis and 14 points apiece from Andrew Goudelock and Sergey Bykov.
Nizhny Novgorod vs. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, 87-81
Nizhny got its VTB League semi-final series off to the perfect start by defeating Lietuvos Rytas at home. The Russian club powered into a solid 25-19 lead during an open first quarter. However, Lithuanin powerhouse Lietuvos Rytas stormed back in an exciting second frame, outscoring Novgorod 20-25 to make it a one point game at halftime (45-44). The hosts outpaced Rytas in a low scoring third frame, taking the period 18-12 to leave the score at 63-56 with 10 minutes to play. The baskets flowed in the fourth quarter as the visitors won the stanza 24-25, but it was not enough to stop Nizhny winning the game.
Taylor Rochestie set the tone for Novgorod with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Dijon Thompson logged 15 points and 6 rebounds. Semen Antonov also claimed 6 boards on his way to a 14 point game.
Martynas Gecevicius took a game high 23 points for the downed visitors, with Juan Palacios getting a double-double 18 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Darius Songaila with 16 points.