By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow survived a hard battle against Alba Berlin on the road to win 71 – 68 and snap a two-game losing streak. The Russian side was without superstar Mike James who has been suspended by the club.
“Very important [to get the win] especially against this team,” CSKA Moscow forward Tornike Shengelia said after the game. “They kicked our asses at home so we were coming back here to to make a statement.”
Shengelia scored a team-high 20 points, including six decisive points in the final minutes. The Georgian forward made the 65 – 69, following a 3-pointer by Maodo Lo with 29 seconds to play, he also hit two free throws to put his team up by three.
Marcus Eriksson, under pressure by Shengelia, missed the 3-pointer to tie the game and CSKA got the win that improved their record to 16 – 6.
Alba, that saw head coach Aito Reneses returning to the sidelines after recovering from coronavirus, dropped to 8 – 14. Peyton Siva (15 points) was the only Alba player in double figures. Jayson Granger added nine points and four assists.
Daniel Hackett contributed 13 points and Nikola Milutinov a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds for CSKA.
The game had some ups and downs for both teams that combined for 38 turnovers (19 by ALBA, 17 for CSKA). Alba led 58 – 54 early in the fourth period and then a 0 – 7 run gave CSKA the advantage with five minutes to play. The visiting squad retained a small, yet steady lead for the rest of the match.