By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow struggled in the first half, yet managed to prevail over Zalgiris Kaunas 94-91.
In the beginning of the second half, the Lithuanian side had a small 7-2 outbreak, which was soon silenced by CSKA, that kept a double-digit advantage until Arturas Milaknis trimmed to 64-55. The momentum of the game slowly started to change, despite the hosts’ 69-62 lead at 30′.
Turning point: Α three-pointer of Vorontsevich at 36′ gave the Russians a “safety net” for the remainder of the game, despite Valinskas’ notable effort in the final period.
Meanwhile, in the first half, Zalgiris began the game with a great offensive effort and got ahead with 18-11 at 8′. Soon enough, Nando De Colo scored 5 consecutive points, then the hosts got in the lead with 22-19 after 10 minutes in the game.
Despite the pressure from the opposing side, CSKA kept the lead. At 14′, Andrey Vorontsevich pushed the hosts’ lead to 29-24. Since that point, the Russian team kept expanding its lead and stayed up with 51-36 at halftime. Two players of the hosts’ side managed to score in double digits at the 20-minute mark: De Colo led with 15 and Clyburn followed with 13.
The star: De Colo checked in a double-double of 25 points and 10 assists for the winners, while he reached 37 PIR points as well.
Not enough: Vasilije Micic finished the game with 20 points and 7 assists for the visiting team.