By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The “Army Team” got the job done as expected by keeping its distance from start to finish on the way to an 85-59 win. CSKA Moscow simply couldn’t be denied and Crvena Zvezda didn’t have the tools to compete with the Russian powerhouse.
The players of coach Dimitris Itoudis started the game with a 22-10 first quarter and kept pushing until the end, facing no real resistance from Zvezda.
The key: Defense was the name of the game for the Russians who kept the hosts to 34 points for the first three periods. When they “relaxed” at the last quarter, the game was already over with CSKA entering the last ten minutes leading by 31 points (65-34).
The star: Kyle Hines set the tone in the first half on both sides of the floor with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and one block as CSKA got a 44-27 lead. He finished the game first among equals with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers in just 16 minutes on the floor.
Nando De Colo scored 16 points, Sergio Rodriguez had 11 points and 9 assists, while Cory Higgins added 12 points.
Taylor Rochestie tried his best for Zvezda and scored 15 points, but that was not enough.