Khimki edged CSKA Moscow

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

In a late-thriller in Moscow, Alexey Shved’s two pointer, one second before the end of the game, let Khimki beat CSKA Moscow at home (91-89) in top-16’s first round.

For the winners, Shved scored 28 points, with Tyrese Rice adding 22. On the other hand, Nando De Colo had 20 points and six assists for the losing squad, as Milos Teodosic, who missed the three-pointer at the buzzer, scored 18 points and dished out seven assists.

In the beginning, the match was close (5-3, 11-13), as no team could take a significant advantage. However, CSKA quickly took control of the game and made a 4-14 run to earn a double-digit advantage (15-27). Things didn’t change much later and the first quarter ended with the Muscovites in front by eight (21-29). Dimitris Itoudis’ team continued to execute very well on both ends of the floor and was easily retaining the lead (27-41). Khimki, though, tried to fight back and cut the deficit to seven points with a 7-0 run of its own (34-41). But, the visitors stood tall and Cory Higgins’ crazy half-court three-pointer at the buzzer let CSKA Moscow claim a 10-point advantage after 20 minutes in the game (41-51).

In the second half, the hosts made a come-back. They enhanced their overall performance, made a 17-8 run and were down by just one point (58-59), with five minutes to go in the third quarter. The “Bear”, though, managed to retain the lead and had a slight advantage after 30 minutes in the game (69-71). In the last quarter, Rimas Kurtinaitis’ players hit consecutive three-pointers  and made an 11-1 run to take an eight-point lead (80-72). But, the visitors responded, played very well on both ends of the floor and tied the game (83-83), with three minutes to go, behind a 3-11 run. In the remaining time, the situation remained the same (87-87, 89-89), with Shved saying the final word to give Khimki the big victory, as Teodosic missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.