By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikita Kurbanov and Mike James hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the last two minutes to push CSKA Moscow towards a 94 – 91 road win against bottom-placed Tsmoki Minsk.
Kurbanov made the start with a triple for the 84 – 86 with 2:13 remaining and then another one that put his team up by five, 84 – 89. Alex Gavrilovic scored two free throws to keep Tsmoki close but on the other end, Mike James also drained a 3-pointer following an offensive rebound by Daniel Hackett, to give CSKA a valuable 6-point lead. James then hit a pair from the line to seal the victory of the “Army Men.”
James finished with 21 points and five rebounds while Darrun Hilliard added 21 points plus five assists for CSKA. Kostas Koufos had 18 points plus eight boards.
Dominez Brunett (20 points, six rebounds, five assists), Gavrilovic (19 points, seven rebounds) and Maksim Salash (18 points, seven rebounds) stood out from. Tsmoki. The Belarusian side had previously taken a 14-point lead, 35 – 21, in the mid of the second period and was up by 10, 61 – 51, five minutes into the second half. CSKA erased that deficit and the fourth quarter became a close contest.