There have been plenty of hard-fought game in the VTB United League, including some that have gone to overtime–54, to be precise. But every once in a while, even overtime isn’t enough, forcing a second extra period. Konstantin Kucher looks at the League’s six double-overtime games and who stepped up for the win.
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The recent game in Astana could have seen the League’s first-ever triple overtime. With 21 seconds remaining, Rob Lowery, who would save his best for last, tied the game at the free-throw line, 95-95. But Enisey’s Tony Taylor responded with two free throws of his own, setting the stage for Lowery’s heroics.
In any case, this was the first game of the season that needed two overtimes. Let’s look back at the rest.
Krasnye Krylia – Budivelnik – 90-89 (14-12, 19-22, 19-17, 19-20, 9-9, 10-9)
When: February 15, 2012
Where: Samara, Russia
Stars: Brion Rush (Krasnye Krylia), Pavel Burenko (Budivelnik)
The League’s first double-overtime game took place during the 2011-12 season in Samara. The playoff race was starting to heat up and both Krylia and Budivelnik wanted a spot in the postseason. During regulation, the home team had better chances of winning. With a few seconds remaining, Brion Rush went to the free-throw line with a three-point lead, but missed both attempts. The visitors took advantage, forcing overtime on a Pavel Burenko 3-pointer.
The next five minutes were evenly matched as the two teams matched bucket for bucket. Rush finally redeemed himself late in the second overtime. His team trailing by two points, Rush drained a 3-pointer with time running out to give Krylia the win.
Enisey – Neptunas – 89-88 (16-22, 20-14, 14-19, 24-19, 10-10, 5-4)
When: December 13, 2012
Where: Klaipeda, Lithuania
Stars: Zabian Dowdell (Enisey), Martynas Mazheika (Neptunas)
The following season featured two games with double overtime. The first instance occurred in Klaipeda with Neptunas hosting Enisey. The game was extremely close from start to finish, with Neptunas picking up a 72-70 lead late in regulation. Enisey was forced to foul and the strategy worked. Neptunas guards Marius Runkauskas and Martynas Mazheika both missed a free throw and Enisey leader Zabian Dowdell forced overtime by scoring twice on layups.
The roles flipped in the first overtime with Enisey very nearly picking up a win. With three seconds to go, Dowdell gave the visitors a two-point lead. Neptunas called timeout and a mid-range jumper from Mazheika was enough to send the game to double OT, 84-84.
But Krasnoyarsk would not be stopped. With both teams running low on fuel, the tempo slowed and players struggled to hit shots. Zabian Dowdell, though, had just enough left to hit the game-winning basket.
Nizhny Novgorod – Spartak – 88-85 (18-10, 18-11, 14-24, 20-25, 11-11, 7-4)
When: May 5, 2013
Where: St. Petersburg, Russia
Stars: Arturas Strelnieks (Spartak), Vasily Zavoruev (Spartak), Obi Trotter (Nizhny Novgorod), Dmitry Golovin (Nizhny Novgorod)
The League’s only double-overtime game in the postseason was played in St. Petersburg in 2013. It was also a Game 3 with the winner advancing to the next round.
Nizhny raced out to an early advantage and led for a long time. After Dmitry Golovin’s layup with a minute to go, the visitors went up by seven points, 70-63. But Vasily Zavoruev refused to let his team lose. He hit a couple of big shots to get Spartak close, while Arturas Strelnieks forced overtime on a fast break layup.
St. Petersburg also needed some heroics at the end of the first overtime. This time, forward Joshua Carter proved clutch, sending the game to double overtime with a dunk.
Spartak’s luck finally ran out in the second extra period. Strelnieks had a chance to force triple OT, but his 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim.
Azovmash – Tsmoki-Minsk – 102-98 (20-18, 22-20, 19-17, 16-22, 15-15, 10-6)
When: February 16, 2014
Where: Minsk, Belarus
Stars: Terrell Stoglin (Azovmash), Branko Mirkovic (Tsmoki-Minsk)
Azovmash flew to Minsk in the midst of a rebuild. This was only Zvezdan Mitrovic’s second game in charge and guard Terrell Stoglin was making his debut. The American would prove to be one of the heroes. His ability to make plays helped Azovmash lead much of the contest. The final minutes of regulation featured physical, half-court offense, with the two teams combining for six points. Keith Benson and Marcus Ginyard traded baskets down the stretch to force overtime, 77-77.
The tempo picked up in the first extra period. Stoglin had a chance to secure the win, but his shot was off the mark, setting up a second overtime. Once again, the game came down to the final seconds as Ginyard’s free throws helped the Ukrainians go ahead, 101-98. Tsmoki’s Branko Mirkovic had a chance to tie it, but his 3-pointer was off the mark.
Khimki – Lokomotiv-Kuban – 101-88 (22-12, 20-29, 15-21, 17-12, 8-8, 19-6)
When: December 7, 2015
Where: Khimki, Russia
Stars: Alexey Shved (Khimki), Malcolm Delaney (Lokomotiv-Kuban)
This game was unique in many ways, featuring the only double-overtime meeting between League contenders. The second extra period, though, belonged to Khimki, just as the game really belonged to Alexey Shved. The Khimki guard finished with 32 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and finished with a 30 efficiency rating and mind-boggling +30 in the plus/minus rating.
Shved was the reason for Khimki’s runaway victory in the second overtime. Earlier, at the end of regulation, Kuban’s Malcolm Delaney could have won the game, but failed to score on a drive to the basket. Khimki’s Tyrese Rice came up empty in similar circumstances in the first overtime. Once the second overtime arrived, Shved took over. The visitors simply couldn’t stop him.
Nymburk – Enisey – 92-88 (22-21, 16-21, 24-22, 14-12, 6-6, 10-6)
When: February 8, 2016
Where: Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Stars: Howard Sant-Roos (Nymburk), David Kennedy (Enisey)
Krasnoyarsk leads the League in double-overtime game with three appearances. A home game against Nymburk last season was the team’s second.
The League’s double-overtime games haven’t been particularly high scoring, with the winning team scoring more than 100 points only twice. This game in Krasnoyarsk was no exception. “Missed Opportunities” might have been an appropriate headline. In the final minute of regulation, both teams had chances to win: Tony Taylor and David Kennedy for Enisey and Marko Jagodic and Chasson Randle for Nymburk. But nobody could connect. Taylor and Kennedy also each missed a free throw late in the first overtime and Nymburk forward Vojtech Hruban failed to make them pay, setting up a second overtime.
The visitors finally emerged with a win in the second extra period, grabbing a three-point advantage late in the period that Enisey couldn’t overcome. The home team had three chances on the final possession, but couldn’t get a 3-pointer to drop.
