CSKA beat Avtodor on the road – 102:86 (20:22, 32:24, 25:19, 25:21).
The best scorers
Avtodor: Anton Kvitkovskikh (17 + 5 rebounds), Evgeniy Kolesnikov (16), Zeljko Sakic (13), Evgeniy Minchenko (12 + 10 rebounds).
CSKA: Alexey Shved (32 + 6 rebounds + 8 assists), Nikola Milutinov (21 + 6 rebounds), Semen Antonov (15), Nikita Kurbanov (11 + 10 rebounds).
Game progress
Avtodor (8-3) and CSKA (10-3) approached the game as neighbors in the standings, taking 4th and 3rd places. An important duel from the first minutes went at a high pace. The Saratov team successfully scored from a distance (Alexander Gavrilov and Evgeniy Kolesnikov scored 2 3-pointers), the Moscow team relied on Alexey Shved and Nikola Milutinov. With the equal battle all over the 1st quarter, the rivals were separated by 2 points – 22:20 Avtodor led.
In the 2nd quarter, CSKA managed to seize the lead. The Army team did this with the advantage in rebounds and activity in offense. The team was led by Shved and Milutinov again. Closer to the halftime, CSKA led by 9 points, but two shots by Anton Kvitkovskikh allowed the hosts to catch up – 52:46 the Army team led.
In the 3rd quarter, Shved focused on the playmaking, and Semen Antonov took his place and scored 8 points. CSKA controlled the game, this time giving out a strong defensive run – the Army team did not allow the opponent to get to 20 points. Before the decisive quarter, CSKA was ahead by 12 points.
The key moment
Avtodor started the 4th quarter with 7:0 run. The dreams of Saratov fans about the comeback were not came true. The unstoppable Shved scored 7 points in a row in just a minute, returning CSKA a comfortable lead. Alexey was soon supported by Antonov and Milutinov – 12:0 run and 89:74 on the scoreboard. In the remaining 5 minutes, the Army team did not allow anyone to doubt their lead.
With this win, CSKA equaled Zenit in wins (11-3), rising to the 2nd place.
Hero
Alexey Shved. CSKA roster has undergone major changes, as a result, the fans saw “Khimki times” Shved – the guard acted as the main offensive option. Alexey got impressive stats: 32 points, 6 rebounds (both are season high this season) and 8 assists.
Numbers
102 – CSKA scored more than a hundred for the 3d time in a season.
What’s next
Avtodor: road game versus PARMA-PARIMATCH on March 13.
CSKA: road game against Enisey on March 11.
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