Avtodor Saratov opened the season with a convincing win over Enisey Krasnoyarsk, 102-83 (28-19, 27-23, 29-14, 18-27).
Top Scorers
Avtodor: Ian Hummer (15 + 6 reb), Coty Clarke (13 + 5 reb), Justin Robinson (12), Micah Downs (11 + 5 ast), Maxim Sheleketo (11), Artem Klimenko (10 + 7 reb + 5 ast)
Enisey: Vitali Liutych (24 + 7 reb), Suleiman Braimoh (13 + 5 reb), Matic Rebec (12)
Story
Anticipation was high for Avtodor’s first game of the season and the home team immediately surged ahead. Fedor Klyuchnikov gave Avtodor its first double-digit lead, 24-13, with a triple to end the 1st quarter. Saratov continued to dominate in the 2nd, outgunning Enisey on offense. Ian Hummer and Dramir Zibirov also had an impact off the bench as the 31-year-old Zibirov put Avtodor on top by 15, 48-33.
Turning Point
Saratov forward Maxim Sheleketo drilled a 3-pointer to open the second half. Enisey responded with a rash of turnovers (Krasnoyarsk finished with 17 to Saratov’s 9), allowing the home team to build an even bigger lead. The margin reached 26 points midway through the 3rd quarter, 74-48. In the remaining time, Krasnoyarsk tried to cut into the deficit, outscoring Avtodor 27-18 in the 4th, but the home team’s lead was too big. The home team won the rebounding battle (36-27), made fewer mistakes and shot a terrific percentage from inside the arc (46 points in the paint).
Highlights
One minute highlights 📹@AvtodorSaratov vs @BC_Enisey pic.twitter.com/ltP0uDrCkK
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) October 14, 2017
Stat
185 – both teams were aggressive on offense, making this the highest-scoring game thus far in the 2017-18 season.
Quotes
Avtodor head coach Andrea Mazzon:
– I’m very happy with the players. They gave everything today and played real team basketball. I also want to thank our fans. We need to play another fantastic game on Wednesday. We know we have some very tough opponents in the VTB United League. There are some powerhouse clubs. Our challenge is to get better and overcome our limits. We need to set short-term goals and think about every possession and move on defense.
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
– We weren’t prepared for the game. There are a lot of reasons associated with the previous game and accompanying factors. It’s hard to draw conclusions so quickly. We need to break down what happened and find the mistakes that were made as a coaching staff as well as by the players. More than anything, I’m sorry for all the residents of Krasnoyarsk that spent their free time watching us play so poorly. I want to apologize to them.
Up Next
Avtodor: October 22 away vs. CSKA
Enisey: October 21 home vs. Nizhny Novgorod
Snapshot
