Avtodor defeated Kalev on the road, 94-86 (26-21, 17-20, 24-19, 27-26).
Top Scorers
Kalev: Branko Mirkovic (28+11 ast), Cedric Simmons (15+5 reb), Mickael Gladness (14+8 reb)
Avtodor: Nick Minnerath (24+6 reb), Evgeny Kolesnikov (22+7 reb), Brendan Frazier (16+7 reb), Vince Hunter (12+15 reb)
Turning Point
Despite a competitive opening 30 minutes, Avtodor enjoyed a seven-point lead entering the 4th quarter. Branko Mirkovic, who scored a game-high 28, tried to get Kalev back into the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Nick Minnerath put the visitors up 10 (78-68).
The home team twice got within four points in the final minutes, before Vince Hunter’s scoring in the paint and a 3-pointer from Evgeny Kolesnikov ended the comeback.
With the road win, Avtodor passes Nizhny Novgorod in the standings, taking over 9th place. The team trails Enisey, VEF and Astana by 2.5 games for a spot in the playoffs.
Stat
87 – Avtodor’s starters scored all but seven of the team’s 94 points.
Quotes
Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
– 10 missed layups, some turnovers–that’s too many mistakes. The start of the 1st quarter and end of the 3rd were catastrophes. Today, a few players had to play positions they weren’t used to, which resulted in some mistakes. The VTB League is our priority. That’s why our best players were on the court today even though we have the Baltic League quarterfinals on Thursday. Simmons played despite trouble with his knee.
Avtodor head coach Vladimir Antsiferov:
– We came out strong and grabbed the lead, then we relaxed. We made stupid mistakes and missed shots. Our opponent was able to bounce back and cut into the deficit. Our aggressiveness on offense is what helped us win in the end.
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Up Next
Kalev: March 20 vs. Tsmoki-Minsk
Avtodor: March 27 at UNICS
