CSKA Moscow defeated PARMA Perm on the road, 79-69 (24-16, 13-20, 30-16, 12-17).
Top Scorers
PARMA: Eigirdas Zukauskas (14 + 4 stl), Ivan Lazarev (11)
CSKA: Will Clyburn (18 + 8 reb), Sergio Rodriguez (17 + 7 ast), Ivan Ukhov (11)
Story
CSKA blew open a one-point game at halftime with 30 points in the 3rd quarter, ensuring a win on the road in Perm.
PARMA has now lost six in a row and its first since firing head coach Nikolajs Mazurs. The home team came to play, quickly recovering from a nine-point deficit to lead late in the 2nd quarter.
Janis Blums had a layup and 3-pointer during PARMA’s comeback and Alexander Platunov knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer, 36-34, with 1:15 remaining in the first half.
But CSKA ended the half on top, 37-36, and would regain control in the 3rd quarter.
Trailing 46-42 with 6:30 left in the period, the Army Men went on a back-breaking 13-0 run, capped by seven straight points from Sergio Rodriguez.
PARMA simply could not stop CSKA’s offense, giving up 25 points in six and a half minutes as Moscow rolled into the 4th quarter with a commanding 67-52 advantage.
The home team never threatened down the stretch, despite a late rally that closed the deficit to 10.
CSKA picks up the win, its 17th of the season, and bounces back from a loss earlier in the week to UNICS.
PARMA is now 3-13, only a game ahead of last-place Tsmoki-Minsk.
Dunk of the Game
Вау! Майкл Хамфри колотит сверху с двух рук в игре против ЦСКА 🔥
Wow! Michael Humphrey SLAMS in game vs CSKA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Th5kWdLgPV
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) February 15, 2019
Stat
6,399 – PARMA broke the season record for attendance as 6,385 fans packed the Molot to watch the home team battle CSKA.
Quotes
PARMA interim head coach Viacheslav Shushakov: “First of all, I want to say thank you to our fans who showed up in unbelievable numbers to support our team. It should be noted that our guys expended a lot of effort at the Russian Cup and we only had two days to prepare with this roster, like we did for the cup game. The second thing is that we bet on defense. We had a game plan, which worked in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters, but right after halftime our opponent hit a lot of easy shots under the basket. We need to stop those baskets. Ultimately, because of those plays, CSKA was able to pull away.”
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis: “I would like to congratulate the team, especially for coming back in the 3rd quarter. This was a very interesting, tricky game and analysis from it will help us in the future. The team was able to mentally regroup after the 2nd quarter and play the 3rd quarter like needed, scoring 30 points. I also want to congratulate PARMA on the win in the Russian Cup and note the unbelievable atmosphere at the game created by the fans. Every game in Perm is special and memorable for us.”
Photos
