Briscoes Dazzles, Kalev Scores First Win

Briscoes Dazzles, Kalev Scores First Win

Kalev Estonia defeated Astana Kazakhstan at home, 83-73 (22-17, 23-19, 21-19, 17-18).

Top Scorers
Kalev: Isaiah Briscoe (20 + 5 reb + 6 ast), Bojan Subotic (18 + 5 reb), Cedric Simmons (11 + 5 reb), Branko Mirkovic (11 + 5 reb)

Astana: Justin Carter (21 + 6 reb + 5 ast), Leonidas Kaselakis (16), Larry Gordon (10)

Story
Isaiah Briscoe made a statement in his VTB United League debut, scoring 20 points to guide Kalev to its first win of the season. 

The home team raced to a 33-20 lead early in the 2nd quarter and held a nine-point edge entering halftime. Bojan Subotic led the way in the first half, scoring 10 points, including two 3-pointers.

Briscoe took over in the 3rd quarter. The Kentucky product scored 10 points to push Kalev’s lead to 11 at the end of the period. 

Subotic and Briscoe, who combined for 38 points on the night, put the game away to start the 4th, scoring seven unanswered to make it an 18-point game, 73-55. 

With the victory, Kalev improves to 1-5. Astana falls to 1-5. 

Nice Play

Stat
47% – Kalev punished Astana from beyond the arc, sinking 10 of 21 attempts.

Quotes
Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
– It’s the first win! This is the first time this season that we never lost control of the game. During our last three games, we had numerous bad stretches, surrendering 15-0 or 10-0 runs. Today, we were able to avoid that. Our new player Isaiah Briscoe really helped us. We look forward to the upcoming games with confidence. 

Astana head coach Kostas Flevarakis:
– To be honest, it’s tough to comment on today’s game. This was our fifth road game, which has had a serious effect on the performance of our top players. I don’t have more to say. I can only congratulate Kalev on a win and the excellent atmosphere at the arena. 

Up Next
Kalev: November 19 away vs. Nizhny Novgorod
Astana: November 18 home vs. Enisey

Snapshot

kalev_astana_ubl_vtb_ (5)