CSKA Russia defeated VEF Latvia on the road, 107-80 (32-15, 25-24, 19-17, 31-24).
Top Scorers
VEF: Klavs Cavars (15 + 6 reb), Baden Jaxen (13), Andrew Andrews (11 + 7 ast), Mareks Mejeris (11)
CSKA: Sergio Rodriguez (21 + 6 ast), Mikhail Kulagin (19), Joel Bolomboy (15 + 6 reb), Cory Higgins (13)
Story
CSKA took care of business in the Latvian capital, shooting 61% from the field en route to a comfortable 107-80 victory.
The visitors grabbed a commanding lead in the 1st quarter, 32-15, behind 11 points from playmaker Sergio Rodriguez, including three triples.
The Muscovites never looked back, outscoring VEF in each of the four quarters for a comprehensive victory.
Riga was doomed by shaky three-point shooting (4-17) and only 26 rebounds. The lone bright spot for the home team came from guards Jabril Durham and Andrew Andrews, who combined for 17 assists.
VEF’s defense, however, was no match for the reigning champs. Eight players posted double-digit efficiency ratings for CSKA, who shot 54% from beyond the arc, 61% overall and 90% from the free-throw line (26-29). Rodriguez led the way with 21, while Joel Bolomboy enjoyed another big performance, recording 15 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes on the court.
CSKA becomes the first team in the League to 10 wins, while VEF drops to 2-10, trailing Avtodor and Nizhny Novgorod by three games for the final playoff spot.
Stat
107 – the Army Men continue to lead the League in offense, scoring more than 100 points for the sixth time in seven games.
Quotes
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis: “We played well on offense today, but not everything worked on defense. We lacked organization on defense. We made basic mistakes and CSKA punished us. We also could have made more 3-pointers, but it didn’t happen. We didn’t let our opponent score easy points in the paint, but Sergio Rodriguez created a lot of problems by running the pick-and-roll.”
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis: “Congratulations to the team on the win. We gradually increased the quality of our play throughout the game and reached our goals. We treated the opponent seriously, moved the ball and spread out the playing time. I wish VEF luck in the future and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and New Year.”
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