CSKA defeated Avtodor in the first game of the Quarterfinals – 103:68 (30:20, 22:13, 25:17, 26:18)
Game progress
Despite the underdog status, the Saratov team had a strong start and kept the hosts level until the middle of the first quarter. However, CSKA got their pace and took a double-digit lead – 27:17 after a three-pointer by Dallas Moore. The second quarter didn’t begin so well for the Army team, as the guests took advantage of a poor CSKA shooting to managed to trail by only 6 points. Emil Rajkovic made an immediate adjustment, bringing back the starters. CSKA quickly regained a comfortable lead and Avtodor failed to find the ways to overcome the hosts pressure in the paint and the excellent Samson Ruzhentsev game. By halftime, the Moscow team had already a huge lead – 52:33.
The third quarter began with Samson Ruzhentsev three-pointer. That shot set the tone for the rest of the game. CSKA completely dominated and got a 30-point lead. The only remaining intrigue was whether the hosts would make it to the 100. In the last minute,Anton Astapkovic delighted the fans, scoring a 100 point.
CSKA begins the series with a win, still without a loss to Avtodor this season.
Key factor
Although Avtodor’s starting five managed to outscore CSKA (51-49), the Saratov team could not do anything against the hosts bench players. The Army team bench scored 54 points, while the Volga team bench had only 17.
Fact
Seems Samson Ruzhentsev likes to play against Avtodor. While in the first game, the Russian forward did not play a lot, in the second game he scored 21 points in 17 minutes. In his Playoffs debut, the forward ended the game with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 19 minutes.
Leaders
CSKA: Nikola Milutinov (16 + 6 rebounds), Anton Astapkovic (14), Samson Ruzhentsev (13), Livio Jean-Charles (12 + 7 rebounds, 3 steals), Dejan Davidovac (11 + 8 rebounds)
Avtodor: Malik Newman (18 + 6 assists), Danilo Nikolic (14), Brandon Garrett (10).
Next game: April 2 in Moscow.
