CSKA topped Zielona Gora at home – 105:73 (31:18, 23:24, 24:14, 27:17)
Top scorers:
CSKA: Tornike Shengelia (18), Will Clyburn (15), Semen Antonov (13 + 9 rebounds).
Zielona Gora: Gabriel Lundberg (22 + 5 assists), Rolands Freimanis (12 + 6 rebounds).
Story
CSKA had achieved 6-2 result and 3rd place before this game. Meanwhile, Zielona Gora are one of the hottest teams at the moment – after starting 0-4, they sealed 3 wins in 4 games and were one step behind the playoff zone. The Army club took no time in demonstrating their ambitions for the game. Zan Tabak’s side managed to score first points only 2.5 minutes after the tip-off while CSKA had managed to build a 9:0 lead thanks to Nikola Milutinov and Daniel Hackett.
Gabriel Lundberg – one of the most highlighting players of this season – tried to resist, but CSKA controlled the game with diversity and roster depth. The hosts reached 13-point lead after another run. The second quarter was levelled: as Zielona Gora were trying to catch up, Moscow were responding with three-pointers. 54:42 after the first half.
CSKA & Zielona Gora just hit 10 threes in 2nd quarter!
💣💣 Semen Antonov
💣💣 Blake Reynolds
💣 @TheNatural_05
💣 @IffeLundberg
💣 @koszi55
💣 @DHilliard6X
💣 Ivan Ukhov
💣 Kris Richard pic.twitter.com/mMEKUORseF— VTB League (@VTBUL) December 8, 2020
Key moment
After the break, Lundberg and Geoffrey Groselle cut the deficit down to 7 points. CSKA, however, responded with another dominating run. Milutinov fired from the paint, Tornike Shengelia scored in drives and finished an alley-oop, Hackett and Darrun Hilliard sank baskets from beyond the arc. All this was backed by active and effecitve defense. After 17:1 run, the scoreboard showed 73:50 and the intrigue was dead.
Hero
Tornike Shengelia. The Georgian was unstoppable with 8 of 9 field goals, 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in mere 18 minutes. 18 points and 23 efficiency points are Shengelia’s career high for CSKA in VTB League.
Stat
105. CSKA hit 100 for the third time this season.
Comment
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
“We played serious game, I have to congratulate my team because we played serious from the beginning until the end, we controlled the tempo, we managed to keep a high-scoring team (they average 86.4 points per game) to 73. This is how we brought the game to the end. They decided to play zone and gave us a lot of looks for threes, we hit them. And we managed to share the time.”
Zielona Gora head coach Zan Tabak:
“I want to congratulate the home team on great game and great effort. CSKA has one of the best rosters in whole Europe. All game was marked for us by the fouls we got in the first quarter. We have limited number of players, and those players who can get close to compete against this roster of the home team, they were in foul trouble. So for us it was the biggest breaking point of the game.”
Next
CSKA: December 26 at UNICS
Zielona Gora: December 14 vs Astana
Photo
