Enisey Russia defeated Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus on the road, 88-74 (19-21, 16-29, 21-19, 16-21).
Top Scorers
Tsmoki-Minsk: Devon Saddler (19 + 7 ast), Mikita Meshcharakou (14), Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (12)
Enisey: Zabian Dowdell (20), Martins Meiers (19 + 12 reb), Anthony Hilliard (18 + 6 reb + 8 ast)
Story
The visitors shot 47% from beyond the arc en route to an 88-74 victory in the Belarusian capital. Trailing 7th-place Tsmoki-Minsk by a game and a half in the standings, this was a huge win for Enisey, who improved to 3-7, only a half game back of Nizhny Novgorod and Tsmoki for the final playoff spot.
Zabian Dowdell, Martins Meiers and Anthony Hilliard were too much for the home team, combining for 57 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists.
The big blow came in the 2nd quarter, when Enisey drained six of seven 3’s to turn a two-point deficit into an 11-point lead at halftime.
The visitors would lead by as much as 19 in the 3rd quarter, though Tsmoki was able to cut the deficit to nine entering the 4th.The home team forced four turnovers in less than two minutes, closing to within six on Mikita Meshcharakou’s triple, 61-55, with 1:59 to play in the period. With 10 minutes to go, the score was 67-58 in favor of Enisey.
Tsmoki continued its comeback in the 4th. David Kravish capped a 9-2 run with a jumper at the 7:40 mark to cut the deficit to two, 69-67. But that’s when the home team ran out of steam.
Down the stretch, Tsmoki shot 1-11 from the field, allowing the visitors to pull away for an easy win, 88-74.
Stat
3-20 – While Enisey knocked down 10 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc, Tsmoki-Minsk was a measly 3-20, including 0-5 in the 4th quarter.
Alley-Oop
David Kravish with an alley-oop slam for @TsmokiMinsk✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/QHTZZLRYod
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) January 13, 2018
Up Next
Tsmoki-Minsk: January 28 away vs. VEF
Enisey: January 20 home vs. Kalev
Photos
