Enisey defeated Kalev on the road, 91-82 (20-19, 20-23, 26-17, 25-23).
Top Scorers
Kalev: Vitali Liutych (30+5 reb), Mark Tollefsen (14), Rain Veideman (13+4 stl), Demonte Harper (12+5 reb+6 ast)
Enisey: Vasily Zavoruev (22), Frank Elegar (18+16 reb), Tony Taylor (13), Anthony Hilliard (12)
Intro
Both teams pushed the tempo in the first half with Enisey picking up a two-point lead at halftime, 42-40.
The 3rd quarter belonged to the Siberians. After going down six points, Krasnoyarsk stormed to a seven-point lead, 66-59, with 10 minutes remaining.
Led by Vitali Liutych’s game-high 30 points, Kalev continued to battle. Unfortunately for the home fans, Enisey forward Suleiman Braimoh was ruthless on the offensive glass, converting several second-chance points.
Turning Point
Vasily Zavoruev’s 3-pointer (6-8 on the night) with a minute to play put the game away for good. On top by double digits for the first time in the game, 89-78, Enisey had little trouble closing out the win. Krasnoyarsk has now won three in a row and is in great position to earn a playoff berth.
Stat
52-29 – Enisey’s total domination on the glass dictated the outcome of the game. Frank Elegar led the way with 16 boards.
Quotes
Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
– Basketball is a simple game. Don’t commit turnovers, rebound the ball and hit your shots. We lost the rebounding battle, 56-29… It’s incredible that we were competitive most of the game. This is a typical scenario for us this season. I think my guys relaxed a little bit. We used to have centers like Frank Elegar and Boone under the basket. Now we don’t have anyone like that.
I’m also unhappy with our defense. Zavoruev played his best game of the season today. It’s a tragedy when someone plays their best game of the season against your team. At the same time, they hit a lot of contested shots.
We’ve only got a theoretical shot at making the playoffs, but we’ll keep playing for pride in every game.
Enisey center Frank Elegar:
– It’s strange playing against Kalev, my former team. We dominated on the glass today and ended up getting an important win. We haven’t wrapped up a playoff spot yet. We need to keep playing hard.
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Up Next
Kalev: March 7 vs. UNICS
Enisey: February 25 at Zenit
