Enisey defeated Nizhny Novgorod on the road, 93-80 (13-15, 28-24, 24-25, 28-16).
Top Scorers
Nizhny Novgorod: Kenny Boynton (26+6 ast), Petr Gubanov (18+5 reb), Tomislav Zubcic (10)
Enisey: Vladislav Trushkin (15), Suleiman Braimoh (14+5 reb), Tony Taylor (13+5 reb+8 ast), Alexey Vzdykhalkin (12), Frank Elegar (11)
Build-Up
Entering today’s game, Nizhny Novgorod trailed Enisey by 2.5 games in the race for the final playoff spot. With only five games remaining in the regular season, Arturs Stalbergs and co. desperately needed a win. Unfortunately for Nizhny, starting point guard Ivan Strebkov was unavailable, severely limiting the team’s options in the backcourt.
Nonetheless, for three quarters, the home team stayed on track. Kenny Boynton led the way with three-point shooting and multiple assists, countering a balanced Enisey offense.
Nizhny also did a good job at the free-throw line, finishing the night at 84% on 25 attempts.
With 10 minutes to go, Enisey was clinging to a one-point lead, 65-64. Nizhny had to win, but Krasnoyarsk also wanted to capitalize on the opportunity, knowing that a win would virtually clinch a spot in the postseason.
Turning Point
For five minutes, Nizhny and Enisey traded baskets. The visitors briefly took a nine-point lead, but Siim-Sander Vene helped trim it to five, scoring on a layup with 4:18 to play.
After Enisey’s Anthony Hilliard missed a 3-pointer, the home team had a chance to make it a one-possession game. Instead, Dijon Thompson committed a turnover and Vasily Zavoruev went the other way for an and-one to put Enisey up eight.
Shockingly, Nizhny Novgorod never recovered.
Leading scorer Vladislav Trushkin (15 pts) knocked down a 3-pointer, Zavoruev scored again at the rim and Alexey Vzdykhalkin capped the 11-0 run with one more 3-pointer to put Enisey on top by 16.
With the 93-80 victory, Krasnoyarsk improves to 9-10, tying Astana for 7th place. Nizhny Novgorod drops to 6-14, 3.5 games out with only four games to go.
Stat
8 + 8 – Enisey had eight different players with eight or more points. Compared to Nizhny Novgorod (four players with eight-plus point), the visitors did a terrific job sharing the ball and finding open teammates, finishing with 23 assists as a team.
Quotes
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Arturs Stalbergs:
– Our turnovers decided today’s game. We gave the ball away 19 times, which led to fast-break points, an area in which Krasnoyarsk excels. We knew that, but played irresponsibly. Our team continues to deal with injuries. Every day is a new test. Ivan Strebkov tried to practice on Saturday, but suffered another setback. We don’t have the resources to play well.
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
– This was not an easy game for either team. Today’s win was worth double. Nizhny had more time to prepare, though we knew they were dealing with injuries. We had a tough, emotional game in the FIBA Cup against Oostende a few days ago. We weren’t able to fully recover, but still managed to prepare for the game with Nizhny. Thanks to our discipline and toughness, we managed to execute our game plan to the end.
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Up Next
Nizhny Novgorod: March 26 at Parma
Enisey: March 25 at Tsmoki-Minsk
