Enisey defeated CSKA at home – 86:81 (20:9, 18:29, 23:19, 25:24).
Game progress
The Siberian team took the lead from the very first minutes. Aggressive defense in the paint and a strong offensive performance by Mikael Hopkins (10 points) allowed the hosts to take the lead. The Krasnoyarsk team led after the ifrst quarter – 20:9.
Ruzhentsev came off the bench and helped CSKA to get back in the game. The Russian guard was backed up by Livio Jean-Charles and Olivier Hanlan. The Moscow team tied the score by the halftime – 38:38.
Key moment
In the third quarter, the hosts started to take the lead again, but in the final quarter, Hanlan and Melo Trimble helped the guests cut the difference to a minimum. The fate of the game was decided only in the very end, where the Krasnoyarsk team was better. Xavier Rathan-Mays and Hopkins gave the Siberian team an 8-point lead – 80:72. The Moscow team tried to save the game with tactical fouls, but the Krasnoyarsk team showed made free-throws and kept the winning score.
X-factor
Mikel Hopkins played his best game in the VTB League. The center set career-high 27 points and 6 three-pointers. He also made 13 rebounds.
Fact
Enisey got second win over CSKA for the first time in history.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes set a new VTB League single-season scoring record. Enisey guard now has 869 points in 34 games. The previous record was held by Keith Langford (851 points in 40 games for UNICS in the 2015/16 season).
Semen Antonov played his 350th game. Earlier only 3 players reached this mark – Nikita Kurbanov, VIacheslav Zaitsev and Vitaly Fridzon. Antonov also became the second player in history after Alexey Shved with 1000 or more shots made from the game during his career.
Leaders
Enisey: Xavier Rathan-Mayes (30 + 8 assists), Mikael Hopkins (27 + 13 rebounds), Jeremiah Martin (20 + 6 assists).
CSKA: Melo Trimble (24 + 5 rebounds), Olivier Hanlan (15 + 6 assists).
What’s next
Enisey (18-16): April 10 on the road against PARMA
CSKA (25-10): April 13 on the road versus UNICS.
