VEF Latvia defated Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus at home, 82-70 (20-16, 20-15, 16-25, 26-14).
Top Scorers
VEF: Mareks Mejeris (19), Kristaps Janicenoks (19), Alex Perez (16 + 6 ast)
Tsmoki-Minsk: Devon Saddler (16), David Kravish (14 + 6 reb), Filip Adamovic (13)
Story
The visitors couldn’t solve VEF’s offense in the first half–Mareks Mejeris and Kristaps Janicenoks scored the lion’s share of the points for Riga, giving them a 40-31 lead at the break.
Devon Saddler and David Kravish shifted the momentum after halftime, helping the Dragons knot the score at 56-56 entering the final period.
That’s when VEF’s defense took over. Riga only allowed six points during the first eight minutes of the 4th quarter, securing a comfortable 82-70 victory. It’s the first win for Janis Gailitis’ squad since November 4 when VEF took down Enisey.
Star
Mareks Mejeris. The Latvian forward was excellent in the first half and sparked VEF’s 4th quarter surge, knocking down a big 3 and setting the tone on defense.
Stat
15-0 – Riga’s decisive run in the 4th quarter to decide the outcome.
Quotes
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis:
– The guys deserved this win. And not just this one, but several other games because we’re working hard in practice and constantly getting better. Last place in the League is not what we expect. But you need to earn wins. We did that today because key players executed to their potential.
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Alexander Krutikov:
– We played poorly today at the end of the game and turned the ball over 16 times. Our aggressiveness led to fouls and our opponent had a lot of free-throw opportunities. That had an impact on the final result.
Up Next
VEF: February 3 away vs. Enisey
Tsmoki-Minsk: February 4 away vs. UNICS
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