VEF Riga defeated Tsmoki-Minsk at home, 88-85, in overtime (12-22, 21-16, 22-17, 22-22, 11-8).
Top Scorers
VEF: Janis Blums (24 + 6 reb + 5 ast), Nemanja Bezbradica (18 + 6 reb), Kristopher Richard (17 + 5 ast)
Tsmoki-Minsk: Justin Gray (24 + 9 reb), Dru Joyce (18 + 5 ast), Laimonas Kisielius (14 + 5 ast)
Turning Point I
Trailing by three, 77-74, in the final seconds, Tsmoki’s Justin Gray drained a huge 3-pointer to force overtime and keep his team’s hopes alive.
That was Gray’s second big shot of the week, coming four days after a game-winner in the FIBA Europe Cup against Apoel Nicosia.
Turning Point II
Neither team led by more than three in the extra period. And, not surprisingly, the game came down to the final possession and the final shot.
Janis Blums put the home team ahead by two, 88-85, knocking down a pair of clutch free throws. With seconds remaining, Dru Joyce had a chance to send the game to double OT, but his 3-pointer was off the mark, giving VEF the hard-earned win.
Stat
61 – these two teams combined for 61 3-point attempts. Janis Blums (3-13) and Justin Gray (5-11) were especially active on the perimeter.
Star
Janis Blums. Despite struggling from outside, the Latvian veteran was perfect at the line (9-9), including two huge freebies in the final seconds.
He also drew nine fouls, which would prove a big factor down the stretch. Three different players fouled out for Tsmoki, limiting the visitors’ options in OT.
Quotes
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis:
– Today’s game was tough. We got off to a poor start and let our opponent pull away. We had to spend a lot of energy regaining the momentum, but I’m glad that my players showed their toughness and fought to the end. Thanks also to our fans. They gave us the boost we needed.
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Igor Grishchuk:
– Congratulations to VEF on the win. I want to thank my guys, too. They did a pretty good job. At the end, we didn’t hit free throws, which proved the decisive factor.
Up Next
VEF: November 13 vs. Avtodor
Tsmoki-Minsk: November 13 vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban
Snapshot
