CSU Asesoft holds off Oktyabr for road win

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti held off a late charge from Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd to start the Eurocup season with a 75-81 road win. CSU Asesoft led for most of the first half and established a 16-point advantage leate in the third quarter. However D.J. Kennedy led an Oktyabr comeback that had the hosts within 70-72 with plenty of time to play. Dee Brown stepped up to assist or score on three straight Asesoft possessions as the visitors walked away with a memorable win. Marius Runkauskas led the visitors with 15 points, while Brown tallied 14 points and 6 assists, Alhaji Mohammed posted 12 points and 8 rebounds and Gerald Lee also scored 12. Kennedy paced the Oktyabr attack with 19 points and 8 rebounds, Cuthbert Victor scored 17, Romeo Travis had 14 points and 7 rebounds, Bernard King tallied 11 points and 8 assists and DeAndre Kane also scored 11.

The visitors started strong with free throws from Lee and Dragan Labovic leading to a 0-4 score. Kane dunked for Oktyabr’s first points, but a pair of baskets from Lee sandwiched a Runkauskas triple for a 2-11 Asesoft start. King and Anton Ponkrashov each scored to get the hosts going. King netted a three to close the gap to 4, but Jonte Flowers soon connected from deep for Asesoft to establish an 11-18 advantage and Michalis Pelekanos followed suit to further extend the lead. Kennedy heated up with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to bring Oktyabr within 20-23 after 10 minutes. Travis twice narrowed the gap to a single point before his second three-pointer tied the game at 28-28. The Romanian champs went back in front thanks to Mohammed and Pelekanos each nailing triples. King clawed Oktyabr back within 1, but Mohammed scored the last two baskets of the half to leave Asesoft up 36-43 at halftime.

Oktyabr held Asesoft scoreless for the first two minutes of the second half, but only shaved 3 points off its deficit. When the visitors got going, a Labovic triple and Flowers free throws gave them a double-digit advantage. Flowers later struck from downtown to boost Asesoft to 43-56. The lead peaked at 46-62 after Runkauskas’s second three of the game. Kane answered with 5 points and Kennnedy sank free throws to make it 53-62 at the end of the quarter. Kennedy had Oktyabr back in business at 58-64 two minutes into the fourth. After a basket-plus-foul from Victor and Kennedy free throws, the difference was a mere 3. Kennedy continued to fuel the hosts and his assist to Travis made it 70-72 with less than four minutes to play. Brown stepped up for Asesoft with an assist to Runkauskas and two baskets to give his team an important cushion. The visitors matched Oktyabr the rest of the way to snatch an important road win.