CSKA Moscow survived a tough battle for third place in Group C by rallying to beat Real Madrid 71-80 in overtime on the road in Spain on Thursday. The victory, which lifted CSKA's record to 8-4, came at a cost, however, as both swingman David Vanterpool and center David Andersen left the game with respective knee injuries. Madrid dropped to 7-5 and will finish fourth unless it wins the last two games while CSKA loses both. Sergei Panov became the unexpected hero, scoring 8 of his 14 points in overtime after he replaced the injured Andersen. Trajan Langdon led CSKA with 17 points, Andersen added 15, Panov 14 and Nikita Kourbanov 11 for the winners. Igor Rakocevic led Real Madrid with 26 points. Felipe Reyes added 17 and 13 rebounds and Louis Bullock, who also left the game at halftime, scored 11 for the hosts. Real Madrid led 60-47 after 30 minutes but Andersen, Langdon and Theo Papaloukas fueled a CSKA comeback, while Panov shined in the extra period to seal the win.
Langdon followed Panov's easy basket with a fast break layup to give CSKA a 2-4 lead. Madrid had its own go-to guy in Reyes, who scored 3 times around the basket to force a CSKA timeout at 6-4. The guests improved its defense, while Andersen followed free throws with a layup off a pick-and-roll, igniting a 0-9 run which Langdon capped with his first triple, good for a 6-13 CSKA margin. Reyes fired in a five-meter jumper which Andersen immediately matched with a layup. Reyes - who else? - kept the hosts alive, as he scored his team's opening 10 points and then fed Edu Hernandez-Sonseca for a close basket. Both teams went scoreless for almost 2 minutes until Vasiliy Zavourev hit a corner three for a 12-18 CSKA edge at the end of the first quarter.
CSKA kept shutting down Madrid's perimeter players early in the second quarter, while Vanterpool slashed for a layup and a 12-20 lead. Holden buried a big three, as Real Madrid had been scoreless for almost 4 minutes. Bullock hit a tough jumper which Mous Sonko followed with a three-point play to bring the hosts within 17-24. Langdon silenced the crowd with a three from the top of the key but Rakocevic copied him for a 20-27 score. Andersen and Bullock exchanged free throws, as the game turned into a physical battle. Bullock came off a screen to hit a triple, igniting a 6-0 run which Rakocevic capped with free throws to get the hosts within 28-31. Rakocevic followed a second-chance basket with a three which put Madrid in charge, 33-32. Andersen canned a jumper and Nikita Kourbanov buried a three, but Bullock made free throws for a 37-37 halftime tie.
Theo Papaloukas fed Panov for an open three early in the third quarter, but he received a technical foul that helped Madrid to regain the lead, 41-40, on free throws by Rakocevic. Reyes added a close basket and Hamilton banked in a short jumper for a 45-40 Madrid margin, after a 8-0 run. Holden got CSKA back in track with a bomb from downtown and Papaloukas added an acrobatic layup to tie the game, 45-45. Madrid entered the foul bonus midway through this period, but back-to-back threes by Rakocevic put the hosts back in charge, 51-47. CSKA called timeout but Rakocevic fired in another two more from downtown in a 15-0 run which gave Madrid a 60-47 margin at the end of the third quarter, as CSKA went scoreless in the final 4 minutes of this period.
CSKA needed a quick comeback to get back into the game and Kourbanov tried to ignit with free throws, but the guests still had troubles in offense while Real Madrid had started to use long possessions to avoid troubles. Andersen hit a jumper which made it a nine-point game, 60-51. Madrid called timeout but Papaloukas slashed for a layup to bring CSKA even closer, 60-53. Reyes nailed a five-meter jumper which Kourbanov erased with a put-back layup. Papaloukas took over with a fast break dunk which Langdon followed with a three to get CSKA back into the game, 62-60, after a 2-13 run. Hamilton hit a short jumper but Panov, Andersen and Papaloukas combined for 4 of 6 free throws for a 64-64 tie with 1:40 to go. Reyes stepped up with a put-back basket but Langdon tied it again at 66-66 with 41 seconds remaining. Real Madrid had a turnover, allowing CSKA to get the final possession in regulation, but Holden's buzzer-beating jumper went in and out.
Andersen left the game early in the extra period due to a knee injury, as Panov came off the bench to hit 1 of 2 free throws for a 66-67 CSKA edge. Panov beat the shot clock with a floating layup which Rakocevic erased with a four-meter jumper to keep Madrid into the game, 68-69. Panov drew a foul and made both free throws and Kourbanov added a coast-to-coast fast break dunk to force a Madrid timeout at 68-73 with 2 minutes to go. Madrid tried short possessions now with no success while Panov sealed a well-deserved win with a corner three-pointer.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
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