Asseco Prokom bested CSKA 88-81

A win streak was snapped and a perpetual challenger neared its first Euroleague playoffs qualification on Wednesday when Asseco Prokom outgunned CSKA Moscow 88-81 in Gdynia, Poland to end the latter's 10-game winning streak. Prokom's victory, its first ever against CSKA on the fourth try, meant that both teams are now tied with 3-1 records atop Group G, although CSKA is considered to be first for having won their previous game by more points, 11. This time, Prokom erased CSKA's six-point lead entering the final quarter with a 16-3 run oer 6 minutes that the visitors could not come back from down the stretch. David Logan led that charge and finished with 22 points for the winners. He was followed by Qyntel Woods, with 19 points and 4 assists; by Jan Jagla, with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals; and by Ratko Varda, with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Trajan Langdon paced CSKA with 20 points, while Ramunas Siskauskas added 10, Sasha Kaun and Viktor Khryapa 13 each. Jagla's 10 points in 5 minutes of the second quarter erased a seven-point CSKA lead, igniting 15 minutes that saw 6 ties and 10 lead changes. The last of those was also CSKA's last as Prokom made its homecourt advantage pay in the last quarter.

Dueling three-point bombs, by Langdon from the corner for CSKA and by Logan from the wing for Prokom, got the game off to a scintillating start. Next, CSKA got Kaun going with an inside basket-plus-free throw for a 3-6 lead. Despite a couple steals, Prokom couldn't pierce CSKA's defense, and the visitors took advantage with a stop-and-pop jumper by Langdon. Ronnie Burrell soon answered with a similar shot for Prokom, but Siskauskas joined the CSKA scoring with a layup and Khryapa followed him with an open triple for a 5-13 lead that prompted a Prokom timeout. Zoran Planinic added free throws to the lead before Prokom got Woods involved inside, but Langdon answered with a swish off a screen to make it 7-17. Prokom started looking for Varda, whose free throws, hook shot and turnaround jumper offset another easy layup by Kaun to pull the hosts as close as 14-20. The next Prokom steal was not wasted, but rather resulted in an alley-oop fastbreak dunk by Woods that got the home fans excited. The shots kept flying until Khyrapa's second triple and a layup by Logan finished the first quarter with CSKA still ahead 20-25.

The second quarter started with dueling dunks, by Woods and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, before Planinic drove hard to lift CSKA's lead to 22-29, good for another Prokom timeout. Daniel Ewing joined Prokom's scorers with a key triple, but Khryapa didn't let it stand, making his third from downtown in as many tries before Jan Jagla answered just inside the arc for Prokom at 27-32. Jagla stepped beyond the arc next, draining a big triple, then followed with a tip-in to bring Prokom even closer, 32-33. And he wasn't done yet. Jagla's offensive rebound then led to a second-change basket by Adam Hrycaniuk for Prokom's first lead of the game, 34-33. After Kaun's three-point play put CSKA back ahead, Woods tied 36-36 with scoop shot inside. And when Siskauskas fired CSKA ahead on a triple, Jagla smoothly matched it at the other end. Langdon's layup put CSKA up again, but Woods, Varda and Ewing were perfect at the line as Prokom surged anew to a 45-43. The hosts' bench continued making a difference as Przemyslaw Zamojski finished a steal-and-layup then added 1 of 2 free throws as Prokom roared into halftime ahead by 48-43.

CSKA didn't waste time in remaking the scoreboard after the break. After Khryapa blew in for a dunk and Jagla erased it with a jumper, it was Siska time. Siskauskas buried a three-pointer to get the visitors within a shot then found himself alone in the corner and drilled another, putting CKSA back in front, 50-51. Prokom took another timeout that was followed by Logan shooting from extra-long distance to reclaim the lead, but Siskauskas - who else? - was waiting to match him at the other end. Logan's pretty drive put Prokom back up, 55-54. Kaun took it back for CSKA working inside, but Woods answered and Logan added free throws to steady Prokom at 59-56. Kaun atoned for missed free throws with an offensve board and the follow-up dunk. Then Siskauskas put in a go-ahead bank shot at 59-60. Langdon reappeared to push in the next shot, but Woods downed his own short jumper plus the free throw to tie 62-62. Khryapa broke the tie and Logan forged another, but Langdon buried a triple and Holden a turnaround jumper to send CSKA in front 64-69 after 30 fun minutes.

The pace hardly slowed as Logan hit a layup and a triple early in the fourth quarter to close the gap, then Woods knocked down game-tying free throws at 71-71 for Prokom, which seemed more than happy to be locked in a shootout with CSKA. Logan got to the line to give Prokom the lead, to which Woods and Hyrcaniuk quickly added layups in transition. Prokom had a 12-2 run and a 76-71 lead, while CSKA needed a timeout. Prokom's defense kept holding up - allowing just 3 points in 6 minutes for CSKA - but its offense was sputtering until Jagla reappeared in the corner, blasting a triple that made it 79-72. Siskauskas answered with a top-of-the-lane shot at 79-74, but Varda got both points back at the line for an 81-74 score with 3 minutes left. CSKA needed something and got it with Holden's huge triple off a loose ball, but once again, Jagla was there to match it for Prokom with his fourth strike from downtown. Holden nailed a running jumper at 84-79, and Prokom asked for a timeout. Now, Prokom needed to make sure, and they did with Woods spinning and dishing to Varda to open the final minute at 86-79. Langdon got 2 points back at the foul line, but only Logan scored after that, assuring Prokom’s first-ever victory over CSKA and clear view of the playoffs!