2003-04Top 16Round 2
March 10, 2004 CET: 20:10
Local time: 20:10 USH CSKA

In large part thanks to a new Top 16 rebounding record, CSKA improved to 2-0 in Group D by beating Cibona VIP 68-61 in Moscow on Wednesday night in a tough test. CSKA gets closer to its biggest goal this season, which is making it to the Final Four, while Cibona, at 0-2, will need to win its 4 games remaining to make it to the next round. CSKA based its win under the boards, outrebounding its opponents by 45-20. One man excelled above everyone else, CSKA's Mirsad Turkcan, who set a all-time Top 16 record with 21 rebounds, adding 15 points. Turkcan's rebound total was just two rebounds shy of his overall Euroleague record of 23. J. R. Holden and Marcus Brown added 12 points apiece for the winners, as Brown also dished 9 assists. Slaven Rimac led all Cibona scorers with 19 points on 4 of 5 two-pointers, 3 of 5 threes and 2 of 2 free throws, while four other players scored 7 points for the guests.

CSKA dominated the game in the early going, as Turkcan seemed to be everywhere at both ends of the court, grabbing 5 rebounds in the opening 5 minutes. Meanwhile, a three-pointer by Holden gave CSKA a 7-2 lead, but none of the hosts' baskets came the easy way, as CSKA needed second and third chances to score. Rimac immediately answered from downtown and Cibona got back in the game. The guests committed 4 early turnovers, but CSKA went scoreless for almost 2 minutes, while 2 free throws by Rimac and a fastbreak layup by Marko Popovic tied the game at 9-9 after 6 minutes. Turkcan carried on grabbing rebounds while high-flying Victor Khryapa stepped up with a two-handed slam, and Brown added 2 free throws to give CSKA a 13-9 lead. However, while CSKA missed its final 8 shots from the floor, Cibona had the final word in this quarter. A layup by Jurica Golemac and a three-pointer by Popovic gave Cibona a 13-14 lead after 10 minutes.

CSKA's offensive collapse - after 3 of 15 two-pointers and 1 of 7 threes in the opening quarter - continued with 2 more scoreless minutes to start the second. A back-door basket by Josip Vrankovic extended Cibona's lead to 13-16. CSKA improved its defense, then a layup by Turkcan and a triple by Khryapa regained the local lead at 18-16. Several lead changes followed, as Cibona switched from zone to man-to-man defense to prevent Turkcan from rebounding on offense. It didn't work, as his 14th rebound of the night turned into a put-back, igniting a 6-0 run in which Sergei Panov made a left-handed layup and assisted Theodoros Papaloukas for a fastbreak slam and a 26-21 CSKA lead . After a timeout, Cibona responded with a long jumper by Rimac and a three-pointer from the top of the arc by Davor Kus, highlighing a 2-7 run which tied the game at 28-28. Papaloukas, with a fastbreak layup, gave CSKA a 30-28 lead at halftime, by which time the hosts had more offensive rebounds (15) than Cibona had total rebounds (11).

Panov became CSKA's go-to guy after halftime, scoring 5 points alone to extend the lead to 35-28. Cibona went scoreless for more than 2 minutes until Golemac drilled a triple, which Brown answered with a three-point play at the other end. Both teams struggled to score, exchanging turnovers until Andrej Stimac, with a layup, made it a five-point game at 40-35. It happened to be Cibona's only basket in more than 2 minutes, while a turnaround jumper by Alexander and 5 points by Brown were enough to give CSKA a double-digit lead at 47-35. Both teams traded baskets while Turkcan returned to the floor and carried on rebounding like crazy. After Cibona had suffered 7 turnovers for the quarter, a dunk by Josko Poljak cut CSKA's lead to 52-42 after 30 minutes.

To start the last quarter, Cibona seemed intimidated by the aggressive man-to-man defense of CSKA, which used two baskets by Turkcan to keep a safe lead. Cibona seemed to wake up once Rimac drilled a three-pointer to pull his team within 7 points at 56-49. Still, Turkcan was on fire, while Rimac was the guests' only consistent offensive weapon. CSKA looked for its frontcourt units, Alexander and Turkcan, who combined for 5 points, while Cibona stayed alive with a bomb from downtown by Barisa Krasic and a layup by Popovic, making the score 63-59, with less than 3 minutes to go. Brown stepped up for CSKA with a layup in penetration which Krasic answered in the other end with 38 seconds to go. Cibona's coach, Drazen Anzulovic, complained about a problem on the shot clock, and discussed the matter with the referees, believing CSKA was given 6 extra seconds on the possession. The discussion turned into a double technical foul called on Cibona's bench, and Brown drilled 3 of 4 free throws, enough to seal the win for the hosts.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Maria Kravchenko, Moscow
No results found.
Referees: ARTEAGA, JUAN CARLOS; SAHIN, TOLGA; MOUZAKIS, COSTAS; RALLIS, IOANNIS
Attendance: 5000
By Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow13172216
Cibona VIP14141419
End of Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow13305268
Cibona VIP14284261
CSKA Moscow
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 PAPALOUKAS, THEODOROS 27:00 8 3/4 0/2 2/2 2 1 3 1 3 4     3 4 9
5 BROWN, MARCUS 30:00 12 3/7 0/1 6/7 2 2 4 9 3 2   1 3 6 22
6 PANOV, SERGEY 12:15 7 2/3 1/2   1   1 2 4   1 1 3   9
7 YUDIN, ANTON DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 HOLDEN, JR 34:15 12 3/6 2/4 0/2 1 1 2 4 1       2 1 11
12 MONIA, SERGEY 13:00   0/1 0/1   2 3 5     2         1
13 KHRYAPA, VICTOR 15:45 5 1/2 1/4   2 3 5 1   2 2     2 9
14 SAVRASENKO, ALEKSEY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 BASHMINOV, ALEXANDR DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
16 TURKCAN, MIRSAD 30:00 15 6/11 0/4 3/4 8 13 21   2 1       4 31
20 ALEXANDER, VICTOR 22:00 9 4/12   1/2 2   2           3 1  
21 TARLAC, DRAGAN 15:45   0/1     1 1 2 1   2     1 1  
Team             1 1   2 1       2 4
Totals 200:00 68 22/47 4/18 12/17 21 25 46 18 15 14 3 2 15 21 96
        46.8% 22.2% 70.6%
Head coach: IVKOVIC, DUSAN
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Cibona VIP
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
5 KUS, DAVOR 15:00 5   1/2 2/2       3 2 4     2 1 4
6 RIMAC, SLAVEN 27:45 19 4/5 3/5 2/2   2 2     4     4 3 13
7 KRASIC, BARISA 8:15 7 2/2 1/1             1   1     5
9 GOLEMAC, JURICA 26:15 7 2/4 1/2     3 3 1 1 3 2 2 5 4 5
11 STIMAC, ANDREJ 22:30 3 1/1 0/6 1/2 2 2 4 1         3 2  
12 MANCE, MARIJAN 13:00 2 1/2       1 1           1   1
15 POLJAK, JOSKO 22:30 4 2/4   0/1   6 6 2 2       1 2 12
20 MARKOTA, DAMIR DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
24 POPOVIC, MARKO 33:45 7 2/6 1/2 0/1   2 2 3 4 3       2 9
25 VRANKOVIC, JOSIP 31:00 7 2/5 1/3   2 1 3 4 1       3 1 8
Team             2 2   4           6
Totals 200:00 61 16/29 8/21 5/8 4 19 23 14 14 15 2 3 19 15 63
        55.2% 38.1% 62.5%
Head coach: ANZULOVIC, DRAZEN
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

IVKOVIC, DUSAN
CSKA Moscow
"I think that it was a very strange game. I did not expect something like it in the preparation to this game. The first quarter was like football. We had low percentage on the field goals in the first half. The game was not under our control at that moment. My players lost confidence. The key today was the players' desire to win. And the big role of rebounds in our win. I want to congratulate my players. Tomorrow we will continue our practices for the Saturday derby with Khimki."

Players

HOLDEN, JR
CSKA Moscow
"It was a tough game as we expected it to be. We did not shoot well, but in the end the key was our defense. In this aspect we did our best and won."
TURKCAN, MIRSAD
CSKA Moscow
"It was a tough game for us. We were not good in offense, made too many early baskets pursuing the goal to make the lead comfortable. But it did not work. So we had to concentrate on defense and we did it in the right way. Defense became the key for our win. And we could be satisafied with it if it was not the Top 16. Our coach says that in this tournament we cannot afford to be good only in one aspect of the game and he is right ."
POPOVIC, MARKO
Cibona VIP
"I'm still strugeling with my form, shooting, and more than anything, strength. Most of the season I was benched in Valencia. I have to find a way to come back and show some of last year's form. I hope, I know Cibona will play much better when we get all the players back, and healthy. We hope Scoonie Penn will also return ."
RIMAC, SLAVEN
Cibona VIP
"The referees decision was illogical and it spoiled the game. We could have won if they had not made this mistake. I guess we performed well in the first half and in the fourth quarter. But unfortunately it does not matter much now."
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