Nizhny Novgorod overcomes 19-point deficit, holds off Sassari

Nizhny Novgorod made a memorable Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut, rallying from a 19-point deficit to edge fellow newcomer Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari 88-86 in a thriller on Friday. Sassari opened the game scoring 26 points in less than 7 minutes, and opening a 7-26 lead, but the hosts started melting the deficit behind Trey Thompkins and Artsiom Parakhouski. Nizhny used a 10-0 run fueled by Tarence Kinsey to get to 43-47 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run. Once Nizhny got its first lead, 48-47 early in the third quarter, it never relinquished it. Led by Parakhouski, Kinsey and Taylor Rochestie, the hosts’ built 82-72 margin, but Rakim Sanders, David Logan and Jerome Dyson rallied Sassari. In a dramatic ending, Dyson had 4.5 seconds to send the game into overtime, but he missed a driving layup, and Nizhny celebrated a historic victory. Kinsey finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, parakhouski had 16 points plus 8 rebounds, and Thompkins also scored 16. Rochestie netted 12 with 5 assists in victory. For the visitors, Logan and Dyson each scored 17, while Sanders and Jeff Brooks had 14 points apiece.

Sassari opens the game with a 19-point lead

The visitors stormed out of the gate in their first ever Euroleague appearance. Jerome Dyson hit a jumper, followed by Jeff Brooks and David Logan converting fast breaks. Logan's triple made it 0-9 after 86 seconds, before Will Daniels split free throws to get Nizhny on board. Artsiom Parakhouski scored a layup for the hosts, but a pair of layups from Marco Cusin extended it to 3-13. And the visitors kept on rolling. Logan made a basket-plus-free throw in between Nizhny's baskets by Trey Thompkins and Daniels, 7-16, before Brooks and Rakim Sanders buried back-to-back triples. Couple more fastbreak layups, by Logan and Sanders, extended it to 7-26 after only 7 minutes. However, the hosts finished the quarter strong, using a put-back dunk by Thompkins and back-to-back threes from Semen Antonov, cutting it to 15-26 after 10 minutes.

Nizhny rallies, Kinsey fuels 10-0 run

Taylor Rochestie hit a jumper to open the second quarter, but Brooks answered with a triple for 17-29. Parakhouski made a pair from the foul line, and Thompkins scored a fastbreak layup to inch Nizhny closer, and after a triple from Miroslav Todic, a put-back-plus-free throw from Parakhouski cut it to 24-32. Shane Lawal made a dunk for the visitors, but a triple from Dmitry Golovin brought the hosts within 7 points. Sanders answered with a triple, and Dyson put back his own miss for 27-40. But Kinsey nailed a jumper, and Antonov followed with a corner triple just few seconds later. Nizhny continued the run, with a three-pointer from Dimitriy Khvostov, and when Kinsey knocked down another mid-range shot, the hosts where all caught up, 37-40. After a Sassari timeout, Logan snapped a 10-0 run with a high-arching jumper, and Dyson added a shot from downtown for 37-45. Logan added another floater to the tally, but Kinsey made a couple free throws and a put-back for the hosts , helping cut it to 43-47 at halftime.

The hosts take their first lead, and keep it

Parakhouski made a mid-range jumper on the opening possession of the third quarter, and Kinsey followed it with a triple for Nizhny’s first lead, 48-47. Rochestie added a jumper to extend the margin, and after Dyson scored a second chance basket for the visitors, Parakhouski made a tip-in and Thompkins muscled his way for a layup and 54-49. Brooks made 4-of-4 from the foul line on the other end, but Rochestie drove the lane for an acrobatic layup, and a triple from Evgeny Baburin made it 59-53. Sassari ended its field goal slump with a jumper from Giacomo Devecchi, but Thompkins had a put-back to keep the hosts in front, 62-55. Sassari countered with a fastbreak basket from Dyson, and Edgar Sosa threw a pass for a monster alley-oop dunk by Brooks, 63-59. However, in the final minute of the quarter, wide open Thompkins buried a triple, making it a 7-point affair again, before Lawal’s dunk cut it to 66-61 after three quarters.

Nizhny survives a late drama

At the start of the fourth quarter, Daniels scored a layup after Rochestie’s behind-the back pass. Sosa hit a fade away jumper, and Devecchi made a fastbreak slam for 68-65, but Rochestie hit a long jumper, and followed it with a triple. Parakhouski’s put-back dunk capped a 7-0 run for 75-65. Todic answered with a triple, but Parakhouski was once again unstoppable inside, before Sanders and Baburin traded three-pointers for 80-71 with 5 minutes remaining. Kinsey’s steal and a dunk extended it to double figures, 82-72, but Todic scored from close range before Sanders and Logan each hit one from long range, giving hope to Sassari, 84-80. Brooks added a pair of free throws to the tally, making it a 2-point game, but Thompkins nailed a jumper from 4 meters with 22 seconds left, giving Nizhny more breathing room at 86-82. Dyson scored a coast-to-coast layup, and after Kinsey scored both from the free throw line, Dyson made another quick layup for 88-86. The visitors got their chance to win or tie when they forced a turnover from Khvostov on the inbound pass with 4.5 seconds to go. After a timeout, ball went to Dyson, who drove the lane, but missed a tough layup, prompting big celebration from Nizhny players and the home crowd.