CEZ Basketball Nymburk registered its first win in Group G by downing VEF Riga 75-85 in the Latvian capital on Tuesday. Nymburk improved to 1-1 and bounced back from its opening home loss against Cajasol to keep its Last 16 chances intact. Meanwhile, VEF dropped to 0-2 and needs to bounce back right away to keep fighting to reach the next round. Tre Simmons paced the winners with 16 points. Afik Nissim added 15 while Pavel Pumprla, Mike Lenzly and Ales Chan each had 11 for Nymburk. Kristaps Janicenoks led VEF with 23 points. Sandis Valters added 13, Derek Williams had 12 while Kaspars Berzins got 11, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks for the hosts, that led 18-8 early in the game. Nissim and Lenzly stepped up in the second quarter to give Nymburk a 32-38 at halftime. An outstanding Simmons allowed the guests to boost their margin to 37-50. Valters, Janicenoks and Berzins got VEF within 63-67 but Nissim shined in crunch time to keep Nymburk out of trouble until the final buzzer.

Janicenoks got VEF going with a three-pointer, as Nymburk went scoreless in the opening 2 minutes. Pumprla shined with an acrobatic layup but a big basket by Williams and a three-pointer by Valters allowed VEF to get an early 9-2 lead. Radek Necas scored off a steal and Pavel Slezak added a jumper to keep Nymburk within 11-6. Berzins, who had managed to stop Chan down low, scored in the paint and found Janicenoks for a jumper that allowed VEF to get a double-digit lead, 18-8. Ladislav Sokolovsky downed a triple and Vladimir Stimac added a layup but Williams helped the hosts to keep a 20-14 lead after 10 minutes. A layup by Lenzly ignited a 1-9 run that he capped with a three-pointer to give Nymburk its first lead, 21-23, early in the second quarter. Artsiom Parakhouski scored in the paint and a triple by Janicenoks put VEF back ahead, 26-23. Nissim followed a layup-plus-foul with a three-pointer but Cheyne Gadson and Janicenoks still managed to provide another lead change, 30-29. It didn't last long, however, as Simmons and Chan combined for 7 points in a 0-9 run that Necas capped with a dunk for a 30-38 Nymburk lead. A layup by Valters brought VEF within 32-38 at the break.

Simmons struck from downtown immediately after the break and Pumprla matched Berzins' free throws with a layup that made it a nine-point game, 34-43. Janicenoks kept pacing VEF with a three-pointer but a red hot Simmons bettered that with consecutive shots from beyond the arc, good for a 37-50 Nymburk margin. Valters tried to change things with a jumper and Janicenoks sank another triple but once again Simmons kept Nymburk way ahead, 42-52. Dairis Bertans hit foul shots and an unstoppable Janicenoks scored again but Nissim followed a number with a three-pointer for an 11-point Nymburk lead, 46-57. Valters, Berzins and Bertans shined late in this period to bring VEF within 57-63 after 30 minutes. Back-to-back layups by Stimac and Pumprla allowed Nymburk to get a 58-67 lead early in the fourth quarter. Bertans shined with a three-point play and Valters added a put-back basket that forced Nymburk to stop the game at 63-67. Necas and Chan stepped up with consecutive baskets and a three-pointer by Nissim broke the game, 66-74, with less than 3 minutes left. A jumper by Chan and another triple by Nissim sealed the outcome, 66-79, as even when VEF kept trying, Nymburk had cruised to a very important road win.