CSKA rides third quarter blitz to victory in Bamberg
CSKA Moscow rode a big third quarter to surge to its fourth consecutive road win with a 76-92 victory at Brose Bamberg. The game was close throughout the first half, but CSKA dominated after the break with 28 points in the third quarter to establish a lead that the hosts could never threaten. Nando De Colo led the way with 20 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, while the all-action Will Clyburn contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Sergio Rodriguez led the offense with 14 points and 7 assists. Semen Antonov gave a strong contribution in the paint with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Cory Higgins netted 12. Augustine Rubit paced Brose with 16 points, and Ricky Hickman scored all of his 13 points in the second half. CSKA dominated the rebounding battle 21-34 and had excellent shooting percentages with 26-of-42 two-point shooting (61.9%) and 10-of-22 from downtown (45.5%).
The game went quickly back and forth with early lead changes, as Dorell Wright and Daniel Hackett struck from downtown for Brose, but Rodriguez responded with a pair of triples for the visitors. It was 11-11 midway before Pavel Korobkov – making his first appearance of the season – and De Colo sparked a 0-6 run. Rubit scored twice for Brose, but De Colo netted an acrobatic layup-plus-one and it was 20-22 at the end of the first. Nikos Zisis tied it straight after the resumption and Maodo Lo scored 5 in a hurry to complete a 7-0 run. Antonov ended CSKA’s drought from downtown, but the red-hot Lo came back with a steal and score. Nikita Kurbanov fired from long-range before Leon Radosevic floated one in, and Clyburn levelled it 31-31 from the foul line. After Rubit and Higgins traded layups, Clyburn sent CSKA ahead from long-range, but Rubit tied with three free throws. De Colo finished the half strong with 5 consecutive points
including a circus shot, but Aleksej Nikolic had the last word with a layup to make it 39-42 at the break.
Antonov started the second half with a triple, but Hickman responded in kind and Patrick Heckmann’s downtown strike levelled it at 47-47. De Colo and Hickman both scored from long-range, but then came CSKA’s charge as Kyle Hines scored 4 in a row from close-range before De Colo from long-range and Clyburn with a dunk made it 52-59 for CSKA’s biggest lead. Hackett’s triple briefly got Brose closer, but Higgins netted three baskets in just over a minute, and De Colo scored from a steal for a double-digit lead. Rubit converted from close-range, but Clyburn finished the quarter with a layup-and-one that made it 59-70. The lead kept growing as Higgins and Antonov started the final quarter by scoring off the glass, and although Radosevic unleashed a big slam, Antonov again showed his nose for a basket with another close-range strike. An alley-oop layup from Hines made it a 17-point lead, and Vitaly Fridzon scored 4 in a row to dispel any lingering doubt. Hickman and Rodriguez traded triples as the game petered out, and Rodriguez took CSKA to 90 points with his fourth three-pointer. Brose debutant William McDowell-White scored the final basket with a long three on the buzzer, but CSKA had done more than enough.

Thursday, December 7, 2017
Euroleague.net