2017-18Regular SeasonRound 23
CSKA Moscow 93
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz 86
February 22, 2018 CET: 18:00
Local time: 20:00 MEGASPORT ARENA

CSKA Moscow beats Baskonia to clinch playoff spot

CSKA Moscow turned up the heat on defense in the fourth quarter to register a come-from-behind 93-86 victory over Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz on Thursday at Megasport Arena, which made the hosts the first team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to clinch a playoff spot this season. The win lifted CSKA’s league-best record to 18-5, while ninth-placed Baskonia slipped to 10-13. Baskonia led for much of the game, but CSKA tied the score at 71-71 through three quarters and opened the fourth on a 12-2 tear. Cory Higgins shined with 10 fourth-quarter points as CSKA went on to lead by as many as 15 and held on for the victory. Will Clyburn led the winners with 19 points, Sergio Rodriguez scored 17, Higgins finished with 14, Nikita Kurbanov added 11 and Nando De Colo, who received his January MVP in a pre-game ceremony, dished 7 assists. Jayson Granger scored 26 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting for Baskonia, Toko Shengelia posted 12 points and 10 rebounds, Rodrigue Beaubois also scored 12 and Matt Janning and Vincent Poirier netted 10 apiece.

Granger buried a pair of three-pointers and Janning had another as Baskonia jumped out to a 6-11 start. After a CSKA timeout, Semen Antonov sank a three for CSKA, but Granger’s third of the game followed by Shengelia’s long pass for a Patricio Garino layup-plus-foul extended the margin. Beaubois came off the bench to cap a 0-8 run and make it a double-digit lead, 11-21. Kyle Hines and Clyburn quickly halved the deficit before the latter’s steal led to an Andrey Vorontsevich slam, which closed the gap to 18-21. Beaubois sank a triple and split free throws to give the visitors a 20-25 edge after 10 minutes. Victor Khrypa’s three from the corner drew CSKA within 2, but Johannes Voigtmann and Beaubois heated up to keep Baskonia in control. Andrey Vorontsevich and Granger traded threes to make it 34-39 midway through the second quarter. Rodriguez scored on back-to-back possessions to start an 8-0 CSKA run that Kurbanov capped with free throws to give CSKA its first lead since the opening minute, 42-41. Shengelia responded with his first points off a baseline spin move and Luca Vildoza connected from downtown which helped Baskonia take a 46-49 lead into halftime.

Kurbanov tied the game with a three to start the second half and remained hot to push the hosts in front, 53-51. Granger hit back with his fifth three-pointer, which sparked a 0-7 Baskonia spurt, but a Clyburn triple evened the score at 58-58. Poirier stepped up for the visitors, but a Clyburn triple edged CSKA back in front. The lead changed hands several times and was tied at 71-71 at the end of the third quarter after Vorontsevich split free throws. Higgins sank a foul-line jumper to nose CSKA ahead after which turnovers on both ends kept the scoreboard frozen. Rodriguez stepped up with a pull-up triple and Hines added free throws to cap a 7-0 CSKA start to the fourth quarter. Janning fouled out with 6:31 remaining and buckets by De Colo and Higgins stretched the lead to double figures, 83-73. Despite the best efforts of Shengelia, Baskonia struggled down the stretch and CSKA continued to pepper the nets through Higgins and Clyburn. Six straight points by Baskonia made it a 6-point game in the final minute, but the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Cory Higgins - CSKA Moscow - EB17
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Euroleague.net
Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI; BOLTAUZER, MATEJ; DIFALLAH, MEHDI
Attendance: 8712
By Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow20262522
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz25242215
End of Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow20467193
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz25497186
CSKA Moscow
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 DE COLO, NANDO 29:13 8 2/4 0/4 4/4   3 3 7 2 3     1 4 14
3 RUDD, VICTOR 7:17     0/1     1 1       1   1    
7 FRIDZON, VITALY 2:23         1   1               1
9 WESTERMANN, LEO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
11 ANTONOV, SEMEN 14:22 5 1/1 1/2   1 3 4       1   2 1 8
13 RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO 26:09 17 5/7 2/5 1/1       3   3     2 2 12
20 VORONTSEVICH, ANDREY 16:38 8 2/2 1/3 1/2   3 3   1   1   1 2 11
21 CLYBURN, WILL 26:58 19 5/10 2/3 3/4 2 3 5 2 2 3     3 3 18
22 HIGGINS, CORY 22:24 14 2/6 2/4 4/5 1 1 2 2   2   2 2 5 10
31 KHRYAPA, VICTOR 5:51 3   1/1     1 1 1         1   4
41 KURBANOV, NIKITA 23:21 11 2/3 1/4 4/4 1   1 1 2 1 1   1 3 13
42 HINES, KYLE 25:24 8 2/3   4/6 4 1 5   2       4 4 12
Team           3 1 4     2         2
Totals 200:00 93 21/36 10/27 21/26 13 17 30 16 9 14 4 2 18 24 105
        58.3% 37% 80.8%
Head coach: ITOUDIS, DIMITRIS
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
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 VILDOZA, LUCA 11:56 3   1/2     1 1     2     3 1 -1
6 TIMMA, JANIS 13:59     0/1         1   1     1   -2
7 VOIGTMANN, JOHANNES 13:05 8 2/4 1/1 1/1 1   1 1           1 9
8 MALMANIS, RINALDS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 HUERTAS, MARCELINHO 2:23                   1       1  
10 BEAUBOIS, RODRIGUE 21:34 12 4/11 1/3 1/2 2 2 4 1 1 2   1 3 4 6
11 JANNING, MATT 19:04 10 2/3 2/5     1 1 1   1   1 5 1 2
12 DIOP, ILIMANE 16:44 2 1/4     3 1 4 1   1 1 2 2    
15 GRANGER, JAYSON 29:30 26 3/6 6/7 2/2 1 2 3 5   4     2 1 25
17 POIRIER, VINCENT 19:18 10 4/6   2/2 2   2 1 2 1     3 2 11
23 SHENGELIA, TORNIKE 27:59 12 4/7   4/4 1 9 10 4 1 4 1   2 6 25
29 GARINO, PATRICIO 24:28 3 1/3   1/1 1 2 3 3 1       3 1 6
Team           2   2     2          
Totals 200:00 86 21/44 11/19 11/12 13 18 31 18 5 19 2 4 24 18 81
        47.7% 57.9% 91.7%
Head coach: MARTINEZ, PEDRO

Head Coaches

ITOUDIS, DIMITRIS
CSKA Moscow
"We were a little bit better defensively in the second half. We played with more energy, we were smarter I would say. We were there to challenge the shots, ‘cause Baskonia shot 8 out of 10 [on three-point shots] in the first half and they were 3 out of 9 in the second half, so we did contest most of the shots, we had a good rotation, we stole a couple of balls and we forced turnovers, which was good. It is a big number, 19 turnovers. Most of those turnovers were forced because of good defense. We won all three quarters. We haven’t played overall the defense we wanted to play. Offensively I would say that even though we had good numbers, eventually we did not move well and fast enough in the half court."
MARTINEZ, PEDRO
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
"I think we played a good game, but our problem is to remain at the same level in offense. We had problems in the last quarter. We played good basketball for the first three quarters, but the fourth was for us a little bit longer, too long. It is very difficult to play CSKA, it’s a great team. They had a lot of rebounds. It was very difficult on defense in low-post situations. I think we did a good job, but it is not easy to win on this court."

Players

HIGGINS, CORY
CSKA Moscow
"Unfortunately it took us two quarter to wake up. I think we were a little bit out of rhythm after the long break. In the second half we were a much better team both offensively and defensively, especially defensively. Everyone was flying around and we were getting stops and that’s how we got the win."
DE COLO, NANDO
CSKA Moscow
"Know we are now qualified for the playoffs, so our first goal is completed. We have to keep working. We need to be more focused on what we need to do on the court. We were better in the second half. It’s a long season. We have another big game next week."
CLYBURN, WILL
CSKA Moscow
"We came out in the second half and defended, got stops, and that was the biggest key for us. We’re gonna score the ball offensively, we just had to get stops and that’s what we did… I want to win and that’s what I came here to do."