2016-17Regular SeasonRound 25
CSKA Moscow 85
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 69
March 09, 2017 CET: 18:00
Local time: 20:00 MEGASPORT ARENA

CSKA storms into playoffs by routing Galatasaray

CSKA Moscow became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2016-17 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs by downing Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul 85-69 in the Russian capital on Thursday. CSKA improved to 19-6 and locked its place in the next phase, while Galatasaray dropped to 8-16 and was mathematically knocked out of playoff contention later Thursday. Nando De Colo led the winners with 22 points, Kyle Hines added 13, Cory Higgins scored 12 and Aaron Jackson had 10 for CSKA. Vladimir Micov led Galatasaray with 18 points, Goksenin Koksal added 13, Tibor Pleiss 11 and Alex Tyus 10 for the visitors. The hosts fell behind early, but De Colo had 14 of CSKA's 33 second-quarter points and Milos Teodosic dished 5 assists in that period for a 46-29 lead at the break. Nothing changed after the break, as CSKA kept a double-digit lead all the way until the final buzzer. CSKA held Galatasaray to low shooting percentages (47.2% 2FG, 36.4% 3FG) and forced its opponents to 18 turnovers, while committing just 8 in what were the biggest keys to this game.

Pleiss got Galatasaray going with a jumper and Sinan Guler added a corner triple for a 0-5 lead. Hines and Jackson rescued CSKA and a coast-to-coast layup by De Colo gave the hosts their first lead, 7-6. Micov had 4 points in a 0-6 Galatasaray run that restored a 7-12 margin. Teodosic scored in penetration, Hines added a put-back layup and free throws by De Colo kept CSKA within 13-17 after 10 minutes. A layup off a steal by Higgins ignited a 12-0 CSKA run in which De Colo had 6 points and Teodosic had 3 assists to make it a double-digit game, 27-17, on a put-back basket by James Augustine. Micov buried a three-pointer, but Teodosic nailed a jumper and fed Higgins first for a layup and then a three-point play. De Colo soon followed free throws with a layup to break the game open at 38-20. Koksal followed a layup with a step-back triple, but Andrey Vorontsevich and Jackson kept CSKA fully in charge, 46-29, at halftime. Austin Daye and Guler buried consecutive jumpers, but Augustine and Vorontsevich quickly restored a 52-35 CSKA lead. Pleiss and Micov fueled a 0-6 run that Daye capped with a jumper for a 52-41 Galatasaray deficit. Teodosic and De Colo tried to change things for CSKA and a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Vitaly Fridzon gave the hosts a 65-49 margin after 30 minutes. Khryapa ignited the crowd with a two-handed dunk early in the fourth quarter, but Koksal struck twice from downtown in a 0-8 run that gave Galatasaray hope at 67-57. Hines capped a 6-0 CSKA run with free throws to seal the outcome, 73-57, midway through the fourth quarter. Galatasaray kept battling but CSKA kept a safe lead and cruised to a well-deserved win.

Nando De Colo - CSKA Moscow - EB16
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Euroleague.net
Referees: JAVOR, DAMIR; BELOSEVIC, ILIJA; TRAWICKI, TOMASZ
Attendance: 7112
By Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow13331920
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul17122020
End of Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow13466585
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul17294969
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 26:56 22 7/12 0/2 8/8   3 3 2 4 3   2 1 8 26
3 KULAGIN, DMITRY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4 TEODOSIC, MILOS 27:06 8 3/6 0/4 2/2   2 2 6   3     1 2 7
5 AUGUSTINE, JAMES 15:57 6 2/3   2/2 2 2 4           1 2 10
7 FRIDZON, VITALY 13:17 4   1/3 1/1 1 1 2       1   3   2
9 JACKSON, AARON 20:44 10 2/3 2/2 0/2   1 1 5         1 3 15
11 ANTONOV, SEMEN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 VORONTSEVICH, ANDREY 20:15 5 1/3 1/4 0/2 1 2 3 1   1   1 1 2 1
22 HIGGINS, CORY 17:53 12 4/7 1/3 1/1 1 1 2 1 1       3 2 10
31 KHRYAPA, VICTOR 19:45 5 2/4 0/1 1/2 1 3 4 1 1       3 3 7
41 KURBANOV, NIKITA 14:04   0/4       3 3 1   1     2   -3
42 HINES, KYLE 24:03 13 5/6   3/4 3 2 5   1   1 1 3 2 16
Team           6 1 7               7
Totals 200:00 85 26/48 5/19 18/24 15 21 36 17 7 8 2 4 19 24 98
        54.2% 26.3% 75%
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
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
5 MICOV, VLADIMIR 30:25 18 2/2 3/5 5/6 2 1 3 3 1 3     3 4 20
6 FITIPALDO , BRUNO 9:41 2 1/2 0/2         2         4   -3
7 TYUS, ALEX 16:02 10 4/5   2/4 3 3 6   1 1 2     3 18
8 KORKMAZ, CAN 10:20 3   1/2     1 1 2   1     3 2 3
11 ARAR, EGE 17:53 2 1/6     1   1     1 1   2   -4
14 HACIYEVA, ORHAN 2:34                              
21 PLEISS, TIBOR 20:31 11 5/6   1/3 1 6 7 1   4 1 1 2 5 15
25 DAYE, AUSTIN 23:38 4 2/8 0/1   1 6 7 1 2 2     4 2 3
32 GULER, SINAN 21:44 5 1/5 1/3   1 1 2 4 1 2   1 4   -1
33 DIEBLER, JON 17:22 1   0/3 1/2   2 2 2   2     2 1 -2
61 KOKSAL, GOKSENIN 29:50 13 1/2 3/6 2/3 2 3 5 2   2     1 2 14
Team           2 1 3               3
Totals 200:00 69 17/36 8/22 11/18 13 24 37 17 5 18 4 2 25 19 66
        47.2% 36.4% 61.1%
Head coach: ATAMAN, ERGIN

Head Coaches

ITOUDIS, DIMITRIS
CSKA Moscow
"I would like to congratulate my players for the win, but also for qualifying to the playoffs. Of course, there are five games left and we are chasing the home-court advantage, this is what we are working for. We had a slow start in this game, especially on defense, but also offensively. That happened because of our stationery offense. We changed our strategy in the second quarter with much better defense and better mobility, which allowed us to set the tempo. We set the tone and it was +21 for us [in that quarter]. Then in the second half, they gave us a good fight, but we managed to keep our lead and win the game deservedly. Congratulations again, there are five more games to go. I have to say thank you to the fans that came to support us, 7,500. It is important. To be continued."
ATAMAN, ERGIN
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul
"We played a perfect first quarter. We were successful at slowing down the game tempo, controlled the game and did very well on offense. We started to make stupid turnovers in the second quarter and lost our focus on the game. After that, we fought all game. When I saw the statistics, only in the second quarter, when we gave up, there was a big difference in the game. We fought in the other three quarters. Of course, we didn't play good basketball in the second quarter, but we did that in the first, third and fourth quarters."

Players

HINES, KYLE
CSKA Moscow
"It was a good first step for us. It was our number one target, making it to the playoffs, especially in this new format. It has not been easy, but it is good to be the first team to qualify in the EuroLeague. It is a great testimony to the hard work and the things we have done during the season. Me and Tibor Pleiss played with each other when I was in Bamberg, so I know him very well. We matched up every day and played one-on-one the whole year. I know him very well; he is a great player, a great talent. It is never easy; I never realize how tall he is until I am standing next to him. Makes me feel a little short!"
HIGGINS, CORY
CSKA Moscow
"Overall, it is a big game for us. Once we picked up our defensive intensity, we started to run more and get more easy buckets. It made the game a lot easier for us. It is good that we have clinched a playoffs berth, but we still have five games to go, and we have to make sure we get the home-court advantage in the playoffs."
DE COLO, NANDO
CSKA Moscow
"We were not afraid, but you need to be ready for every game. We knew that the EuroLeague is really tough this year and every game is like a final. We now got our rhythm and need to keep working on it. For the moment, the most important thing for me is that I help the team the most I can."
MICOV, VLADIMIR
Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul
"It is a tough loss for us. We played great basketball against Real Madrid and Trabzonspor [in the Turkish League], but CSKA is one of the best teams in the EuroLeague and they played on their home court. We played really well in the first quarter. We found open shots, but made too many turnovers in the second quarter and allowed too many easy baskets, especially in fast break. They were up by 20 and in the end, we tried to come back, getting within 10 points. CSKA is a good team and managed to keep the lead. In the end, they won the game easily and our job is to try to win the next game."