Cedevita gets valuable road win in Volgograd

Cedevita Zagreb stayed undefeated in Last 32 Group I by thrashing Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 65-83 on the road on Wednesday. Cedevita moved to 2-0 in Group I while Oktyabr dropped to 0-2. Big man Tomislav Zubcic paced the winners with 24 points on 5-of-7 three-point shots, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Fran Pilepic added 15 while Miro Bilan had 14 for Cedevita. Lamont Hamilton led Oktyabr with 15 points. Randy Culpepper added 13 while Romeo Travis had 10 for the hosts. Pilepic and Zubcic shined early to give Cedevita a 4-15 lead, enough for the guests to keep an 8-19 margin afyer 10 minutes. Culpepper and DeAndre Liggins tried to change things for Oktyabr but Zubcic and Roko Ukic kept Cedevita way ahead, 27-35, at halftime. Culpepper and Travis took over after the break, bringing the hosts as close as 48-49 late in the third quarter. It didn't last long, however, as Zubcic and Pilepic combined for 13 points in a 2-17 run that sealed the outcome, 50-66. Cedevita improved its margin to 54-79 and never looked back.

Cedevita had a strong start, as Miro Bilan, Marko Arapovic and Fran Pilepic gave the guests an early 2-8 margin. Cuthbert Victor hit a jumper but a three-pointer by Pilepic ignited a 0-7 run which Zubcic capped with a layup, good for a 4-15 Cedevita lead. Victor struck from downtown but Zubcic hit one from beyond the arc, keeping the guests way ahead, 8-19, after 10 minutes. Randy Culpepper and Lamont Hamilton stepped up for Oktaybr to bring the hosts within 14-21 early in the second quarter. Bilan scored down low but Artem Komissarov did better with a three-pointer. Mario Delas and Bilan fueled a 0-6 run which restored a 12-point Cedevita margin, 17-29. Hamilton and DeAndre Liggins combined for all points in a 6-0 Oktyabr lead but Ante Delas and a layup by Zubcic allowed Cedevita to keep a 27-35 margin at halftime. Zubcic struck from downtown right after the break but Donnie McGrath and Culpepper brought Oktyabr within 32-38. Roko Ukic and Luka Babic stepped up with back-to-back jumpers but Culpepper kept pacing the hosts with a bomb from downtown. Ukic scored again but Romeo Travis and Culpepper made it a four-point game, 40-44. Bilan took over with a layup-plus-foul and Ante Delas hit a jumper but a 6-0 run which Komissarov capped with free throws brought Oktyabr as close as 48-49. Zubcic rescued Cedevita with a couple of three-pointers and Pilepic added another one to boost the guests' margin to 50-60 after 30 minutes. Pilepic, Ukic and Ivan Ramljak broke the game open, 50-66, early in the fourth quarter, capping a 2-17 run. Travis and Liggins stepped up for Oktyabr but a three-pointer by Pilepic sparked a a 0-8 run which Ante Delas capped with free throws for a 25-point Cedevita lead, 54-79, enough to cruise to an impressing, well-deserved road win.