Koponen leads Khimki past Limoges

Khimki Moscow Region bounced back from its initial loss in Last 32 Group J by downing Limoges CSP 79-70 at home on Wednesday. All four teams are tied at 1-1 in Group J. Khimki grabbed its 14th consecutive home win in Eurocup action. Petteri Koponen paced the winners with 24 points. Marko Popovic and Tyrese Rice each added 11 for Khimki. Rice also had 7 assists. Jamar Smith, Adrien Moerman and Ramel Curry each had 13 points to lead Limoges. Koponen, James Augustine and a three-pointer by Popovic allowed Khimki to get a 20-9 margin after 10 minutes. Mickael Gelabale, Smith and a three-pointer by Leo Westermann helped Limoges tie the game, 24-24, soon after that but an unstoppable Koponen and an outstanding Rice boosted the hosts' margin to 37-31 at halftime. Koponen kept pacing Khimki after the break, getting help from Tyler Honeycutt for a 54-47 margin after 30 minutes. Khimki boosted its margin to 72-60 with 4 minutes left and never looked back.

Ruslan Pateev dunked and a layup by Sergey Monya gave Khimki an early 4-0 lead. Frejus Zerbo followed a slam with a put-back basket but Koponen and Joffrey Lauvergne boosted the hosts' margin to 11-4. Nobel Boungou-Colo shined with a three-point play but consecutive baskets by Augustine made Limoges call timeout at 15-7. Honeycutt and Curry traded baskets and a three-pointer by Popovic gave Khimki a 20-9 margin after 10 minutes. Limoges improved its defense early in the second quarter, while Gelabale, JP Batista and Smith fueled a 0-7 run which brought the guests within 22-21. Koponen hit a jumper which Westermann bettered with a three-pointer. Koponen answered from downtown and Lauvergne gave Khimki a 29-24 edge. Koponen sank another triple and free throws by Rice boosted the hosts' lead to 34-26. Ousmane Camara and Boungou-Colo brought Limoges a bit closer, 37-31, at halftime. Honeycutt hit a jumper right after the break which Boungou-Colo improved with a triple. A 6-0 run which Koponen capped with a layup restored a double-digit Khimki lead, 45-34. Moerman struck from downtown but Pateev followed a layup with a dunk. Smith and Curry stepped up for Limoges and a layup by Moerman gave the guests hope at 52-45. Egor Vyaltsev and Curry exchanged baskets to fix the score at 54-47 after 30 minutes. Koponen scored again and a three-pointer by Popovic broke the game open, 59-47, early in the fourth quarter. Gelabale tried to change things and a three-pointers by Moerman and Curry got Limoges within 67-56. Gelabale scored again and a jumper by Curry made it a seven-point game, 67-60. Rice struck from downtown and a jumper by Koponen sealed the outcome, 72-60. Limoges kept fighting but Khimki had already cruised to yet another home win.