CSKA breaks records in 78-107 blowout at Sassari

CSKA Moscow marked its first game ever against Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari by tying a Euroleague record and breaking a club mark during an exquisite 78-107 blowout victory on Friday in Italy. CSKA's 33 assists tied the Euroleague record set by Real Madrid twice a year ago and were the most ever by a road team. CSKA's point total was 4 more than its CSKA'S previous best on the road in the Euroleague this century. The win keeps CSKA's record in Group D a perfect 2-0 and drops Sassari to 0-2. Explosive second and fourth quarters that CSKA won by combined 30-63 score decided the outcome. In fact, Sassari won the other two quarters, but by much slimmer margins. Nando De Colo paced the winners with 18 points, but it was Demetris Nichols who sparked CSKA's second-quarter takeover. He scored 10 of his 11 points in his first 5 minutes on the court as CSKA went from 26-25 behind after 10 minutes to 41-60 ahead at the half and controlled the game the rest of the way. Kyle Hines added 15 points as CSKA put seven scorers in double digits. Milos Teodosic had a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists, while Aaron Jackson scored 12, Andrey Vorontsevich and Cory Higgins 10 each. For Sassari, David Logan scored 13 of his 20 points in the first quarter. Rok Stipcevic followed with 16, Christian Eyenga with 14 and Joe Alexander with 10.

FIRST QUARTER: Logan leads Sassari charge

Vorontsevich stuck an open triple to start the scoring for CSKA, but Logan immediately answered from the same distance For Sassari. An offensive rebound let De Colo hit for three from the corner, then Jarvis Varnado finished a busted play and the free throw to make keep Sassari within 6-7. Hines scored inside but Eyenga answered before a steal sent Logan ahead for a layup and a 10-9 Sassari lead. Hines took the lead back, but Logan drilled a triple to make it 13-11. Brent Petway entered and detonated a one-hand dunk before another triple by Vorontsevich tied it 15-15. When Eyenga broke loose for another smash, CSKA took a timeout, down 17-15. The visitors went inside to Viacheslav Kravtsov to tie but Logan was on fire and blasted his third three-pointer already. De Colo got 2 points back at the foul line before Logan robbed an inbound pass and took it for a layup. His next steal ended with a put-back from Alexander for a 24-19 Sassari lead. Teodosic made 4 free throws as CSKA closer and Higgins drilled a jumper for a 25-25 tie. Brian Sacchetti put Sassari ahead at the free throw line 26-25 at the end of 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER:Nichols leads CSKA takeover

To open the second quarter, Nichols double-pumped for a layup and the accompanying free throw to put CSKA back up, then Higgins went to the line to make it 26-30. Denis Marconato's put-back kept Sassari close before dueling three-pointers by Teodosic and Sacchetti left CSKA in front 31-33. Varnado made a long hook to tie before Nichols finished a broken play to make it 33-35. CSKA made a charge then on baskets by Nichols and Pavel Korobkov before De Colo shot from the top of the arc to make it 33-40. When Korobkov and Nichols, the latter from downtown, struck again it was 33-45. Varnado got 4 points back for Sassari, but the hosts couldn't stop the red-hot Nichols, who hung in the air for another two-pointer and a 37-47 difference. Free throws by Higgins and Hines kept CSKA comfortable at 37-51. Eyenga spun on the baseline for a basket and Stipcevic made 2 foul shots at 41-53, but CSKA kept scoring, next on a runner by Jackson followed by his pass to Teodosic for a crowd-silencing triple at 41-58. Jackson waltzed in for one last open layup as CSKA went to the lockers ahead by 41-60.

THIRD QUARTER: Sassari tries in vain to rally

Logan reappeared with a triple to open the second half while Nikita Kurbanov re-started CSKA with a put-back. Varnado did the same for Sassari at 46-63. Eyenga got the crowd back into it, as well, when he flew to slam a fastbreak three-point miss by Logan. De Colo stopped Sassari's run with a driving layup after which free throws by Hines made it 48-67. Eyenga's hook shot was bettered by De Colo's triple, but Stipcevic matched that at 53-72. After a timeout, Stipcevic did it again from the arc and Logan added free throws to cut the difference to 58-72. Higgins stopped CSKA's slide with free throws, then Vorontsevich beat the shot-clock with a layup. Alexander spun on the baseline and threw down a fine one-hand slam, then he measured a corner three over CSKA's zone. But Higgins neatly fed Vorontsevich to finish the quarter with the visitors still in control 63-79.

FOURTH QUARTER: CSKA stars shut the door

Hines exploited Sassari's lax interior defense with back-to-back baskets to open the final quarter. After a lull in the scoring, De Colo and MarQuez Haynes traded baskets, but at 65-85, time was already running out for Sassari. Alexander's free throws cut the difference to 17 but Teodosic fed De Colo for an exquisite back door reverse layup before Korobkov and Vitaly Fridzon scored in close to end any hint of suspense with a 68-91 scoreboard. All that was left for CSKA was to go out as strong as it played all night, and sure enough, that was worth the most points it had scored away from home this century, 107!