BC Khimki Moscow Region had a strong start in the 2011-12 Eurocup by downing Cholet Basket 63-75 in France in Group B on Tuesday. Khimki became the first team to register in road win in Group B. Timofey Mozgov paced the winners with 21 points. Vitaly Fridzon added 15 while Sergey Monya had 11 for Khimki. Fabien Causeur led Cholet with 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Robert Hite added 10 for the hosts. Khimki had a strong start but Causeur brought Cholet within 16-20 after 10 minutes. Khimki managed to keep the lead throughout the second quarter but Cholet got within 34-35 at halftime. Monya had 8 points, including back-to-back triples, in an 1-14 run that broke the game open, 45-66, early in the fourth quarter. Causeur kept trying to change things for Cholet but Khimki kept finding Mozgov down low and added a valuable road win.

Fridzon got Khimki going with a layup and Mozgov dunked it for a 0-4 lead. Demetris Nichols stepped up with a put-back layup and Hite found his first points but back-to-back slams by an unstoppable Mozgov kept Khimki ahead, 4-8. Nichols scored again but he didn't find much help around. Meanwhile, Zoran Planinic split free throws and added a three-point play for a 6-12 Khimki lead. Causeur sank a jumper but Egor Vyaltsev and Chris Quinn quickly made it an eight-point game, 8-16. Vyaltsev scored again and Kreso Loncar added a layup but three-point plays by Luc-Arthur Vebobe and Causeur brought Cholet within 16-20 after 10 minutes. Talor Battle hit a jumper early in the second quarter, Vebobe added free throws and Causeur scored again but Quinn singlehandedly kept Khimki lead, 22-26. William Gradit and Monya traded baskets and even when Mozgov dunked it again, a three-pointer by Hite got Cholet within 27-28. Mozgov stayed unstoppable in the paint and a layup by Fridzon gave Khimki some fresh air at 29-33. Austin Daye sank a jumper but Gradit and Battle shined with consecutive layups and a free throw by Nichols fixed the halftime score at 34-35.

Mozgov dunked it again immediately after the break but a three-pointer by Causeur tied the game at 37-37. Khimki kept running its offense through Mozgov and a layup by Fridzon gave the guests a 37-41 edge. Khimki held the hosts scoreless for more than 4 minutes while a jumper by Fridzon and a free throw by Mozgov boosted their team's margin to 37-44. Hite rescued Cholet with a three-pointer but Fridzon matched it with a layup-plus-foul. Monya and Fridzon buried back-to-back three-pointers and a jumper by Planinic gave the guests a 44-55 margin. Monya scored again and followed Mozgov's dunk-and-foul with a three-pointer that broke the game open, 45-63, at the end of the third quarter. Monya capped an 1-13 run with another bomb from downtown early in the fourth quarter. Causeur answered from beyond the arc but Vyaltsev and Mozgov gave Khimki a 48-69 margin with over 7 minutes left. Both teams now fought for points differential, a critical issue in all regular season groups. Causeur shined with 6 unanswered points but Thomas Kelati stepped up off a Khimki timeout but make the guests cruise to a well-deserved road win.