2006-07Regular SeasonRound 4
November 15, 2006 CET: 18:15
Local time: 20:15 USH CSKA
Trajan Langdon - CSKA Moscow - EB06

CSKA got back on the winning track in Group C by using a barrage of three-pointers to turn back visiting Benetton 83-67

CSKA got back on the winning track in Group C by using a barrage of three-pointers to turn back visiting Benetton 83-67 in Moscow, Russia on Wednesday. CSKA improved to 3-1 with the victory while Benetton fell to 2-2. CSKA drilled 13 of its 22 three-point tries, including 7 in the third quarter, to keep the visitors at bay. Trajan Langdon hit all 4 of his bombs in that third quarter on the way to 16 points, the same total as David Anderson, who went 2 for 2 from downtown. J.R. Holden and Matjaz Smodis had 14 points and made 3 triples each. Marco Mordente led the visitors with 14 points, while Matteo Soragna had 12, Spencer Nelson and Marcus Goree 10 each. Goree added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Benetton missed its first 14 three-point tries before Mordente hit 3 in as many minutes late in the third quarter to cut CSKA's lead down to 4 points. Benetton within striking distance until mid-way through the fourth, but after a Holden triple, couldn't rally more.

Joey Beard opened the scoring with a basket underneath but soon Andersen fed Alexey Savrasenko for a 2-2 tie. The defensive machine of CSKA started to work, but Benetton tried to find spaces and Soragna tied at 4-4. Andersen and Soragna traded triples, but the defenses ruled for now and baskets were rather scarce. Benetton tried to switch individual and zone defenses, but on offense could not get past CSKA's big men in the paint. Theodoros Papaloukas stepped in for the hosts and soon found a three-point play to make it 12-6 in minute 7. Consecutive baskets by Nelson and Soragna plus a free throw got Benetton back to within 12-11 soon before another three-point play by Papaloukas gave some air back to CSKA. Defense and free throws from David Vanterpool and Smodis did the rest as the hosts skated to a 20-11 lead after 10 minutes.

Angelo Gigli of Benetton and Anton Ponkrashov of CSKA traded baskets to start the second quarter, then a three-pointer by Smodis gave CSKA its first double-digit lead, 26-15. Beard picked up Benetton's scoring inside, but the defenses were dominating again. Both sides looked in the paint to add points, but didn't succeed much until Mordente appeared with a jump shot to get Benetton closer at 26-21. CSKA defense forced Benetton to long attacks, but offensive rebounds allowed for new shot opportunites, one of which Soragna converted to make it 27-23. Andersen and JR Holden found some more points for CSKA as the game champs reached halftime in front by 31-25.

CSKA broke the game open on the basis of three-point shooting early in the second half, but not before Goree had hit a jumper and dunked to put Benetton within 34-29. Langdon had already hit a triple, however, and in the next 4 minutes, he, Holden and Smodis all struck from the arc to drag CSKA way out in front, 45-31, forcing a Benetton timeout. Langdon hit another triple to make it 48-33, but Benetton stormed back anyway, first going inside to Goree and Nelson, then to the hot shooting hand of Mordente, whose back-to-back three-pointers made it 49-45. CSKA needed the next timeout, and afterwards struck back with more triples, including Holden's second and Langdon's fourth of the quarter, for a 57-47 edge. But Mordente wasn't done and closed the quarter with his third bomb in as many minutes, plus a free throw, for a four-point play that left a 57-51 score after 30 minutes.

Smodis kept the triple festival alive by opening the final quarter with his own. Goree and Spencer went inside to keep the visitors within 5 points, 60-55, but CSKA's defense keyed a 6-2 mini-run that reestablished breathing room. Benetton saw its last chance come with Zisis scoring 5 points in a row, including 3 free throws that made it 69-62 with just over 3 minutes left. That, however, is when Holden, seemingly trapped on the side, launched his third successful three-pointer of the night to make it 72-62. Nikita Kurbanov's layup after that meant that the lead would not be threatened the rest of the way and CSKA had returned to the win column in Group C.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Euroleague.net
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Referees: MARTIN, JOSE; BELOSEVIC, ILIJA; VOJINOVIC, MILIJA
Attendance: 4000
By Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow20112626
Benetton Basket11142616
End of Quarter1234
CSKA Moscow20315783
Benetton Basket11255167
CSKA Moscow
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 PAPALOUKAS, THEODOROS 24:15 8 2/4 0/2 4/4 1 1 2 8 1       2 4 17
5 KURBANOV, NIKITA 7:45 5 1/1   3/3         1 1     4 1 2
8 SMODIS, MATJAZ 31:00 14 0/5 3/5 5/6   1 1 1 1 1     2 4 10
9 VANTERPOOL, DAVID 21:45 5 1/3   3/4   4 4 1 1 4   1 2 7 8
10 HOLDEN, JR 32:15 14 2/3 3/5 1/2   7 7 2 2 3     1 3 20
11 PASHUTIN, ZAKHAR 2:00     0/1                   1   -2
13 ANDERSEN, DAVID 27:15 16 4/6 2/2 2/2   6 6 1   2     5 2 16
14 SAVRASENKO, ALEKSEY 14:00 2 1/2       2 2         1 1 2 3
15 KASHIROV, ANATOLY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18 PONKRASHOV, ANTON 6:45 3 0/1 1/1           1 1     1 1 2
20 VORONTSEVICH, ANDREY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 LANGDON, TRAJAN 33:00 16 2/2 4/6     3 3 2 2   2   3 3 23
Team           1 2 3   3           6
Totals 200:00 83 13/27 13/22 18/21 2 26 28 15 12 12 2 2 22 27 105
        48.1% 59.1% 85.7%
Head coach: MESSINA, ETTORE
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
Benetton Basket
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 LYDAY, TERRELL 25:00 4 1/3 0/2 2/2   1 1 1 1 3   1 5 3 -3
6 ZISIS, NIKOS 30:00 7 2/4 0/1 3/5 1 1 2 5 1 1     3 6 12
7 SORAGNA, MATTEO 34:45 12 4/6 1/5 1/1   1 1   1 2   1 5 2 2
8 GEORGE, NICK 1:15                              
9 MORDENTE, MARCO 22:00 14 1/2 3/4 3/3   1 1     1     2 4 14
13 SANTANGELO, MATTHEW 7:00   0/1 0/1                   1   -3
15 GIGLI, ANGELO 13:00 2 1/2 0/1 0/2   1 1 1 1 1 1   3 1 -1
17 NELSON, SPENCER 23:15 10 5/6 0/3   3 4 7 2   2     1 2 14
18 GOREE, MARCUS 31:00 10 5/9 0/2   3 8 11   3   1   3 2 18
19 BEARD, JOEY 12:45 8 4/5   0/2   2 2 1 2 2     4 2 6
20 CUCCAROLO, GINO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Team             2 2   1 1         2
Totals 200:00 67 23/38 4/19 9/15 7 21 28 10 10 13 2 2 27 22 61
        60.5% 21.1% 60%
Head coach: BLATT, DAVID
This game has no play by play yet

Head Coaches

MESSINA, ETTORE
CSKA Moscow
"It’s not easy to be a champion a year after the triumph. It was a very hard game today that we managed to win. Benetton is a small team whose quickness was a serious factor. But we played good defense, while on offense we never relaxed. In the first half the ball wasn’t moving well. Then we started passing and our players made some individual efforts. We received great help from Andersen, Kurbanov made some plays at the end. It was a difficult match for Savrasenko because Benetton's big guys are so fast. At the same time – Ponkrashov played like Baryshnikov. He and other Russians have to realize that they need to develop both as players and personalities. They are not good enough, they still are not ready. It’s not easy to play under pressure. They have to improve."
BLATT, DAVID
Benetton Basket
"I want to congratulate CSKA for the win. We played well, or, let’s say, rather well for three quarters. But CSKA is a great defensive team and they did not give us many chances to shoot. And several of the good chances we had, we did not use. The there-point percentage was nearly the only point we lost tonight, but it meant a lot. The difference between our teams is the experience. We missed some tonight."

Players

PONKRASHOV, ANTON
CSKA Moscow
"I don’t want to evaluate my game. Simply it’s not my job. As for team – we played good defense and not the best offense. If we were more concentrated at the offensive end, we would have won with an even bigger difference. Undoubtedly, we have potential; we just need to listen attentively to our coach and improve step by step during the season."
SMODIS, MATJAZ
CSKA Moscow
"It was very important for us to win today, especially after the loss to Pau. We did a good job against a very tough opponent whose style of basketball isn’t comfortable for CSKA. They are quick and small. So, everybody tried to do his best on the court. For example, Nikita Kurbanov stepped up in the last quarter and made a great contribution."
NELSON, SPENCER
Benetton Basket
"I want to give CSKA a credit. They played very well the entire game. They were ahead even when we tried to cut the difference. After playing good defense in the first half, we lacked it in the second. We let CSKA's snipers shoot three-pointers. It was a crucial mistake. We have to analyze our faults and become stronger."
BEARD, JOEY
Benetton Basket
"My injury isn’t serious, in fact it’s not an injury at all; it’s just a hit. Speaking about the game - it was a bit tough today. CSKA is a great team and they play very, very well at home. CSKA has four or five guys who can score. In the second half, Langdon and Smodis hit some big threes. We lost those shooters on the court when we had to know exactly where they were. Then Holden got going and he is very difficult to stop when he's playing that way. We made a lot of mistakes that we didn’t have to make. In the first half we played very good defensively; in the second half – we played very good offensively. Obviously, it wasn’t our worst game. But I am sure we can prepare much better next time."
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