Nizhny Novogord bests Krasny Oktyabr

Nizhny Novogord beat Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd 82-74 and claimed a two-win margin over fifth place in Group F with just three games left in the regular season. NIzhny improved to 4-3 record, while Krasny Oktyabr is at the bottom with a 1-6 record. It looked like Nizhny Novgorod broke the balance early in the third quarter when it took a 50-32 lead, but an outstanding run by the visitors put them in front 52-58. The game remained very close till the final minutes, when Kaspars Berzins tied at 61-61 and then scored a pair of three pointers to make the difference. Berzins amassed a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds plus 5 blocks, Victor Rudd scored 16 while Ivan Strebkov and Semen Antonov netted 10 points apiece. Richard Guinn led all scorers with 22 points for Oktyabr, Dmitry Sokolov drained 19 and Andrei Mateiunas had 16 in defeat.

Semen Antonov capped an initial 7-1 run for the home team, while Mateiunas hit a three to make it 10-8 after four minutes. Dmitriy Khvostov from long distance made it 17-12 for Nizhny and after Victor Zaryazhko extended the difference to 25-17 with another triple, Sokolov and Mateiunas fueled the visitors to 25-21 after 10 minutes. An 11-4 run capped by Uvan Strebkov from three-point land and Rasid Mahalbasic in the paint gave a double digit margin, 36-25 to the hosts. Viacheslav Zaytsev kept Oktyabr close, but Berzins and Vladimir Ivlev boosted Nizhny to a 45-32 halftime lead.

Rudd scored from downtown to raise the difference to 50-32, but then the visitors exploded with an amazing 2-26 run, fueled by 7 points from Sokolov and three pointers by four different players to take the lead at 52-58. Antonov and Ivlev sounded the charge for Nizhny to close within 59-61 through three quarters. Berzins tied things at 61-61 to start the final quarter and with the defenses suppressing the scoring, then Sokolov came through underneath to put Oktyabr in front 63-65, but a three-point-play by Rudd and a three drilled by Berzins gave a 71-65 advantage to the home team. Mateiunas and Sokolov kept Oktyabr close at 74-70, before Berzins and Strebkov hit back-to-back triples to go up 80-70 and capture the victory.