Krasny Oktyabr punches Last 32 ticket in Vilnius

Krasny Oktyabr Vologograd advanced to the Last 32 by defeating Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 82-91 on the road. The winners improved their record to 5-3 to climb into third place in Group E, while Rytas, which had already advanced to the next phase, slipped to 6-2 and was winning-streak stopped at five games. A 13-2 third-quarter run gave the visitors the lead for good. The difference grew to 37-57 and in the final minutes Oktyabr resisted Rytas’s comeback attempt. Randy Culpepper was the main contributor for the winners with 28 points on 7-of-7 two-point shooting. Romeo Travis added 26 points and 6 rebounds and Deandre Liggins nailed 18 with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Leslie Travis posted 16 points for the losers, Gediminas Orelik scored 14, Adas Jaskevicius added 13 points with 6 assists, and Antanas Kavaliauskas amassed 12 points with 9 rebounds in defeat.

Romeo Travis gave a 5-9 cushion to Oktyabr with back-to-back layups. Culpepper, from mid-range, made it 10-16, but an 8-2 Rytas run capped with a Arturas Valeika slam tied the game at 18. Romeo Travis exploded with a dunk and the additional free throw to give his side a 20-21 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Marcus Cousin’s huge dunk extended the margin to 20-26, and 7 unanswered points from the visitors, 5 of them from Romeo Travis, gave Oktyabr its first double digit margin of the night, 23-33. Orelik and Kavaliauskas fueled the home team inside to 35-42 and Culpepper from mid range gave a 35-44 advantage to the visitors at halftime.

The dynamic duo of Romeo Travis and Liggins exploded early in the third quarter, highlighting a 13-2 run for a 37-57 advantage on an amazing slam made by Romeo Travis. The home team answered with 9 consecutive points to go ahead 46-57 with a three-point-play by Billy Baron, but Oktyabr remained in control thanks to a jumper and free throw from Culpepper to lead 50-66 after 10 minutes. Liggins made it again a 20-point game again, 50-70. Martynas Gecevicius from beyond the arc and Adas Juskevicius tried to keep the home team in the game, and Baron capped an 11-3 run to get to 61-73. Orelik got Rytas within single digits, but Culpepper’s back-to-back threes gave a comfortable 66-79 cushion to Oktyabr with four minutes left. Gecevicius scored from long distance to make it 71-79. Romeo Travis and Liggins answered, and despite a big effort from Kavaliauskas and Jaskevicius for a late come back, the guests’ accuracy from the foul line kept the results on their side.