CSKA Moscow rallies past Laboral Kutxa in Vitoria
CSKA Moscow bounced back from its first home loss of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague season by rallying to beat Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 74-81 in front of over 12,600 fans at Fernando Buesa Arena on Thursday. CSKA improved to 7-2 in Top 16 Group F. Laboral dropped to 4-5 and saw its three-game home winning streak come to an end. Vitaly Fridzon led the winners with 13 points. Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo each added 11, while Andrey Vorontsevich had 13 rebounds for CSKA. Darius Adams led Laboral with 31 points. Fernando San Emeterio added 14 for the hosts. Sasha Kaun and Vorontsevich helped CSKA tie it at 11-11 but Davis Bertans, Fabien Causeur and Adams fueled a 13-0 run that gave Laboral a double-digit margin, 27-15, after 10 minutes. A free throw by Mirza Begic gave the hosts their biggest lead, 33-17. CSKA improved its defense, while Teodosic and Fridzon stepped up to bring the guests closer, 42-36, at halftime. A layup by Sonny Weems completed the guests' comeback at 44-45. Laboral did not surrender, as Adams hit back-to-back three-pointers down the stretch and soon added a free throw that gave Laboral a 72-71 lead in the next-to-last minute. Weems stepped up with the go-ahead basket, while De Colo followed a layup with free throws to seal the outcome in the final seconds.
First quarter: Laboral uses 13-0 run to roll
Andrey Vorontsevich got CSKA going with a three-pointer and a driving layup by Causeur kept Laboral within 2-3, as both teams played with high intensity from the very beginning. Mike James struck from downtown and a driving basket by Aaron Jackson tied it at 5-5. Sasha Kaun took over with an alley-oop dunk, but Causeur did better with a triple, good for an 8-7 Laboral lead. After Andrei Kirilenko hit free throws, Davis Bertans struck from downtown. A hook shot by Kaun tied it at 11-11. Colton Iverson shined with a put-back basket and another three-pointer by Bertans ignited the crowd at 16-11. Toko Shengelia scored in transition and an alley-oop layup by Iverson made it a 9-point game. A fast break layup by Adams caused CSKA to call timeout at 22-11. Causeur provided a highlight with a coast-to-coast layup, which capped a 13-0 run. Free throws by Nando De Colo and a layup by Kyle Hines brought CSKA within 27-15 after 10 minutes.
Second quarter: Fridzon brings CSKA closer
Hines hit a turnaround jumper early in the quarter, but Adams kept pushing Laboral with a six-meter jumper in transition and a layup-plus-foul off a steal which made it a 15-point game. After Mirza Begic split free throws, Hines nailed a mid-range jumper and Jackson added a fast break layup, as CSKA improved its defense midway through the quarter. A three-pointer by Milos Teodosic caused Laboral to call timeout at 33-24. Fridzon and Adams exchanged triples and free throws by Fernando San Emeterio gave Laboral fresh air at 38-27. Fridzon hit foul shots, which San Emeterio bettered with a three-pointer. Vorontsevich took over with a driving basket, but CSKA kept missing open shots. Even though San Emeterio hit a technical free throw, Laboral struggled to score late in the half. An outstanding Fridzon brought CSKA within 42-36 at halftime.
Third quarter: CSKA completes comeback
Kaun scored down low immediately after the break, but Bertans quickly answered with free throws. Laboral kept playing with high intensity, but CSKA controlled the game with twin point guards, Jackson and Teodosic, on court. Jackson took over with an off-balance driving layup and a catch-and-shoot three-pointer by Teodosic brought CSKA within 44-43. Laboral could not find the way to the basket, as CSKA forced the hosts to use long possessions and take off-balance shots. Meanwhile, a driving layup by Weems completed CSKA's comeback, 44-45. Weems and Adams traded free throws and Begic soon put the hosts back ahead, 48-47. Kirilenko took over with a second-chance layup, which Adams bettered with a three-pointer for a 51-49 Laboral lead. After Weems answered from downtown, Adams scored in penetration. A layup by Kaun restored a 53-54 CSKA edge. A layup by Pabel Korobkov and a jumper by Adams fixed the score at 55-56.
Fourth quarter: CSKA takes the thriller
San Emeterio scored in penetration early in the quarter, as CSKA had started to miss open shots. The guests were held scoreless for more than two minutes until Jackson found De Colo for a backdoor layup. San Emeterio split free throws and a jumper by Fridzon put CSKA back ahead, 58-60. An unstoppable Adams sank a long two-pointer and San Emeterio gave Laboral a 61-60 edge with more than six minutes left. Korobkov hit free throws, which San Emeterio bettered with a three-pointer. Teodosic took over with a tricky basket and a big basket by Vorontsevich gave CSKA the lead, 64-66. Teodosic struck from downtown, but Adams erased that with a turnaround circus shot. Korobkov split free throws and Adams banked in another triple for a 70-70 tie with three minutes left. Fridzon, San Emeterio and Adams split free throws for a 72-71 score in the next-to-last minute. Weems scored in penetration and a layup by De Colo gave CSKA a 72-75 lead with 52.5 seconds left. James missed from downtown and free throws by De Colo sealed the outcome, 72-77, as Laboral never recovered.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Euroleague.net