CSKA Moscow defeated Avtodor Saratov at home, 110-76 (25-18, 28-28, 29-16, 28-14).
Top Scorers
CSKA: Mikhail Kulagin (20 + 5 reb), Nando De Colo (19 + 5 ast), Semyon Antonov (13), Cory Higgins (13)
Avtodor: McKenzie Moore (16), Perrin Buford (15 + 7 reb), Tre’ McLean (15), David Kravish (13 + 15 reb)
Story
Undefeated CSKA started the game on fire, blitzing Avtodor for a 19-5 lead midway through the 1st quarter. Tre’ McLean helped bring the visitors back, scoring 10 straight to cut the deficit to seven, 25-18, entering the 2nd.
Moscow once again pulled away, 46-31, midway through the 2nd period, but McKenzie Moore and Perrin Buford were able to make it a close game at halftime, 53-46.
Turning Point
CSKA opened the 3rd quarter on another run, 10-3, courtesy of Cory Higgins. This time, though, Moscow never let up on the gas, streaking to a 20-point advantage at the end of the quarter (82-62). The 4th quarter was a blowout with CSKA wrapping up a 6th-straight win to open the season. Avtodor drops to 2-2 after back-to-back wins.
Stats
5 – 5 Russian players 20 or younger played in the game. Nikita Mikhailovsky (two rebounds, one assist), Anton Kvitkovskikh (six points) and Savely Makarov (one assist) featured for Avtodor; Andrey Lopatin (four points, two assists) and Alexander Khomenko (two points) suited up for CSKA.
10 – David Kravish finished two rebounds shy of breaking the League record for offensive rebounds.
Top Play
Семен Антонов бьет сверху после паса из-за спины Нандо Де Коло 💥
Semen Antonov SLAMS after @NandoDeColo‘s assist 💥 pic.twitter.com/6phdqirlNi
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) November 4, 2018
Star
Mikhail Kulagin. The CSKA guard missed the start of the season due to injury, but has been effective since returning. Today he scored a game-high 20 points on 6-9 shooting in 22 minutes. Kulagin was two points shy of setting a career high.
Quotes
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis: “We didn’t have enough focus at times in the first half, with all due respect to the talent Avtodor has at every position, especially individually. They are a team that likes to run and use iso’s. In the 2nd quarter, we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, iso’s and fast breaks. For the rest of the game, we had a serious approach on defense and offense. We were better. It’s great we could distribute playing time, knowing there are tough games ahead.”
Avtodor head coach Sergei Mokin: “In the first half, we managed to compete and score points. But, like I expected, it’s tough to compete with CSKA on offense. When your opponent hits a ridiculous percentage from 3 (56%) it’s always going to be tough. It’s hard enough when one guy’s hot, but when the whole team is connecting, that’s twice as hard.”
Photos
