Nizhny Novgorod Russia defeated VEF Latvia at home, 93-83 (24-15, 29-13, 20-31, 20-24).
Top Scorers
Nizhny Novgorod: Kendrick Perry (31 + 8 ast), Vladimir Dragicevic (21 + 8 reb), Anton Astapkovich (13)
VEF: Mareks Mejeris (17 + 5 reb), Jabril Durham (14 + 5 reb), Glenn Cosey (12), Andrejs Grazulis (12)
Story
Nizhny took care of business against the League’s hottest teams, smoking visiting VEF 53-28 in the first half, then held on for a wild victory in the second half.
The Russians led by as much as 27 at the start of the 3rd quarter and maintained a 71-46 advantage with 3:22 to play in the period.
VEF, which had won five in a row entering Wednesday, showed its competitive spirit over the next five minutes, reeling off a ridiculous 23-3 run. Jabril Durham capped the turnaround with a triple, bringing Riga to within five, 74-69, with 8:45 to go in the game.
At risk of allowing the biggest comeback in League history, Nizhny turned to star Kendrick Perry, who finished with a game-high 31. The American guard scored eight of his team’s next 10 points, rebuilding the advantage to 10, 84-74, and ensuring the Russians would come away with a win.
VEF got as close as four, 87-83, with less than a minute remaining, but Nizhny iced the game at the free-throw line, while Chris Czerapowicz came up with a big block on Durham.
The 93-83 win is Nizhny’s 11th of the season and pulls Zoran Lukic’s men within one game of 6th-place Zenit. VEF falls to 8-14. The Latvians could still make the postseason, but have very little margin for error with only four games left on the schedule.
Stat
25 – Nizhny’s lead at halftime, which was ultimately cut to four. VEF competed to the end and made it exciting, but was unable to extend its winning streak.
Nizhny’s Electric Start
Кендрик @kendrick3perry колотит сверху, а @BC_NN начинает матч против @vefriga с рывка 19-3 ✈️
Kendrick Perry SLAMS as Nizhny runs 19-3 in 1st Q vs VEF ✈️ pic.twitter.com/YEZeKIUYxp
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) March 20, 2019
Photos
