«Triumph» Lyubertsy, Russia vs. «Enisey» Krasnoyarsk, Russia

In Week 7 of the regular season, Moscow Region’s Triumph fell at home to Krasnoyarsk’s Enisey, 81-77. The home team led comfortably at halftime, but the visitors changed the tone of the game in the 2nd half and clawed out a win.

Intro
The fans witnessed a nervy start to the game – both squads sized each other up and attempted to minimize mistakes, without much success, however. Only midway through the first quarter did the home team settle down on defense and make a move. Kyle Landry contributed ably, scoring 6 points, helping Triumph close the period with a 10-point lead, 23-13.
The visiting team subsequently mimicked their opponent’s strategy, feeding the paint more deliberately. Enisey center Emedin Kikanovic had three opportunities to convert inside, but missed them all. Triumph, for their part, played flawlessly on offense, enjoying a 9-0 run to open the second quarter.
Recent Enisey signing Davon Jefferson’s appearance on the court gave the local fans something to cheer about. If, while playing for Triumph last season, he excelled thanks to his field-goal percentage, then tonight his turnovers stood out. The home team, for their part, coupled great shooting (61% from the field) with complete domination on the boards. Triumph led 47-31 at halftime.

Turning Point
Vladislav Konovalov, Enisey’s head coach, understood that his team would have a chance at victory only if his men could change the game’s dynamics in the third quarter. Following the break, Enisey became more aggressive on the glass, while Davon Jefferson returned to his dominant self on offense. Tremendous play inside thanks to a minimum of mid-range jumpers helped the visiting side to make up their deficit. Amazingly, Enisey did not miss a single 2-point attempt in the second half.
The Krasnoyarsk team kept up the pace in the final quarter, too. They caught the home team, then, with a minute to play, thanks once again to Jefferson and Aleksey Kotishevskiy, pulled ahead. The Moscow Region fans gathered in the stands headed home disappointed. Their club proved visibly weaker in the deciding minutes and let the game slip away.

Star of the Game
Aleksey Kotishevskiy. Forget about his play for most of the game and even his 17 total points. More importantly than all that, he brought Enisey victory at the end of the game, which is why he’s tonight’s star of the game.

Stat of the Game
19. Triumph’s biggest lead. The Moscow Region club could not hold it, however, losing in embarrassing fashion.

Quotes
Triumph head coach Vasily Karasev:
- I think the blame for the loss is on the coaching staff. Leading by 16 points, we began to use the bench more heavily, which may be why we lost our rhythm and failed to get back in the game. Our exhaustion also played a role. As I said earlier, we’ve got a busy and difficult schedule, playing every three days.

Enisey head coach Vladislav Konovalov:
- We wanted to display completely different basketball, than that which we displayed in the first half. Halftime proved in our favor; we found our game and played to our strengths. We didn’t stop McKee, but we did limit their leaders Landry and Karasev. The game was difficult. The ending was good; it will be great experience for our guys.

Top Performers
Triumph: Tywain McKee – 21 points, 5 steals.
Enisey: Aleksey Kotishevskiy – 17 points.