«Tsmoki-Minsk» Minsk, Belarus vs. «Krasny Oktyabr» Volgograd, Russia

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) escaped with an overtime road win against Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus), 113-112, in the final game in Week 1. With the visitors clinging to the lead most of the night, Tsmoki-Minsk mounted a comeback in the final quarter to force overtime. But despite leading early in the extra period, the home team could not hold off Randy Culpepper (his 41 points set a new VTB United League record) and co. as they clawed out the 113-112 win, their first-ever victory in the League.

Intro
American guards Randy Culpepper and Willy Dean are the leaders at the VTB United League’s newest club. It’d be an understatement to say the explosive duo enjoys a run ‘n’ gun style. From the start, Randy and Willy pushed the pace, streetball-style, looking to attack the rim as soon as possible in each possession. Tsmoki answered in kind and the game abounded with turnovers and three-point attempts. The early lead, meanwhile, belonged to Krasny Oktyabr.

The Belarusians, however, stayed within striking distance and gradually settled down, turning more to a half-court offense. The home team cut into Oktyabr’s lead, though they could never entirely wrest control of the game away from the visitors.

For much of the first half, guard Demont Harper and Culpepper were locked in a scoring duel, with the Volgograd player coming out on top, 16-14. His team also led, 50-47, at halftime.

Foul trouble plagued Tsmoki-Minsk throughout the game. And they came at the worst moments possible, often helping their visitors to three-point play opportunities – an easy method for maintaining the lead.

Of greater concern to Donaldas Kairys was the fact that he had to sit Harper just a minute and a half into the third quarter. With Tsmoki’s American sparkplug out of the game, Culpepper could run up the score without any competition, collecting 16 points in the period and boosting Krasny’s lead to 10 points (79-69).

Minsk continued to struggle early in the fourth. Confusion on defense and stupid mistakes helped their Russian visitors to a 15-point lead. But Krasny Oktyabr let their huge advantage melt away, unable to slow their pace and play more carefully. Keith Benson sparked the comeback, drawing fouls in the paint for multiple three-point plays.

At a certain point, the visitors looked completely lost and entered the final minute clinging to just a two-point lead. A Branko Mirkovic steal gave Tsmoki the opportunity to tie the game, which it promptly did on two Vincent Hunter free throws. But with 50 seconds still to play, neither team could find the game-winning bucket and regulation ended on a Tsmoki-Minsk turnover.

Turning Point
Little changed in overtime. Tsmoki raced out to a four-point lead, then lost it in 20 seconds, as Culpepper connected on a 3-pointer and drove to the basket for a lay-up. But the fun was just getting started, with the game featuring six lead changes in the final 3:26. With eight seconds to play, Mirkovic appeared to have rescued his team with a gutsy 3-pointer (112-111), but the VTB United League newcomers would not be denied this victory – Igor Zamanskiy hit Victor Cuthbert with a pass under the basket and the American big man scored at the buzzer for a heart-stopping 113-112 win!

Volgograd president Dmitry Gerasimenko, unable to contain his emotions, ran out on the court and literally bowled over head coach Valentin Berestnev, and the two gentleman tumbled to the ground. Krasny Oktyabr gets a win in its first-ever VTB United League contest!

Star of the Game
Randy Culpepper. The American added some new members to his fan club today, hardly leaving the court en route to a staggering 41 points – a new VTB United League single-game record. Culpepper’s brilliant performance helped Krasny Oktyabr to a win in this phenomenal game and you can bet folks are celebrating back in Volgograd tonight.

Stat of the Game
225. The 41 points from Randy Culpepper weren’t the only important stat from this game. Tsmoki-Minsk and Krasny Oktyabr combined for 225 points, the highest-scoring game in VTB United League history. Coincidentally, the Belarusian team participated in last season’s highest-scoring game, as well, a 110-106 loss to Neptunas.

Quotes
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Donaldas Kairys:
- Congratulations to Krasny Oktyabr on the win. It was a pretty emotional way for them to start the season. It was all deserved - the opponent played better 90% of the time. We couldn't stop them. The game should have been enjoyable for our fans and spectators, with one exception - we lost. Of course, the final two possessions were just unbelievable. All the same, I want to stick up for my guys. They showed character and they battled. And we really did have a chance to win.

Krasny Oktyabr head coach Valentin Berestnev:
- I understood that this would be a very difficult contest. The team from Minsk has become much stronger. With the way the game developed, we could have won in regulation, but the opponent's good defense caused us to lose control of the game. And I'm very grateful to the guys that they didn't stop and finished off the win.

More than anything, we lacked self-confidence. I hope that this game will help us come more alive. We were very inconsistent in the preseason and lost most of our games, after all.

Top Performers
Tsmoki-Minsk: Keith Benson – 29 points, seven rebounds; Demonte Harper – 20 points; Branko Mirkovic – 17 points, seven assists; Aliaksei Trastsinetski – 15 points, nine rebounds.

Krasny Oktyabr: Randy Culpepper – 41 points, five rebounds; Willy Dean – 21 points; Victor Cuthbert – 17 points, 10 rebounds; Darnell Hinson – 12 points; Kevin Fletcher – 12 points.

Photo of the Game