«Enisey» Krasnoyarsk, Russia vs. «Krasny Oktyabr» Volgograd, Russia

Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd defeated Enisey Krasnoyarsk on the road, 89-87. The home team dominated in the first half, scoring 59 points to take an 18-point lead. But Randy Culpepper helped the visitors storm back after the break and pull out an exciting win on the road. With the victory, Krasny Oktyabr leapfrogs VEF and and Kalev to take over the final playoff spot!

Intro
This was an extremely important game for both teams. Krasnoyarsk had dropped to 15th in the league and couldn't afford another loss at home, while Volgograd entered the contest at 7-11, half a game out of the final playoff spot.

The home team got off to a strong start. Fast breaks and superb pick-n-rolls by point guard Donell Cooper gave Enisey a 12-point lead lead. Cooper had seven assists in the 1st quarter, while the Enisey frontcourt scored 20 of the team's 31 points.

Randy Culpepper and Donald McGrath struggled to get Krasny Oktyabr going. Dirk Bauermann tried to turn things around in the 1st quarter, burning through two timeouts, but Volgograd's defense only started to improve late in the first half. Trailing 48-29, the visitors went on a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to 12.

Enisey, however, got the last laugh in the half, using full-court pressure to regain control of the game and take a 59-41 advantage into the break.

Krasny Oktyabr went on another big run to start the second half. The visitors were fired up coming out of the locker room, digging in on defense while scoring inside and out. Yet another Culpepper 3-pointer cut the once daunting deficit to a manageable six points, 69-63.

Turning Point
The final period belonged to Culpepper. Enisey couldn't stop him as he scored 13 points in the first six minutes of the 4th to help Volgograd take the lead down the stretch.

Trailing by two, Enisey had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession. Donell Cooper drove the lane and nearly converted the game-tying layup, but his shot bounced around the rim and fell off, letting Krasny Oktyabr escape with the hard-fought win.

Star of the Game
Randy Culpepper. The American willed Oktyabr to the victory, saving his best basketball for the decisive 4th quarter. He ended the game with 33 points, 2nd-best in the league this season.

Stat of the Game
19 - Enisey's largest lead of the game.

Quotes
Enisey head coach Stevan Karadzic:
- This season, we either win by 15 points or more or we lose like we did today. We've lost six or seven games like this this season. We don't have a leader who can put the team on his back. The team plays good defense and offense in the first half, but we lose our focus in the second half and our opponent scores easy points.

Krasny Oktyabr head coach Dirk Bauermann:
- This was a very tough game. The first half didn't go very well for us. You can't play like that against a good team like Enisey. I think that we got really lucky today because Cooper's shot could have saved Enisey.

Top Performers
Enisey: Elmedin Kikanovic - 16 points; Sava Lesic - 14 points, nine rebounds; Donell Cooper - 14 points, 13 assists; Artem Yakovenko - 11 points; Evgeny Kolesnikov - 10 points; Terrico White - nine points, five rebounds, four assists.

Krasny Oktyabr: Randy Culpepper - 33 points; Cuthbert Victor - 20 points; Romeo Travis - 17 points, five rebounds; Donald McGrath - nine points, eight assists.

Photo of the Game