«Nymburk» Nymburk, Czech Republic vs. VEF Riga, Latvia

Nymburk defeated VEF at home on Saturday evening, 73-71. The visitors led by as much as 12 points in the 3rd quarter, before Nymburk forward Howard Saint-Roos caught fire and led the home team to a thrilling win.

Intro
Nymburk and VEF entered at opposite ends of the standings (2nd and 14th, respectively). But the season is still young and VEF was determined to make it two straight wins on the road after knocking off Oktyabr last weekend.

The first half was extremely competitive. Riga enjoyed the early momentum, before an 8-0 run to start the 2nd quarter gave Nymburk the lead. The home team added to its advantage, going up 32-24 thanks to a pair of vicious dunks from Julian Vaughn.

The half ended, however, with the visitors regaining control. VEF scored nine straight and led at halftime, 41-36.
Riga picked up where it left off in the second half, holding Nymburk scoreless for four minutes in the 3rd quarter to build a 12-point advantage.

Led by 19 second-half points from Sant-Roos, Nymburk played catch-up for 15 minutes before the small forward gave his team its first lead of the half with 1:20 to play, 71-69. At the other end, VEF guard Ludwig Hakanson tied it up, 71-71, leaving Nymburk 21 seconds to respond.

Turning Point
In the end, the night belonged to Sant-Roos. After letting the clock drain down, the Cuba native drove the lane and with four seconds left hit the go-ahead shot. VEF's Francisco Cruz fired up a desperation heave at the buzzer, but couldn't find the mark. Nymburk wins, 73-71, and moves to 5-1, all alone in 2nd place!

Star of the Game
Howard Sant-Roos. He scored 29 points, including seven in the final three minutes and the game-winner!

Stat of the Game
18-24 - Nymburk's performance at the free-throw line. The Czechs drove into the paint all night, drawing fouls and getting to the line.

Stats

Snapshot