CSKA Moscow, Russia vs. «Kalev» Tallinn, Estonia

CSKA defeated Kalev at home on Sunday afternoon, 100-67. Kalev kept the score close in the first half, but CSKA played lockdown defense after halftime, giving the Army Men a comfortable 33-point win.

Recap
CSKA lost to Nizhny Novgorod last week and couldn't afford a second straight defeat. Despite playing without Nando De Colo, the Army Men were heavily favored against visiting Kalev.

Taking on the reigning champs on the road, Sunday's game promised to be an excellent test for the Estonians, who had never defeated the Army Men in league competition.

Kalev got a couple 3's to fall in the opening minutes, while the Army Men used their depth to push the tempo and control the momentum. Andrey Vorontsevich dominated at both ends, while Viacheslav Kravtsov provided a boost off the bench. The Army Men shot 47% on two-point attempts and 50% from beyond the arc in the first half, but were unable to build much of a lead.

Kalev's Brandis Raley-Ross got hot off the bench, scoring 17 points in the first half. As a team, the visitors went 7-10 from the perimeter, leaving CSKA with a measly 43-42 advantage at halftime.

Six straight points from Nikita Kurbanov early in the 3rd quarter sparked CSKA to its first double-digit lead. Much improved on defense, the Army Men shut down Raley-Ross and the rest of the Kalev offense. CSKA guard Cory Higgins, meanwhile, scored 13 points in the period, helping the home team to a formidable 72-57 lead entering the 4th quarter.

Over the final quarter, CSKA outscored Kalev 28-10, finishing with 100 points for the second time this season and improving to 4-1. Kalev drops to 2-3.

Star of the Game
Cory Higgins. His offense in the 3rd quarter played a big role in CSKA's dominant second half. Higgins scored 17 points after the break and finished with a game-high 20 points.

Stat of the Game
54-25 - After a competitive first half, CSKA blew out Kalev in the second half.

Quotes
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
- We played two different halves, especially on defense. We started poorly and didn't demonstrate the right approach. We committed a few turnovers and let our opponent score second-chance points. We didn't execute some of the things we'd talked about beforehand. Kalev had a lot of open looks in the first half and made 7 of 10 3-pointers. At the same time, in the second we got better, started playing active defense, controlled the momentum and forced our opponent to commit 18 turnovers. I don't have any real problems with the offense. We ran a smart offense the entire game and found opportunities to shoot.

Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
- CSKA played better today and deserved to win. We basically fell apart in the second half. We were outscored by 25 points in the final 12-15 minutes. Fatigue was a factor, while CSKA played at a very high level for all 40 minutes.

Stats

Snapshot