«Enisey» Krasnoyarsk, Russia vs. «Vita» Tbilisi, Georgia

Enisey defeated Vita at home, 83-73. In control most of the contest, Krasnoyarsk held off a late Vita charge to improve to 3-4.

Intro
Injuries and several abrupt departures meant Vita head coach Pavel Googe only had seven men available to play in Siberia. Enisey, meanwhile, went 12 deep. Coupled with the home-court advantage, Krasnoyarsk was heavily favored at tip-off.\

Not surprisingly, Enisey raced out to an early 17-7 lead. The Russian club led by 8-10 points most of the first half, though Vita briefly cut the deficit to two, 34-32, late in the 2nd quarter. The visitors did their damage from the perimeter. Irakli Chlaidze was especially effective, knocking down three 3's in the period.

The score at halftime, however, was 40-32 after Alexey Vzdykhalkin and Andrey Komarovsky connected on back-to-back 3's.

Several fast breaks to open the 3rd quarter doubled the home team's lead. Up 13-15 points most of the second half, Enisey appeared in complete control.

Chlaidze had other plans. Trailing by 17, 72-55, midway through the 4th quarter, the Georgian guard spearheaded a 15-2 run that cut the deficit to four with 1:50 to play. Chlaidze scored 11 during the comeback, including three more 3-pointers.

Turning Point
But the visitors never got closer. On the very next possession, Enisey's Tony Taylor connected from downtown. Vita then turned the ball over twice, allowing the home team to regain a double-digit advantage and close out the victory.

Star of the Game
David Kennedy. As a team, Enisey struggled on offense, but not Kennedy. He helped the home team pull away early and finished with 22 points on 9-13 shooting.

Stat of the Game
6 - number of 3-pointers by Irakli Chlaidze. He sparked both of Vita's comebacks, pouring in a season-high 24 points.

Quotes
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
- We knew that our opponent was dealing with some problems. But the coaching staff still prepared the guys for a battle. When we started strong, some of the players thought they could check out. That's when we ran into trouble. Unfortunately, that happens. Nonetheless, we secured a win. This was a learning experience for us and I hope that next time the team will take a more serious approach to an opponent that's not in ideal form.

Vita head coach Pavel Googe:
- The team is in the process of rebuilding and signing new contracts, so we had a smaller roster in Krasnoyarsk. Also, one of our guys couldn't play and another was injured. Given the circumstances, it was hard to compete with a team that has some momentum. I'm very satisfied with the team's effort and toughness: we have a lot of potential.

Stats

Snapshot