«Bisons» Loimaa, Finland vs. VEF Riga, Latvia

Bisons defeated VEF Riga at home, 83-82. The home team trailed by as much as 21, but a furious second-half comeback, capped by Tuukka Kotti's turnaround jumper at the buzzer, gave Bisons the win!

Intro
VEF was aggressive on offense in the opening minutes, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. The visitors continued to pull away, scoring in transition and knocking down some 3-point shots to lead by as much as 21 in the first half. Martin Zeno had just five points for Bisons in the first 20 minutes, while Ide Udanoh went 0-7 from the field to finish the half with zero points.

The home team's comeback started on the perimeter. Ronald Clark, Ilari Seppala and Paul Hill stretched VEF's defense with Zeno running the offense. Bisons knocked down eight 3-pointers in the second half, allowing the home team to catch VEF.

Turning Point
With 15 seconds left on the clock, VEF had the ball and an 80-79 lead. Ludwig Hakanson, however, threw the ball away on the inbounds play. On the ensuing Bisons fast break, Paul Hill got fouled and converted both free throws to put the home team on top.

At the other end, Janis Berzins hit an unbelievable shot to put VEF back on top. With a couple seconds left on the clock, Bisons had one last chance to win the game. The ball went to Tuukka Kotti at the free-throw line, who spun and drained the fadeaway jumper! Bisons win 83-82 and improve to 2-7 on the season.

Star of the Game
Tuukka Kotti. The Finnish center had 14 points and eight rebounds. Most importantly, he hit the game-winner at the buzzer to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Stat of the Game
21 - biggest deficit faced by Bisons during the course of the game.

Stats

Snapshot