«Bisons» Loimaa, Finland vs. «Vita» Tbilisi, Georgia

Bisons defeated Vita at home, 89-73. Vita was desperate to secure its first win of the season, playing Bisons tough through the first 25 minutes of the game. But despite 22 points from newcomer Omar Thomas, the Georgians couldn't match the home team down the stretch, getting outscored by 17 in the final 15 minutes.

Recap
Both teams pushed the tempo early, looking to score as soon as possible in each possession. The visitors enjoyed more success in the opening minutes, picking up a nine-point lead, though Bisons trimmed it to one by the end of the 1st quarter.

The 2nd quarter was equally competitive. Vita looked strong for much of the period, leading 38-35 with 3:27 to play in the first half. Konstantin Anikienko scored 11 for the visitors and Omar Thomas added eight in the first half, but another late surge from Bisons gave the home team a 50-42 advantage heading to the locker room. Mikko Koivisto capped the Finnish turnaround with a buzzer-beater from halfcourt.

Vita opened the second half on a 12-4 run to knot the score at 54-54, sparked by eight points from Thomas. It didn't take long for Bisons to respond. The Finns ended the 3rd quarter with a nine-point lead, then went on to dominate the final period, leading by as much as 19 midway through the 4th.

Bisons improve to 6-10 with the win, a half-game back of 9th-place Tsmoki, while Vita drops to 0-15.

Star Player
Martin Zeno. Everything went through Zeno on offense for Bisons. The American big man finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Stat of the Game
22 - Vita dominated the offensive glass, matching the league record this season.

Snapshot