«Krasny Oktyabr» Volgograd, Russia vs. «Vita» Tbilisi, Georgia

Krasny Oktyabr defeated Vita at home on Saturday, 85-82. The visitors matched Volgograd shot-for-shot in the first half, trailing 44-43, before the home team pulled away in the 3rd quarter to take a 19-point lead. Despite a late collapse, Oktyabr was able to hold on for victory and improve to 6-9.

Recap
While playing at home, Volgograd struggled to put 0-15 Vita away in the first half. The Georgian club's new forward Omar Thomas and sniper Irakli Chlaidze kept the visitors in the game, combining for 28 points in the first 20 minutes. At halftime, Oktyabr's lead was one, 44-43, despite entering the contest as heavy favorites.

Fired up to start the second half, Volgograd blitzed the visitors in the 3rd quarter. Leading by two, 49-47, Oktyabr's Viacheslav Zaitcev sparked a 10-0 run with a jumper. Dmitry Korshakov and Andrei Mateiunas added 3-pointers and Kirill Bolshakov's club went on to build a 19-point advantage at the end of the period.

For much of the 4th quarter, it looked like the home team would cruise to victory. Leading 80-62 with just over five minutes to play, Oktaybr appeared to be in complete control.

But the visitors refused to quit. Omar Thomas scored six straight to cut the deficit to 13, while Chlaidze and Beka Tsivtsivadze knocked down shots from outside that made it a five-point game, 85-80, with a minute to play. Oktyabr had several chances to get even closer, but couldn't quite seal the deal, dropping an 85-82 decision on the road.

Star Player
Jerry Jefferson. The American forward only recently joined Volgograd, but he's quickly established himself as the team's go-to player. Against Vita, Jefferson recorded a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Star Player
16 - Vita made up 16 of the 19-point deficit in the 4th quarter, falling a little short in the final minute.

Snapshot