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

VEF defeated Bisons at home, 83-73. Despite winning by 10, the home team had to work for this victory. Bisons led early thanks to a strong start from Paul Hill. After VEF pulled away in the 2nd quarter, the visitors clawed their way back into the game, cutting the deficit to five with less than two minutes to play. But VEF hung on, notching its 8th win of the season to pass Bisons in the standings.

Recap
Despite playing short-handed, Bisons continue to compete. On Wednesday, both teams came out firing with Bisons enjoying a three-point advantage midway through the 2nd quarter. Anthony Myles, however, shifted the momentum for Riga, coming off the bench to spark a 22-7 run and give VEF a 46-33 lead at halftime.

Ronald Clark, Paul Hill and Josh Sparks tried hard to overcome the deficit in the second half. After trailing by as much as 20, Bisons pulled within five with less than two minutes to play. Unfortunately for the visitors, they would get no closer. The perimeter shots stopped falling, allowing VEF to close out a 10-point win.

Star Player
Martins Meiers. VEF's powerful center came off the bench and only played 18 minutes, but still managed to record a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds), including a big offensive rebound and putback in the final minutes after Bisons cut the lead to five.

Stat of the Game
46 - Riga scored more than half of its points in the lane. The Bisons were much less effective in the paint, scoring only 20 points.

Snapshot