«Enisey» Krasnoyarsk, Russia vs. «Kalev» Tallinn, Estonia

Enisey defeated Kalev in Krasnoyarsk, 97-90. The game was competitive from start to finish. Gregor Arbet knocked down a '3' in the final seconds to force overtime, but the home team would not be denied, surging to a seven-point win in the extra period.
Enisey catches 9th-place Krasny Oktyabr in the win column (10), but does not hold the tie-breaker in head-to-head meetings. Kalev, on the other hand, missed an opportunity to move up from 14th place.

Intro
Both teams have played well in recent weeks. The Siberians have picked up a few wins in the VTB United League and advanced to the FIBA Europe Cup Final Four, while Kalev nearly scored upsets vs. UNICS and Lokomotiv-Kuban and knocked off Krasny Oktyabr. Entering Sunday's game, both teams were healthy and expected to make it an exciting game.

The first few minutes of the contest matched those expectations. Denis Zakharov and Delroy James gave Enisey an early lead, but the visitors responded with big men Rolands Freimanis and Shawn King. The duo combined for 15 points in the 1st quarter, but it wasn't quite enough to catch Enisey at the end of 10 minutes (24-20).

The Estonians briefly surged ahead in the 2nd quarter. Enisey fought back with defense to regain the lead. Krasnoyarsk led by as much as 12 in the first half, before a Kalev comeback (two Arbet 3-pointers and a Rain Veideman layup) cut the deficit to five, 42-37.

Kalev opened the 3rd quarter on an 11-0 run. Krasnoyarsk failed to score over the first five minutes of the second half, before David Kennedy knocked down a pair of free throws.

After several substitutions, Enisey settled down on defense and ultimately regained the lead. The home team led much of the 4th quarter, but Arbet's 3-pointer forced overtime in Siberia, 82-82.

Turning Point
Despite Arbet's heroics, Enisey left no doubt in overtime. Denis Zakharov gave the home team an early lead and Artem Yakovenko polished off the win in the paint. Leading by 6-7 most of the extra period, Enisey secured the overtime victory.

Star Player
Denis Zakharov. The Russian saved his best for last. Zakharov beat his defenders 1-on-1, driving to the basket to get Enisey off to a strong start in the extra period.

Stat of the Game
18+15+10+6 - Enisey star David Kennedy put together an unconventional triple-double. On top of 18 points and 15 rebounds, he drew 10 fouls. The American also added a team-high six assists.

Quotes
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
- Above all, I think we left a lot of emotional energy in the game vs. Cibona. It would have been nice if today's game would have gone differently, but it happens. Sometimes you can't help the exhaustion. Kalev picked up three solid foreign players over the last three months and played very well against UNICS and Lokomotiv. They had time to prepare and I think they were ready for this game. During the 1st quarter, our emotions carried us, but then our fatigue started to show. I used a quicker rotation to try and maintain the tempo, but the circumstances didn't go our way. Tony Taylor picked up a little injury and our struggles allowed the opponent to stay in the game. I didn't have a chance to use a bigger rotation. That's why the game was tough going, but we still managed to pull out the win and played better in overtime, even though we had much less energy.

Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
- The game was a roller-coaster. Enisey would score eight unanswered in one quarter, then we would in another. That continued until the final minutes of overtime, where Enisey managed to win despite my guys' best efforts.

Snapshot