Avtodor Saratov defeated Nizhny Novgorod at home, 95-92 (19-21, 28-23, 24-19, 24-29)
Top Performers
Avtodor: Nick Minnerath (24 points + 9 rebounds), Tomislav Zubcic (16 points), Michael Carrera (15 points + 11 rebounds), Michael Stockton (15 points + 7 assists), Evgeny Kolesnikov (11 points)
Nizhny Novgorod: Kenny Boynton (26 points), DeAndre Kane (19 points + 11 rebounds), Petr Gubanov (16 points), Ivan Strebkov (15 points)
Turning Point
Trailing by nine, 72-63, to open the 4th quarter, Nizhny went on an 11-2 run to knot the score at 74-74.
But Avtodor refused to panic. A pair of 3-pointers from Carrera and Kolesnikov pushed the lead back to six with five minutes to go.
Nizhny had chances down the stretch, but turnovers and missed free throws helped the home team hang on for the win.
Stat
27% – The visitors went 9-33 from downtown (8-32 not counting Kane’s buzzer-beater when the outcome had already been decided). A slightly better showing beyond the arc could have made the difference for Nizhny Novgorod.
Quotes
Avtodor head coach Sergei Mokin:
– We were successful on offense and often used the classic Avtodor style, which helped us secure a positive result. Frazer and Carrera missed a few days of practice because of injuries and weren’t at their best today. Klimenko didn’t play for obvious reasons and continues to get in shape. Nizhny Novgorod went small most of the time, so we didn’t use our big men as much.
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Arturs Stalbergs:
– Avtodor didn’t do anything surprising. Above all, we lack experience. There aren’t that many experienced players on our roster. Most of the guys have never played at the VTB League level before.
Up Next
Avtodor: October 16 at Tsmoki-Minsk
Nizhny Novgorod: October 22 at Enisey
Snapshot
