By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
On a game decided on details, a strong third quarter was enough for CSKA Moscow in order to get the road win in Belgrade over Crvena Zvezda mts. The final score was 86-81 behind 29 points by Mike James and 19 by Daniel Hackett who were arguably the most important players of the winners.
James scored just five of his points in the first half, which ended with a buzzer-beating three by Billy Baron and the hosts leading by one (37-36). However, the tables were turned in the next period.
Thanks to a goal-foul by Darrun Hilliard, CSKA built an eight-point advantage (53-45) and James made it a nine-point game (60-51) as the “Army Team” completed the quarter with a 24-16 partial score.
“I just kept shooting and I guess I just kind of played the odds. But I really didn’t shoot that well, and I didn’t really play the best. But I tried to keep being aggressive and listen to my teammates, and it went well”, said James referring to his 6/19 FG. He also had 14/18 free throws.
While the third period ended with Zvezda trailing by seven (60-53), James finally gave to CSKA its first double-digit lead (76-66) with four minutes left and the hosts couldn’t get into a striking distance after that.
Baron scored 15 points for the losing side, having made only his buzzer-beating three in the first half.
With a 17-8 record, CSKA remains fourth in the standings, while Zvezda dropped to a tie with Zalgiris Kaunas at 10-15 and the 12th position. NBA legend and Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming was present in the game.
Very, very special guest #YaoMing with our sports director Žarko Čabarkapa ??⚪️@EuroLeague R25 | Crvena zvezda mts – @cskabasket #GameON #kkcz #WeAreTheTeam pic.twitter.com/DEPfmGXOa1
— KK Crvena zvezda (@kkcrvenazvezda) February 21, 2020
“We trusted our system”
For CSKA coach Dimitris Itoudis, the key was the fact that his team kept doing things their way, despite a mediocre first half: “That third quarter gave us a boost. I think that we went in with a good defensive mentality to make stops, and at the same time trusted our system. All the shots we missed in the first half were good shots. We had to trust our ball movement to make shots, which happens eventually, and we did that”.
For Itoudis the point remains that his team got what they wanted: “I think it was a good win for us, for my team, and we’re looking forward to the future. Big or small, it’s a win, and that’s something important in this league. We had our good moments, they had theirs, but we were expecting that it would be a tough game.”
Photo credit: EuroLeague