By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Everything was open in the game between Khimki Moscow and Alba Berlin for about 36 minutes, but the Russians “exploded” down the stretch, winning 88 – 77 and clinching a spot in the Eurocup Top 16.
Alba will have to wait for its own qualification to the next stage, since it now stands at a 3-4 record after three consecutive defeats.
The match was up for grabs until the mid of the fourth quarter. That was the moment when Khimki began firing one three-pointer after the other, mainly courtesy of Markel Brown (19 points) who hit three in a row. That’s how he helped his team complete an impressive 14 – 0 run that made it 85 – 73 from 71 – 73.
Falling behind with this kind of deficit and with only 3 minutes left, the German team didn’t manage to recover at all. Especially since Elmedin Kikanovic (22 points, 5 rebounds) looked out of stamina near the end.
Nobel Boungou-Colo gave many helps to the winners with 18 points plus 5 rebounds and Jacob Pullen added 13 points. For Alba, Dominique Johnson scored 18 points, dished 5 assists and stole the ball four times, while Dragan Milosavljevic finished the match with 12 points and 7 assists.