By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The duo of Alexey Shved and Nobel Boungou-Colo took care most of the business for Khimki Moscow against Lietkabelis, leading their team to a 88 – 80 winning entrance in the Eurocup Top 16.
Shved dropped 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists, while the French forward added 18 points (with a perfect 6/6 from the field) and 5 rebounds.
Robbie Hummel (18 points) and Earl Rowland (10 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) also provided big helps for the winning squad. Ben Magden (19 points, 4 assists) and Ksistof Lavrinovic (10 points, 8 rebounds) were the best Lietkabelis had to offer.
During the first half (37 – 33) and the first five minutes of the third quarter the two teams walked side by side. With the score 48 – 44 Khimki built a double-digit lead to make it 63 – 52 a bit before the final period and then continued holding an advantage which seemed safe. But it wasn’t.
Lietkabelis hadn’t said its final word and rallied to come back cutting its deficit to three, 83 – 80, with 30 seconds to go. However these were the last points the Lithuanians would score in the game while two key free throws by Rowland and a downtown basket by Hummel “wrote” the final result.