CSKA U19 — Avtodor, 12 March 2004

The game against hosts of the second round of the semifinal of the junior basketball league did not promise to be easy. Saratov teams are always too uncompromising on their own arena. Eugeny Pashutin team has defeat Avtodor in the first round in Saints-Petersburg, that’s why this game was very principle.

CSKA – Avtodor: 86-93


Neither CSKA non Avtodor want to let opponent to occupy the leadership. TRIO Tsintsadze-Kolesnikov-Shabalkin was the best in CSKA in the first quarter. Those minutes they scored 25 points from 30. Yaroslav Korolev was the best sniper in Saratov team. He scored 37 points in this game. To the end of the quarter the army team could get leadership: 30-25. But they could not hold on it to the big rest: 47-46.

In the middle of the third quarter CSKA missed 11-points spurt of Avtodor. Army team players made 5 turnovers in 3 minutes: 54-61. Eugeny Pashutin took time-out and made several substitutions. Kolesnikov and Likhodey could catch Avtodor and get leadership for their team to the last rest: 70-64.

The advantage of CSKA was 7 points on the 35th minute of the game: 77-70. 2 3-pointers of Smirnov and Zibirov forced the coach of CSKA to take time-out. CSKA could keep back hosts for 3 minutes more but then our team missed one more 3-pointer of Alexander Smirnov. The turnover of Kourbanov has present to Saratov 2 points. Geogre Tsintsadze got personal foul and complained it emotionally to the judge. He got technical foul and went to the bench. CSKA could save the game but in the end they did not scored several throws and let Avtodor to get the revenge.

This lose didn’t change the tournament standings of CSKA. If they will win last three games they will stay leaders of the group G. Tomorrow our team will play against Khimki Moscow Region who already did not have any chances to get to the final of the junior basketball league.