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Nizhniy Novgorod Survive Thriller in Saint Petersburg
Nizhniy Novgorod have upset higher-seeded Spartak in a nail-biting double-overtime thriller 85:88 to advance to VTB United League Quarterfinal, where they'll face Lithuanian Zalgiris.
Intro
The visitors had a strong start to the game as they gained a 2:11 lead midway through the first quarter. They managed to extend the gap to 18 with one minute to go in the first half after Vadim Panin's triple (18:36).
Lukas Mavrokefalidis, however, responded with a three of his own to end the second period and spark Spartak's 14:2 run, which cut the deficit to just six points.
The home side kept well within striking distance of their opponents as the game progressed to enter period four down by five (45:50).
Semen Antonov ignited Nizhniy Novgorod at the start of the forth to help his team regain a double-digit lead.
Turning Point
Dmitriy Golovin's bucket with less than a minute to go in the period gave the visitors a seven-point lead. Vasiliy Zavoruev, however, responded with a three and a two, Dijon Thompson missed his chance to win the game in regulation as Janis Strelnieks forced an overtime.
Obadiah Throtter put his team up by two with a driving lay up at the end of the first extra period but failed to connect on yet another potential game-winner after Josh Carter tied the game at 81.
Yet, having blown two chances to advance to Quarterfinals, Nizhniy managed to accomplish the feat in the second extra time.
Star of the Game
Semen Antonov. Russia's international had a huge performance as he nailed personal season high 20-points and added 10 rebounds (tied season best).
Stats of the Game
Four Nizhniy Novgorod players stayed in action for more than 40 minutes. Obey Throtter, Semen Antonov, Arterm Iakovenko and Dijon Thompson showed no fatigue as they kept fighting towards semifinals.
Quotes:
Spartak head coach Evgeniy Kisurin:
- Despite blowing the start of the game we lost in an evenly matched contest. I guess the reason for that is the fact they lost confidence following the losses that had occurred prior to the coaching change. Unfortunately we don't have a leader that could guide the team day in and day out
Nizhniy Novgorod head coach Zoral Lucic:
- I'd like to congratulate my players on advancing to the semifinal and would like to thank our fans who needed 19 hours to get here and support us. We blew two chances to win in regulation and this could have cost us the series. But we got lucky and eventually won.
Top Performers:
Spartak: Loukas Mavrokefalidis 25 points and eight rebounds. Vladimir Dragicevic - 17 points and eight rebounds.
Nizhniy Novgorod: Dijon Thompson - 22 points, five rebounds and three steals. Semen Antonov - 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Photo
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed a one-year deal with Canadian bigman Sean Denison (211 cm, 111 kg, 32 y.o.). Last season he spent in Romanian CSM Oradea, participating in the national championship and Basketball Champions League. From 2011 till 2013 he played in Russian clubs Spartak-Primorye and Ataman.
Nizhny Novgorod terminated the contract with American forward Erik McCree who’d joined the team this august. The decision was made by mutual agreement. At the moment Nizhny is in search of a new player for the vacant place.
BC NN signed a two-year contract with American forward Erik McCree (23 y.o., 203 cm, 102 kg). From 2013 to 2017 he was playing for Louisiana Tech in NCAA. Last season he showed his best statistics averaging 17,7 points, 8,9 rebounds, 1,3 assists in 33 games.
BC NN signed a two-year deal with American point guard Sterling Gibbs (188cm, 84kg, 24 y.o). In his college years he played for Seton Hall Pirates and Connecticut Huskies in NCAA. In 2016-2017 spent his first season overseas as he joined Hungarian team Kormend. He helped the team to semifinals in Hungarian Cup and Hungarian League averaging 14,4 points, 2,1 rebounds, 3,3 assists in 27 games.
