ULEB Cup. First defeat as visiting team 7 november 2006

The second round in the “grid” of the regular stage in the Union League of European Basketball and the first game for BC Khimki as visitor, took place in the Belgian City of Oostende, facing off against there no. 1, Telindus. The home team played pretty well under the scoreboards, and in the battle of the rebounds. The Moscow Region Club, without the benefit of any good opportunities to attack in the “second half” lost their first game for the trophy as visiting team: 88-93 (21-26, 26-22, 26-27, 15-18). All the same, all teams from Group C boast one game to their advantage after the second round. The next game in the ULEB Cup for Khimki will be at the Basketball Center, where they will face off with one of Italy’s champions, Montepaschi. The game is on 14 November, at 19.30.

The best scorers: Torres (18), McCarty (15), Fridzon (14), Booker (13), Lampe (13).

On this second round, the home team was seemingly “weaker,” although it may have been to defend themselves against this match’s favorites in case of defeat. Unfortunately, everyone was mistaken. Telindus announced its entry into the second round obtaining their goal. As an example, they recalled the results of the first game of the first round, in which their neighbors, the Dutch Eiffel Towers, beat Real Madrid in overtime. The “weakness” of the Oostende Club is overshadowed by their role as leader in the offensive rebounds (note: Khimki is in second place in this category). In the second game, the statistics in this category for both teams were in all honesty, a bit on the modest side.

The Oostende vs. Madrid match started later than the others, at 10:30 Moscow time, when several other games in the second round had already finished. Sergey Krasnikov nor Timofei Mozgov made the dozen; the visiting team hit the court with their starting line-up: Booker, Gorenc, McCarty, Veremeenko, Wolkowiski.

During this match, for the first time during the season, the starting five were repeated, from the match vs. Hapoel. Melvin Booker opened the score from the free throw line, Muya having committed two fouls. After two successful shots from the home team, Kelly McCarty scored with an assist by Booker. The Belgian Muya at this point had settled down and scored a 3-pointer. The home team fouled with greater frequency, while the yellow-blues, luckily, were giving up some sure shots from the line, which can not be said of their initial field goals. It wasn’t until six minutes into the game, that the yellow-blues finally rocked the rim from mid-court scoring a 3-pointer.

The Oostende Cub did not intend to continue on a path as was demonstrated in Sofia with a low percentage of successful attempts. When Telindus reached a 4-point lead, the playmakers were switched. Khimki’s coaches also changed their players... the entire starting five. Vitaly Fridzon showed his thunder from the 3-point arc.

Lampe took the role of warrior to task, and took the front line with Ademola Okulaja. Still, the home team kept a 5-point lead up until the break, after which Elvir Ovcina netted a 3-pointer. During these minutes he Bosnian center was the Belgian team’s best player.

After they switched Kelly McCarty (the last of the line up), Oscarcito Torres immediately scored a 3-pointer. Booker and Wolkowiski came out on court again, and Ademola demonstrated a spectacular basket, and went on to block a shot by Denis Wucherer. Midway through quarter, after an offensive by Torres and Fridzon, the visiting team was “hunting or a basket,” and took the lead: 38-37. For a second time Vitaly scored from the perimeter, but not all was going so well. Vladimir Veremeenko received his fourth foul and was benched, leaving Lampe to take his place, and soon after Booker received his third foul. In the last minutes of the first half, Vanja Plisnic caught the ball with an assist by Ovcina, taking the home team to the lead.

The second half started with precision shots by Booker and Torres, from the paint and the arc. The Moscow Region Club started to handle the ball more carefully, minimizing the losses. But up until the break, they had already given too many away to the opponent. The home team racked up points from the free throw line mainly. Meanwhile the visiting team’s arsenal was rich and varied during these moments. Rubén Wolkowiski then made a return pass to Vitaly where his third 3-pointer made it to the basket, and he later went on to score in the paint. At minute 25 Oscar took the score to: 65-58 with a medium shot. Telindus’ players, in cold blood, continued hitting the opponent’s basket from the charity line. Kelly McCarty scored a running five times, taking the home team’s lead to 6 points.

Oostende’s players had no intention of throwing in the towel and closing the third quarter, Wucherer cut the advantage of the home team to a minimum, and later, Rashad Wright evened it out. In the last minute Elevich called a time out. Later the Belgian MVP, Larry Postell (he racked up 25 points in three quarters) committed his fourth foul on Ruben. Telindus went to the last break with one up on the home team, which later was increased by Ovcina. Postell continued his game from the perimeter, and a fourth successful shot lit the board up at 80-73, in favor of Telindus.

Maciej Lampe from the free throw line and from a distance, cut down the difference in scores, however, the home team gave them back the status quo, losing 6 points. With only five minutes on the clock the coaches for the visiting team called a time out. After that Lampe and Veremeenko took the front line, and Booker made an attempt after an offensive rebound from the home team, and Eric Hicks replied with same. Khimki’s players placed an accent on the long distance shots, but these attempts, as is well-known, are not always the best weapon, and the Belgian club showed an admirable fight for the rebounds. Despite this, Veremeenko and McCarty forced their coach to call a time out when the score was perched on 91-88. McCarty, however, later missed two free throws...

Veremeenko got his fifth foul, and was switched with Okulaja. The home team, with two minutes to go, took a break. Fridzon committed a foul and Postell got both free throws in. The “last shot” was granted to the captain, but Wolkowiski missed it from the arc, and Khimki lost its first as visiting team.