Intro
Spartak opened the season with a loss in Donetsk and flew to Poland determined to make up for its disappointing start. But the Poles had no intention of making life easy for their visitors. Turow lost twice to Spartak last season in close encounters and was set on revenge.

In addition to their grittiness, Miodrag Rajkovic’s men were known last season for perimeter shooting. But they took a different tack at the start of this game, emphasizing post play, which ran through Ivan Zigeranovic. Despite an early double-digit lead, mistakes on the part of the home team’s guards allowed Spartak back into the game, as they trailed by just two points after 10 minutes of play, 21-19.

Turow regained control in the second quarter, opening on a 6-0 run. Tony Taylor and John Prince got to the basket more often than Spartak would have liked and converted on easy opportunities. Andrey Koscheev was left alone to hold off the Polish attack, but his efforts weren’t enough to keep Turow from taking a six-point lead into halftime, 40-34.

As expected, the Russian club came out strong in the third quarter. They began pressuring more actively on defense, causing Turow to falter on offense, and used the shift in momentum to go on a 10-0 run. Turow answered back with improved defense of its own and an increased threat from beyond the arc. Jaramaz and Stelmach’s 3-pointers returned the lead to the home team – 52-50 entering the fourth quarter.

Turning Point
The energy and effort down the stretch was so intense that Turow looked even fresher than it had to start the game. Michal Chylinski provided the threat on the perimeter, Zigeranovic cleared out his defenders in the paint and Taylor and Prince found openings to shoot thanks to numerous screens. Once the home team’s lead reached 10 points, Spartak lost its composure and started making rash decisions. Turow takes its revenge, 77-65, and secures its first win of the season.

Star of the Game
Damian Kulig. The Turow center scored half of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Kulig improved as the game went on and wasn’t afraid to take over when his team needed him most. His field goals determined the outcome, and also helped him become the game’s leading scorer.

Stat of the Game
70.6% — their incredible two-point field-goal percentage helped Turow win today. That’s the 9th-best result in League history.

Quotes
Turow head coach Miodrag Rajkovic:
— I’m very happy that we won. After a few months away, we proved today that we’ve put together a solid team. We have good team chemistry, and good strategy and tactics. If we continue to work this hard, we’ll continue to win. If you consider this is our first win of the season, then the outcome makes me even happier.

Spartak head coach Gundars Vetra:
— I think that you just heard everything yourselves from my player. We played fairly well in the first half, but then made a few tactical mistakes, which led to the loss.

Top Performers
Turow: Damian Kulig – 16 points; John Prince – 13 points; Tony Taylor – 11 points, five assists; Ivan Zigeranovic – 11 points, five rebounds; Michal Chylinski – 10 points; Piotr Stelmach – seven points, five rebounds; Filip Dylewicz – four points, eight rebounds, six assists.

Spartak: Aleksey Surovtsev – 16 points; Jared Homan – 13 points, six rebounds; Andrey Koscheev – 11 points, Donald McGrath – six points, five assists.