The second game in the play off series will take place Saturday at the Moscow Region Basketball Center.

Top Scorers: McCarty (22), Lampe (12), Booker (10).

BC Khimki’s dozen had the warrior spirit for the first match after the end of the regular season. Nikita Morgunov was absent from the visiting team’s roster, with an injury. The starting line up for Khimki was a traditional: Booker, Fridzon, McCarty, Veremeenko, Lampe.

Not eight seconds had gone by when Melvin Booker opened the count attempting from the arc, but on the line. Kelly McCarty answered a shot by Likholitov with a 3-point play, but Dynamo’s center took the light-blues to the lead in a snap, and the game continued head to head from then on. When topping off minute 2 the yellow-n-blues’ all of the starting fab-five had scored points. The home team started pressing from up court.

Alexei Savkov took the place of Vitaly Fridzon but did not make a successful offense, and was sent back to the bench again. The home team coaches were forced to call a time out when the score lit at: 14-16, after which Vladimir Diatchok took the court. The home team started showing their superiority in the battle of the rebounds. Vitaly Fridzon leveled the count on the board with a perimeter shot and Kelly made a field goal with a bonus from the free throw line. Dynamo MR Coach Dmitry Shakulin called another minute down time.

In minute 9 Likholitov, most effective player during the game up until then, was slapped with his third foul. One shot just before the whistle blow allowed the home team to get a breather with a comfortable difference, which was nonetheless obliterated quickly by the visiting team. Dynamo started the second quarter with a lighter roster, and their opponents answered with two playmakers on the field, while launching also their center to battle it out.

Coach Kemzura huddled his team on the bench in council when faced with 31-35. He then switched three players. The home team was topping the opponent by a good gap, but was careless with the ball: 8 fumbles to 2 coming up on minute 18. Khimki started the second half with the same players, and the opponents left Likholitov on the bench. The gap reached a max of 6 points for visiting team, but was quickly cut down by half.

Melvin’s long distance shot lit the count at 48, forcing the visiting team to ask for a time out, making the home boys block their second round of offense. Dynamo, however, regained their status quo of a 5-point lead and forced Coach Kemzura to launch Wolkowyski, Savkov, and Pozzecco. Dynamo’s Blakney was answering Savkov’s shots from the perimeter and this interchange repeated itself up until the third break.

Wolkowyski and Savkov leveled the score in less than one minute. But the beginning of the end did not yet come about, and the visiting team dealt a 5-point-blow without a reply, forcing Khimki’s coaches to call a minute out. Khimki’s under-7 quickly was reduced to under-3 and Dynamo’s coaches called a time out. The 67-70 score remained fixed for two minutes, after which the teams attempted to recoup was lost, which resulted in a better performance by the Lyubertsy team.

With 3.08 on the clock, the yellow-n-blues were losing: 69-76, and called another time out Demeshkin launched a 3-pointer gaining for his team. Despite all attempts on the part of BC Khimki, extending themselves to the final seconds, when the battle seemed futile, the deficit was left as is, unable to eliminate.

Post Game Coach Comments

Dmitry SHAKULIN, entrenador principal de BC Dynamo RdM:

— Quiero felicitar a mi equipo. Trabajamos enormemente y ganamos un duro partido. Quisiera agradecerles a los trabajadores del club Khimki, quienes me felicitaron por la victoria luego del partido.

Kestutis KEMZURA, entrenador principal de BC Khimki:

— Felicito al rival por la victoria. Nos preparamos seriamente para este partido, pero, evidentemente, nuestros muchachos tenían la idea en la cabeza de que nos sería fácil seguir adelante. Hoy actuamos muy mal en la defensa, nos equivocamos mucho, en situaciones fáciles le regalábamos el balón a los rivales. Pero la serie playoffs recién empieza. Analizaremos nuestros errores y el partido de hoy y lucharemos para seguir adelante.

¿Cómo podrán vencer al rival mañana?

— Con un juego más rudo en la defensa. Además tenemos que ser más veloces y cuidar más el balón.