Having caught playing initiative in the very beginning of the game BC Khimki scored another confident victory over tenacious Lithuanian rival Neptunas — 73-56 (15-7, 20-12, 17-21, 21-16). On Wednesday, October 30, 2013 our team in Israel will face Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem. The beginning of the game is at 21.15 msk.
BC Khimki: Gelabale (18 + 6 rebounds), Koponen (14 + 5 rebounds), Popovic (13 + 9 assists), Augustine (10 + 9 rebounds), Vyaltsev (9 + 6 rebounds + 3 assists), Monya (5 + 4 rebounds + 3 assists), Balashov (4 + 2 rebounds).
Rimas Kurtinaitis, BC Khimki head coach:
— I'm happy not only for the win, but also for the team effort we had today on the court. Several players looked tired, as they had to play 30 minutes and more second game in a row. Nevertheless, we performed well in defense, except third quarter, when we allowed Neptunas to score 21 points. Basically, it was a defense game. We have problems with one-on-one defense against a player with the ball, so we will work on this. Neptunas doesn't have famous players but it's a dangerous team; in last matches they lost with a difference of only one or two points. So I am glad we've won.
Kazys Maksvytis, BC Neptunas head coach:
— Our team — the players and the coaching staff — is waiting for matches against teams like BC Khimki. Before the game we had problems with the roster, two players are still injured, one of the main player Marius Runkauskas is sick, Andrew Smith got brain concussion, so we had to perform in eight players. We had to change our playing style, which had an effect on teamwork in the first half. After big break we played better, but when we could "catch" our opponent, we made a couple of mistakes in the defense, as the team like BC Khimki doesn't forgive such mistakes. It's a pity we didn't manage to create a better battle, but it turned out how it happened...