Snaidero - CSKA: 90-81

Today CSKA played the first game at the tournament in Udine. The team came to the city just an hour before the game start. There are some changes in the roster. Artur Urazmanov and Maxim Sheleketo went back to Moscow. Most likely both would continue their careers at CSK VVS. Before departure the CSKA head coach Ettore Messina talked to both and gave his recommendations.

Snaidero – CSKA: 90-81 (20-18, 22-25, 26-19, 22-19)

CSKA: Andersen (19 + 6 reb), Vyaltsev (15), Dyachok (11 + 7 reb), Langdon (8), Panov (7), Shabalkin (6), Bashminov (6),Zavoruev (3), Kurbanov (2), Lamma (2), Smodis (2).

Snaidero has more experienced players than any other team CSKA played against in Italy. They are Silvio Gigena, Glenn Secunda, Michele Mian, Jerom Allen. With such a roster the team plays power basketball putting the opposite side under pressure.

This time CSKA had all of the players involved in the game including Matjaz Smodis and Vladimir Dyachok. The team was more creative in the first half and that was the reason for a small lead of CSKA – for example 16-12 with 2 minutes to go in the first quarter.

In the second quarter the game was becoming more and more nervous with every second. The culmination came with 4 minutes to go to the half time break. The rough contact under Snaidero board nearly leaded to the actual fight. Surprisingly the referees did not punish any of the sides.

After the episode the atmosphere of the game balanced between nervous and rough. Probably this was the best example of the ‘true men basketball’ in European style that according to coaches of the young teams their players miss mostly. If so, it was a good lesson for CSKA young players but anyway the basketball of the kind is neither spectacular nor creative.

CSKA left the court for the half time break being ahead of the rival for just a single point – 43-42. But the 3rd quarter the rival started with the 13-4 run. The Army club looked tired, 4 players could leave the court with 5 fouls every moment. They were Sergey Panov, Nikita Kurbanov, Nikita Shabalkin and Trajan Langdon. First two finally left the court in the beginning of the last period.

CSKA seemed to be tired mentally of the huge number of fouls and the atmosphere in general. Nevertheless the club made several attempts to cut down the gap but everytime either the key shot or defensive performance was missing. The final result is 90-81 for Snaidero.