Unicaja (Spain) – CSKA: 76-95
The first game of the second stage of the Euroleague was without a doubt cause for concern. Looking at the CSKA-Unicaja game, CSKA has to start all over again in the tournament. Meaning that the team’s previous achievements remain in the past – including victories of Olimpiacos in Athens, a blowout of Ulker in Moscow, and a difficult win over the latter in Turkey. Before the beginning of the Unicaja game, CSKA, like all of the other teams in their group, had a record of 0-0.
Not only did the players and coaches understand this, but the fans as well. The punishing noise with which they greeted CSKA seemed like it was at the decibel level of a jet taking off. Every fan had two plastic noisemakers which they used relentlessly.
CSKA opened up the scoring 30 seconds into the game, and after a minute of play, the teams were forced to take a minute-and-a-half rest, as there were problems with the 24-second clock. Twenty seconds after play resumed, John Robert Holden hit the first 3-pointer of the night, giving CSKA a 5-0 lead. Unicaja eventually answered with a long-distance shot of their own, but then CKSA got two points from Songaila, a steal from Khryapa and Alexander and a resulting layup for Chatzivrettas, who was fouled and made the free-throw for a 10-3 lead.
CSKA began to relax against the Spanish club’s 3-point attack, and Stephane Risacher hit two bombs, Moustapha Sonko – 1. With 3:32 left in the first quarter, Sonko hit a mid-range jumper to even the score at 14-14. Unicaja hit three more 3-pointers, two from Louis Bullock and one from Risacher. The Spanish team scored 21 of their 25 first-quarter points on 3-pointers. At the end of the first quarter, CSKA trailed Unicaja 25-23.
The second quarter began with a bit of a novelty: a zone defense from CSKA that was promptly scrapped after two Unicaja possessions. It seemed to work in throwing Unicaja off of their game. In the entire second quarter CSKA allowed only one 3-pointer. But if things were going well for the Muscovites on defense, their offensive troubles weren’t going away, and they weren’t able to pull away. At the end of the first half, CSKA lead 38-43.
In the second half, CSKA began to take control of the game. The was thanks in great part to Holden, who was the team’s leader this night. With 4:06 left in the quarter, CSKA’s lead hit double-digits, 45-56, and the crowd began to quiet down. Two-and-a-half minutes later Frederic Weis was forced to sit after picking up his fifth foul. This proved especially hard for Unicaja. Chuck Kornegay was not able to do much to stop Victor Alexander.
With 1:30 left in the third, Papaloukas scored three points – a layin and a foul – and stretched the CSKA lead to 16 points, 52-68. It was hard to believe that Ivkovic’s team, which considers its defense to be its trademark, could lose a lead like that. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, baskets by Holden and Alexander extended the lead to 20 points. There was, of course, no miracle in store for Unicaja. True, half of the fans in the arena were already gone. They left long before the game ended, and the Army team picked up their first victory in the Euroleague Top 16 – 76-95.
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