VTB United League: Zalgiris too strong for Enisey 0

In a rescheduled VTB United League Week 6 regular-season game, Lithuanian Zalgiris defeated Russian Enisey on the road, 99-64. The visitors took a sizable lead in the first half and cruised to victory in the second.

Pregame Hype
Enisey had more riding on this game with famed Zalgiris than just playoff positioning in Group B. For the first time, Krasnoyarsk earned the right for a basketball game to be shown live on Russian national television. In addition to Russia and Lithuania, fans from another six League participant-countries were able to watch the game live. With this contest, Enisey enjoyed a big step forward in the development of their rising club and served as an excellent representative of the Krasnoyarsk region.

Today’s game was a new and unusual adventure for the Lithuanian club, too. This is the furthest east they’ve traveled this season, and, perhaps, the furthest east the club has even been in its illustrious history. After playing Nizhny Novgorod, the Kaunas natives didn’t return home, but flew straight to Krasnoyarsk via Moscow. Read on to hear how their far-flung journey ended.

Intro
The surrounding circumstances seemed to affect players on both teams. They certainly started the game atrociously – unforced mistakes, bad passes, offensive fouls, poor shot selection. The Lithuanians came out of their stupor first, finding an opening down low in Vladislav Konovalov’s defense. Reserves Marko Popovic and Oliver Lafayette matched their teammates’ production in the paint with accurate shooting from outside, handing Zalgiris a sizable lead at the end of the first quarter, 27-19.

If Krasnoyarsk managed to get to the bucket fairly consistently in the first quarter, then the home team’s reserves found it more difficult at the start of the second period. The energetic Lithuanians took advantage, pushing their lead to double digits. Konovalov called timeout and found the right words for his team. They had more success on offense – Andrey Komarovskiy, in particular – but Zalgiris had already grabbed the momentum and controlled the pace of the game. Making matters worse for Enisey, Mario Delas went off in the second quarter, dominating play in the paint on his way to 10 points in the period. The teams went into halftime with Zalgiris leading, 52-38. During the break, the Krasnoyarsk coaching staff must have looked for a better solution on defense, though they likely hoped only to avoid being blown out. Victory already seemed out of reach.

Turning Point
To the disappointment of the home crowd, nothing changed in the third quarter. Zalgiris utilized its opponent’s many mistakes, converting Enisey turnovers into effective fast breaks. Joan Plaza’s long-range artillery also proved accurate. Following another Popovic 3-pointer midway through the period, Kaunas’s lead stretched to 20 and the Siberians’ hopes of a comeback vanished for good. The last game of the first half of the season and of the 2012 calendar year ended in a runaway Zalgiris victory (99-64). They equal CSKA’s record with the win and move into first place thanks to their win over the Army Men in October.

Star of the Game
Mario Delas. The Croat’s play was the X-factor: Krasnoyarsk’s big men, evidently, did not expect much from the 22-year-old foreigner, but he manhandled them in the paint, scoring in double figures for the first time this season. Mario shone in the second quarter when Zalgiris decisively pulled away from Enisey, earning him the Star of the Game honor.

Stat of the Game
35. Zalgiris dominated this game, as underscored by their final margin of victory. The most impressive number of the night.

Quotes
Enisey head coach Vladislav Konovalov:
– An experienced team like Zalgiris does not forgive mistakes. Playing against such an opponent one needs to be prepared and focused for the entire 40 minutes and demonstrate different defense and different offense. We had a chance, but we had turnovers and fell behind by 20 points.

Zalgiris head coach Joan Plaza:
– To be honest, it’s not that fun to win by so much. We expected a tight game and prepared very seriously for our opponent, because Enisey proved in recent road games that it can come back, despite trailing earlier in the game. I’m happy that my team showed character, despite some roster trouble. Our principle is no excuses. No matter the travel or time difference, we must play our game.

Top Performers
Enisey: Andrey Komarovskiy – 13 points, five assists.
Zalgiris: Mario Delas – 18 points, six rebounds.