Clyburn delivers 18 points as CSKA beat Zenit and win the VTB SuperCup / News - Basketnews.com

CSKA Moscow finished the pre-season on a high note. The Army club got a victory against Zenit St Petersburg 81-73 (21-10, 13-19, 25-21, 22-23), winningthe first SuperCup in the VTB League history.

Zenit suffered a massive blow in the first minute of the game when Shabazz Napier left the court due to an injury. He did not come back on the floor till the match end.

After the unfortunate situation, CSKA pushed on both ends of the floor. They left Zenit with only 10 points in the first quarter (21-10). Mickey and Poythress scored 4 points each, while Loyd had 2. The Army club was guided by Shengelia with 6 points and Clyburn, who added 5. They scored more buckets than the whole Zenit squad.

However, in the second period, CSKA did not manage to maintain the double-digit lead. Zenit's Baron boosted the club and inspired his team to get back on track. He scored 9 points in the second and helped to cut the deficit to 5 points (34-29).

Despite Loyd's two-pointer at the start of the third quarter, CSKA made a 10-2 run thanks to Grigonis, Milutinov, and Lundberg (44-33). Then both Russian powerhouses exchanged successful attacks. Dimitris Itoudis' team managed to keep game control in their hands (59-50).

In the decisive period, Clyburn and Grigonis set a good tone for their team. But Zenit were not ready to raise a white flag. Baron and Zubkov scored important baskets and cut the deficit to 6 points (66-60). Then Kurbanov and Lundberg had a good stretch, hitting the crucial shots and securing first place in the competition.

CSKA: Will Clyburn 18, Effe Lundberg 14 (6 REB), Marius Grigonis 11, Nikola Milutinov 10, Alexey Shved 7.

Zenit: Billy Baron 17 (5 AST), Jordan Loyd 15 (6 REB, 6 AST), Jordan Mickey 12, Alex Poythress 12, Sergey Karasev 8.

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