CSKA — Zalgiris, 20 May 2018

Our team stopped one basket short from the win in the EuroLeague bronze game after trailing by 24 in the middle of the third quarter.

CSKA vs. Zalgiris Kaunas: 77-79 (-2)

CSKA: Antonov (2 bs), Rodriguez (9 + 3 as), Higgins (12 + 3 rb + 2 st + 4 pf), Kurbanov (3 as), Hunter (14 + 8 rb) – start; De Colo (5 + 2 as + 3 to), Rudd (7), Fridzon (5 + 4 pf), Clyburn (2 + 3 rb), Kulagin (14), Khryapa (3), Hines (6 + 3 rb + 3 as + 2 st)…

Zalgiris: Davies (2 + 4 rb), Pangos (9 + 4 as + 3 to + 4 pf), Toupane (6 + 4 rb), Jankunas (15 + 5 rb + 2 as), Ulanovas (14 + 3 to) – start; Udrih (2 + 2 as + 3 to), Masiulis (DNP), Milaknis (3 + 3 rb), Micic (15 + 4 rb + 4 as + 4 to), White (4 + 7 rb + 2 as), Kavaliauskas (9 + 5 rb + 4 pf), Valinskas (DNP)…

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

Congratulations to Zalgiris for the outcome. We fought at the beginning of the game where we showed the pace of the game and picking it up full court. We were having a very bad percentage on twos and free throws. We were trying to get back into the game and we managed to do so in the last quarter with full-court pressure and a lot of traps and obviously digging very deep in our bench. Mikhail Kulagin gave us a different picture. We came back and we could have won in the last possessions. Zalgiris was better for most of the game, so well deserved that they won. Obviously we are frustrated because we came here to win the title. I am proud that we fought, we did not give up. We showed life; that’s important for what comes after this for us. Positive things. The last quarter that we showed character and we didn’t give up. We fought, but it wasn’t enough. It was a bad weekend for us. But we cannot forget what this team has accomplished. We have fought the whole season, we played good basketball. We had a lot of adversities, which is not an excuse, but we fought through those adversities and are here again. Everybody is now mad, frustrated. But we have shown how we closed this game and the fight and the spirit that gives us hope of what is coming.