VTB United League. Day 14.
Bisons (Loimaa, Finland) vs. Avtodor (Saratov, Russia) - 83-89 (17-24, 22-11, 25-30, 19-24).
Avtodor: Fortson (32+3 assists+2 rebounds+9 fouls drawn), Peterson (12+9 rebounds+8 assists+6 fouls drawn), Fesenko (12+5 rebounds+1 blocked shot), Vzdykhalkin (9+3 assists), Makiev (8+2 rebounds), Downs (7+6 rebounds), Glazunov (2+2 steals+2 rebounds), Gudumak (2+2 rebounds), Bekkiev (0), Klimenko (0).
Bisons: Hammer (18+10 rebounds+5 assists), Hilliard (17).

GAME PHOTOS

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Sergey Mokin went with the same starting lineup he used the other week in Tallinn with Fortson, Vzdykhalkin and Chappell in the backcourt, Travis Peterson at power forward and Kyrylo Fesenko at center. Center Artem Klimenko, who has been sidelined for the past two months with a sore knee and sat out the previous game, finally returned to the rotation, coming off the bench, but logged just one minute of action.

Avtodor had a full week off, while the Bisons were playing their fourth game in eight days. Greg Gibson shook things up in his team's starting five, opting to start Matti Nuutinen, who didn't play in Friday's loss to KTP-Basket in Finnish league, over Ville Makalainen. The home team was also missing starting point guard Aaron Johnson.

The visitors started off hot, using a 13-1 run midway through the opening quarter, fueled by Fortson and Fesenko to build up an early 10 point lead, but Hillard's back-to-back baskets cut it to 15-21. Micah Downs sank a 3-pointer with 1:27 to go in the first period, before Avtodor suddenly went scoreless for nearly 7 minutes. The Bisons used it to make a 10-0 run, capped by Nelson's three point play, and retook the lead at 25-24. Makalainen made a layup with just 1 second remaining in the half and the home team went in to the locker rooms with a four-point lead. The hosts held their opponents to just 11 points in the second quarter.

The Bisons opened the second half with a 7-1 spurt to extend their lead to double-digits, 46-36. But the visitors fought their way back and tied it at 61 on Downs' fast break layup with 1:48 to play in the third. Fortson made a pair of free throws to close the period and it was a one-point game going into the fourth.

Antto Nikkarinen hit a 3 to open the final quarter, and the Bisons retook the lead again, 67-65. Avtodor responded with a 12-2 run that put the visitors up for good. Trailing by nine with about 3 minutes left in regulation, the hosts rallied to cut the deficit to just four with 38 seconds to go, but Fortson's free throws sealed the win for Saratov.

Fortson had a huge night, finishing with a season-high 32 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including a perfect 8-for-8 mark from inside the arc and also went 7-for-8 from the foul line. It was his second 30+ game this season.

Peterson and Fesenko scored 12 apiece. The American forward struggled from beyond the arc (1-6), but finished close to a triple double as he also pulled in 9 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. The Ukrainian big man played only 17 minutes as he left the floor in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. Alexey Vzdykhalkin knocked down 2 three-pointers on 4 attempts. Downs and Chappell both grabbed six rebounds to go with seven and five points, respectively. Reserve Center Alan Makiev logged almost 19 minutes and had 8 points off the bench.

The hosts were led by Ian Hummer, who notched a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards (including 5 on the offensive end) to go along with 5 assists. Anthony Hilliard contributed 17 points and two other players also scored in double figures.

The visitors outrebounded the Bisons 38-34, but were outscored in the paint 46-42. They also shot 85% from the foul line.

Avtodor won its 5th game in a row and improved to a .500 record (7-7) on the season and 3-6 on the road. The Bisons fell to 3-11.

Avtodor hosts league-leading CSKA Moscow on Sunday night. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM Local Time (9:30 AM CST)

Postgame quotes

Avtodor Head Coach Sergey Mokin
On tonight’s game:
"It was a tough game, as we expected. Winning in Finland is not a cakewalk for any team. Courtney Fortson stepped up in crunch time. I was very pleased with our defence tonight."

On Fesenko's injury:
"He sprained an ankle. We are waiting for a medical report."