VTB United League. Day 16.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs. UNICS (Kazan) - 87-69 (18-21, 18-8, 23-21, 28-19).
Avtodor: Fesenko (23+16 rebounds+2 assists+1 blocked shot), Fortson (22+12 assists+6 rebounds+3 steals), Vzdykhalkin (11+7 rebounds+2 steals), Downs (9+8 rebounds+2 steals), Chappell (9+2 steals), Peterson (8+11 rebounds+4 assists), Gudumak (5+2 rebounds), Klimenko (0+3 blocked shots), Glazunov (0), Bekkiev (0), Abdeev (0).
UNICS: White (16+5 rebounds+4 steals), Langford (16+3 assists+2 steals).

GAME PHOTOS

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Avtodor bounced back after Sunday's home loss to league-leading CSKA, defeating another Euroleague team, UNICS Kazan, 87-69.

UNICS got off to a good start and led by as many as 4 points in the first quarter before settling on a 21-18 after one. Keith Langford went 4-of-6 in the quarter, drilling both of his 3-point attempts.

Jeremy Chappell picked up his third foul early in the second and had to sit out the remainder of the half. With the game tied at 29, Alexey Vzdykhalkin made a 3-pointer from the corner to put the home team ahead, and Avtodor never looked back. The hosts used a 9-0 run to close the first half to grab a 36-29 lead at intermission. They held their opponents to just 8 points in the second period.

Langford knocked down a triple to open the third quarter. It brought Kazan within four, but it was the closest UNICS would get in the second half. Courtney Fortson scored 13 points in the quarter as Avtodor expanded its lead to 59-50 after three. Micah Downs started the fourth period by nailing back-to-back threes to make it 65-50. The visitors couldn't get closer than 13 the rest of the night.

Kyrylo Fesenko, who missed the previous game with a sprained ankle, made his return with a double-double of a season-high 23 points and 16 boards, 8 of them coming on the offensive end. Fortson set a season-high in assists (12) and added 22 points and three steals. Vzdykhalkin was 4-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from outside the arc. Travis Peterson had a season-low eight points, struggling from deep (1-of-8), but pulling in 11 rebounds. Artem Klimenko was on the court for only 6 minutes, but managed to block three shots.

The hosts dominated the glass, outrebounding UNICS 54-27. They grabbed more offensive rebounds (22) than Kazan did defensively (16). Led by Fesenko and Downs, Saratov's bench outscored the visitors' reserves 37-9.

Avtodor climbed back to a .500 record (8-8) on the season.