Ventspils - Reflex 68-79

Ventspils, LATVIA, February 10, 2004 (ulebcup.com) - Taking the lead late in the second quarter and never trailing in the second half, BC Reflex of Belgrade earned a major road win by beating BK Ventspils 68-79 in Latvia on Tuesday to take the upper hand in their two-game confrontation. The series moves for its second and final game to Belgrade next week, where Ventspils must win by 12 points to survive. Just two players went in double figures for Reflex, but they dominated the game on the inside: Kimani Ffriend collected 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Ognjen Askrabic drilled 17 points and pulled down 12 boards. Ivan Zoroski and Reggie Freeman flirted with the double figures, nailing 9 points each. The Latvians shot poorly from long range, making just 6 of 24 attempts from behind the three-point arc. Kestutis Sestokas led four Ventspils players in double digits with 15 points, while Zlatko Savovic and Martins Skirmants chipped in 12 apiece and Kristaps Purins added 11.

Mire Chatman's midrange jumper started the scoring for Ventspils, but Reflex's Askrabic answered with a jumper on the other end. Both teams had trouble scoring but the home team knocked down two straight baskets and took a slim advantage, 6-2, midway through of the first quarter. Reflex responded with a three-point play by Bojan Popovic and a Reggie Freeman triple to go ahead 6-8. But minutes later a 5-0 run by the home team capped by a pair of free throws from Sestokas gave them a 16-13 cushion. At the end of the first quarter, Dan McClintock drilled 2 free throws attempts to give Ventspils a 20-17 edge after one quarter. Reflex knotted the score at 22-22 early in the second quarter when Ffriend converted a Bojan Krstovic assist. The teams traded lead changes until Sasa Stefanovic buried a triple that sent Reflex on a 2-8 run, after which the guests were ahead 28-35. Ventspils showed resilience late in the second quarter and climbed back to within 3 points on Arnis Vecvagars basket. Reflex closed the second half ahead 32-39 after Askrabic scored twice in a row in the paint. Ventspils suffered from having made 2 of 13 three-point attempts.

After halftime, Askrabic got things started on the right foot for Reflex with a slam dunk for the visitors' biggest lead yet, 32-43. Ventspils reacted immediately, and after Zoroski and Vecvagars traded triples, the hosts were back within 40-45. Ventspils answered Reflex basket for basket for several minutes, staying within 47-52, but Ffriend scored a three-point play to put Reflex back in command. The third quarter closed with more Reflex dominance, as Bojan Popovic drilled a key triple which extended Reflex's lead to 49-62. Ventspils started the final quarter with great defensive intensity and a desire to come back, but Ffriend's dominance in the paint further extended Reflex's edge to 51-66. Ventspils was not finished, however, and Sestokas led a 5-0 run that got the deficit to 10 points. Reflex's advantage around the basket was too much for Ventspils, however. Both Askrabic and Ffriend scored down low and another three-point play by Ffriend gave Reflex their biggest lead of the game, 63-79 as hope ran out for the hosts. A final 5-0 partial by the Latvians in the last minute and half reduced the margin to 68-79, giving Ventspils less points to make up at next week's rematch in Belgrade.

ULEB Cup, eighth finals, first leg, Ventspils, LATVIA, February 10, 2004

Ventspils (LATVIA) - Reflex Belgrade (SERBIA-MONTENEGRO) 68-79 (20-17, 12-22, 17-23, 19-17)

"Ventspils Nafta Hall". Attendance: 3,000. Referees: Brazauskas, Mouzakis and Cmikiewicz.

VENTSPILS: Savovic 12, Purnis 11, Skirmants 12, Vecvagars 6, Sestokas 15, Vitolis 2, McClintock 4, Chatman 4, Petersons 2.

REFLEX: Freeman 9, Stefanovic 5, Askrabic 17, Zoroski 9, Ffriend 23, Jorovic 2, Krstovic 1, Popovic 7, Plisnic 6.

2PFGs: Ventspils 18/36, Reflex 23/44.
3PFGs: Ventspils 6/24, Reflex 5/17.
Free throws: Ventspils 14/20, Reflex 18/26.
Rebounds: Ventspils 36 (28+8), Reflex 34 (9+25).
Steals: Ventspils 9, Reflex 6.
Turnovers: Ventspils 12, Reflex 12.
Assists: Ventspils 12, Reflex 9.