3,000 spectators were present at the Sports Palace in Kyiv for the home team's opening match in the FIBA Europe League against Polish team Polonia Warbud.
The game was a close, tense affair which was not decided until the last minutes.
Polonia took the initiative in the first minutes, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. It was not until the 14th minute of the game that Kyiv were able to take their first lead of the game, 20:19.
Ukrainian international guard was the main reason for this, as he scored 12 first half points. Polonia countered through guad Walter Jeklin, who scored 11 points of his own in the first half, sparking his team to a 48:39 lead at the break.
Kyiv regained the initiative in the 3rd quarter, cutting the lead to 5, but it was in the 4th, and with the help of the support of the home crowd, that they retook the advantage.
With 7 minutes on the clock, Kyiv retained a 4-point lead, and despite some nervy last minutes, were able to hold on for victory.
Reggie Geary was elected MVP for Kyiv thanks to his 21-point performance. Lebedyev added 19 points and forward Oleg Saltovets had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Jeff Nordgaard led Polonia with 20 points
