19.01.2005

Dynamo 76 vs. BK Loko 59

Dynamo didn’t start tonight's game well and seemed to be lacking in confidence in the first ten minutes. It was only in the final seconds of the quarter that they were able to take a narrow lead, 17:13.

The Czech side did a great job running the fast break, which caused the Dynamo defense some real headaches. On top of this the hosts made lots of mistakes and it was only with the appearance of Elena Karpova on court that the situation changed. She picked up the MVP of the game for the locals scoring 21 points.

		Sue Bird

In the second quarter the Moscow side started to look more confident and made fewer mistakes, so the result 25:12 for the 10 minutes was quite adequate for the home side.

For most of the game Dynamo played with an unusual line-up, with 4 small players on court. This was obviously the mosat effective answer for the similar Trutnov tactics as Coach Khalipsy was really looking for something to stop the quick and mobile Czech guards.

Oxana Rakhmatulina was very active in offence but her attacks were not always enough to improve the score line. Dynamo's normal go-to player, Natalia Vodopjanova had a tough night, scoring a below-par 10 points.

Sue Bird, however, seems to have found a common language with her teammates. The spectators will remember from tonight some brilliant assists and a wonderful individual performance in the 3rd quarter which ended in a lay up on the buzzer, giving the crowd something to cheer about.

From the Trutnov side the guards are definitely worth a mention, as they played very well in offence and created problems for Dynamo.

With 3,5 minutes before the final whistle the scoreline was 71:51 and the question of the winner of today's match was off the agenda.

It seemed that the final score of the game 76:59 was a satisfactory result for the Trutnov team and they didn’t look too disappointed.

19.01.2005

Quotes Dynamo vs. BK Loko

Zdenek Sykora, Head Coach Loko Trutnov

“I am satisfied with the result shown by my team. We played better here in Moscow than at home. Unfortunately some of our players could not take part in this game because of sickness.

From my team I would highlight the performance of the point guards Johnova and Uhrova and I am very grateful to my pivots. They put up a very good game too. In the EuroLeague our goals are to be 5th in the group and make the road to the play-offs. This would be a great success for our small town and Czech women's basketball.

From the Moscow team I think Rakhmatulina and Vodickova both played very well.”

Semen Khalipsky, Head Coach Dynamo Moscow

“We knew that the major force of our opponents were their guards. That is why our guards were asked to make sure and stop them, but they didn’t manage to do this.

I am not satisfied with the attitude of my team towards this game and their ability to play to the maximum. We lacked three of our top players, who are out because of injuries, so we had to experiment with the team line-up.”