Kursk Down Chevakata On The Road

Katerina Keyru and Chevakata went down at home and now face an uphill struggle in the re-match in Kursk

Dynamo Kursk have the upper hand in their EuroCup Women Semi-Final with Chevakata after claiming a 71-62 win in Thursday's first leg.

Going on the road for the all-Russian affair, Kursk led 57-42 late in the third quarter but the hosts reeled off 13 unanswered points to close the gap to just two.

Inside the last five minutes, though, Dynamo Kursk once again took control with a 10-2 run and ultimately walked off the court with a nine-point first-leg advantage.

The second meeting is next week in Kursk.

The blowout looked to be on the cards when Ausra Bimbaite soared in for a lay-up with 1:37 remaining for Kursk to put the visitors in front at 57-42.

Olesia Malashenko answered with two free-throws to finish the third quarter for Chevakata and teammate Yuliya Kiseleva began the fourth with a jumper.

Chevakata shooting guard Svetlana Makhlina followed with a three-ball and the home side went on to score 13 points in a row.

Temeka Johnson stopped the rot with a jump shot for Dynamo and Kursk pulled away in the last four minutes for a solid first-leg advantage.

Anna Petrakova led Dynamo with 17 points while Johnson and Bimbaite had 13 apiece.

Michelle Snow was also terrific with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Kiseleva's 13 points were a team high for Chevakata, who have a lot of work to do next week in Kursk if they are going to reach the Final.

Quotes Chevakata vs. Dynamo Kursk

Olga Shuneykina, head coach of Chevakata
"The big responsibility of the game had great influence on the players. Many of them were too nervous. Besides, Dynamo is a more experienced team, each player there is stronger individually."

Dynamo Kursk head coach Alfredas Vainauskas
"The game were difficult for us, even considering the fact that we led during all the game. We don't expect an easy game at home."