| 22 October 2008
TEO Vilnius destroyed two-time defending champions Spartak Moscow Region on Wednesday night.
USA international Crystal Langhorne, who was left off her country's Olympic roster, reminded everyone of her quality with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead TEO Vilnius to a 72-64 win.
The Lithuanian team went in front by as many as 19 in the first half and were on top at 43-25 at the break.
Spartak reeled off the first nine points of the second half to trail 43-34, a run that was capped by a Sylvia Fowles basket that took her points haul to 18.
TEO then hurt Spartak by scoring 16 of the game's next 18 points for a 59-36 stranglehold on the contest inside the final minute of the third quarter.
Daina Staugaitiene scored eight of her 13 points in the big surge, which included a pair of three-balls.
Spartak made it interesting in the final 2:34 of the game.
Fowles sparked a 10-0 run by making one of two at the stripe.
In that spurt, Diana Taurasi got fouled while attempting a three-pointer and made the first two but missed the third with 34 seconds remaining to leave the visitors trailing 70-64.
They got no closer.
Fowles finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for Spartak, who also got 18 and six from Taurasi.
TEO won the rebounding battle, 48-32.
Spartak were awful at the free throw line, making just 13 of 37 (48.1%).
Fowles and Taurasi missed four shots apiece at the charity stripe.
TEO lost their first game last week at home to Fenerbahce and are now 1-1, while Spartak dropped to 1-1 after opening their season with a victory over Beretta Famila. |
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