MOSCOW, February 1 (R-Sport) - Former U.S. college star Jaycee Carroll scored 31 points, 12 of them in overtime to bring Real Madrid a 86-78 win over CSKA Moscow in their Euroleague Top 16 game.
The second defeat in a row lowers the Russians to third place in Group E, while Real tops the group unbeaten in the Top 16.
The game went into overtime at 66-66 after Real's strong second quarter was all but cancelled out by a second-half flourish from CSKA.
“Today, we tried to run and play fast, but we could not the whole game,” Carroll was quoted by the Euroleague website.
“The good point is that we could change our system and in this context we got the game. In extra time we were aggressive, but at the same time we were clever to pass the ball. I enjoyed playing a lot.”
The first quarter ended with a one-point advantage to CSKA thanks to Zoran Erceg, who appeared for the first time in three months after recovering from a hamstring surgery and shot a three-pointer.
The Spanish team performed better in the second quarter when late triples from Carroll, Sergio Rodriguez and Sergio Llul gave Real a six-point lead after the first half.
CSKA closed the gap in the third quarter, and in the fourth, former Portland Trail Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez managed to convert only one of two late free throws, sending the game into overtime, when Carroll secured Real the win.
"We played a good game, but Real Madrid played a very good game, especially scoring in the important moments,” CSKA coach Ettore Messina said.
“The keys to the game were Carroll’s performance and the great atmosphere. Some offensive rebounds that we missed were relevant in the final score.”
Elsewhere in Group E, Zalgiris Kaunas demolished Alba Berlin 92-56 to take sixth place with a 2-4 record, while the Germans remain seventh with one victory.
