Game Summary

Turning Point: With the game tied at 48-48, Sergey Monya nailed the first of three three-pointers to give Russia a 57-48 lead, which would grow to 10 points before Russia pulled within two late.

Hero: Monya. His big shots gave Russia just enough push to grab a lead and then he made a free throw with 20 seconds left to make it so that Greece needed a trey to tie, which they could not hit.

Stats: 48 and 42-42.  Russia shot 48 percent from long range while grabbing 42 rebounds to Greece's 42 rebounds.

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Kelly McCarty and Sergey Monya combined for 33 points as reigning champions Russia took a giant step towards the EuroBasket 2009 quarter-finals by holding off Greece 68-65 in the Qualifying Round Group E.

Monya nailed three big three-pointers and 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and it proved enough as David Blatt's Russians improved to 2-2 in the group while Greece dropped their first game of the tournament to fall to 3-1.

"I think that we controlled the game and we deserved to win the game tonight. There is really nobody younger and more inexperienced than us. And to beat Croatia and Greece in three days and the way we did is admirable," said Blatt, whose team shot 10 of 21 (48 percent) from long range.

Blatt also said his team likely took advantage of having a bigger sense of urgency than Greece, who had already gained a spot in the quarters before the game.

"We had more to gain by this game than Greece and that may have had a difference in this game in the first half. Players are human beings. And I think Greece probably let down a little. And we jumped on it hard."

McCarty scored a game-high 17 points while also grabbing nine rebounds and not committing a turnover in 38 minutes of action. Timofey Mozgov added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

"Defense, defense, defense. We played great today in that sense. Greece is the best offensive team here and we held them down to their tournament low and it says a lot about our game tonight," said McCarty.

Greece were led by 13 points from Sofoklis Schortsanitis while Vasileios Spanoulis and Ioannis Bourousis both had 12 points and Antonios Fotsis chipped in 10 points in a losing effort.

"They took many offensive rebounds (15 for Russia) and that made it tougher for us. The more they took the more nervous we got and we didn't always react as we should have," said Nikos Zisis, who was held to three points.

"Mozgov is a big force in the paint and he changed a lot of shots we took around the rim and that made a big difference"

Blatt's men started very strong on defense, holding Greece to just 3 of 14 shooting in the first nine minutes of the game as Russia began building a lead thanks to two three-pointers by Vitalii Fridzon.

The Russian cushion grew to 11 points on Andrey Vorontsevich's three-pointer to make it 21-10.
Spanoulis scored his first points to make it 21-12 after one period.
Greece scored the first two baskets of the second quarter and tried chipping away at the Russian lead - though the gap was still 10 points after Sergey Bkyov's triple with four minutes left in the half.

Jonas Kazlauskas's Greeks twice pulled within four points but Russia led 39-32 at the break.
The Russians missed their first 10 shots of the second half and watched Greece pull ahead 40-39 with an 8-0 run over the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

McCarty however stopped the drought with a jumper and then Aleksey Zozulin and McCarty knocked down back-to-back triples to keep Russia ahead 48-47 after three quarters.

Monya came up with three big three-pointers in the early stages of the final period to push Russia ahead 57-48. And Blatt watched his men take a 10-point lead at 63-53 with less than four minutes to play despite an unsportsmanlike foul against Anton Ponkrashov.

Greece refused to die and Fotsis's triple cut the margin to 63-61 before McCarty hit two foul shots. Ponkrashov added two more free throws before Georgios Printezis nailed a three-ball to make it 67-65 with 22 seconds left.

Monya answered with a foul shot two seconds later before Printezis missed a three in the waning seconds which would have knotted the game.

Ioannis Bourousis (Greece):

"It was a tough game. We lost the first half. We had rebounding problems. They also implemented a zone defense that was a huge problem for us as well."

Sergey Monya (Russia):

"Two years ago we had a more experienced team. Right now we have young players who can believe in this team after such a game. The game against F.Y.R.O.M. is very important for us and we are already waiting for it. 

Jonas Kazlauskas (Greece):

"The opening of the game was our biggest problem tonight. We started terribly, having a lot of problems with rebounding. Now we have to concentrate on the future. We can beat anybody."   

David Blatt (Russia):

"We were sharper and more ambitious. We had a great start of the game. They woke up in the third quarter with great defense, but we took control again. With all the respect for our opponent we deserve the win tonight. There is no younger team, considering the age and experience in this tournament. We're growing."  

Defending champions Russia hope to catch a Greece team looking past them and thinking about France ahead of their EuroBasket 2009 Qualifying Round Group E showdown in Bydgoszcz.

Russia still have a long way to go to reach the Quarter-Finals while the Greeks have already booked their spots in the final eight, and David Blatt's Russians would love to take advantage of a Greek team with perhaps a lack of urgency.

The reigning champs are 1-2 in a three-way tie for third place in Group E with Croatia and Germany while the Greeks are 3-0 and even with France in first place.

The 2005 EuroBasket champions Greece will once again face a tough, defensive-minded team in Russia. Greek ace Nikos Zisis admitted the most important game is the France contest on Tuesday, but added: "We are Greece and we want to honor our country and honor all the teams that play. So we want to win the rest of the games as well."

Talking about staying focused for a rather meaningless game is one thing and doing it is another thing. And this will be a big test for Greece boss Jonas Kazlauskas.

Russia meanwhile are still scraping for a spot in the quarters. Blatt's men have improved from game to game with the main focus on the defense. But the Russians' main improvement has been closing games, hitting big shots and free throws down the stretch - such as against Croatia.

Blatt's young team is gaining confidence, and staying with Greece until the fourth quarter may be enough for Kelly McCarty and Co. to come up with another victory - and one step towards the quarters.

Head-to-head:
Russia lead the all-time series 4-2. Greece beat the Russians 66-61 in the 2005 EuroBasket quarter-finals on their way to the title. And Russia knocked off Greece 61-53 in Preliminary Round action in 2007 before winning the crown in Spain. 

Last Time Out:
Greece were beating Germany handily before holding on for a 84-76 victory to book a spot in the quarter-finals. Russia came up with a huge victory over Croatia, winning 62-59 to stay in the running for the quarter-finals.

Key Match-up: Greek front court vs. Timofey Mozgov
The Greeks are loaded with low post presences while Russia really only have 2.15m center Mozgov. After fouling out in the first two games in just 23 minutes of action, the 23-year-old Mozgov has played 32 minutes in each of the last two games and had a breakthrough game against Croatia with 18 points and eight points. Mozgov will have to avoid foul trouble to keep Russia in the game.

X-Factor: Sense of urgency
Russia needed the victory more than the Croatians to stay alive for the quarters. And the case is the same against Greece. The Greeks have already booked a spot in the quarters and players on Saturday had to answer questions about the France game for first place in the group. 

Key Stat: 88.0 and 37.9
Greece are the top scoring team at EuroBasket 2009 with 88.0 points per game. Russia rank second in the tournament in opponent field goal percentage at 37.9 percent. Russia will have to control the tempo and slow down the Greeks if they stand a chance.

Sounding off: Russia coach David Blatt
"Greece may have a couple guys not here, but they brought a few guys who are still pretty good. They are very skilled at all position and know each other for a long time and understand where each other will be. Kazlauskas has a different way of running things. But that team is like one of those planes you fly without a pilot - they know each other so well, even since cadets."