Jānis Kaufmanis scored 27 points in a crazy shooting display but it wasn`t enough for his team as Valmiera Glass/ViA (0-5) fell at the hands of Šiauliai-7bet 85-92 on Wednesday, February 2, at the Vidzeme Olympic center in northern Latvia.
Players of the game
Gerald Isaiah Armwood scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Villanova and George Washington standout played a key role under the baskets throughout the game.
Armwood made 9-of-10 two point attempts and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Šiauliai-7bet outscored Valmiera by 13 points with Armwood on the floor.
Armwood hit a buzzer beater shot in the third quarter for a 67-63 lead.
Paulius Danusevicius posted eight consecutive points straight after Armwood`s seven point salvo during the final frame.
Danusevicius scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including huge 5-of-7 from the three point line.
Donatas Sabeckis made his lone three pointer with 52 seconds left enroute to 14 points.
Jonathan Elmore finished with 13 points and nine assists.
Marshall graduate hit a three pointer with 01:36 left.
Jānis Kaufmanis set a new ENBL three point shooting record.
Valmiera fan favorite made 7-of-13 field goal attempts from downtown, including four hits in the second half.
Shooting guard added two more points with 01:31 to go.
It was his last field goal as Kaufmanis missed the next two point attempt.
Ervīns Jonāts had 14 of his 17 points in the first half.
Darious Clark also had a big night.
Slippery Rock star scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Clark added four assists and three steals.
Key stats
Valmiera had a great start.
Ervīns Jonāts was deadly in the paint while Kaufmanis made some early shots from the deep for a 21-26 lead.
Danusevičius made three three pointers in the first half to keep Šiauliai-7bet in the game.
Armwood did some great work to counter Jonāts.
Šiauliai trailed by two points at the half 41-43.
Both teams handled the ball well – Valmiera finished the match with nine turnovers, Šiauliai with eight.
Four turnovers and 8-of-17 shooting from the three point line were the keys for Valmiera`s success in the first half.
There were more great shooting displays in the second half but Šiauliai scored more points in the paint 38-26.
Šiauliai bench outscored Valmiera 38-13.
Antanas Sireika`s team scored four points after Valmiera coach Edmunds Valeiko received a technical foul with 02:24 left in the third quarter.
Šiauliai jumped in front for a 61-59 lead followed by a three-pointer from Bezbradica and Armwood`s buzzer-beater 67-63.
Game notes
Šiauliai-7bet improved to 3-1 after a 250 kilometers trip to Valmiera.
Valmiera suffered some casualties before the game.
Viktors Iļjins joined Itzehoe Eagles at the German Pro A league, while Ingus Jakovičs signed contract at Limoges, France.
Valters Vēveris joined Valmiera after injury.
He had seven points and six assists but Valmiera was short handed still as Valeiko used a seven man rotation.
STANDINGS, as of February 2
Tartu Ulikool 3-3 (-1)
Basket Brno 3-2 (+17)
Šiauliai 7bet 3-1 (+55)
Enisey 3-0 (+52)
Anwil 3-0 (+38)
Liepāja 2-1 (+12)
Valmiera Glass/ViA 0-5 (-48)
Borisfen 0-5 (-125)
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