CSKA men's basketball team has qualified for the last 16 of the Euroleague after whooping Panionios.
Viktor Khryapa was the star of the show for the Army Men, who've won six of their seven games and sit comfortably at the top of group D. The previous game saw CSKA get slightly derailed when the suffered a rare defeat to Milan. However, after this resounding victory it looks like CSKA is back on track. Panionios were 3 and 3 going into their clash with the Moscow side, and CSKA were again without stars John Robert Holden and Romas Shishkauskis. Fortunately, they weren't needed. Nikolas Zizis continued to play well as he helped his side into an early lead – while the outstanding Viktor Khryapa was equally effective – as CSKA led 29-17 after the end of the first quarter. One of CSKA's strengths over the last few years has been their defence, and Messina's side were as stubborn as ever against their Greek opponents. The Russian side went into halftime with a commanding 50-31 lead. CSKA kept the momentum in the third quarter, with smooth plays from Langdon and nifty dunks from Khrypa who finished with 14 points. Once the final quarter rolled around, the game had already been decided with the lead at more than 30 points. The game ended 93-61. CSKA move to 6-1 for the season, and are living up to their tag as one of the Euroleague’s favourites. Meanwhile, their Greek opponents slip to 3 and 4, and face a battle to make the next round.