EUROBASKET 2011

Turning Point: Finland coped quite well during the first quarter but started the second period poorly and only managed six points as Russia imposed their authority ahead of half-time.

Game Heroes: Andrei Kirilenko showed his class with a highly efficient 14 points off the back of 5 of 6 from the field along with four rebounds and four steals. Meanwhile Victor Khryapa dished up a game-high 11 assists.

Stats Don't Lie: Russia scored 52 points in the paint compared to just 18 for Finland.

A powerful Russia made light work of Finland to keep their perfect record intact and reach the quarter-finals.

It was a dominant performance by the Russians with the frontcourt providing the platform for the 79-60 victory.

Finland initially played relatively well and matched the Russian team during the first eight minutes with a three-pointer by Teemu Ranniko bringing them level at 14-14.

However Russia soon began to move through the gears on either side of the first quarter break, they outscored their opponent 14-4 to establish a double digit lead and get Finland coach Henrik Dettmann calling time-out in a bid to stop the rot.

The Finns were being out-muscled in most areas with Andrey Vorontsevich and Victor Khryapa both throwing down dunks to illustrate their dominance offensively while it was a similar case on defence as Finland struggled to make an impact.

Finland also found themselves in foul trouble quickly, committing their fifth foul of the second period within a few minutes and this limited the effectiveness of one of their main weapons, namely their aggressive defence and ball pressure.

Celebrating his 300th national team game of his career, it wasn't quite the celebration Coach Dettmann was hoping for but he was probably relieved Russia weren't also making any shots from the perimeter.

They continued in the same vein during the second half as Andrei Kirilenko scored to extend the lead through the 20-point barrier as Russia engaged cruise control to ease their way to a first Round 2 success.

The result was not only good news for Russia but also for F.Y.R of Macedonia, as it means they have now both mathematically secured a spot in the quarter-finals and only need to worry about their final position in Group F.