URAL-Great head coach Sergei Belov paid tribute to Lithuanian centre Ksistof Lavrinovic following his match-winning performance against Polonia.

Lavrinovic underwent an operation to cure antritis, which is a swelling of the sinuses, seven days ago, but he proved he was feeling no ill effects from the stay in hospital as he scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

His victory ensured URAL defeated the Poles 101-76 to go top of Group C in the FIBA Europe League.

"Lavrinovic played very well indeed," Belov enthused.

"He was excellent, especially when you consider that he has just come back from an operation.

"The second quarter of the match was the best period for us - we played aggressively and defence and with pace in attack.

"Before the game I felt that my players were ready for the challenge, both mentally and physically."

		Sergey Chikalkin

Lavrinovic was the catalyst for the Russians' 101-point haul but Michael Johnson and Sergey Chikalkin also made important contributions to the success.

Point guard Johnson poured in 21 points while Chikalkin, operating at guard, was not far behind as he totalled 19 points.

But Belov indicated that he was not entirely happy with Johnson's display, although he refused to reveal what aspects of the American's performance had disappointed him.

"I have several questions to Johnson but I am satisfied with his effectiveness," said Belov, somewhat enigmatically.

"We made a lot of mistakes in defence but overall I am pleased with the way we set out to win the game.

"Guard Zakhar Pashutin also played very well, and I am hoping forward Ruslan Avleev will be fully fit for the game against Aris on November 5."

One of the keys to URAL's victory was in their 55 per cent accuracy rate from three-point throws.

But they were also given a helping hand by the Polonia defence, who allowed the home side to score 57 points in the first two quarters of the match.

"URAL deserved to win, especially given their accuracy from three-point throws," admitted Polonia head coach Wojciech Kaminski.

"We played better in the second half than in the first but we still allowed 101 points in total.

"I'm not trying to make excuses but after six games in the last two weeks the team is tired. But if we want to start winning games again we have to work hard."

Polonia are currently sixth in Group C after winning one and losing two of their opening three games.