Glenn Cosey hit the decisive free throws in the closing seconds and Tsmoki’s Euheni Beliankou missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer to keep the Belarusians in last place.
VEF, despite missing out on the postseason, has now won seven of its last 12 games, an impressive turnaround after beginning the season 2-11.
Trailing most of the contest after giving up a 9-0 run to end the 1st quarter, VEF broke through in the final period with smothering defense. The home team limited Minsk to only nine points, steadily chipping away at the deficit before Jabril Durham’s 3-pointer gave Riga its first lead since the opening period (66-64).
Zisis Sarikopoulos threw down an alley-oop from Devon Saddler to make it a one-point game (67-66) with a little more than a minute remaining, but those were the final points Tsmoki scored. Saddler missed a chance to give the Belarusians the lead in the late going, before Cosey hit the crucial free throws to put VEF up three.