CSKA power into Euroleague Final Four

(Reuters) - Six-time Euroleague winners CSKA Moscow reached the Final Four after Wednesday’s 74-55 win at Panathinaikos gave them a 3-1 win over the Greek side in their best-of-five quarter-final. CSKA joined Fenerbahce Istanbul who qualified for the May 15-17 showpiece event in Madrid after completing a 3-0 sweep of holders Maccabi Tel Aviv on Monday. Olympiakos Piraeus are 2-1 ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid lead Anadolu Efes Istanbul by the same score with Game Four in both ties scheduled for Thursday. CSKA took the game by the scruff of the neck from the start and never looked back after carving out a 21-11 lead in the first quarter as Nando De Colo and 34-year old forward Andrei Kirilenko dominated. France shooting guard De Colo finished as the game’s top scorer with 18 points and former NBA forward Kirilenko, who returned to CSKA in February for his third stint, added 13 and 10 rebounds. (Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade; Editing by Justin Palmer)