KUTAISI (Georgian Basketball Super League) - The defending Georgian Basketball Super League champions Dinamo Tbilisi retained their crown after finishing off Regular Season winners Kutaisi in the decisive battle of a close-fought five-game series.

The visitors from Tbilisi came away from hostile territory with a 77-69 victory to clinch the series 3-2. The inside presence of big man Kiel Turpin proved to be a key factor for Dinamo, with the center putting together a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double in the most important game of the season.

Having entered the final period of play up just 55-54, the guests had to navigate their way to victory without head coach Irakli Khoshtaria, who got thrown out of the game in the fourth quarter for a pair of technical fouls.

Lavell Boyd collected 17 points and 6 rebounds, team captain Ilia Londaridze had 13 points, while Mikheil Berishvili finished the game with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

Despite entering the Play-Offs as the top seed, Kutaisi could not cash in on their home-court advantage when it mattered. In a losing effort, DeJuan Wright scored 20 points, with the only other double-digit contributor Giorgi Barbaqadze netting 12 points.

The two teams have been involved in the three straight Super League gold-medal series, with Kutaisi gaining the upper hand in the 2015-16 season and Dinamo coming out on top in the past two editions.

The latest triumph put Dinamo on par with Vita Tbilisi as the winningest club in the country with six domestic championship titles each.

FIBA