Avtodor defeated Samara at home – 84:76 (20:29, 18:17, 22:11, 24:19)
Game progress
Samara surprised the hosts with a 14:0 run at the start. Only then the Saratov team begin to recover. Vitalius Pranauskis broke the team’s scoring drought and Artem Klimenko scored several times. As a result the deficit had been reduced to 9 points. By the end of the half, the guestss managed to maintain the lead in the range of 6-9 points, largely due to Nikita Mikhailovskii (15 points in the first 20 minutes).
The turning point came in the third quarter. Mikhailovski and his teammates tired and began to give the opponent more space, while Avtodor players found shooting touch. With 2:40 left in the third quarter, the Saratov team took the lead for the first time.
Key moment
At the start of the fourth quarter, Mikhailovskii showed himself again with 2 field goals and 2 free throws. The forward set his new career-high in VTB League with 26 points, but then fell silent until the end of the game. Terrence Edwards and Dusan Beslac three-pointers cemented the hosts lead and effectively decided game result with just over 3 minutes remaining.
X-factor
The game result was determined by Avtodor long-range shots. The Saratov team scored 6 three-pointers in the final quarter and shot 12 of 25.
Facts
Samara continued road losing streak in the VTB League, with this loss being the team’s 15th in a row on the road.
Mikhail Kulagin streak of free throws made came to an end on his 45th attempt.
All Avtodor starters scored more that 10 points, while Grigory Motovilov added 12 points off the bench to reach 1,000 points in VTB League games.
Leaders
Avtodor: Dusan Beslac (19 points + 6 rebounds), Terrence Edwards (15 points), Vitalius Pranauskis (12 points), Grigory Motovilov (12 points)
Samara: Nikita Mikhailovskii (26 points + 6 rebounds), Mikhail Kulagin (21 points)
What’s next
Avtodor: October 5 at home against Enisey
Samara: October 5 at home versus BETCITY PARMA.
