Kazan’s UNICS defeated Perm’s BETCITY PARMA on the road, 84–70 (23–19, 26–21, 16–19, 19–11).
Main Story
The first quarter was a hard-fought, evenly matched battle. The lead changed hands eight times, the score was tied eight more times, and the margin between the teams never exceeded four points. But by the second 10-minute period, the visitors had firmly taken control. The foreign players’ individual skill, dominance on the boards (23–16), and high accuracy on three-pointers (55%—5 of 9) allowed UNICS to build a comfortable lead by halftime—49–40.
The Clutch Moment
The home team began to close the gap toward the end of the third quarter. And at the start of the final quarter, following a basket by Jeremiah Martin, they tied the score at 65–65. But PARMA’s run did not continue. Over the next seven minutes, the Ural team failed to score a single basket. During that time, UNICS scored 15 unanswered points—80–65—thereby securing the victory.
X-Factor
In this season beginning, UNICS stood out for its offense. But in recent games, the Kazan team has proven that it can play defense as well. In this game, too, a strong defensive effort in the final quarter proved to be the key to victory for the visitors.
Interesting Facts
BETCITY PARMA suffered two consecutive losses for the first time this season.
The Perm team took the court in special uniforms designed in the style of the video game GTA: Vice City.
In the season opener, UNICS lost to “BETCITY PARMA” in Kazan.
Press Conference
BETCITY PARMA Head Coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– In the first half, we didn’t defend enough and gave up 50 points. After halftime, we shifted our focus and prevented Rathan-Mayes and Adams from scoring easy baskets, as well as Reynolds in the post. I think the third quarter was telling—we outscored them 19–16. We managed to close the gap and started playing more aggressively on both ends of the court.
With the score tied at 65–65, we committed two unforced turnovers; I think that was the turning point of the game. After that, we started rushing our offense and making mistakes, while our opponent went on a run. We need to learn to keep a cool head and play smart; not every game can be won with fast breaks and easy points. We need to be able to play a positional offense as well.
UNICS Head Coach Milan Karakas:
– It was a tough game; it’s not easy to win in Perm. This victory is important for us because we didn’t perform up to par in our last two games. The loss in Krasnodar and the game in Saratov, which I wasn’t happy with—so today’s win is a great comeback. In the first half, we showed good offense and moved the ball well. In the second half, we committed 11 turnovers and ran into some trouble, but I’m pleased with how the team responded when the score was 65–65. We stuck together on both defense and offense, and I’m glad we came away with the win today.
Top Performers
BETCITY PARMA: Brian Fobbs (17 points + 5 assists), Jeremiah Martin (13), B.J. Johnson (12)
UNICS: Luka Šamanic (16 points, 7 rebounds), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists), Brendan Adams (16 points, 5 assists), David McCormack (15 points, 5 rebounds)
Up Next
BETCITY PARMA: November 15 at home against Zenit
UNICS: November 15 on the road against Lokomotiv-Kuban.
Highlights:
