MBA defeated Runa at home – 89:77 (20:21, 26:18, 24:21, 19:17).
Game progress
Runa picked up the pace at the start and led – 12:5. Vladislav Trushkin and Aleksandr Khomenko were able to respond to the good start from the guests: the duo scored 10 points in 3 minutes and helped MBA to tie – 17:17. After that, the pace slowed down. Alex Tyus helped several times on pick-and-rolls, after that the hosts began to play full-court press. The aggressive defense paid off – towards the end of the first half, MBA made an 11:0 run. The hosts had a lead by the halftime – 46:39.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the hosts sharpshooters scored 3 long-range shots and made the team lead double-digit for the first time in the game – 57:43. The Vikings got involved in defense and began to provoke the opponent to make turnovers and offensive fouls. Vasily Karasev team made a few mistakes, and MBA offense slowed down. The guests took advantage of the opponent problems and cut the deficit to 6 points with 3 minutes left.
Key moment
Trushkin was able to stop the guests comeback. The forward made 9 points in a row on crucial possessions and started the hosts key run. The double-digit difference was restored and Runa had no time to comeback. MBA confidently got the win – 89:77.
X-factor
MBA players showed a high level of shooting efficiency and made 15 of 27 three-pointers (55%). The second and third quarters shooting performances had a key contribution to game result.
Fact
Vladislav Trushkin scored 21 points and reached 1400 career points.
The forward now has 1,410 points and is the 37th player in League history to reach that milestone.
Leaders
MBA: Vladislav Trushkin (21), Andrey Lopatin (20), Evgeny Voronov (16 + 7 assists).
Runa: Nikola Ivanovic (17), Jeremiah Hill (16), Juwan Morgan (10 + 10 rebounds), Alex Tyus (10 + 8 rebounds).
What’s next
MBA (12-21): March 24 on the road against Astana
Runa (12-21): March 24 on the road versus MINSK.
