Uralmash beat Pari Nizhny Novgorod on the road – 82:64 (19:17, 28:17, 21:20, 14:10).
Game progress
Despite the fact that Octavius Ellis and Tyrell Nelson appeared in starting five, Nizhny Novgorod scored 12 of the first 14 points from the paint. The guests emphasized isolation, which proved as right decision and allowed to finish the first quarter with a minimal advantage – 19:17. The second quarter started with 7 points by Nelson, which later turned into a 15-5 run. Zoran Lukic timeout couldn’t bring the Volga team back on track – the hosts finished the first half with a 13-point deficit – 47:34.
In the second half, Nizhny Novgorod started to move the ball better, forced 3 turnovers and was able to cut the difference to 4 points. Garrett Nevels and Nelson, who returned from the bench, were able to cool down the hosts with 11 straight points, which restored a comfortable lead before the final quarter – 68:54. After that, the Volga team offense fell apart – Pari NN scored only 3 points in the first 4 minutes of the fourth quarter. Uralmash took advantage of the drought and increased the lead to 20. Lukic team had no more energy left and Uralmash got a confident win.
X-factor
An important reason for the Yekaterinburg team win was made shots. The guests made 59.5% of two-point shots, while Nizhny managed to score only 37.2% of their attempts.
Fact
For Rostislav Vergun, the win over Nizhny was his 15th in 19 games as Uralmash head coach. It is noteworthy that the Belarusian specialist headed MINSK, where he was able to win 15 of 122 games.
Evgenii Baburin made 2 steals, which became the 400 of his career. Thus, Nizhny veteran became the first player in VTB United League history to reach this milestone.
Leaders
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Kasey Shepherd (14), Kendall Smith (11), Vladimir Ivlev (10).
Uralmash: Stanley Whittaker (23), Tyrell Nelson (20 + 10 rebounds), Garrett Nevels (16), Octavius Ells (16 + 15 rebounds).
What’s next
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (13-24): April 6 on the road versus MINSK
Uralmash (23-14): April 7 at home against Astana.
