Avtodor defeated Zielona Gora at home — 81:74 (19:25, 8:14, 22:17, 32:18).
The best scorers
Avtodor: Kenny Chery (18 + 8 assists 5 steals), Philip Scrubb (12 + 5 assists), Zeljko Sakic (11), Jeron Johnson (11 + 3 steals), DJ Funderburk (11)
Zielona Gora: Jaroslaw Zyskowski (22 + 5 rebounds), Dragan Apic (21 + 5 rebounds), Nemanja Nenadic (15 + 6 assists), Brendan Frasier (11)
Game progress
Avtodor continues its road to the 1st place. In case win in the game with Zielona Gora, the Saratov team could draw with UNICS in wins ration for at least a day. Moreover, the Polish team before this game occupied the penultimate place in the table, having won only 1 game in 8 games.
Despite this, Zielona Gora immediately began to act like masters. However, the beginning of the game remained for Avtodor, mainly due to the Grant Jerrett activity. But by the middle of the quarter, the hosts’ offence stopped. But the Polish team began to gradually increase momentum. Brendan Frasier’s shot from behind the arc put the guests ahead and gave a start to 10:0 run. By the end of the quarter, Zielona Gora held the advantage – 25:19.
Avtodor’s attempts to regain the initiative in the 2nd quarter did not lead to anything. Moreover— the most effective offense of the League finally got stuck in Gora defense. For the entire 2nd quarter, Avtodor’s players managed to score only 8 points. The guests also did not shine with resultativity, but it was enough to lead by the halftime with a comfortable lead – 39:27.
Grant Jerrett blocked opponent even before the shot 🤪 pic.twitter.com/Qgk76wNXVW
— VTB League (@VTBUL) December 11, 2021
During the halftime, Avtodor coaching staff found the right words for their players. Kenny Chery’s bright game was also able to start the team — the Saratov guard managed to complete possessions himself in the 3rd quarter, got assists and worked in defense. As a result, the 3rd quarter was left to the owners, and the difference was reduced to just 7 points.
The key moments
In the final game quarter, Avtodor continued to press. Three-point bombs from Philip Scrubb and Jaron Johnson helped the Saratov team to draw the score – 63:63. By the middle of the quarter, the teams briefly forgetting about the defense, staged an intense shootout from behind the arc — Avtodor emerged victorious from it, forcing Oliver Vidin to take a timeout. A tense ending was brewing, especially since a minute before the final buzzer Dragan Apic scored a spectacular alley-oop and reduced the guests’ gap to 1 point — 75:74.
But immediately after that, Philip Scrubb scored an extra-long 3-pointer, and Nemanja Nenadic’s turnover and missed shot finally devoided the guests to make a sensation. Avtodor wins another strong-willed game and catches up UNICS in the standings.
Hero
Kenny Chery. Avtodor guard spent the 1st half expressionlessly, but really lit up in the 2nd. In addition to 18 points and 8 assists, he got 5 steals, including one of the key one, 2 minutes before the end, after which Chery scored in a fastbreak.
Numbers
6 – the win over the Polish team was the 6th in a row for Avtodor this season. The Saratov team has not lost in the League since October 10.
Comments
Emil Rajkovicj, Avtodor Head Coach:
– Obviously, we didn’t start the game so aggressively in defense, and that was the main problem. Zielona Gora caused us a lot of trouble during pick-and-rolls. In the 2nd half we showed more aggression and played better. It’s hard to regain 12 points, especially against today’s opponents, they were really good. We have to congratulate the coaching staff and the opposing players, they played a very good game. Our main problem was the lack of energy after road games. We just got back from Denmark and didn’t really train, we went straight to the game. This is the main reason why we were slow in the 1st half. In the end, we found a way to win after all the tactical adjustments. We once again showed our character in the decisive moments of the game.
Oliver Vidin, Zielona Gora Head Coach:
– It was a very interesting game for the audience. The beginning of the game, as well as the entire 1st half, was controlled by us, we led the score and set the pace. In the 2nd half we lost control and the opponent forced us to make a lot of losses. Thanks to these steals, Avtodor managed to score a lot of points and create a difference in the score. Not because we played poorly in defense – we just could stop the opponent’s fast breaks after steals only with fouls. In addition, we made only 1 free throw in the 2nd half, so we didn’t manage to win the game. We need to be more aggressive to earn fouls. I think that was probably the reason for the loss.
What’s next
Avtodor: road game against Zenit on December 20
Zielona Gora: home game versus CSKA on December 20
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