UNICS Kazan defeated Nizhny Novgorod on the road, 91-89 (24-18, 20-21, 24-19, 21-33).
Top Scorers
Nizhny Novgorod: Jake Odum (22), Stefan Jelovac (20), Ivan Strebkov (14 + 7 ast)
UNICS: Maurice Ndour (30), Quino Colom (16 + 5 ast), Stephane Lasme (15)
Story
UNICS capped a come-from-behind win with a baseline jumper from Quino Colom with only two seconds on the clock. The Spanish guard was clutch down the stretch, scoring twice in the final minutes, including the game-winner, which he drained after rebounding his own miss.
Nizhny Novgorod led by as much as 12 early in the 4th quarter, but was unable to overcome a 30-point performance from Maurice Ndour and Quino Colom’s heroics.
The home team had a chance to move into 6th with a win and played inspired basketball from the opening tip. Nizhny showcased balance in the opening period as seven different players scored to give the team a 24-18 lead.
Leading by 7-9 points much of the 2nd quarter, Nizhny gave up a 4-0 run to end the half, allowing UNICS to close to within five, 44-39, at the break.
Maurice Ndour was instrumental in closing the gap, scoring six points in the final three minutes, giving a taste of the second-half performance he was about to unleash.
Nizhny Novgorod, however, remained in control during the 3rd quarter. Jake Odum scored 11 of his team-high 22 points in the period, and the home team led 68-58 entering the final period.
Turning Point
Sitting on 15 points entering the 4th, Ndour took over for UNICS, dropping another 15 in the final 10 minutes to erase the double-digit deficit and give the visitors the lead. Three times in the final four minutes, Ndour put Kazan on top, slipping through the defense for big-time dunks.
That set the stage for Colom. After Stefan Jelovac tied the game at the free-throw line, 89-89, the Spanish guard missed his initial attempt with the shot clock expiring, but snatched the rebound and drained a fadeaway baseline jumper to give UNICS the win.
Nizhny tried a desperation 3 from beyond halfcourt, but it wasn’t close, sealing an impressive comeback win on the road for Dimitris Priftis’s club.
Magic Moment
What a feeling @qcolom10 has for the game! Another crucial buzzer beater for the Spaniard! pic.twitter.com/wpGoONr4Ht
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) January 14, 2018
Star
Wow, @TooHotFiDem set the VTB League record – 11 shots with not a single miss. Congratulations, Maurice! pic.twitter.com/EYPWQCp1pe
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) January 14, 2018
Stat
15 – number of lead changes in the game.
Quotes
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
– Congratulations to UNICS on the win. If we had won today’s game, I don’t think it would have been deserved. I can’t say we were unlucky. Several players’ lack of experience was probably a bigger factor. Unfortunately, Kazan’s 11-0 run came when we had our younger players on the court. I needed to sub them out, but I didn’t do it. We lost to a very serious team, which alongside Lokomotiv is playing the best basketball in the League right now. I feel bad for the whole team, but if you’re going to lose, it’s better to lose to UNICS. It’s too bad we couldn’t reward our fans, but they definitely got to see a legitimate basketball game today.
UNICS head coach Dimitris Priftis:
– The fans got to watch a great game today, especially the finish. But it was extremely taxing on me and my colleague Zoran Lukic. Nizhny controlled the court, defended aggressively, punished us for every mistake and knocked down 3-pointers. At times like this, it’s important to stay calm and wait for your chance, which we were able to do. I’m very happy about the win, but I understand perfectly that I could have ended up in Zoran Lukic’s place.
Up Next
Nizhny Novgorod: January 22 away vs. CSKA
UNICS: January 21 away vs. VEF
Photos
