Moscow’s CSKA defeated Perm’s BETCITY PARMA at home, 79–57 (14–14, 11–12, 25–15, 29–16).
Main Story
The game began with a series of turnovers on both sides, and CSKA also missed their first six three-point attempts. The ball was reluctant to go in for either team, so PARMA was unable to build a significant lead. By the end of the quarter, Casper Ware, who had come off the bench, tied the score with the hosts’ second successful three-pointer.
In the second 10-minute period, the lead changed hands six times. The opponents were unable to improve their offensive efficiency, and the stretch of play became even less productive. At the same time, the teams played solid defense, limiting the number of free throws (5 attempts each by halftime). An advantage in free-throw shooting (5-2) gave Perm a narrow “+1” lead at halftime.
The Clutch Moment
The visitors controlled the game in the opening minutes of the second half, but failed to respond in time to the home team’s run—14–0. The resulting 9-point lead carried over into the final quarter.
CSKA didn’t let up in the closing minutes and never relinquished the lead. The Muscovites started hitting three-pointers, and the final 10 minutes became the highest-scoring stretch of the game, allowing CSKA to confidently close out the match with a +22 margin.
X-Factor
The home team managed to compensate for their shooting accuracy issues with their team play. The visitors were unable to do the same. The Muscovites led in assists, 22–9.
Interesting Facts
Casper Ware moved into 8th place on the League’s all-time scoring list, overtaking Vitaly Fridzon.
CSKA recorded its second-highest total of the season in blocks (8). Their opponents matched their fourth-highest (6).
Antonius Cleveland tied his personal record for blocked shots—4.
CSKA leads in head-to-head matchups—23-4. The last time PARMA defeated the Muscovites in league was last October.
Press Conference
CSKA Head Coach Andreas Pistiolis:
– First of all, I want to thank the fans who came here. This means a lot to us. We fully understand how much effort it takes to get to this arena. As for the game—it turned out to be quite a tough match, and that was to be expected from teams that are among the top in the VTB United League. We were highly motivated, and we built our game around the improvements we’ve been making from game to game this season. I think we played pretty well on defense. But in the first half, we lacked sound decision-making on offense, and we corrected that after halftime. We don’t have much time to celebrate and congratulate each other. We have another tough game ahead of us, and we need to keep moving forward.
BETCITY PARMA Head Coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– Today’s game was a tough one. We managed to control the pace of CSKA’s shooters for 20 minutes. The score was close: 25–26. That’s probably a low-scoring record. I think CSKA stepped up their physicality and aggression in the third quarter. We couldn’t execute our offense clearly; we started forcing plays, taking rushed shots, and stopped getting back on defense. Our task now is to recover and learn to play all 40 minutes. We need to analyze the game back home and realize that without defense, it’s very difficult to achieve our goals at a high level and compete against teams like CSKA.
Top Performers
CSKA: Melo Trimble (18), Casper Ware (17 + 6 assists), Livio Jean-Charles (14 + 9 rebounds), Semen Antonov (12)
BETCITY PARMA: Joshua Primo (13), Brian Fobbs (9 + 5 assists + 5 turnovers)
Next Game
CSKA: November 8 at home against Zenit
BETCITY PARMA: November 3 at home against Samara.
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