Enisey defeated Samara at home and get their 14th win of the season – 79:74 (25-10, 17-23, 24-18, 13-23).
Game progress
By this game, the teams had already lost their chances to making the playoffs. They had only 1 goal: getting the 9th place in the standings.
Enisey was favourite and the Krasnoyarsk team made an effort to confirm their status. The Siberian team started to play defense better after some made shots by the guests. For 5 minutes, Samara could not make any shot. The hosts started to score and after Supreme Hannah made shot Enisey’s lead reached 15 points at the end of the first quarter – 23:8.
At the beginning of the second quarter, after Yauhrni Beliankou and Vladislav Trushkin three-pointers, the Krasnoyarsk team had a 21 -point lead – 32-11. But the guests brought back the intrigue. The Volga team surprised their opponent with zone defense, Maksim Sheleketo came off the bench and the foreigners finally began scoring. By halftime, Samara trailed by 9 – 33:42.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the guests continued their pursuit. The Volga team had a chance to take the lead, but Maksim Barashkov fast-break was blocked by Yauheni Beliankou. After that, the hosts took the lead. Offensive rebounds and three-pointers helped Enisey break down their opponent’s zone defense. Even Grigoriy Motovilov made 2 three-pointers. As a result, the Krasnoyarsk team regained a comfortable lead – 66:51 before the fourth quarter.
Key moment
In the fourth quarter, the hosts once again got lost in their opponent’s zone defense. Samara skillfully used it. After Jordan Theodore and Anton Kardanakhishvili threes, Samara equalised the score – 74:74. The Krasnoyarsk team had the final word in the game. Vladislav Trushkin efforts gave the lead back to Enisey, and Timofei Gerasimov free-throws made it 79:74.
Key factor
Defense played a key role to both teams in this game. An excellent example was Enisey’s 17 steals, a new League high this season.
Fact
The Krasnoyarsk team had an excellent ending of the season, getting 8 wins in 10 games. If only those results were counted, Enisey would have took the 1st place of the Group B. But their disappointing season start would not allow the Siberian team to make the playoffs.
Leaders
Enisey: Vladislav Trushkin (11), Supreme Hannah (11), Angelo Warner (10), James Thompson (9 + 12 rebounds)
Samara: James Ennis (14 + 5 rebounds, 6 steals), K.C. Rivers (14 + 5 rebounds), Jordan Theodore (11 + 6 rebounds, 13 assists), Vladimir Ivlev (11).
