MBA defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod on the road, not allowing the Volga team to secure the 4th place in the standings – 69:55 (16:16, 16:10, 16:12, 21:17).
Game progress
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (17-14) and MBA (14-17) were 4th and 6th in Group A before the game. Nizhny needed to win to retain their 4th place in the standings regardless of the result of Lokomotiv Kuban game.
Despite the lack of motivation in the first half, the League newcomer set the pace. Daniil Kasatkin scored 9 points and led the team, while Nizhny Novgorod couldn’t find a reliable offensive option – 32-26, the guests led. The halftime didn’t help Pari NN wake up and change the game. In the third quarter, MBA scored 4 more points and had a 10-point lead before the final quarter.
The fourth quarter didn’t bring a lot of actions. Timofey Yakushin and Andrey Lopatin steadily added more points, while Nizhny still had problems.
Fact
Finishing fourth in the VTB League regular season might be the best result in Pari NN history. The Volga team finished 5th twice before. The battle for the Top-4 will end Sunday in Moscow. If Lokomotiv Kuban defeats CSKA, the Krasnodar team will bypass Nizhny and have home court advantage in the playoffs.
Key Factor
Last weekend, Pari Nizhny Novgorod won the Russian Cup. In the final game in St. Petersburg, the Volga team defeated Zenit, winning the first trophy in the team’s history. The game with CSKA on Wednesday was costly in every way: Pari NN made a 16-point comeback but lost in the end. As a result, Paris NN lacked energy and emotion for this important game.
Leaders
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Aleksandr Gankevich (13 + 5 rebounds), Jermaine Love (10)
MBA: Timofey Yakushin (18), Andrey Lopatin (13 + 11 rebounds), Daniil Kasatkin (11 + 8 assists), Gleb Goldyrev (10)
