Avtodor beat Nizhny Novgorod at home – 92:90 (22:25, 24:26, 25:18, 21:21)
Top scorers
Avtodor: Elgin Cook (22+5 rebounds), Mouhammadou Jaiteh (21+10 rebounds), Markel Starks (16+8 assists), Michael Umeh (10)
Nizhny Novgorod: Darral Willis (23+10 rebounds), Anton Astapkovich (19+6 rebounds), Aleksander Gankevich (15), Brandon Brown (10+8 assists)
Story
The guests took over the game quickly – via 2 long-range shots by Anton Astapkovich and actions by Darral Willis Nizhny almost had a double digit lead in the middle of the first quarter – 21:12. Saratov hardly managed to cut the lead but Nizhny made another run immediately and after Artem Komolov’s and-one the lead finally turned double figures – 36:26. However, Avtodor had its ace in the hole – amazing Mouhammadou Jaiteh, who scored 12 points in the second quarter. His strong performance helped Saratov stay in game with only 5-point differential – 51:46.
The second half started with Avtodor’s offensive possessions. Although Nizhny made another run the hosts started cutting the differential nice and easy. In the end of the third Avtodor finally took the lead after Aleksandr Petenev’s three – 69:67.
Key moment
Two minutes away from buzzer Nizhny made fatal mistake: Markel Starks snatched the ball of opponents’ hands and scored coast to coast points increasing Avtodor’s lead to 6 – 88:82. Anton Astapkovich did his best to save his team hitting 2 threes in a row, and after Aleksandr Gankevich accurate shot the game was even – 90:90. It was Avtodor’s possession and Nizhny had to foul on Isaiah Hicks. He shot cold-blooded 2 of 2 free throws 10 seconds before the buzzer! In last Nizhny’s possession Michael Jenkins and then Evgenii Baburin shot threes to the win but missed – second win in a row for Saratov under Predrag Krunic’s coaching!
Hero
Mouhammadou Jaiteh. Saratov’s big man destroyed his rivals dominating on the offensive board (5 offensive rebounds) and made a double-double – 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Stat
32 points by Avtodor after 19 Nizhny’s turnovers was a key factor of hosts’ win. Saratov was passing the ball more carefully – only 9 turnovers that led to 7 Nizhny’s points.
Comments
Avtodor’s head coach Predrag Krunic:
– Congratulations to the players and fans on the victory! Without a doubt, the game turned out to be extremely interesting for the spectators, as both teams showed good basketball. There were a lot of mistakes on both sides, but at the same time there were a lot of great points. We were trying to catch up almost for the whole game and we were losing in the long run, but did not stop fighting and believed that we could win. Players showed emotions that were crucial in this game. Support from the fans gave us the energy that helped win this game. I think today we did a good job, especially in the second half. In the third and fourth quarters, opponents were not allowed to score many easy points, as it was in the first half. Our basketball implies great intensity and energy consumption, so we use a deep rotation of the roster. What was the setup in the final timeout? We talked about the fact that we have a foul to give. Guys did not commit a foul, but played very well in defense and did not allow the opponents to make open throws.
Nizhny Novgorod’s head coach Zoran Lukic:
– It is a pity that we lost. In the last seconds, two decisive three pointers for victory were missed. Avtodor showed nothing unexpected today. Personally, I was shocked by the actions of one of my players and his mistakes in the third quarter, which put us in the position of catching up. Today, we gave Jenkins the opportunity to feel the game. I have no doubt that he will gain form and will certainly help us in the next games. For the final offensive possession, there was a purposeful setup to throw a three-pointer, since we have excellent snipers in our roster.
Next
Avtodor: December 23 at home vs Zenit
Nizhny Novgorod: December 22 at home vs Enisey
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