PARMA beat Tsmoki-Minsk – 78:65 (22:14, 15:14, 17:21, 24:16).
Top scorers
Tsmoki-Minsk: Robert Lowery (14), Andrei Rahozenka (11), Maxim Salash (7 + 5 rebounds).
PARMA: Gleb Sheiko (14), Eigirdas Zukauskas (12 + 8 rebounds), Vladmir Ivlev (10 + 7 rebounds).
Story
Tsmoki opened the season with a win, but later suffered five consecutive losses. PARMA had downed Lokomotiv-Kuban last round and had been ranked 7th with a record of 3-3. Vladimir Ivlev’s 6 points in a row helped Perm gain the lead. The guests controlled the first half – 62% field goals vs 32% by Minsk, 15-12 in rebounds and 11-8 in assists. Tsmoki, however, didn’t let the opponents run away. The Dragons were careful with the ball and heated the game by performance of Robert Lowery and Kris Clyburn. PARMA’s biggest lead was 11 points – 28:17 after Nikolay Zhmako’s shot in mid-second quarter. The hosts responded with a free throw by Artsiom Parakhouski, drive by Maxim Salash and Lowery’s three. Trailing by 7, 8 seconds before the halftime, Yahueni Beliankou missed, and Adas Juskevicius used it to make a full-court drive. 37:28 after 20 minutes of play.
Tsmoki-Minsk won the third quarter. The hosts gained free throws and forced 8 turnovers. Last minute, they reached a one-shot margin thanks to another foul and Lowery’s shots. PARMA then matched it with Gleb Sheiko’s free throws. 5-point lead for Russians before the decisive 10 minutes.
Key moment
The game was decided in the fourth quarter when PARMA paced up and built a big lead thanks to Sheiko’s three-pointers – and it all happened in 2 minutes 13 seconds. Tsmoki fought back and had threes by Lowery and Aliaksei Trastinetski, but it was too far. Ural controlled the game with Eigirdas Zukauskas’ efforts. The Russians got to positive record and a playoff spot in the standings.
Hero
Gleb Sheiko. Sheiko, far from being a star before the 4th quarter, got his shooting in the right moment. With his hot hand, PARMA built a decisive lead after his 3 consecutive threes. The Russians is the winners’ top scorer with 14 points.
Stat
26 – poor long distance shots by Tsmoki-Minsk. The Dragons got only 26% three-pointers.
Comment
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Rostislav Vergun:
“Congrats to PARMA with the win. The strongest won. Tonight our quality was despairing. I have to give a credit to the opponents. The play one game per week, so they’re totally ready. Even with our leaders, they were smooth and smart. And it’s hard to win tiwh 65 points scored.”
PARMA head coach Kazys Maksvytis:
“We’re happy to win. We knew that Minsk have a good coach and a team. We had to stay focused till the end. We made many errors with their aggressive defense. And still, I’m happy to win the rebounds, stay focused and get to W. I’m not looking for a star in my team, I want everyone to perform. Today one player, tomorrow another. The most important is that we won.”
Next
Tsmoki-Minsk: December 20 at UNICS
PARMA: December 17 vs Astana
Photo
