PARMA-PARI stopped MINSK offense and won its 15th game of the season – 67:55 (24:9, 18:18, 12:12, 13:16).
Game progress.
The win over Avtodor in the last round made their opponents take MINSK seriously. PARMA-PARI came into the game focused. The home team started the game well. But PARMA players was able to take the lead. Isaiah Reese and Aleksandr Platunov threes started the run. Then Justin Roberson joined. His shots let the Perm team to lead by 16 by the middle of the first quarter – 18-2.
But MINSK didn’t give up after that. The hosts entered into the game and played with the Perm team equal during the second quarter. Moreover, by the halftime the Belarussian team even managed to cut their lead to 27-42.
The second half followed a similar scenario. Both teams played well, but turnovers stopped the guests. MINSK exploded during some possessions but could not really pull off a comeback. The Perm team couldn’t get the lead more than 20 points. But PARMA kept a comfortable double-digit lead for 20 minutes and secured a well-deserved win.
Key factor
The defense was key to PARMA-PARI’s win. The guests defense was evidenced by the numbers. In addition to letting hosts score 55 points, the Perm team forced their opponent to make 24 turnovers. PARMA tied their season record for steals with 16.
Fact
The win in today’s game guaranteed PARMA-PARI’s participation in the playoffs. To take first place in the Group B and 7th in the standings, the Perm team must now win at least 1 of their remaining 2 regular-season games.
Leaders
MINSK: Uladzislau Blizniuk (16 + 6 rebounds), Aliaksei Trastinetski (13 + 8 rebounds), Zach Smith (13 + 12 rebounds)
PARMA-PARI: Isaiah Reese (18 + 13 rebounds + 6 assists), Justin Roberson (17), Aleksandr Platunov (11), Malik Dime (9 + 12 rebounds).
Next games
MINSK: home game versus Astana on March 26
PARMA-PARI: home game against Astana on March 22
