PARMA-PARIMATCH beat Kalev/Kramo at home – 78:74 (22:21, 19:19, 13:12, 24:22).
The best scorers
PARMA-PARIMATCH: Adas Juskevicius (16), Mareks Mejeris (14), Jermiah Hill (13 + 5 rebounds).
Kalev: Donovan Jackson (22), Silas Malson (15), Ojars Silins (12), Kristjan Kitsing (10).
Game progress
PARMA is on the rise: with the 3 wins in a row, the team got a positive balance of wins (6-4) and rose to 5th place. Kalev lost 4 games in a row and came to Perm with a 3-9 W/L ratio, taking 9th place.
The perm team confirmed their good shape in the very first minutes. Shooting without missing, Mareks Mejeris and Jeremiah Hill provided the hosts with a 9:2 advantage earlier. The Estonian team responded with a series of long-range shots: Kristjan Kangur, Oоars Silins, Silas Malson and Kregor Hermet allowed Kalev to reduce the gap to a minimum at the end of the starting quarter – 21:22.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Valery Likhodey and Artem Zabelin marked another attempt to make a run, using Kalev’s main weapon for this. The guests were not confused here either. Kitsing scored 7 points in 2 minutes, the vector of the game shifted slightly to the paint, and in general, the disciplined offensive game contributed and the teams went to the halftime PARMA lead – 41:40.
The 3rd quarter was an equal battle again and did not make significant changes in the balance of power. The rivals were limited to only 25 points, once again they were separated by 1 point.
🔥 @zMareks ends alley-oop by @8Adas with the SLAM! pic.twitter.com/xanpIRbluU
— VTB League (@VTBUL) February 13, 2022
In the 4rt quarter, Kalev seized the lead. Donovan Jackson, who had 7 points by this time, started the 10th minute with 3 long-range shots and caught the courage. The unstoppable guard eventually scored 15 points in 7,5 minutes and allowed Kalev to enter the end as the leader – 72:67.
The key moment
The last minutes were dramatic. PARMA regrouped after the timeout and turned on hard pressure throughout the court. It worked, Jackson tured the ball over 2 times. PARMA got steals and scored points and took the lead – Evgeny Voronov and Mejeris scored. Kalev responded to the 8:0 run only with Melson free-throw shots, but in the next offensive possesion, the Perm team brought Marcel Ponitka to an open 3-point lead – 78:74, with 32 seconds before the final buzzer.
Kalev’ offensive possesion after timeout was unsuccessful, and 2 misses by Adas Juskevicius from the line did not save them: in the last possession, Jackson missed a 2-point drive, and Silins – from behind the arc.
PARMA made their fans nervous, but still continued the winning streak and strengthened in the playoff zone.
Hero
Evgeny Voronov. PARMA captain did not distinguish with outstanding statistics (9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), but became the mastermind of the winning run in the last minutes. Voronov led the team by stealing and becoming the author of 2 consecutive shots that allowed the Perm team to seize the lead.
Numbers
4 – PARMA-PARIMATCH has already won 4 games in a row. The Perm team has the longest winning streak in the United League at the moment.
Comments
Kazys Maksvytis, PARMA-PARIMATCH Head Coach :
– The main thing is that we won. The game was difficult, the team is still getting into a rhythm after all the illnesses and injuries. Most of the time we had the initiative in this game. We must admit that in the end Kalev pulled ahead and could have won. But I am very pleased that the guys showed character in the end, especially pleased with how they acted defensively and turned the tide of the game.
Roberts Stelmachers, Kalev Head Coach:
– It was a very interesting game. It’s a pity that we lost at the end of the game. They made bad turnovers that a VTB League-level team shouldn’t make, but this is a sport. We were ready for such a game from PARMA, we should have done better in the end. Congratulations to the Perm team on the win.
What’s next
PARMA-PARIMATCH: road game versus Zenit on March 6.
Kalev: road game against Astana on March 7.
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