Samara managed to stop MINSK and won the 12th game of the season — 90:56 (23:9, 16:16, 28:18, 23:13).
Game progress
In Group B there is a tense battle for 2 places in the playoffs. After the home lose to Enisey, Samara could not allow a second mistake in any way. It is not surprising that in the game versus MINSK the hosts tried to crush the opponent from the very first minutes. James Ennis, Marcos Knight and K.C. Rivers provided Samara with a comfortable lead already in the middle of the first quarter – 16:2.
The guests did not give up after this. At the start of the second quarter, MINSK made a comeback. After Ognjen Pantovic three-pointer, the Belarussian team trailed by only 4 points – 21:25. At this moment, Samara leaders had to turn on again. Ennis, Knight and Rivers scored 28 points combined by the halftime and returned the hosts a comfortable lead – 39:25.
Key moment
The third quarter was the key. MINSK managed to keep the intrigue for a long time. But in the end, the team still missed the next opponent’s run. Ennis, Knight and Sheleketo gave out another good segment, after which the hosts lead reached the 20 points mark for the first time in this game – 60:40. Having such a solid lead, the Volga team got the win.
Key factor
For Samara, the leading factor is always important. And in this game, hosts stars did not disappoint. Marcos Knight looked especially bright. The guard was just 2 assists away from triple-double – 23 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
Fact
The win in today’s game and Avtodor lose to Enisey allowed Samara to lead the Group B. The Volga team has 12 wins in 28 games now.
Leaders
Samara: Marcos Knight (23 points + 10 rebounds + 8 assists), James Ennis (15), Maksim Sheleketo (10)
MINSK: Jovan Sljivancanin (15), DeQuan Bracey (10 + 7 assists)
Next games
Samara: road game against PARMA-PARI on March 9
MINSK: road game versus Enisey on March 8
