Samara defeated Avtodor in Saratov – 70:66 (15:20, 12:19, 21:6, 22:21).
Game progress
From the very first minutes, the hosts tried to get the lead. The Saratov team quickly transitioned from defense to offense, often shooting three-pointers and dominating the rebounding (13-5). Such tactics allowed Avtodor to take the lead – 19:14.
The guests tried to control the pace of the game. Sometimes even succeeded. At the start of the second quarter, Samara even took a lead after a 9-point run. But the guests couldn’t stop Avtodor completely. Vitaly Fridzon and Malik Newman scored 10 points, organized the Saratov team run and created a comfortable lead – 39:27. Samara also lost its head coach. 2 technical fouls forced Drazen Anzulovic to leave the court.
The halftime helped the guests come to their senses. In the third quarter, Samara was able to slow down Avtodor offense. The guests looked noticeably better and that was reflected with the score. By the final quarter the guests regained the lead – 48:45.
Key moment
At the start of the final quarter, Samara had already crushed the opponent. After James Thompson layup, the guests’ lead reached 12 points – 59:47. But the Saratov team still managed to put some intrigue back. 3 minutes before the end, Avtodor cut the difference to 4 points – 57:61. But Samara still had control in the end. James Thompson and Hayden Dalton gave the guests back a comfortable lead, which allowed to take the win.
X-factor
Before this game, Avtodor was the best team in Group B in field-goal percentage (46.9%). In the same game, Samara defense was able to stop the opponent offense. The hosts was able to make only 19 of 58 shots (32.8%).
Fact
Samara ended Avtodor’s 7-game winning streak.
Samara continues to fight with Uralmash for first place in Group B. Both teams now have 19 wins in 33 games. Avtodor is now 3 wins behind the leaders.
Leaders
Avtodor: Malik Newman (18), Vitaly Fridzon (10 + 5 rebounds), Aleksandr Petenev (10), Rayshawn Hammonds (10).
Samara: James Thompson (15 + 14 rebounds), Justin Roberson (13 + 5 rebounds).
What’s next
Avtodor (16-17): March 25 on the road versus Uralmash
Samara (19-14): March 24 at home against Pari Nizhny Novgorod.
