Samara defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod on the road – 79:73 (29:17, 11:18, 19:16, 20:22).
Game progress
From the opening tip, the teams began to show a tight game. Only 2 three-pointers were made, 26 turnovers (14 for Pari NN) and 29 free throws (Samara made 19 free throws). The guests were better in offensive rebounds, which allowed to create an early advantage with second-chance points – 29:17. However, after a couple of timeouts, the hosts cut the deficit to 5 points by the halftime – 35:40.
The guests continued to play well in the paint and had chances to make free throws, while Nizhny players didn’t have any free throw attempts. That allowed Samara to take a double-digit lead at the start of the fourth quarter, and after Rade Zagorac free throws and Justin Roberson three-pointer, the lead reached 15 points.
Key moment
However, Nizhny attempted a comeback. Evgenii Baburin and Aleksandr Gankevich brought their team a quick 10 points, and after Casey Shepherd’s three-pointer, the difference reached 3 points – 68:71.
But it wasn’t enough. The hosts failed to guard James Thompson in the final minutes, and Ivan Strebkov missed three-pointer put a game to an end.
X-factor
Drazen Anzulovic team got 31 free throw attempts tonight and 25 times after 3 quarters (10 for Pari NN), which allowed to build a lead before the final quarter. This is the second-best for Samara this season (the season-high is 32).
Fact
Samara and Nizhny belong to the anti-records of the season in tunrovers – 25 and 23. Today’s game became the second-best in turnovers total – 44. On December 20, the Volga team had 46 turnovers against MBA.
Today Nizhny was led by Sergey Kozin instead of Zoran Lukic.
Leaders
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Casey Shepherd (21 + 6 assists), Evgenii Baburin (17 + 5 rebounds).
Samara: Justin Roberson (18 + 5 rebounds), Javontae Hawkins (17), Hayden Dalton (10 + 5 rebounds).
What’s next
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (5-17): January 19 at home versus Lokomotiv Kuban
Samara (12-10): January 20 on the road against Avtodor.
