Samara defeated UNICS – 104:93 (23:21, 25:29, 28:24, 28:19).
Game progress
Samara started to run from the opening minutes and began to dictate the pace of the game: James Thompson dominated along with Justin Roberson brought the team second-chance points.
The Kazan team leader Nenad Dimitrijevic was not playing well. The Macedonian guard started with 2 missed shots and 3 fouls in 10 minutes, but he started UNICS’ pursuit towards the end of the half. Dimitrijevic, Ismael Bako and Dmitry Kulagin added 8 more points, the guests had a 2-point lead by the halftime – 50-48.
In the third quarter, the hosts found UNICS weak spot, and time after time Samara went into the paint. Samara scored 28 more points, but the Kazan team didn’t miss their offensive chances either. The socre was equal at the start of the final 10 minutes – 76:76.
Key moment
The first 3 quarters of the game were tense, and the reigning champion couldn’t handle the pressure at the decisive moment. Jalen Reynolds gave UNICS a lead, and after that the Kazan team made two points in nearly five minutes. A three-pointer by Javonte Hawkins made Samara lead almost double-digit, and the guests couldn’t save the game. UNICS suffered its first loss of the season.
X-factor
Samara players executed the coach’s instructions perfectly. Head coach Stipe Kulis made 52 attempts from mid-range (compared to 39 for UNICS) with an amazing 63.5 per cent accuracy.
As a result, Samara was the first team to make a hundred in the new season.
Fact
James Thompson can be considered the MVP of the game for Samara. He scored 18 points and got 14 rebounds, 8 were offensive. UNICS made only 7 offensive rebounds.
Leaders
Samara: Javontae Hawkins (21 + 6 rebounds), Justin Roberson (19), James Thompson (18 + 14 rebounds), Mikhail Kulagin (13 + 5 assists), Hayden Dalton (10 + 5 rebounds).
UNICS: Louis Labeyrie (18 + 7 assists + 5 rebounds), Jalen Reynolds (15 + 7 rebounds), Dmitry Kulagin (15), Nenad Dimitrijevic (14 + 6 assists + 4 losses), Eric Green (13).
What’s next
Samara: October 28 at home against Lokomotiv Kuban
UNICS: October 29 on the road versus Avtodor.
