UNICS stop Zielona Gora at home – 86:73 (25:17, 25:17, 12:24, 24:15).
Top scorers
UNICS: Errick McCollum (23), Raymar Morgan (19 + 12 rebounds), Evgeniy Kolesnikov (10).
Zielona Gora: Joe Thomasson (16 + 5 assists), Tony Meier (15 + 6 rebounds), Drew Gordon (13 + 10 rebounds), Marcel Ponitka (10)
Story
The guests dominated in the debut led by Joe Thomasson who started with 7 points. Kazan, however, took over soon. As usual, the American players led their game, but the real joker was Mantzaris. The Greek made 3 three-pointers to build a nice lead for Kazan – 25:17.
Another leader heat up in the second quarter. Errick McCollum scored 10 consecutive points to create another run by UNICS. Kazan were leading by 16 points after the first half – 50:34.
The third quarter started with two baskets by Raymar Morgan, and UNICS even reached 21-point lead in the quarter. Zielona Gora were not there to give up however. The Polish leaders made a 8:0 run, and shots by Thomasson, Meier and Zyskowski cut the margin down to 4 points – 58:62.
🚨 Тони Мейер закрывает 3-ю четверть против @unicsbasket трехочковым баззером после стэп-бэка!
🚨 Tony Meier closes 3rd Q vs UNICS with step-back three! pic.twitter.com/E3HSKYAckg
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) December 7, 2019
Key moment
The hosts’ class was a crucial factor in the end. Kazan had more confidence and the result was made by McCollum’s skills. The American fired up in the clutch moments and his shots saved the lead for UNICS. One minute before the buzzer, Kazan took back the double-digit lead 83:73. After that they got a W with a cold blood.
Hero
Errick McCollum proves to be UNICS’ brightest offensive player. The American scored 23, the game’s top result. Plus his shots in the clutch decided the result.
Stat
73 points allowed by UNICS. Kazan defense is traditionally strong against Zielona Gora: last season they allowed 66 and 73 points.
Comment
UNICS head coach Dimitris Priftis:
“Generally, it was a good game. But we were too relaxed in the third quarter. This is unacceptable beacause we don’t respect our own efforts. Tonight we lost 20-points lead, this shall not be tolerated. On the other hand, we won, congrats to everyone.”
Zielona Gora head coach Zan Tabak:
“We’ve had two different halves tonight. Our opponents had a huge lead before the break. In the second half, we adjusted and gave them a fight thanks to our defense. I have to say this is not the first time. We often face troubles in the beggining when we meet teams like UNICS.”
Next
UNICS: December 27 at Enisey
Zielona Gora: December 15 vs Tsmoki-Minsk
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