UNICS defeated MBA-MAI at home – 83:66 (31:11, 16:16, 18:17, 18:22).
Game progress
UNICS immediately took control of the game. The Kazan team made 11 of 12 attempts in the first quarter, while the Moscow team only scored 4 of 19 shots. The 20-point deficit made task as difficult as possible.
The guests managed to turn the game around in the second quarter. Field goal attempts started to get in and successful offensive rebounding assisted MBA-MAI (10-2 at halftime). Anyway, shooting accuracy problems prevented the Moscow team from using this advantage to reduce the deficit.
After the break, the Kazan team continued to keep opponent at 20 points difference. Velimir Perasovic 2 timeouts in the fourth quarter helped the hosts regain the concentration in time and secure a confident win.
X-factor
UNICS was much better in offense. This was most evident in the performances of Jalen Reynolds (20 points, 8 of 10 field-goals made) and Dyshawn Pierre (18 points, 6 of 7 field-goals made).
Facts
UNICS has not lost to MBA-MAI in VTB League (11-0).
The Kazan team extended its home winning streak in regular seasons to 21.
Marcus Bingham recorded his third double-double in the VTB United League (13 + 10 rebounds).
Leaders
UNICS: Jalen Reynolds (20), Dyshawn Pierre (18 + 6 rebounds), Marcus Bingham (13+10 rebounds + 4 steals + 5 turnovers)
MBA-MAI: Pavel Savkov (11), Aleksandr Platunov (11 + 7 assists + 4 steals + 5 turnovers)
What’s next
UNICS: December 20 at home against Zenit
MBA-MAI: December 21 on the road versus CSKA.
