UNICS defeats Lokomotiv Kuban at home — 83:75 (24:20, 19:19, 21:27, 19:9).
The best scorers
UNICS: Louis Labeyrie (19 + 10 rebounds + 4 blocks), Nenad Dmitrijevic (15 + 7 assists), Vince Hunter (14), Viacheslav Zaitsev (12 + 3 steals)
Lokomotiv Kuban: Jaylen Barford (15 + 7 rebounds), Andrey Martiuk (14 + 9 rebounds), Darrall Willis (14 + 7 rebounds), Zakhar Vedishchev (14)
Game progress
UNICS led the standings and hosted Loko, who was the eighth. The Kazan team had really good result (4 wins in 4 games), looked like clear favorites in the Game of the Week. However, the guests started the game very confidently. One of the heroes of the game with PARMA Andrey Martiuk was especially active. Although UNICS got the lead by the middle of the first quarter, the Kazan team failed to create a comfortable lead. And although at the end of the quarter Anthony Brown brought UNICS lead 7 points with three-pointer, Zakhar Vedishchev responded with a buzzer-beating three-point bomb – 24:20.
At the start of the second quarter, the Kazan team increased the pressure. A 8:2 run led UNICS finally get a double-digit lead. Dmitry Uzinsky actions did not allow the difference to become absolutely catastrophic for Loko, but the hosts managed to keep Loko at a distance. So it went on until once again it was Vedishchev time — his most important 5 points at the end of the first half helped the Krasnodar team to stay in the game. By the halftime, the score was 43:39, UNICS led by only 4 points.
Loko rushed to take the lead. And-one by Darral Willis, three by Jaylen Barford and now the guests have already led 47:46. At the end of the third quarter, the teams exploded with a shootout from behind the arc: Louis Labeyrie, Zakhar Vedishchev, Mikhail Kulagin and Jaylen Barford scored three-pointers only. Nenad Dmitrijevic and Viacheslav Zaitsev briefly returned the lead to UNICS, but Zakhar Vedishchev again proved by beating the buzzer with another three-pointer. Having taken the third quarter with a score of 27:21, Lokomotiv Kuban began the final quarter already as a leader — 68:66.
The key moment
By the middle of the fourth quarter, the balance was established on the scoreboard — 74:74. Dmitrijevic scored two consecutive shots put UNICS ahead, but Loko still had chances to save the game. At the last minute of regulation, Loko offensive possession with two offensive rebounds was not rewarded and immediately Viacheslav Zaitsev brought the home team advantage to 6 points — 81:76. The coaching staff of the guests had to urgently take a timeout, but this time Vedishchev factor did not work – the best sixth player of the Krasnodar team missed and Vince Hunter ended the game with the long-range shot. UNICS is going undefeated and the Kazan team continues to lead the standings.
Hero
Louis Labeyrie. UNICS bigman got offensive and defensive rebounds, did not allow Andrey Martiuk to to play his game and became the best scoring player in the game.
Numbers
The Kazan team allowed Loko to score only 9 points in the last quarter. In the third quarter Loko shot three times more — 27.
What’s next
UNICS: road game against MBA on October 28
Lokomotiv Kuban: road game versus Pari Nizhny Novgorod on October 27
