UNICS beat PARMA-PARIMATCH on a road — 73:65 (20:21, 17:12, 19:24, 17:9).
The best scorers
PARMA-PARIMATCH: Jeremiah Hill (14), Mareks Mejeris (12)
UNICS: Mario Hezojna (27), John Brown III (19 + 7 rebounds)
Game progress
Already in the first quarter, PARMA outlined their strategy for the game – constant shooting of the Kazan rim from behind the arc. Every time UNICS tried to take the initiative, a three-point shots from Alexandr Platunov, Nikolai Zhmako or Eigirdas Zhukauskas brought the hosts back into the game. At the end of the first 10 minutes, long-range shot from Artem Zabelin allowed PARMA to go for a break in the leader rank- 21:20.
In the second quarter, teams lost their aim: both PARMA and UNICS managed to score only one three-pointer in the entire 10-minutes. The performance decreased noticeably, and in such a tight game, UNICS was still able to seize the lead. And in the last seconds of the first half, the most spectacular moment of the whole game happened: Mario Hezojn, went coast to coast and scored a fantastic poster dunk over two PARMA players. 37:33 – the guests’ lead by the big break.
Nevertheless, PARMA continued to bend their line, and in the third quarter the tactics began to work again – as soon as Jeremiah Hill, Adas Juskevicius and Evgeny Voronov began to shot 3-pointers. In addition, the Perm Krai team managed to close Hezonja in defense, who scored only 5 points in a quarter. The guests’ main scorer role was taken by John Brown III, who shot 9 points in the third quarter. By the beginning of the final game segment, PARMA continued to lead – 57:56.
The key moment
The intrigue in the game saved until the middle of the fourth 10 minutes. And then Hezonja said his weighty word again. First, the Croatian forward led the Kazan team ahead, then scored the most important three-pointer, and in the last minute, with +5 UNICS lead, he put an end to the game, finally depriving PARMA of the opportunity to catch on to the ending. The Kazan team gets the fourth win of the season, continuing CSKA and Avtodor pursuit.
Hero
Mario Hezonja. The Croat became the most effective player of the game and showed most clearly in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter, scoring 7 of his team’s 9 points. In total, the forward has 27 points – the Hezonja’s second best this season.
Numbers
PARMA got 17 turnovers and this seriously affected the result of the game — after these turnovers UNICS scored 20 points (twice as many as the hosts). This was especially showed in the fourth quarter, when the guests’ defense no longer gave PARMA a single chance.
Comments
Kazys Maksvytis, PARMA-PARIMATCH Head Coach :
– I am happy with how my team fought today, the players fought to the end. There was not enough clarity in our actions, and in some moments we failed to adhere to the game plan. It is also worth noting that in the second half of the game, the opponent hit very heavy shots that knocked down our pace and extinguished the energy of the team. In the final quarter, there was a little bit of discipline and freshness in the offence. We knew how the opponent would defend. It is a pity that with such a quality of the game and the fight, it was not possible to give win to our fans today.
Velimir Perasovic, UNICS Head Coach:
– It was a tough game. The opponent showed a very good, structured game. They always know what they want, and that’s why it’s quite difficult to beat such a team. But I think that in the last quarter our dedication was on top, we showed good basketball and found a way to win this game.
What’s next
PARMA: November 8 road game against Nizhny Novgorod
UNICS: November 7 home game versus CSKA
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