UNICS beat Astana in Kazan — 109:54 (27:20, 28:20, 32:6, 22:8).
The best scorers
UNICS: Vince Hunter (20), Louis Labeyrie (17 + 5 rebounds), Jalen Reynolds (16), Anthony Brown (13 + 5 rebounds), Nenad Dimitrijevic (11 + 9 assists)
Astana: Daniil Aksenov (13 + 6 assists), Igor Kanygin (10)
Game progress
The game started with a 7:0 run by the Kazan team. But a timeout allowed the guests to equalise the situation. Astana players got involved into the very offensive game. For almost the entire first half, the game was equal and UNICS could not increase the lead.
The hosts managed to change this situation only at the end of the second quarter. Louis Labeyrie got very good game segment. The French forward scored 7 points in 1 minute. UNICS was able end the first half with a comfortable lead – 55:40.
Immediately after the halftime, UNICS turned on the defense, did not let the opponent to make open shots and allowed to score only 6 points in 10 minutes. The hosts used it in the paint. Jalen Reynolds, Vince Hunter and Louis Labeyrie beat opponents defense under the rim and scored 21 points combined in the quarter. Good offensive effort and defense allowed UNICS to lead by 41 points – 87:46.
With such a difference in the score allowed the teams to change the players frequently. The Kazan team bench also looked more confident than the opponents. In the remaining time, the hosts had 109 points and got the biggest win of the season.
Hero
Louis Labeyrie helped UNICS to make a run at the end of the second quarter. The forward got excellent efficiency in made shots the game – 85.7% (6 out of 7), scored 17 points and made 5 rebounds.
Numbers
109 – UNICS has updated the points per game best this season. The Kazan team is on the first place in points per game among all teams (92.5 points on average per game).
What’s next
UNICS: home game versus Lokomotiv Kuban on October 23
Astana: home game against Pari Nizhny Novgorod on October 23 .
