Kazan’s UNICS defeated Yekaterinburg’s Uralmash at home, 95–84 (24–21, 22–25, 32–15, 17–23).
Main Story
Both teams got off to a fast start. Both teams maintained a high tempo, quickly transitioning from defense to offense and delighting the crowd with high-scoring play. At the same time, there was no clear favorite in this back-and-forth contest. This was reflected in the score on the board. By halftime, the teams were tied at 46–46.
The Clutch Moment
The third 10-minute period proved to be the turning point of the match. After halftime, the home team managed to slow down Uralmash’s offense. The Kazan team, however, maintained its offensive rhythm. As a result, throughout the entire quarter, the Volga team pulled away from their opponents, building a 17-point lead—78–61. In the final stretch of the game, the visitors managed to reignite the suspense, cutting the deficit to 6 points—81–87. But they were never able to catch up to UNICS.
X-Factor
The home team’s success in this game was driven by the standout performance of a pair of guards. Xavier Raten-Mays and Brendan Adams combined for 50 points.
Interesting Facts
UNICS secured its fourth consecutive victory. Along with CSKA, this is the longest winning streak in the current championship.
The Kazan team has retained its status as the league’s highest-scoring team. They average 102.4 points per game.
Press Conference
UNICS Head Coach Milan Karakas:
– It was a tough game, just as we expected. Uralmash is a very strong team. They had a difficult schedule at the start of the season, so their current results may not reflect their true level. After all, this is a team that recently came close to beating CSKA. I’m very pleased that we took our opponent seriously. Even after the first half, when we weren’t able to build as big a lead as we had in our previous three games, we remained calm and composed. Aside from the last six or seven minutes, when the team let its guard down —which we simply cannot allow— I think we played very confidently for the rest of the game.
Anton Yudin, Head Coach of Uralmash:
– Congratulations to UNICS on the victory. For us, this game was a complete mix. The third quarter largely determined the outcome. Already in the first quarter—and especially in the third—we gave our opponents too much freedom. The Kazan team scored a lot of easy baskets on fast breaks and early offense, which explains their high two-point field goal percentage. That was the key to UNICS’s victory and our defeat. What is our team lacking of? Today, I once again noticed that in tough moments—like in the losses to Zenit and PARMA—we fall apart as a team. But today, despite trailing by a large margin in the third quarter, we won the fourth. That’s a positive sign. We’re learning not to give up and to keep fighting.
I’d like to single out the first half. Even with a lot of mistakes, the defensive intensity I want to see from the team was often there. Yes, unfortunately, some players are struggling, but we’re working on that. I think we’ll be able to fix it soon.
Top Performers
UNICS: Brendan Adams (26), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (24 + 5 rebounds), Jalen Reynolds (19)
Uralmash: Chris Clemons (23 + 7 assists), Timofey Gerasimov (17), Igor Volkhin (15)
Up Next
UNICS: October 22 at home against MBA
Uralmash: October 17 on the road against Samara.
Highlights:
