UNICS Kazan defeated Avtodor Saratov at home, 89-82 (17-22, 23-20, 27-21, 22-19).
Top Scorers
UNICS: Quino Colom (17 + 8 ast), Trent Lockett (16 + 11 reb), Stephane Lasme (14), Jamar Smith (13)
Avtodor: Coty Clarke (29 + 6 reb), Micah Downs (21 + 5 reb), Maxim Sheleketo (11)
Story
UNICS started slow. The home team did not attempt a single free throw in the 1st quarter and were almost entirely dependent on Quino Colom on offense. Stephane Lasme also picked up two quick fouls.
Avtodor was more disciplined and took advantage of opportunities. Ex-UNICS forward Coty Clarke had an impact on both ends, while Maxim Sheleketo shot 4-5 from the field (11 points).
Avtodor, however, only led by five, 22-17, at the end of the period.
The home team was much better in the second period, knocking down 10 free throws, led by 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals from Trent Lockett in the first half. Entering the locker room, the deficit had been cut to two, 42-40.
Kazan went on to grab the lead in the 3rd quarter, drilling four triples to go ahead by four, 67-63.
The visitors responded in the 4th, led by Micah Downs. Downs drained three 3-pointers midway through the period to give his team a 76-73 advantage with 5:23 remaining.
. @mrdowns22 was a beast in the last quarter! 11 pts in a row to come back in Kazan! pic.twitter.com/KnC8l17t2m
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) November 11, 2017
Turning Point
Trailing 82-80, UNICS regained the lead on a Jamar Smith triple and a Colom free throw. At the other end, Justin Robinson missed a ‘3’ that would have given Avtodor the lead. On the next possession, Lasme effectively decided the outcome, converting a three-point play that put UNICS on top, 87-82, with 38 seconds to go. Avtodor didn’t score again, falling 89-82, while dropping to 2-3 on the season. UNICS improves to 5-0, a half game behind 1st-place CSKA.
Highlights
One minute highlights 📹@unicsbasket vs @AvtodorSaratov pic.twitter.com/mHxrTaF3Ua
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) November 11, 2017
Stat
+17 – UNICS had a big advantage on the glass (43-26).
Quotes
UNICS head coach Dimitrios Priftis:
– Congratulations to the guys. They were great. We ran into a lot of problems today. Our opponent made it hard on us, plus our big men got a lot of quick fouls. Despite all the problems, we were able to regroup and win such a tough game.
Avtodor head coach Andrea Mazzon:
– Thank you to the fans who traveled from Saratov to support us. They made more noise than the home fans sometimes! Unfortunately, we have some problems with our roster and our resources are limited. That prevented us from sustaining the tempo set by UNICS at the end. We struggled on the glass. Our opponent scored 26 points off rebounds. You can’t win when you trail by so much in that facet of the game. But I thanked the guys for their effort. They completely executed my game plan. We played well. Our team is united. I love them.
Up Next
UNICS: December 3 home vs. Khimki
Avtodor: November 19 away vs. Tsmoki-Minsk
Snapshot
