UNICS beat Tsmoki-Minsk on the road – 76:66 (22:19, 19:17, 18:19, 17:11).
Top scorers
Tsmoki-Minsk: Toms Leimanis (17), Kris Clyburn (11).
UNICS: Nate Wolters (18 + 5 rebounds), Jamar Smith (13), John Brown III, Jordan Morgan (both – 11 + 8 rebounds).
Story
Tsmoki-Minsk (2-10) were the worst team in standings together with Enisey after two consecutive defeats. UNICS (10-4) are in good shape and approached the game with 5-game winning streak. The first half was even. Kazan started with 5:0 run and maintained the lead all quarter long. After two long-range shots by Toms Leimanis in the beginning of the second quarter Tsmoki took the lead.
By the end of the quarter Nate Wolters’ 5 points brought the lead back to UNICS. Minsk had a nice percentage from the field (59%) and threes in particular (54%) but Kazan dominated on the board (18-8).
The third quarter didn’t change the game. At some point, UNICS started to outrun but Tsmoki answered with Aliaksei Trastsinetski and Kris Clyburn shots. Before the final quarter UNICS were up by 4 – 59:55.
Key moment
The opponents entered the clutch with score 64:64. Kazan didn’t allow a single point after it in 3 minutes, via Wolters and Jamar Smith’s efforts they made a 9:0 run (73:64) after which Tsmoki had no chance to save.
With the 6th consecutive victory UNICS outran CSKA and caught Zenit at wins number but still are poorer than rivals in terms of win percentage. Now, the Belorussians are 13th.
Hero
Nate Wolters. The top UNICS scorer (18 points), the American also hit some shots in the clutch. Wolters scored 7 from 12 from the field without turnovers.
Stat
+16 – a big boards advantage let Kazan take 18 more attempts from the field compared to the opponent.
Comments
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Rostislav Vergun:
– 19 turnovers and lost rebound were they key factors in the end of the game. When you gift such an opponent 19 more possessions they know what to do. No doubt that my players fight every time. But often will and efforts aren’t enough.
UNICS head coach Dimitrios Priftis:
– It was a tough game. I want to show respect to the opponents, they don’t give up and fight till the end.
We had some poorly selected shots tonight when switching defensive modes from zone to personal. It made us lose the rhythm. The positive moment is our defense. We haven’t allowed many points, it gave us the opportunity to win the game.
Next
Tsmoki-Minsk: February 7 vs Zenit
UNICS: February 7 @ Avtodor
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