Kazan’s UNICS defeated Saratov’s Avtodor on the road, 79–62 (25–18, 16–13, 26–15, 12–16).
Main Story
The home team got off to a strong start and led for most of the first quarter. But gradually, UNICS’s superior skill began to show. Accurate shots by Luka Šamanic and Jalen Reynolds during the second quarter allowed UNICS to pull ahead, and the teams went into halftime with Kazan holding a double-digit lead—41–31.
The Clutch Moment
Despite desperate resistance from the Avtodor players, the visitors gradually extended their lead after the break. Following a series of accurate shots by Luka Šamanic and Brendan Adams late in the third quarter, the gap between the teams widened to 21 points—67–46. In the final 10 minutes, the Saratov team managed to cut into the deficit, but the game never became truly competitive.
X-Factor
In this season’s championship, UNICS has gotten us used to their spectacular offensive play. But in this game, the Kazan team showcased excellent defense. The visitors allowed just 62 points, letting their opponents make only 21 of 62 field goal attempts (33.9%).
Interesting Fact
Ilya Platonov made his debut for Avtodor. The forward started the game, played 25 minutes, and during that time scored 6 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Press Conference
Avtodor Head Coach Rostislav Vergun:
– First and foremost, I’d like to acknowledge our fans, because the way they cheer really shows their character—first of all—and their understanding of the game—secondly. I’m glad that our team has players we can be proud of, who step up no matter how tough things get.
Maybe our opponent is better than us in some ways, but in my opinion, today’s game was a really good, hard-fought contest. The number of fouls is a testament to that as well. I’m very grateful to them for their effort and character, and I’m proud of them.
But, unfortunately, UNICS was the stronger team today. We congratulate them on their victory. We’re looking forward to the return of our point guards and preparing for the next game.
UNICS Head Coach Milan Karakas:
– It was a tough game for us. It’s clear that we’re not in our best form right now. We’re having a hard time, and on top of that, our shots aren’t falling at the moment—and it’s always difficult to play under those conditions.
I think this is largely due to our opponent’s performance. The home team played very physical, high-quality basketball and made life as difficult as possible for us.
For us right now, the main thing is to get wins. However, in our upcoming road games in Perm and Krasnodar, we need to significantly improve the quality of our play.
Top Performers
Avtodor: Vitalius Pranauskis (12)
UNICS: Jalen Reynolds (20 + 6 rebounds), Luka Šamanic (17 + 9 rebounds), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (13), Brendan Adams (10 + 6 assists)
Up Next
Avtodor: November 7 at home against BETCITY PARMA
UNICS: November 6 on the road against Avtodor.
