Uralmash beat MINSK at home – 85:79 (16:26, 17:8, 24:25, 15:13, 13:7).
Game progress
The first win of the season gave the Belarussian team a lot of hope. The guests were super-motivated and took a lead from the start. The difference became double-digit after Grigory Motovilov lay up – 20:10.
Only in the second quarter the hosts woke up and began to gradually catch up. Kirill Mikheev made a significant contribution to the hosts comeback. In Octiavius Ellis abcense, the Russian made his first appearance in the starting five in the VTB League and made key shots at the right time. Mikheev pick-and-roll at the end of the second quarter allowed Uralmash to cut the deficit to a minimum by halftime – 33:34.
Key moment
The teams didn’t have enough time in regulation. In overtime, the tension reached its peak. The opponents had trouble hmaking shots and most of their points came from free throws. The hosts looked much more confident. In the last 75 seconds of the game, Garrett Nevels made 7 of 8 free throws and helped the hosts to get the win.
X-factor
Free throws became a key factor in this game. The hosts made 22 of 27 shots (81.5%). The guests didn’t show the percentage and scored only 13 of 22 free throws (59.1%).
Fact
Uralmash became the most winning team in March with 6 wins in 7 games. At the same time, Rostislav Vergun with Uralmash shows the highest winning percentage among all coaches in the League (14 of 18 games (77.8%)).
Leaders
Uralmash: Garrett Nevels (30 + 6 assists + 5 rebounds), Javonte Douglas (12 + 10 rebounds), Anton Glazunov (10 + 7 assists), Kirill Mikheev (10 + 6 rebounds).
MINSK: Jovan Sljivancanin (27 + 8 rebounds), Vadzim Stubeda (13 + 10 rebounds), Jakob Cebasek (12 + 7 rebounds), Grigory Motovilov (11 + 6 assists).
What’s next
Uralmash (22-14): April 3 on the road against Pari Nizhny Novgorod
MINSK (1-35): April 3 at home versus Avtodor.
