Uralmash defeated Astana at home – 74:71 (16:21, 20:18, 17:14, 21:18).
Game progress
From the very first minutes, the game was tough. There were lot of fouls, neither team could gain a clear advantage. The hosts forced 11 turnovers with their aggressive defense, but couldn’t make long-range shots (2 of 14 three-pointers). Despite their mistakes, the guests had Carvel Anderson, who scored 17 points by the halftime, giving his team a lead at the end of the first half – 39:36.
Key moment
The game result was decided only in the very end. The Yekaterinburg team was able to take the lead after Octavius Ellis and Kirill Pisklov free throws. But the guests still had a chance to take the game into overtime. On the last possession of the game with a 3-point difference (71:74), Astana leader Carvel Anderson shot three-pointer, but missed.
X-factor
Defense was the key for Uralmash in this game. The hosts allowed their opponent to score only 71 points.
Fact
Astana got the 5th straight loss. The hosts extended the home winning streak to 3 games. After today’s win, Uralmash is getting closer to PARMA.
Octavius Ellis, Royce Hamm and Devin Davis are the League leaders in double-doubles. But in today’s game, no one has made a single one. And each of them lacked just 1 rebound.
Leaders
Uralmash: Octavius Ellis (18 + 9 rebounds), Aleksandr Zakharov (14), Kirill Pisklov (13), Tyrell Nelson (10).
Astana: Carvel Anderson (21), Devin Davis (15 + 9 rebounds), Royce Hamm (15 + 9 rebounds).
What’s next
Uralmash (11-11): January 21 on the road against CSKA
Astana (8-14): January 20 at home versus MBA.
