On March 3, the MINSK men's team played in Samara against the team of the same name. In today's game, the opponent turned out to be stronger. The match ended with the victory of Samara with a score 90:56 (23:9, 16:16, 28:18, 23:13).
Starting fives
MINSK: Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo, Ognjen Pantovic, Vadzim Stubeda, DaQuan Bracey, Uladzislau Blizniuk.
Samara: James Ennis, Vladimir Ivlev, Marcos Knight, Jordan Theodore, KC Rivers.
Game scenario
The owners of the site met our team with a scoring run of 14 points at the start of the game. In MINSK, Vadzim Stubeda, Uladzislau Mikulski and twice DaQuan Bracey made accurate shots from an average distance, but Sergey Bazarevich's wards left the scoreboard with an advantage in the score at the first break (23:9).
In the second quarter, the fast pace of the game was taken by Jovan Sljivancanin and DaQuan Bracey, who brought 6 points to the team standings in less than a minute. Another breakthrough of 5 points was achieved thanks to the shots of Jovan Sljivancanin and Ognjen Pantovic, which helped our team to reduce the gap to 4 points (25:21). However, the subsequent offensive blunders of Rostislav Vergun's wards again led to an increase in the advantage of Samara. The teams went to the big break with a score of 39:25.
In the third quarter in our team, Jovan Sljivancanin and Uladzislau Mikulski made out the exact “three-point” shots from Minsk residents. Jovan took the lead, making two more accurate shots from the middle distance. Unfortunately, the Volga team, demonstrating a more powerful defense, again managed to go to the break with an advantage in the score (65:42).
Interchange
In the final quarter, Samara, demonstrating a strong mood for reaching the playoffs, continued its aggressive struggle. Despite the exact “three-point” shots from Ognjen Pantovic and Jovan Sljivancanin, as well as hits from the penalty line and the middle distance from Uladzislau Maroz, the match ended with the victory of Sergey Bazarevich's team with a score of 90:56.
The most productive:
MINSK: Jovan Sljivancanin – 15 + 4 AST, DaQuan Bracey – 10 + 4 REB + 7 AST.
Samara: Marcos Knight – 23 + 10 REB + 8 AST + 2 STL, James Ennis – 15 + 3 REB + 2 AST.
Head coach of MINSK Rostislav Vergun: “Firstly, it is a sign of a good team, which, having lost the previous game, demonstrates both character and the necessary skill, which allows them to get together at the right moment and show a high-quality game. We played disgusting today. I don't want to make excuses. When 3-4 mistakes are made, which are related only to the concentration of the player, and they are made by players of different ages and skill levels. This is already a global problem, we as a team were not ready to resist today. The hosts absolutely deserved to win, I wish them good luck in the fight for the playoffs. A very interesting season, good players, let them give pleasure to local fans. And may the strongest win.”
On March 8, MINSK will play against Enisey at the opponent's home ground. The meeting starts at 13:00.