Today, the final match of the 2022 VTB United League between MINSK and Astana took place within the walls of the Falcon Club Arena. Unfortunately, Astana was able to take the victory with them to Kazakhstan in a bright confrontation. Final score of the meeting – 65:76 (15:20, 19:22, 15:18, 16:16).
Starting five:
MINSK: Daniil Kasko, Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo, Vadzim Stubeda, Uladzislau Mikulski, Uladzislau Blizniuk.
Astana: Markell Johnson, Kwame Vaungh, Michael Myers, Valeiry Likhodey, Maksim Marchuk
Game scenario
Already in the first quarter, the opponent began to make frequent fouls in an aggressive fight, which allowed our team to score several points from the penalty line. Minsk residents did not let Oleg Kiselev's wards go by a large margin. “Three-point” shot from Maksim Karattsou reduced the difference in the score on the scoreboard to just two points, and Kiryl Sitnik equalized the score on the scoreboard in an effective attack (12:12). Two minutes before the end of the quarter at a fast pace, the opposing team gained an advantage of 6 points, and the head coach of MINSK took a timeout. Zach Smith brought MINSK three more points in the final minute of the quarter with the help of “end one”, and the teams left with a score of 15:20 for the first break.
Uladzislau Mikulski brought the first 2 points to the team at the start of the second quarter. Offensive misses from under the ring did not give our team the opportunity to seize the lead. Maksim Karattsou loaded another “three-point" again. In a quick breakaway, Rostislav Vergun's wards were able to score 5 points. Our team, thanks to well-coordinated work in the second half of the quarter, was able to win back from minus 15. This was facilitated by a bright “three-pointer” performed by Daniil Barysevich and an accurate hit from an average distance from Zach Smith, who returned to the floor after a long recovery. The quarter ended with a score of 34:42.
After a long break, Uladzislau Blizniuk single-handedly made a 5:0 breakthrough, but the opponent from Kazakhstan continued to press the Minsk residents. Nevertheless, our team was able to make a number of effective attacks almost on an equal footing. Kiryl Sitnik tried to reduce the two-digit gap on the scoreboard with a throw from behind the arc, however “Astana” finished the quarter with a three-point return. The teams went to the final break with a score of 49:60.
Interchange
A spectacular slamdunk from Daniil Kasko cheered the fans at the beginning of the final quarter. Our guys urgently needed to reduce the double-digit gap on the scoreboard: Uladzislau Blizniuk with a free throw reduced the difference in the score to “-10” (52:62). However, in every retaliatory attack “Astana” maintained its advantage with effective throws. In a quick breakaway, Uladzislau Mikulski in the passage reduced the difference on the scoreboard to 8 points (58:66). The opponents staged a spectacular duel in the last minutes of the match: time after time, the teams exchanged effective shots. Unfortunately, the victory in the final match of the year was won by “Astana” with a score of 76:65.
The most productive:
MINSK: Maksim Karattsou – 12 +1 REB, Uladzislau Blizniuk – 12 +3 REB + 7 AST, Kiryl Sitnik – 10 + 1 REB.
Astana: Kwame Vaungh – 15 + 2 REB + 3 STL, Valeriy Likhodey – 14 + 8 REB + 2 AST.
MINSK head coach Rostislav Vergun: “First of all, I congratulate the opponent on a well-deserved victory. The game was definitely super principled. But, unfortunately, for me as a coach, for my team, Astana looked better today. There are many explanations, but I don't want to go into these nuances and difficulties. As for the game: 17 losses is too much for a match with a direct competitor, who, in my opinion, does not surpass us in individual skill. Nothing changes: someone has to take responsibility and implement attacks. 65 points for a positive result is too little. The VTB United League level shows that you need to be able to consistently score at least 75-80 points to compete. Unfortunately, today we didn't have a person who could consistently bring points to the team."”
Already on December 28, MINSK will compete in Mogilev for the main trophy of the country – the Cup of Belarus. In the semifinals, our opponent will be Mogilev “Borisfen". The meeting starts at 20:00. We are rooting for MINSK!