On November 22, Rostislav Vergun's team met Avtodor Saratov in a VTB United League match at the Minsk Arena. Today Minsk residents were close to victory, but in the end they lost to the opponent with the score 76:91 (27:21, 16:21, 23:24, 10:25).
Starting five:
MINSK: Daniil Kasko, Grigori Motovilov, Vadzim Stubeda, Uladzislau Mikulski, Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo.
Avtodor: Synderius Thornwell, Dusan Beslach, Alexander Petenev, Rayshon Hammonds, Dominic Mavra.
Game progress
Our team pleased the fans with a 9-point jump at the start of the game. Minsk residents did not give Avtodor has no opportunity to bring attacks to effective shots, however, due to the aggressive struggle on our part, the opponent scored several important points when throwing from the penalty line, reducing the gap in the score. Grigori Motovilov, Daniil Kasko and Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson scored numerous hits in the MINSK squad. Rostislav Vergun's wards went to the first break with an advantage of 6 points – 27:21.
In the second quarter, with well-coordinated interaction, Minsk residents gained a double-digit advantage (35:25). However, the opponent from Saratov began to pick up the pace of the game and reduce the difference in the score, which forced Rostislav Vergun to use timeouts twice. Unfortunately, the number of effective attacks of Milenko Bogicevic's wards turned out to be more than that of Minsk residents. The opponents went to the big break with a score of 43:42.
A more intense struggle unfolded in the third quarter, when both teams joined the duel on equal terms. For the first time during the match, the Saratov team gained an advantage, but with an accurate hit, Vadzim Stubeda again made our team the leaders of the site. Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and twice Grigori Motovilov scored bright “three-point” shots. However, the opponent responded to the Minsk players with accurate shots and the score before the decisive quarter was 66:66.
Interchange
In the final ten minutes of the game, Milenko Bogicevic's team began to increase the advantage in the score in quick attacks, while Minsk residents were chased by offensive misses during the first half of the quarter. Avtodor won with a score of 91:76.
The most productive
MINSK: Grigori Motovilov – 29 + 4 REB + 3 AST, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson – 22 + 2 REB + 1 AST, Daniil Kasko – 9 + 2 REB + 2 AST + 1 block.
Avtodor: Rayshon Hammonds – 29 + 9 REB + 2 AST, Vasily Pushitsa – 22 + 5 REB + 9 AST + 1 STL, Sindarius Thornwell – 13 + 11 REB + 2 AST.
Head coach of MINSK Rostislav Vergun: “As a coach, I am most interested in two columns in statistics: +/- of a player during his stay on the court. It so happens that sometimes a big minus, but a high KPI. But when you don't produce anything and your team loses 15 points in a short period of time, then you didn't help us in any way. And we have more of them today than 1-2 people. Playing well for 30 minutes is not enough. You need to play above average for all 40 minutes. At least stay focused and aggressive. The lack of depth is catastrophically observed. The people who come off the bench obviously do not strengthen, but simply give the leaders an opportunity to rest. You can't do that either. We want 12 people who will help the team, and not try to stand back. The leaders of the opponent took the initiative and took the game. The victory is deserved, I congratulate them on this.”
Already this Sunday, November 26, our team will finish a series of home matches at the Falcon Club Arena. The match against Lokomotiv-Kuban will start at 15:00. Tickets can be purchased on the website and at points of sale kvitki.by , as well as in the lobby of the arena an hour and a half before the start of the game. We are waiting for all basketball fans!