Today the men's team ”MINSK“ played in the KRK ”Nagorny“ against ”Pari Nizhny Novgorod" in the regular championship of the VTB United League. Due to indisposition, the team captain Aliaksei Trastsinetski missed the match, and Minsk residents are still playing without the injured Zach Smith. Unfortunately, in today's meeting, the hosts of the site turned out to be stronger than the Minsk residents. Final score – 84:67 (21:11, 21:13, 31:21, 11:22).
Starting fives
MINSK: Daniil Kasko, Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo, Darol Hernandez Zinenko, Maksim Karattsou, Uladzislau Blizniuk.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Alexandr Gankevich, Alexandr Chadov, Dmitri Khvostov, Ivan Strebkov, Evgeny Baburin.
Game scenario
The incredible start of the game was demonstrated by Darol Hernandez Zinenko, who single-handedly got the first 7 points in the team standings. However, the next two hits from the opponent led to +6 on the scoreboard for the home team. Rostislav Vergun took a timeout, after which Darol again made a productive throw. Vadzim Stubeda arrived to help Darol, who got the first two points in the 7th minute of the game. Unfortunately, “Pari NN” steadfastly held the defense and before the end of the quarter, the Minsk team was no longer able to make effective shots. The first quarter ended with a score of 21:11.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both teams held the defense, preventing each other from making effective attacks. Darol Hernandez Zinenko, who became the clear leader of Minsk in today's meeting, again brought the first two points for the Minsk team in the quarter. Uladzislau Blizniuk and Daniil Kasko scored shots from the middle distance. The sniper duel was staged by Evgeny Baburin and Daniil Barysevich, but stronger pressure from the opponent allowed the Nizhny Novgorod residents to take a clear lead. In the first half of the game, Minsk residents were ahead of the opponent in terms of the percentage of hits from behind the arc and the number of rebounds, but the leading position on the floor remained with Zoran Lukic's team - 42:24.
Interchange
Unfortunately, already from the third quarter, “Pari NN” were able to get themselves an advantage of 30 points on the scoreboard. Despite the accurate throws of Daniil Barysevich, Darol Hernandez Zinenko, Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo and Vadzim Stubeda, Nizhny Novgorod continued to press the Minsk residents and go to a confident advantage. The debut playing minutes in the VTB United League 2022/23 season were received by the player of the MINSK team (reserve) Roman Shcherbakov, who was also able to get +2 for MINSK. The teams went to the final break with a score of 73:45.
In the final quarter, Minsk residents made a 5:0 breakthrough thanks to Benjamin-Pavel Dodoo's first “three-point” shot and Uladzislau Blizniuk's hit. The first points in the United League were scored today by another reserve player Kanstantsin Pasko. In the final 10 minutes of the game, Kiryl Sitnik gave out three incredible “three-pointers”, thanks to which Rostislav Vergun's team scored twice as many points in the quarter as the players from Nizhny Novgorod (11:22). However, the victory remained for the owners of the court – 84:67.
The most productive:
MINSK: Darol Hernandez Zinenko – 14 + 8 REB + 2 AST + 1 STL, Kirill Sitnik – 13 + 1 AST + 2 STL, Vadim Stubeda – 11 + 8 REB + 1 AST + 1 block.
“Pari Nizhny Novgorod": Love Jermaine – 18 + 1 REB + 4 AST + 2 STL, Alexander Chadov – 13 + 6 REB + 1 block, Dmitry Khvostov – 11 + 1 REB + 1 AST + 2 STL.
Rostislav Vergun, head coach of MINSK:
— I will start with the positive aspects, since there are not so many of them. For several matches in a row, we have been playing the second half much better than the first. This is a good sign that the team continues to struggle, shows character, and is looking for its way to a positive result. I would like to note the second positive point. Today we have two new names – the students of our club. I want to believe that we are on the main path. Pari Nizhny Novgorod is one of those teams that plays very smart and organized basketball on both sides of the court. As a coach, it gives me great pleasure to prepare and play with this opponent. I hope that the guys get better in matches with such opponents.
On October 20, our team will play against Lokomotiv Kuban at the Minsk Arena. The meeting starts at 3:00 PM, come and support the guys! Tickets are available on the website and at points of sale KVITKI.by .