Today, the VTB United League match between the teams representing Belarus and Kazakhstan in the tournament – MINSK and Astana - took place at the Falcon Club Arena. In an incredible ending in overtime, Minsk lost with a score 84:89 (14:14, 14:23, 26:21, 25:21, 5:10) FROM.
Starting five:
MINSK: Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, Grigory Motovilov, Vadzim Stubeda, Jacob Cebasek, Dmitri Kuratnik.
Astana: Markell Johnson, Devin Davis, Vadim Shcherbak, Royce Hamm, Carvel Anderson.
Game scenario
Minsk residents confidently entered the fight and in the first minutes of the match seized the lead on the court thanks to hits from Vadzim Stubeda, Jacob Cebasek and Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson. Several times, Astana responded with aggressive effective attacks, but Rostislav Vergun's wards maintained a commanding attitude and did not allow Oleg Kiselev's team to seize the lead by halftime. The score after the first quarter was 14:14.
In the second quarter, the opponent from Kazakhstan managed to build up a double-digit advantage in the score in several quick attacks (20:30). Accurate shots from Aleksandar Zechevich, Grigory Motovilov and Uladzislau Mikulski corrected the situation on the court. But Astana made another breakthrough, and the teams left for the big break with a score of 28:37.
With renewed vigor, our guys joined the fight in the third quarter and at the start of it, Jacob Cebasek and Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson scored a 6-point jump. However, as soon as the Minsk residents reduced the gap in the score on the scoreboard to a minimum, the Kazakhstanis turned on the pressure and increased the advantage again. Defenders Motovilov and Mikulski, as well as Kuratnik and Zecevic, brought important points to the team standings as part of MINSK. The teams went to the final break with a score of 54:58.
Interchange
Our guys showed a clear desire to win the first victory of the season: with an accurate hit, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson reduced the difference in the score to just 1 point. In an equal struggle, both teams fought in every attack, maintaining the intrigue until the last minutes of the meeting. In the 40 minutes of the meeting, the outcome of the match was not decided: in the last seconds, the Minsk residents took the lead, however, with shots from the penalty line “Astana” equalized the score on the scoreboard and the opponents went to overtime. There was an incredible atmosphere in the arena: both opponents fought on every centimeter of the court, playing 2 minutes before the end of overtime with an equal score on the scoreboard – 84:84. Unfortunately, Astana turned out to be stronger in the end. The final score of the match is 84:89.
The most productive:
MINSK: Aleksandar Zecevic – 29 + 8 REB+ 1 STL+ 1 block, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson – 13 + 6 REB + 6 AST + 1 STL, Grigory Motovilov – 12 + 1 REB + 7 AST.
Astana: Royce Hamm – 25 + 14 REB + 1 AST+ 3 block, Markell Johnson – 19 + 7 REB + 6 AST + 1 STL, Carvel Anderson – 15 + 1 REB + 7 AST.
MINSK head coach Rostislav Vergun: “In my opinion, the game should have ended in regular time. Unfortunately, it did not end in the main. In overtime, the opponent's skill materialized into an advantage: the leaders scored key goals. We, in turn, made three unforced errors, couldn't find Alex specifically – the one who kept us in the game.”
On Monday, December 11, MINSK will play against Yenisei again on the home court. We are waiting for all basketball fans at the Falcon Club Arena, the match starts at 19:00. Tickets can be purchased on the website and at points of sale kvitki.by , as well as in the lobby of the arena on the day of the game from 17:30.