The MINSK men's team continues the season of the VTB United League and today met with Samara at the Falcon Club Arena. The match ended with the victory of the opponent from Russia with a score of 96:86.
Starting five:
MINSK: Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, Daniil Barysevich, Jovan Sljivancanin, Zach Smith, Jakob Cebasek.
Samara: Nikola Rebic, James Thompson, Ivan Viktorov, Hayden Dalton, Justin Roberson.
The course of the game
In the middle of the first quarter, Minsk residents managed to seize the lead on the home court thanks to accurate shots from Jovan Sljivancanin, Jakob Cebasek and Zach Smith, and Jovan alone scored 6 points in 1.5 minutes on the floor. Cooperating harmoniously both defensively and offensively, Minsk residents went to the first break with a score of 21:18.
In the second quarter, Grigorii Motovilov made several accurate shots from medium range, and Zach Smith repeatedly scored points from the penalty line. However, Minsk residents faced pressure from the Samaritans. Having made several effective attacks, Drazen Anzulovic's wards seized the lead, which our team failed to regain by the big break (34:43).
The Russian team continued its aggressive struggle in the third quarter. But the Minsk residents were not inferior in their zeal for victory. At the start of the quarter, Aliaksei Sukhavetski's wards made a breakthrough of 5 points, and then equalized the score on the scoreboard a minute before the last break (53:53).
Interchange
Minsk residents did not let Samara go by a large margin when scoring points. Aliaksei Sukhavetski's team alternately made effective attacks with the opponent. However, as soon as MINSK had the opportunity to seize the lead, Drazen Anzulovicc's wards responded with accurate throws into our ring. Offensive losses and blunders on the part of Minsk residents led Samara to victory in the last minutes of the match. The final score is 86:96.
The most productive:
MINSK: Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson – 23 + 4 REB + 4 AST + 1 lane, Jacob Cebasek – 14 + 5 REB + 1 STL, Jovan Sljivancanin – 13 + 8 REB + 2 AST + 2 STL.
Samara: Hayden Dalton – 20 + 4 REB + 3 AST + 1 STK, Justin Roberson – 19 + 2 REB + 5 AST + 4 STL, James Thompson – 15 + 10 REB + 1 AST + 1 STL.
Acting head coach Aliaksei Sukhavetski: “We were very determined to win and the players deserved it today. I think we conceded in detail. In the little basketball moments that come with experience, the opponent was better today. Samara showed a good percentage of hits at the right moments, but we were close to victory today. The second stage is very interesting, the teams from the top show even games, so every time you need to be ready to play to win”.
Minsk residents will play their next match on March 20 on the road against Pari Nizhny Novgorod. The match starts at 20:00. We support MINSK together!