Nizhny Novgorod defeated Spartak St. Petersburg on the road, 62-57, to even their VTB United League first-round playoff series. Yevgeniy Kisurin’s club began the game poorly and trailed by double digits at halftime. Spartak fought back and tied the game midway through the fourth quarter, but didn’t have enough steam left for a win. The decisive Game 3 will played tomorrow, May 5, in St. Petersburg at the SC Yubileyniy’s reserve arena, tipping off at 1:00 pm (Moscow time).
Intro
Powerful Artem Yakovenko and Semen Antonov dunks at the beginning of the game made it clear Nizhny Novgorod had forgotten about its sloppy finish to Game 1. The visitors took the initiative and looked to score in the paint, just as they had a few days before. Yevgeniy Kisurin called timeout once Nizhny’s lead reached double digits, and made it clear that his team had no chance to finish this series in two games if it played so carefree and with little motivation. But the first quarter still belonged to Nizhny, 22-11.
Though Spartak played better in the second quarter, it couldn’t bite into Nizhny’s lead. The game was low-scoring, slow-paced and physical and revolved around lengthy offensive plays – Nizhny Novgorod’s type of game. The visitors even increased the advantage before halftime, leading 37-23. It looked like Kisurin would need some magic in the locker room to save this game…
Spartak didn’t do anything remarkable during the third quarter, but still gave hope that the game would turn around. Most importantly, the team finally managed to shut down Nizhny’s interior threat, while Loukas Mavrokefalidis and Zack Wright began playing better on offense. The lead dropped to eight heading into the fourth quarter, 49-41, though it could have been even less, if not for Nizhny’s Antonov, who knocked down a 3-pointer and mid-range jumper near the end of the period.
Turning Point
As expected, the home team, with nothing to lose, increased the pressure in the fourth quarter. Spartak didn’t put the game away like it did on Thursday, but, three minutes into the fourth, Joshua Carter’s 3-pointer tied the game at 50. To its credit, Nizhny Novgorod didn’t fold. The next several minutes were to the visitors’ advantage and Nizhny held the lead, 59-54, with two minutes to play. Spartak had a chance – Vasily Zavoruev converted three free throws after Obi Trotter’s foul, but Trotter redeemed himself with a jumper near the end of the possession to make it 61-57. On Spartak’s ensuing possession, Zavoruev missed a 3-pointer, the rebound went to the visitors, and the game ended soon after, 62-57 to Nizhny. The series winner will be determined tomorrow in Game 3, to be held tomorrow at the SC Yubileyniy reserve arena.
Star of the Game
Semen Antonov. Nizhny Novgorod’s leader played almost the entire game (35 minutes), and demonstrated the type of play needed from a captain in the playoffs, especially when the team is facing elimination. He was confident, played hard, didn’t back down and made several important shots when the team needed him to.
Stat of the Game
0 – Spartak never led the game. Nizhny Novgorod took control from the very beginning and didn’t blink in the fourth quarter, when the home team tied the score. It’s rare, but there wasn’t a single lead change in the game. Despite Spartak’s comeback at the end of the game, Zoran Lukic’s men deserved this victory today.
Quotes
Spartak head coach Yevgeniy Kisurin:
- We didn't play today like we needed to. Much of that is my fault. I tried to keep our best players on offense from getting into foul trouble and force them to start playing aggressive defense. Zack Wright didn't practice yesterday and didn't feel well, which had an impact at the end of the game. Nothing worked on offense, because we passed the ball to one another and waited for someone to take responsibility. Our shots, as a result, were at the end of possessions, or were poorly prepared. Usually we win the glass, but we lost it today. In the third quarter, we didn't make a quick comeback, but the nature of the game did change. We started to play more actively on offense, but, it seems, they must have already thought that tomorrow's a day off. We lost to Nizhny Novgorod today in our attitude. At the end of the game, we lost the ball twice on fast breaks and didn't convert our shots. We also couldn't hit our 3-pointers. Nonetheless, tomorrow is the decisive game and we're preparing for it. We'll try to win.
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
- Everyone expected that Spartak would win the series today. But I believed in my guys. Unfortunately, we don't play very confidently at home, and we haven't been able to overcome that deficiency all season. We got going in the first game, but couldn't close it out: We led by nine points in the fourth quarter and lost that period 33-10. Today the guys were somewhat unsure of themselves, but we still managed to win. We made mistakes and we'll sort them out. We started the game well, controlled the pace, gave Spartak a chance to draw closer, but still deserved the win.
Top Performers
Spartak: Zack Wright – 15 points; Loukas Mavrokefalidis – 13 points, six rebounds.
Nizhny Novgorod: Semen Antonov – 13 points, five rebounds; Artem Yakovenko – 12 points, six rebounds; Obi Trotter – 10 points.
Another news
8.09.2017
Nizhny Novgorod landed Sean Denison
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed a one-year deal with Canadian bigman Sean Denison (211 cm, 111 kg, 32 y.o.). Last season he spent in Romanian CSM Oradea, participating in the national championship and Basketball Champions League. From 2011 till 2013 he played in Russian clubs Spartak-Primorye and Ataman.
Nizhny Novgorod terminated the contract with American forward Erik McCree who’d joined the team this august. The decision was made by mutual agreement. At the moment Nizhny is in search of a new player for the vacant place.
10.08.2017
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed Erik McCree
BC NN signed a two-year contract with American forward Erik McCree (23 y.o., 203 cm, 102 kg). From 2013 to 2017 he was playing for Louisiana Tech in NCAA. Last season he showed his best statistics averaging 17,7 points, 8,9 rebounds, 1,3 assists in 33 games.
9.08.2017
Sterling Gibbs joins BC Nizhny Novgorod
BC NN signed a two-year deal with American point guard Sterling Gibbs (188cm, 84kg, 24 y.o). In his college years he played for Seton Hall Pirates and Connecticut Huskies in NCAA. In 2016-2017 spent his first season overseas as he joined Hungarian team Kormend. He helped the team to semifinals in Hungarian Cup and Hungarian League averaging 14,4 points, 2,1 rebounds, 3,3 assists in 27 games.
