UNICS smashed Astana

Main team news

11.12.2023

UNICS in Astana did not notice the resistance of the current champion of Kazakhstan, defeating the club of the same name with a score of 97:75. Velimir PERASOVIC's team did not lose any of the quarters and crushed the hosts under the baskets, taking 15 more rebounds (37 against 22), and also repeated the personal record of the season for points scored in a match (97). Point guard Neno DIMITRIJEVIC played his second best match in the VTB United League in terms of efficiency (36).

Three players of the white-green team at once submitted to the 20+ point milestone. The most productive was Neno DIMITRIJEVIC, who scored 24 points and added 7 rebounds with 6 assists. Jalen REYNOLDS scored 28 points and 8 rebounds. Erick GREEN has 22 points. Marcos KNIGHT brought 16 points to the team.

Already at the end of the starting ten minutes, Kazan achieved a double-digit advantage (20:10). By the opening of the final period, our team's lead had grown to a maximum of «+25» after GREEN's three-point hit.

UNICS won its 11th regular season victory and secured second place in the VTB United League table. Forward Louis LABEYRIE and guard Dmitry KULAGIN did not participate in the match due to injuries.

On Monday, December 18, UNICS will play against Uralmash, the debutant of the tournament, in Ekaterinburg.

VTB United League. Regular season. Round 16.
Astana (Astana, Kazakhstan) – UNICS (Kazan, Russia) – 75:97 (10:20, 22:27, 22:29, 21:21).
Astana: Hamm (15 + 6 rebounds), Anderson (14), Davis (13 + 6 rebounds), Kunkel (12), Haase (11).
UNICS: Dimitrijevic (24 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Green (22), Reynolds (20 + 8 rebounds), Knight (16).

POST-MATCH COMMENTS:

Velimir PERASOVIC, BC UNICS head coach:

«Congratulations to my players, today they showed serious and high-quality basketball. We started well in defense and played with discipline, which allowed UNICS to achieve a 15-point advantage in the first half. In the third quarter, we scored points more easily, but we lowered the level of intensity in defense. As a result, Astana also found a way to score points, but it was not difficult for us to maintain our lead and bring the match to victory».