We stop Lokomotiv and rise to the first place in the VTB League!

Main team news

02.03.2024

In a dramatic ending, UNICS defended its home court in the match against Lokomotiv Kuban (80:76), winning its 6th consecutive victory in the regular season of the VTB United League and displacing CSKA from the top spot in the table.

The most productive member of the Kazan team was Neno DIMITRIJEVIC, who scored 23 points. Marcos KNIGHT provided diverse statistics of 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Louis LABEYRIE scored 12 points and 8 rebounds. Erick GREEN scored 11 points. Jalen REYNOLDS took 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a blocked shot.

UNICS (Kazan) – Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) – 80:76 (24:12, 18:21, 14:20, 24:23).
UNICS: Dimitrijevic (23 + assists + 1steal), Knight (15 + 4 rebounds + 4 steals + 2 assists), Labeyrie (12 + 8 rebounds), Green (11 + 2 rebounds + 1 steal + 1 assist), Reynolds (10 + 7 rebounds + 4 assists + 1 blocked shot), Bako (7 + 6 rebounds + 4 blocked shots + assist).
Lokomotiv Kuban: Barford (33 + 2 rebounds + 2 steals + 1 assist), White (11 + 5 rebounds + 2 assists), Elatontsev (9 + 4 rebounds).

The next match UNICS will held on Tuesday, March 5, against CSKA in Moscow.

POST-MATCH COMMENTS:

Velimir PERASOVIC, BC UNICS head coach:

«We started the match well against such a strong opponent as Lokomotiv Kuban, quickly gaining an advantage. But after a half time, Loko looked much better, and Dmitry Kulagin was injured in the second quarter, which changed our game plan. In the third period, the game was even, Krasnodar acted with three "big ones" on the court, and our important defensive player Ismael Bako quickly scored fouls. The result of the match was decided in the final two minutes of the match. We made the right decisions and won».

Neno DIMITRIJEVIC, BC UNICS guard:

«I am very glad of our victory. I think we deserved to win. We knew that we were going to have a difficult match against Loko, especially after a long break in the championship. In the beginning, we created a big advantage for ourselves, but Krasnodar managed to get back into the game, because they have a strong team. I am happy that in the end we managed to bring the match to victory and rise to first place in the VTB United League table».

Alexander SEKULIC, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban head coach:

«We started slowly, looked scared, made a lot of losses, after which UNICS scored points. The hosts scored about 16-18 points in fast breaks. But we managed to get back into the game and tied the lead twice. In the end, we were let down by the realization. We were not accurate in the execution of shots, and luck was not on our side. UNICS deserved to win. They played smarter, especially in terms of execution. The day before the match, DeVaughn Akun-Purcell was injured, which significantly affected our game plan. We will watch the video, analyze and draw conclusions. UNICS is the current champion, the team is headed by a strong coach. They have experienced players in their team who know how to act in such endings».

Alexander SHCHERBENEV, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban guard:

«A disappointing defeat. We were able to show character and get back into the game after a bad start. But in the end, UNICS was more precise in details, and we lacked concentration in attack and defense. In a game with such an opponent, the little things decide everything. We made mistakes that didn't allow us to win.

We took the lead by one point a minute and a half before the end of the match. After that, it was necessary to focus and successfully defend at least twice. Instead, we let Nenad Dimitrijevic score with a foul, then we ourselves violated the rules in attack».