Unics Kazan edge past Asseco Prokom 72-68 in a nail biter - Euroleague Recap
Turkish Euroleague 2011 has been a nightmare for Asseco Prokom so far as they have not managed to grab a single victory yet.
Last night, they were again handed defeat by Unics Kazan in a nail biter played at the Gdynia Sports Arena.
In the exciting encounter, the momentum kept on shifting from one side to the other and the fate of the game was decided in the dying seconds of the game, thanks to Unics’ scoring machine, Henry Domercant, who scored a three pointer
to take his team to victory.
Henry was the most outstanding player of the night and finished with game high 23 points including 5 for 8 from the downtown and 4 for 6 from the free throw line. Kelly McCarty was also impressive and added 13 while Aleksey Savrasenko,
missing out on a double-double, scored 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Donatas Motiejunas was the most monumental player from Prokom and marshaled the team with 19 points shooting 8 for 12 from the paint. He also forced 9 rebounds on the night; Michael Kuebler added 15 while Mr. Consistent, Oliver
Lafayette also chipped in with 14 points including 2 for 4 from downtown and 4 to 6 from the glass.
An early foul by Unics allowed Asseco to score from free throw line, however it was countered almost immediately with the help of a three-pointer by Henry Domercant. There was nothing to differentiate between both teams in the
first 7 minutes as the scores were leveled at 8. However, three consecutive strikes (two from the free throw line) by Unics got them ahead 12-8 in the preceding minute.
Asseco eliminated the deficit again but a three-pointer followed a layup ensured that Unics entered the second quarter with a 5 point lead, 17-12.
With the help of a downtown strike at the start of second quarter, Unics Lead rose to 20-12 however Prokom did not let Unics to completely run away with the show and pulled back things gradually.
By the 7th minute, Unics were leading by 29-22 but an impressive 8 point run in the last two minutes by Prokom got them ahead by 1 point. When the first half’s buzzer rang, Prokom were leading 30-29
Unics Kazan immediately slashed the deficit in the third quarter with the help of a layup and a three-pointer to get ahead of Prokom at 34-30. However Prokom kept on chipping with points and again took the lead. By the 8th
minute of the period, Prokom were ahead by 44-41 but two strikes by Unics not only slashed the deficit, but also got them ahead by 1 point.
Both teams were neck to neck in the ensuing passage of play with Prokom managing to regain their lead (46-45) going into the final quarter.
A three-pointer in the start of last quarter by Lukasz Seweryn helped Asseco extend the lead to 4 points. Kazan stayed within striking range though and Henry’s three-pointer in the fourth minute again brought both teams close with
Prokom only leading by 55-54
Asseco never stopped scoring though and midway through the quarter, they again piled up a lead of 5 points at 60-55. The tide again turned in Unics favour at that point and they managed to level the game at 66 deep into the 9th
minute.
Prokom managed to get ahead by 1 point in the last minute however a downtown shot by Henry in the final seconds got Unics ahead again. Two free throws later, they managed to seal the game.
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