BC “Liepaja” (Latvia) – BC “Prometey” – 70:83 (23:21, 16:16, 20:26, 11:20)
February 28. Latvian-Estonian basketball league Pafbet (Latvia). Olympic centre. 900 spectators.
BC “Liepaja”: Avotins (7), Krumins (11), Sulcs (5), Dubults (6 + 11 rebounds + 4 assists), Kilps (17) – starting five; Miglinieks, captain (9), Vitolskis (0), Iljins (2), Bajars (6), Berzins (7), Soldatenoks (0), Visockis-Rubenis (0).
BC “Prometey”: Agada (6 + 7 assists + 6 rebounds), Clavell (20), Bobrov (4), Kennedy (4), Odiase (18) – starting five; Sanon (9 + 3 steals), Lukashov (3 + 3 steals), Balvin (8), Tkachenko (7), March (4).
With a road match against “Liepaja”, "Prometey" has resumed its performances in the Latvian-Estonian league Pafbet after an almost two-week break. At the end of such breaks, it is quite difficult for any team to find the necessary pace again and today's match was no exception for the "titans". The much higher class of "Prometey" compared to the opponent was not questioned, but Ronen Ginzburg's team did not manage to avoid problems - and considerable ones.
The guests started the match briskly, establishing their dominance from the first seconds. However, at the end of the first quarter, players of “Liepaja” scored from outside the perimeter (3 successful attempts out of 6 in the first 10 minutes). That initially allowed them to tie the score, and then go for the first break in a status of the leader after a buzzer-beater by Byars.
In the middle of the second quarter, "Prometey" regained the lead, but just for a short while. Before the long break, “Liepaja” player Kilps scored rather difficult points, after which the teams went to a 15-minute break with the advantage of the Latvian club by one possession - 39:37. A notable moment: the hosts of the court surpassed the "titans" in terms of rebounds on the opponent’s backboard, which is always our team's signature weapon.
A competitive struggle continued on the floor in the second half of the match as well. Before the final quarter, "Prometey" recorded a small handicap of 4 points (63:59) after a three-pointer by Denys Lukashov.
At the equator of the decisive ten-minute segment, after the successful actions by Tai Odiase, the advantage of "Prometey" reached the "10+" mark (72:61) for the first time in the match, after which it was already clear that the "titans" would gain their 22nd win in the championship.
As a result, our team won with a score of 83:70, and already on Saturday, March 2, it will face a difficult match against VEF Riga.
