UNICS Kazan, Russia vs. «Enisey» Krasnoyarsk, Russia

UNICS Kazan defeated Enisey Krasnoyarsk at home, 94-75. The home team pulled away in the 1st quarter and led by 18 at halftime. The visitors never got closer than 15 points in the second half, slumping to a 4th-straight defeat.

Recap
Weakened by frontcourt injuries, Enisey entered as a heavy underdog against UNICS. Krasnoyarsk had never won in Kazan and did not relish playing without big men David Kennedy and Pavel Spiridonov.

Kazan had no trouble taking control in the opening minutes. Konstantinos Kaimakoglou and Keith Langford split open Enisey's defense with the pick-and-roll, helping the home team score 16 points in the first five minutes. The visitors tried to answer from outside, but turnovers and missed shots dug them a big hole. After 10 minutes, UNICS enjoyed a comfortable 30-13 advantage.

The home team kept going to the pick-and-roll in the 2nd quarter and the lead grew to as much as 25 midway through the period (45-20). The visitors responded with an effective zone defense. With UNICS unable to score for several minutes, Enisey cut the deficit to 18 at halftime.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Alexander Pavlov's 3-pointer made it a 15-point game (51-36), but that was as close as Enisey would get. UNICS slowed the tempo and continued to enjoy success with the pick-and-roll, picking up a solid 94-75 victory.

Star Player
Latavious Williams. The American forward packed a punch for UNICS, dominating on both ends of the floor. Williams did a great job getting open on pick-and-rolls, threw down several big dunks and rebounded the ball. He finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds (including five offensive boards).

Stat of the Game
30-46 (65%) - Kazan's terrific two-point field-goal percentage was the key to the team's win.

Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
- We won our first game in the new year and we'd like to keep it up. We took a serious approach and played good defense, especially in the 1st quarter. We were able to go to our bench. At the end, we let up a little bit. I don't want to single anyone out...everyone played a part in the win.

Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
- We played worse than we might have today. There were a lot of mistakes. We blew the 1st quarter. It's tough to catch a team like UNICS after that. We couldn't get back in the game, which had a lot to do with our play on defense.

Snapshot