«Nizhny Novgorod» Nizhny Novgorod, Russia vs. UNICS Kazan, Russia

Nizhny Novgorod defeated UNICS at home in overtime, 91-81. Nizhny trailed by 14 at halftime, but stormed back in the second half to force overtime. The overtime period belonged to the home team as Nizhny completed a 4-0 sweep of the league's Big Four on its court: UNICS, Loko, Khimki and CSKA.

Intro
UNICS is battling for a spot in the top-two and still had a shot at catching CSKA for 1st entering today's game. Nizhny Novgorod, despite an inconsistent season, boasted a 4-3 record vs. UNICS, CSKA, Loko and Khimki and hoped to pick up another win at home on Sunday.

Kazan took an early lead, shutting down Nizhny's offense and letting Keith Langford work his magic at the other end. The league's leading scorer had 12 points in the opening period, helping UNICS to an 11-point advantage. Nizhny tried to mount a comeback in the 2nd quarter, but Kazan kept the home team at bay, leading 42-28 at halftime.

It was a different story in the second half. Victor Rudd scored nine in the 3rd quarter, helping his team cut the deficit to six.

During the 4th, Nizhny limited UNICS to one field goal over seven minutes, picking up a 63-61 lead with 4:15 to play.

Nizhny had a decent opportunity to win the game in regulation. UNICS was forced to foul intentionally in the final seconds, trailing by one with 13 seconds remaining. Nizhny's Ivan Strebkov made both free throws, pushing the lead to three.

At the other end, Dmitry Khvostov fouled Quino Colom on a three-point attempt and the Spaniard drilled all three attempts, forcing overtime from the charity stripe.

Turning Point
UNICS was simply delaying its fate. Nizhny Novgorod controlled the extra period from start to finish, holding UNICS to six points while scoring 16 to celebrate a 10-point win.

Star Player
Victor Rudd. Nizhny's star guard played 44 minutes and 43 seconds, sitting on the bench for a measly 17 seconds. The box score tells the story: Rudd finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and one steal.

Stat of the Game
17 - UNICS's three-point shooting percentage. The visitors went 3-18 from beyond the arc.

Snapshot