UNICS Protects Home Court

UNICS Kazan defeated Nizhny Novgorod at home, 70-61, in Game 2 of the playoff quarterfinals. Kazan's defense dominated, limiting the visitors to 38% shooting from the field. Trailing by two at halftime, Keith Langford & Co. seized control in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Nizhny 22-11. With the victory, UNICS picks up a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Nizhny Novgorod.

Recap
Following Game 1, Nizhny coach Ainars Bagatskis mentioned the lack of production from the bench (7 of Nizhny's 70 points). Indeed, the UNICS bench outplayed its opponents on Saturday and gave the home team a significant edge. Entering Game 2, the visitors needed a much better performance from the reserves to have a chance.

UNICS threw the first punch, starting the game on an 8-0 run, but the visitors clawed back with aggressive, physical defense. Dmitry Khvostov and Evgeny Baburin took care of the offense, helping Nizhny ease into the lead, 17-15, after the 1st quarter.

Little changed in the 2nd quarter. The two teams battled to a draw, allowing Ainars Bagatskis's club to enjoy a two-point advantage at halftime.

Needing a spark, UNICS got one from Keith Langford. The American guard scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter to go with two assists and UNICS outscored Nizhny 22-11 to jump ahead by nine points.

After the visitors cut the deficit to six in the final minutes, Anton Ponkrashov and four straight free throws from Kostas Kaimakoglou gave UNICS the victory. Kazan is now one win away from advancing to the semifinals.

Star Player
Keith Langford. The UNICS guard didn't put up as big of numbers as he did in Game 1 (18 points, four rebounds and two assists), but his play in the 3rd quarter proved decisive, allowing Kazan to seize control of the game.

Stat of the Game
131 - number of total points scored in the game, the lowest total yet in the postseason.

Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
- Game 2 is always more difficult. The opposition wants to win at least one game on the road. My guys showed their toughness today. We started well, then we lost control a bit of the game. But we made fewer mistakes in the second half. We played smart and controlled the tempo. I'm satisfied with the result. Game 3 is next on the road. It will be more difficult. We won't try to be too cute. We need to approach every game like it's an elimination game.

Nizhny Novgorod head coach Ainars Bagatskis:
- It's tough for either team to prepare any surprises. I think two even teams played today. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities. Trailing by nine, it was tough to catch our opponent. At the end, Langford and Ponkrashov knocked down some tough shots and we couldn't hit open looks. Our limited rotation let us down again. Ultimately, UNICS's experience proved decisive.