UNICS Survives Nymburk Scare

UNICS defeated Nymburk on the road, 75-74. The outcome was decided on the final possession. Vojtech Hruban had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but his jumper missed the mark, allowing Nymburk to escape with the road win.

Intro
Ronen Ginzburg's men have been terrific at home, boasting a 7-1 record in Nymburk entering today's game. But Kazan hoped to play spoiler, bringing a nine-game winning streak to the Czech Republic.

Early on, Nymburk's defense stymied the league's 3rd-ranked offense. Without Keith Langford the visitors struggled to move the ball and relied too much on 3-point shooting.

But Kostas Kaimakoglou kept the visitors afloat thanks to his dominance on the glass. Despite a Julian Vaughn dunk to end the half, UNICS trailed by just two points at the break, 41-39.

Both teams clamped down on defense in the 3rd quarter. Kazan enjoyed a slight advantage, pulling ahead by one, 55-54, on a Latavious Williams free throw to end the period.

Turning Point
3-pointers from Arturas Milaknis and Quino Colom gave Kazan a double-digit advantage with five minutes to go. Nymburk came roaring back, outscoring the visitors 13-2 over three minutes to go on top, 72-71.

In Langford's absence, Colom was clutch, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to give UNICS a three-point lead. Nymburk cut the deficit to one and had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Hruban's attempt rimmed out. UNICS improves to 15-2, while Nymburk drops to 10-8, only half a game ahead of 8th-place Nizhny Novgorod.

Star Player
Quino Colom. The Spanish guard took over in Langford's absence. He hit the ultimate game-winning shot and finished with a team-high 20 points.

Stat of the Game
39% - Kazan's poor field-goal percentage didn't prevent the Russians from pulling out a win in the Czech Republic.