Blowout win in Samara
Following UMMC-Junior, UMMC’s senior team also cruised to a 118–59 win in Samara in the FONBET Russian Championship — Premier League.
A slow start (3–7) didn’t stop the Foxes from finding their rhythm. A three-pointer from Alex Bentley and two baskets from Maria Klyundikova leveled the game. Toward the end of the opening quarter, Eva Lisec and Zhosselina Maiga took charge, giving UMMC a 24–20 lead.
Eva Lisec and Jovana Nogic extended UMMC’s lead early in the second quarter with their long-range shots. By the middle of the period, Megan Walker had pushed the margin to double digits, 37–27. Although Samara managed to keep the deficit from growing, the Foxes maintained control. Anastasiia Shilova, Maria Klyundikova, and Viktoriia Tretyakova increased the advantage to 18 points by halftime.
If Samara and their fans still had any hope of turning the game around, it lasted only until the middle of the third quarter. Maryia Papova ignited a 20–0 run, which Eva Lisec capped with a long-range shot at the buzzer, stretching UMMC’s lead to 90–49 heading into the final period.
With such a commanding margin, the only question remaining before the fourth quarter was: which of the Foxes would score the 100th point? Six minutes before the final buzzer, Eva Lisec did just that. But the team didn’t stop there — all eleven players found their way onto the scoresheet, including Svetlana Samusheva, a forward from UMMC-Junior who earned her second victory of the day.
Samara: Poluyanova (10 points, 3 rebounds), Fedorenkova and Novikova with 10 points each.
UMMC: Bentley (17 points, 5 rebounds), Papova (16 points, 5 rebounds), Nogic (15 points, 1 rebound), Maiga (13 points, 8 rebounds), Walker (13 points, 3 rebounds).
The Foxes’ final game of the year will take place at the DIVS Arena on December 23 at 5:00 PM. As part of the Fonbet Russian Cup, they will face Dynamo Moscow.
