Ural basketball players claim their fifth Super Cup and tenth consecutive title

The UMMC women’s basketball team has won the Russian Super Cup for the fifth year in a row. On Wednesday, the Ural players triumphed on their home court in a tense matchup against Nadezhda, edging out a victory 83–81. For the team from Yekaterinburg, this title is something of a milestone. UMMC have remained unbeaten in every competition they have entered since 2022. During that time, the club has captured four Super Cups, three Russian Cups, and three national championships.

The Russian Super Cup, first held in 2021, has shown remarkable consistency — UMMC has claimed the trophy every single time. There was no reason to doubt that the Yekaterinburg team would continue their winning streak. The Foxes started the season confidently, winning all six of their games, and with the match taking place in Yekaterinburg, they seemed almost invincible. Their opponents, Nadezhda from the Orenburg region, have already stumbled in the national championship, and overall, the team still falls short of the powerhouse that UMMC represents.

It’s worth noting that, according to the regulations, the Super Cup is contested between the current Russian champion and the winner of the national cup. However, since UMMC won both titles last season, their opponent for the Super Cup was the team that finished second in the league — namely, Nadezhda.

In practice, though, the game turned out to be far more spectacular than many had expected. Despite it being a workday, over 6,500 fans packed the UMMC Arena, and they clearly enjoyed every moment. The outcome of the matchup remained uncertain until the very end.

This is unusual for games involving UMMC. Typically, Dmitrii Donskov’s squad settles any questions about the result if not by halftime, then certainly by the end of the third quarter. At first, however, it seemed this match might be no exception. After a brief adjustment period at the start, the home team found their rhythm. In the second quarter, following a precise shot by Alexandria Bentley, their lead reached double digits.

However, Bentley was not Nadezhda’s main concern. The real threats came from Jovana Nogic (who finished as UMMC’s top scorer with 16 points), Viktoriia Tretyakova, Karina Nizamova, and of course, Maria Klyundikova. The center had recently returned from the Women’s National Basketball Association in the U.S. (she plays for the Minnesota Lynx, as does another UMMC player, Anastasia Kosu). While she didn’t score heavily, she dominated the boards and led the team in rebounds.

Nadezhda, however, rallied quickly, with key players stepping up to bring the team back into the game. The engine of the comeback was Ashley Beverly Kelley, who poured in 23 points and became the game’s top scorer. By the third quarter, UMMC’s lead had all but disappeared. In the final ten minutes, the momentum swung toward the visitors: Kelley’s long-range basket put Nadezhda ahead, turning the game into a tense back-and-forth battle.

In essence, it came down to which team could keep their composure under pressure. Yekaterinburg held their nerve better. In the decisive moments, Nadezhda once again started committing unnecessary turnovers, unable to handle the pressure, while UMMC calmly converted their chances.

Less than a minute before the final buzzer, Nizamova drained a crucial three-pointer to give her team a seven-point advantage, there was little doubt left about the outcome — UMMC were on their way to victory. The visitors managed only to slightly narrow the gap, but the win, 83–81, went to UMMC.

Thus, UMMC not only claimed the Super Cup for the fifth consecutive time, but also secured their tenth straight title across all competitions they’ve participated in. The club’s last setback dates back to the 2021/22 Premier League Finals, when the Foxes lost 1–3 to Dynamo Kursk. That defeat was largely due to the departure of foreign players following the start of the events in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the club’s management and leadership — President Andrei Kozitsyn and Vice President Igor Kudryashkin — managed to stabilize the situation fairly quickly, refocus the team on developing and signing Russian players (who now form the core of the roster), and restore UMMC to its dominant position.

Source: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8161561