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UMMC defeat Samara on the road

The game in Samara between the local team and UMMC promised to be an interesting confrontation, but the reigning champions of Russia left the Volga team no chances. The final score of 80:60 in favor of the visitors mirrored the result of their previous meeting in Yekaterinburg (100:50), confirming the Yekaterinburg team's status as the undisputed leaders of the tournament standings.  

The first quarter began with a fierce struggle: the game was closely contested for a while, with the teams exchanging accurate shots. However, closer to the end of the period, the team of Dmitrii Donskov gained momentum, making some steals that resulted in scoring. This became a key moment that allowed the "Foxes" to pull ahead. The first buzzer marked the score at 23:15 in favor of the visitors, setting the tone for the game.  

 
The second quarter became a real test for the hosts. UMMC quickly increased their lead to 13 points with a three-pointer from Zhosselina Maiga. Samara managed to score only five points in the first five minutes, which completely exposed their issues with scoring. The Yekaterinburg team confidently extended their advantage, finishing the first half of the game with a crushing score of 48:24.   

After the halftime break, the teams did not treat the spectators to a high-scoring game: half of the third quarter ended with a modest score of 4:1 in favor of the hosts. Despite the fact that Samara outscored their opponents in this stretch, the overall score remained in favor of the "Foxes" - 61:43. The team of Dmitry Pivtsaykin managed to contain UMMC, but it was not enough for a turnaround.

At the start of the final period, the Samara team tried to bring back the intrigue by reducing the deficit to 15 points. However, Alex Bentley quickly cooled their enthusiasm with two consecutive three-pointers. The home team continued to fight back, scoring five points in response, but the confidence established by the reigning champions in the first half of the game made a difference. The final score was 80:60 - without a doubt, UMMC was stronger.

In the squad of UMMC, Alex Bentley and Maria Klyundikova each scored 13 points. Maryia Papova had 11 points, and Zhosselina Maiga contributed 10 points.   
In the squad of Samara, Daria Kurilchuk scored 16 points, Olga Novikova had 11 points, and Anna Kuznetsova added 10 points.    

The "Foxes" will play their next game at home on January 16. They will face MBA-MGUSiT from Moscow at DIVS arena at 7:00 PM.