News

UMMC edge Dynamo Kursk in tense finish

UMMC edge Dynamo Kursk in tense finish

In the Fonbet Russian Championship - Premier League game, the "Foxes" traveled to the new location of the Kursk team in Tula and claimed a hard-fought victory with a score of 70-72.


Scores by quarter: 16:17, 9:16, 20:13, 25:26


The hosts opened the scoring, while the visitors started the game rather poorly – a series of unsuccessful attacks by the Yekaterinburg team served as evidence. However, a three-pointer by Bentley quickly leveled the score, and then UMMC took the lead. Olairi Kosu performed excellently in the paint (+6 points), while Jovana Nogic supported her from beyond the arc. The first quarter ended with a minimal lead for the "Foxes" – 16:17.   


In the second quarter, the Dynamo players managed to pull ahead, organizing an 8-0 run in the first half. However, Ural shooters Kseniia Levchenko and Jovana Nogic hit key three-pointers to bring the Yekaterinburg team back into the game. Then, the "white-blues" faced an unpleasant surprise: a 16-0 run from UMMC. The teams went into the halftime break with a comfortable 8-point lead for UMMC – 25:33.    


It was clear that the fierce rivals returned to the court with a strong desire to win. The hosts gradually started to reduce the deficit, eventually narrowing it down to just 1 point. The game became predictably tense, and the quarter ended with a score of 45:46, leaving the outcome in suspense for the final stretch.


In the final quarter, the reigning champions pulled ahead by 8 points, thanks to key three-pointers from the same Bentley and Nogic. However, the hosts also began hitting three-pointers, quickly closing the gap. The last minutes had fans on edge as the game remained neck and neck right until the final moments. In the dying seconds, it was a shot from Jovana Nogic that decided the game, and UMMC once again triumphed over Dynamo in the regular season with a score of 70-72.    


The leaders for UMMC were Alex Bentley and Jovana Nogic (both with 17 points). Olairi Kosu contributed 15 points and 8 rebounds.


In the squad of Dynamo, Daria Repnikova scored 17 points; Kyara Linskens had 16 points and 6 rebounds, while Nina Glonti and Olga Frolkina each added 12 points.  


The next game for the "Foxes" in the Fonbet Championship will be at home on January 25th. They will face NIKA-Luzales from Syktyvkar at DIVS arena, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.