A … breath came from the defeat, however in the end he showed character and escaped with a great double from Belgrade the Zenith, prevailing in overtime 80-76 of the Red Star!
Despite being 9 points behind at the beginning of the fourth period, Xavi Pascual’s team reversed the situation, resulting in the extra five minutes to take the 12th pink match sheet of the season thanks to a clear mind and the right choices in attack.
Somehow, Zenit improved their record to 12-6, remaining … tight corset at the third Olympiakos which has 12-5 with fewer matches.
Top for the Russians, he was amazing Billy Baron, who finished the fight with 25 points (9/13 on the field), 6 assists and 4 rebounds, while important assists were given by Mickey (13 points), Lloyd (8 points, 9 rebounds).
On the other hand, for the Red Star, the highlight was Nate Walters with 21 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, with Hollins and Kalinic offering 15 and 13 points respectively.
The match:
Balanced the first three minutes of the match with both teams close to the score (6-7). Somewhere there, with seven consecutive points from the Hollins and Walters, the Red Star was ahead with 13-7, while a little later he raised the difference to +8 for 18-10 in 5 ‘. The time out taken by Xavi Pascual, “woke up” the Russians, who with a long counterattack went ahead (20-21), while with a series of 8-1 in the last minute they closed the ten minutes at +8 (21-29).
After the bad defensive first ten minutes, the Serbs significantly improved in this piece in the second ten minutes, and in combination with aggressive “oestrus” of Austin Hollins and Nate Walters with 15 and 13 points respectively in the first half went ahead with +2 (40-38 in 18 ‘). With two three-pointers Billy Baron but in the season finale, Zenit went in the locker rooms with a small lead (42-44).
The good defense of the Red continued in the third ten minutes, where Dejan Radonjic’s players accepted just 6 points! With five consecutive points by Kuzmic and a three-pointer by Kalinic, the “red and whites” went ahead with +6 (52-46), while a little later they increased the difference and at +8 (54-46 at 27 ‘). Zenit, who were just 2 points behind in 7 minutes of the season, found four points at the end for 57-50 of the quarter.
With the start of the fourth period, the Reds increased the difference for the first time at +9 (59-50), thus putting the world in the equation of the struggle. At that point, Billy Baron stepped forward for the visitors, taking Zenit on his back, with the Russians equalizing in 67-67 in 39 ‘. Mitrovic put the Reds ahead again, but with Lloyd’s two-pointer at 37 ” and Walters’ misplaced three-pointer at the end of the quarter, the game was led in overtime (69-69).
In the extra five minutes, Zenit proved to be calmer and with a clear … mind controlled the rhythm, something that resulted in her reaching easily in the final 80-76.
The quarters: 21-29, 42-44, 57-50, 69-69, 76-80 (par.)
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
