Nizhny Novgorod defeated PARMA Perm on the road, 82-80 (26-23, 21-19, 20-15, 15-23).
Top Scorers
PARMA: Codi Miller-McIntyre (27 + 6 ast), Tre’ McLean (15 + 6 reb + 7 ast), Ivan Ukhov (15)
Nizhny Novgorod: Stevan Jelovac (24 + 10 reb), Jake Odum (12), Ivan Strebkov (11)
Story
PARMA guard Codi Miller-McIntyre nearly willed his team to an improbable comeback, scoring 12 of his game-high 27 points in the final seven minutes, but his final shot at the buzzer was a little long, allowing visiting Nizhny Novgorod to escape with an 82-80 win.
Nizhny Novgorod was lucky to win, allowing a 14-point 4th-quarter lead nearly slip away. The visitors never trailed after the two-minute mark of the 1st quarter, extending a five-point halftime lead to double digits midway through the 3rd quarter.
Ivan Ukhov sparked PARMA’s rally, scoring six straight in the 4th to cut the deficit to eight, before Miller-McIntyre took over.
Nizhny’s offense went cold down the stretch, with only one field goal in the final seven minutes, a layup from leading scorer Stevan Jelovac.
Nonetheless, Ivan Strebkov was able to knock down four free throws, including two huge makes in the final seconds, to preserve the win.
Nizhny Novgorod coach Zoran Lukic called this the Game of the Year prior to tip-off. He should be happy with the outcome. Novgorod improves to 7th place, 7-11, one half game ahead of PARMA and VEF in the chase for the postseason.
Stat
4-25 – Perm shot the ball poorly from beyond the arc, though Nizhny was not much better (6-24).
McLean to Miller-McIntyre
Tre @TMac__23 Finds @CMMPatience for the Backdoor Oop!
Тре Маклин находит Коди Миллера-Макинтайра аллей-упом после бэкдора! pic.twitter.com/JyRN5IoWWy
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) April 5, 2018
Quotes
PARMA head coach Nikolajs Mazurs:
– We had problems beginning in the 1st quarter, where we were undisciplined with our shot selection. We also couldn’t straighten out our rebounding because of those shots. And on defense we didn’t play the way we wanted and allowed Nizhny to gain confidence. At the end, we lacked the experience to win. We’ll keep competing.
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
– This was a very important game for me and my guys. We started to control the tempo in the 5th minute. For the most part, the team executed the way we had planned before the game, which is why we won. I want to congratulate our opponent and coach Mazurs. He’s done an excellent job with the team compared to last season. If he continues in the same vein, PARMA has a great future.
Up Next
PARMA: April 9 away vs. Khimki
Nizhny Novgorod: April 9 home vs. CSKA
Images of the Game
