By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Orlando Johnson scored six in overtime and a total of 34 points career-high, helping Unics Kazan overcome the resistance of Parma and get a road victory 105 – 98 in overtime.
A generally brilliant (20 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) Quino Colom had a chance to win it for Unics at the end of the fourth quarter, but with the score 95 – 95 he went 0/2 from the free throw line.
Danilo Andjusic had a majestic performance of 40 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists yet it wasn’t enough for Parma. Although the hosts probably played their best game of the season, they remain winless while Unics stands at a 10-1 record.
Despite being a match between one of the two top teams in VTB and the one at the bottom of the standings, it certainly didn’t look like that on the floor. Parma entered the game aggressively (23-19 at the end of the first period) and managed to lead 44 – 42 at halftime.
It took Unics some time, but taking a 80 – 87 advantage with less than four minutes to go thanks to Art Parakhouski (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Quino Colom. Yet the hosts didn’t give up, making it a thriller thanks to a 9 – 2 partial score.
While Colom’s two missed free throws gave Parma (Aleksandar Vinnik 14 points, 9 rebounds, Konstantin Bulanov 14 points) a chance for the upset in the extra period, Unics had more fuel in its tanks and more experience, courtesy of Kostas Kaimakoglou (19 points) who dropped five points with some crucial baskets in the extra five minutes.