First victory: exceptional second half lifts UNICS over Bayern / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: SIPA – Scanpix Credit SIPA – Scanpix

In a match between two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams that haven't tasted victory this season, UNICS Kazan (1-2) edged out FC Bayern Munich (0-3) at their home floor 73-70 (12-19, 14-18, 19-13, 28-20).

Player of the Game EFF 21 Mario Hezonja Points 15 Accuracy 5-9 Rebounds 6 Assists 0

Two straight threes by Deshaun Thomas and Corey Walden cut Bayern's deficit to six (61-67). Walden struck again, bringing Bayern within three (67-70) with 44 seconds remaining. But UNICS held firm, and Tonye Jekiri's basket and Lorenzo Brown's free throw brought them a hard-fought victory.

"I am very happy for the first victory in the EuroLeague this season, and maybe it is against the best team of the three that we played, for the quality of the players, for their experience, UNICS' coach Velimir Perasovic said.

"In the second half, we completely changed our behavior on defense. We started to play very aggressive, fought for every ball and made Bayern feel uncomfortable on the court."

Isaiah Canaan was exceptional on offense, finishing with 21 points (2/2 2PT, 5/9 3PT, 2/2 FT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, and 18 PIR.

"We were turning the ball over a lot in the first half. That is a well-respected team. They play physical. They play hard. We worked on that all week. We were turning the ball over and that played into their favor, so we just had to calm down, let the game come to us, and just start executing, and the result showed."

Mario Hezonja was the most efficient player for UNICS, putting up 15 points (4/5 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 4/4 FT), 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 21 PIR.

For Bayern, Corey Walden led the way with 16 points (0/1 2PT, 4/7 3PT, 4/4 FT), 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, and 18 PIR.

UNICS had a challenging first quarter, committing seven turnovers in the period and only scoring 12 points. Their struggles continued in the second, going down 19-35. However, the Russian team finished the period on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit going into halftime (26-37).

2-pointers this season

49%20,0Points made:20,0Accuracy:48,8%Place in standings:8Record max:22Record min:18Most made 2FGs:John BrownTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Bayern increased their advantage to 16 at the start of the second half (42-26). But the Russian team started a significant run at the end of the third period that carried over to the start of the fourth. As their 13-0 spurt ended, UNICS were back in front (51-50).

UNICS continued their onslaught in the fourth. Another huge 16-3 spurt led by Isaiah Canaan and Lorenzo Brown put them up by double digits (65-55).

"We had a very poor performance," Bayern's coach Andrea Trinchieri said. We didn't look as a team. We really played very bad, looking to our mentality, our desire to fight. And this is, by far, our worst game. We cannot play like this. We cannot throw opportunities in the garbage like this. I hope that we feel the desire to bounce back."

UNICS: Isaiah Canaan 21, Lorenzo Brown 17 (5 AST), Mario Hezonja 15 (6 REB), Tonye Jekiri 7 (10 REB), John Brown 4 (8 REB).

Bayern: Darrun Hilliard 17 (7 REB), Corey Walden 16, Ognjen Jaramaz 11, Deshaun Thomas 11, Zan Sisko 6.

Highlights:

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