Superleague Round 14 (Regular Season): Kyiv Basket is upset by Hoverla

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most important game in the last round took place in Ivano-Frankivsk between second ranked Kyiv Basket (14-8) and fifth ranked Hoverla (11-8) on Friday night. Kyiv Basket was defeated by Hoverla in a tough game on the road 72-77. The hosts trailed by 5 points after three quarters before their 27-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Strangely Kyiv Basket outrebounded Hoverla 39-20 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was point guard Sergiy Startsev (190-1997, agency: BIG) who scored 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. American guard Laterrance Reed (188-1997, college: NSU, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 22 points. The former international point guard Yehor Sushkin (187-2006) produced 24 points and 8 assists for the guests. Hoverla have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 11-8 record. Kyiv Basket at the other side dropped to the third place with eight games lost. Hoverla are looking forward to face league's second-placed K.Sokoly in Kharkiv in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Kyiv Basket will play at home against Rivne and is hoping to win this game.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Kyiv Basket (14-8) against tenth ranked Stariy Lutsk (2-17) on Saturday night. Visiting Kyiv Basket was defeated by Stariy Lutsk in Lutsk 90-72. American guard Lorenzo Anderson (190-2000, college: Peru St.) orchestrated the victory by scoring 22 points and 7 rebounds. Ronald Moore contributed with 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Forward Artem Smitiukh (197-2004) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds for Kyiv Basket. Stariy Lutsk maintains tenth position with 2-17 record. Kyiv Basket at the other side dropped to the third place with eight games lost. Stariy Lutsk will play against higher ranked Cherkasy (#9) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Kyiv Basket will play against Rivne (#6) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Leader Dnipro delivered the eighteenth victory on Saturday night. This time they crushed 7th ranked Zaporizhye (8-12) 98-68. Stanislav Tymofeienko scored 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners. Ilya Lishchyna responded with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Dnipro have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 18-2 record. Zaporizhye lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 12 games lost. Dnipro will meet at home Niko Basket (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Zaporizhye will play against Krivbas and hope to secure a win.

Rest of the games of round 14 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Rivne defeated Stariy Lutsk in a road game 71-59. Niko Basket beat Cherkasy at home 69-56. Rivne lost to Hoverla on the opponent's court 72-76. Niko Basket unfortunately lost to K.Sokoly in a home game 72-80.
The best stats of 14th round was 19 points and 7 rebounds by Artem Vodolazsky of Niko Basket.



Stariy Lutsk - Rivne 59-71

There was no surprise when 10th ranked Stariy Lutsk (2-17) was defeated at home by sixth ranked Rivne (10-12) 71-59 on Friday. The game without a history. Rivne led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Rivne made 7 blocks. Guard Vitaliy Bykov (190-1996) scored 22 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American forward Roderick Brown (201-1997, college: Tarleton St.) chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Four Rivne players scored in double figures. American guard Lorenzo Anderson (190-2000, college: Peru St.) responded with 26 points and 8 rebounds and the former international center Stepan Lesyk (205-2002) scored 6 points and 13 rebounds. Rivne maintains sixth position with 10-12 record. Stariy Lutsk lost fourth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with 17 games lost. Rivne will meet higher ranked Kyiv Basket (#3) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Stariy Lutsk will play against Cherkasy (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Stariy Lutsk: L.Anderson 26+8reb+2ast, H.Pavlo 9+7reb+3ast, L.Stepan 6+13reb, R.Moore 5+5reb+3ast, S.Roe 4+1reb+2ast, T.Sviatoslav 4+3reb
Rivne: V.Bykov 22+5reb+3ast, B.Roderick 16+6reb+2ast, D.Jalen 10+9reb, P.Oleksandr 10+1reb+2ast, D.Tymoshchuk 7+6reb+5ast, S.Traylor 2+7reb+1ast

Hoverla - Kyiv Basket 77-72

The most important game in the last round took place in Ivano-Frankivsk between second ranked Kyiv Basket (14-8) and fifth ranked Hoverla (11-8) on Friday night. Kyiv Basket was defeated by Hoverla in a tough game on the road 72-77. The hosts trailed by 5 points after three quarters before their 27-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Strangely Kyiv Basket outrebounded Hoverla 39-20 including a 15-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was point guard Sergiy Startsev (190-1997, agency: BIG) who scored 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. American guard Laterrance Reed (188-1997, college: NSU, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 22 points. The former international point guard Yehor Sushkin (187-2006) produced 24 points and 8 assists and the former international guard Mykhaylo Bublyk (194-2003) added 16 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the guests. Hoverla have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 11-8 record. Kyiv Basket at the other side dropped to the third place with eight games lost. Hoverla are looking forward to face league's second-placed K.Sokoly in Kharkiv in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Kyiv Basket will play at home against Rivne and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Kyiv Basket: S.Yehor 24+4reb+8ast, M.Bublyk 16+8reb+2ast, K.Yaroslav 10+3reb, K.Rafael 10, S.Artem 5+12reb+3ast, M.Sandul 4+8reb+1ast
Hoverla: R.Laterrance 22+3reb+3ast, I.Kabatsiura 19+2reb+3ast, S.Sergiy 17+6reb+7ast, I.Dmytrenko 8+2reb, M.Roman 5+2reb, C.Ilya 3+2reb

Stariy Lutsk - Kyiv Basket 90-72

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Kyiv Basket (14-8) against tenth ranked Stariy Lutsk (2-17) on Saturday night. Visiting Kyiv Basket was defeated by Stariy Lutsk in Lutsk 90-72. The game was mostly controlled by Stariy Lutsk. Kyiv Basket was better in third quarter 20-18. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Stariy Lutsk dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Kyiv Basket's 38. American guard Lorenzo Anderson (190-2000, college: Peru St.) orchestrated the victory by scoring 22 points and 7 rebounds. The other American import guard Ronald Moore (190-1998, college: SW Christian) contributed with 24 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Four Stariy Lutsk players scored in double figures. Forward Artem Smitiukh (197-2004) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 11 rebounds and the former international guard Mykhaylo Bublyk (194-2003) added 19 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Kyiv Basket. Stariy Lutsk maintains tenth position with 2-17 record. Kyiv Basket at the other side dropped to the third place with eight games lost. Stariy Lutsk will play against higher ranked Cherkasy (#9) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Kyiv Basket will play against Rivne (#6) and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Kyiv Basket: S.Artem 22+11reb, M.Bublyk 19+5reb+1ast, K.Rafael 15+4reb+1ast, K.Yaroslav 7+6reb+2ast, S.Yehor 5+4reb+6ast, M.Sandul 2+2reb+2ast
Stariy Lutsk: M.Ronald 24+6reb, A.Lorenzo 22+7reb+2ast, R.Sam'i 16+7reb+2ast, S.Tovkach 16+7reb, P.Horobchenko 4+1reb+1ast, O.Diupin 4+4reb

Niko Basket - Cherkasy 69-56

The game between closely ranked teams ended with eighth ranked Niko Basket's (6-16) home victory over 9th ranked Cherkasy (4-14) 69-56 on Saturday. The game was mostly controlled by Niko Basket. Cherkasy managed to win second period 19-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. American Alex Peacock (199-1997, college: Texas St.) scored 23 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Maksym Hryshchuk (185-2006) chipped in 11 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Niko Basket's coach Valentin Berestnev used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Nigerian-Australian guard Uche Dibiamaka (193-1999, college: St.Edward's) responded with 19 points and 5 rebounds and Nazar Kholod (203-2004, agency: BIG) scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Newly promoted Niko Basket maintains eighth position with 6-16 record. Cherkasy lost eleventh consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with 14 games lost. Niko Basket will meet league's leader Dnipro on the road in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Cherkasy will play against Stariy Lutsk (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Cherkasy: U.Dibiamaka 19+5reb+1ast, N.Kholod 10+6reb, I.Upyr 7+5reb, D.Pyrogov 6+4reb, J.Hamlin 6+6reb, K.Marchenko 4+3reb+2ast
Niko Basket: P.Alex 23+7reb+2ast, M.Hryshchuk 11+6reb+1ast, M.Safonov 10+3reb+1ast, M.Jamir 7+2reb, B.Lukian 6+6reb+3ast, O.Garbar 4+3reb

Dnipro - Zaporizhye 98-68

Leader Dnipro delivered the eighteenth victory on Saturday night. This time they crushed 7th ranked Zaporizhye (8-12) 98-68. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 17-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 98-68. Dnipro dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Zaporizhye's 34. They outrebounded Zaporizhye 42-28 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Dnipro looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists comparing to just 20 passes made by Zaporizhye's players. The former international forward Stanislav Tymofeienko (205-1989) scored 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and the former international forward Volodymyr Koniev (203-1989) chipped in 17 points during the contest. Four Dnipro players scored in double figures. Guard Ilya Lishchyna (190-2005) responded with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and forward Anton Buts (203-1988, agency: BIG) scored 12 points and 5 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Dnipro have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 18-2 record. Zaporizhye lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 12 games lost. Dnipro will meet at home Niko Basket (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Zaporizhye will play against Krivbas and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Zaporizhye: L.Ilya 25+6reb+4ast, A.Buts 12+5reb+1ast, T.Eisa 6+7reb+2ast, M.Kalib 6+3reb+6ast, K.Kyrylo 5+2reb+1ast, V.Andrii 4+2ast
Dnipro: K.Volodymyr 17+4reb+3ast, S.Tymofeienko 17+5reb+5ast, S.Daniil 13+5reb+2ast, H.Mykhailo 11+2reb+5ast, D.Ihor 9+3reb+2ast, S.Yevhenii 6+1reb+1ast

Hoverla - Rivne 76-72

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 6th ranked Rivne's (10-12) road loss to fifth ranked Hoverla (11-8) 72-76 on Saturday. Rivne was trailing by 2 points at halftime but managed to get 3-point lead after three quarters before a 21-14 charge of Hoverla, which allowed them to win the game. They made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. American guard Laterrance Reed (188-1997, college: NSU, agency: Alti Sport) scored 23 points and 7 assists to lead the charge for the winners and forward Ilya Kabatsiura (198-1996) chipped in 17 points and 13 rebounds during the contest. American guard Sayvon Traylor (196-2000, college: Peru St.) responded with 24 points and his fellow American import power forward Jalen Dupree (205-1998, college: Tennessee St.) scored 8 points and 7 rebounds. Hoverla have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 11-8 record. Loser Rivne keeps the sixth place with 12 games lost. Hoverla will meet league's second-placed K.Sokoly in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Rivne will play against Kyiv Basket (#3) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Rivne: T.Sayvon 24+4reb, O.Ponosov 12+1reb+2ast, R.Brown 11+2reb, J.Dupree 8+7reb+2ast, T.Dmytro 6+3reb+4ast, B.Vitaliy 5+5reb+4ast
Hoverla: R.Laterrance 23+4reb+7ast, I.Kabatsiura 17+13reb+2ast, M.Roman 12+5reb+1ast, D.Markiv 9+2reb, I.Dmytrenko 6+6reb, S.Sergiy 5+5reb+7ast

Niko Basket - K.Sokoly 72-80

Very predictable result in Mykolaiv where third ranked K.Sokoly (14-4) beat 8th ranked Niko Basket (6-16) 80-72 on Sunday. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning the initial quarter 17-10. But Niko Basket won second period 26-23. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when K.Sokoly won last quarter 20-14. They made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. K.Sokoly forced 19 Niko Basket turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Forward Maxim Nikitin (201-1989, agency: BIG) had a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and guard Igor Klimov (190-2001) chipped in 19 points during the contest. K.Sokoly's coach Valeriy Plehanov used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Artem Vodolazsky (198-1992) responded with 19 points and 7 rebounds and guard Maksym Hryshchuk (185-2006) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds. Four Niko Basket players scored in double figures. K.Sokoly have an impressive six-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place. Niko Basket at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the eighth position with 16 games lost. K.Sokoly will meet at home Hoverla (#5) in the next round. Niko Basket will play against the league's leader Dnipro and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Niko Basket: V.Artem 19+7reb, H.Maksym 12+11reb+1ast, A.Peacock 11+7reb+5ast, S.Maksym 10+3reb+2ast, J.Moultrie 7+1reb, L.Bogdan 7+1reb+1ast
K.Sokoly: K.Igor 19+4reb+1ast, O.Solovyov 15+3reb+2ast, N.Maxim 15+11reb+2ast, Z.Vadim 8+5reb+2ast, D.Martynov 7+2reb+1ast, A.Khokhonyk 5+1reb+11ast