Ukraine Superleague: Budivelnyk’s woes continue
Ukraine – Budivelnyk Kyiv is on a tailspin and needs to get its act together. On November 8 they suffered a brutal loss at the hands of French ProA team JSF Nanterre, 80:61, in the Euroleague. Their problems continued last night as they fell to 2-3 in the Ukrainian Superleague, this time to Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk, 82:88.
A handful of teams are breaking away from the pack in the Superleague as they rack up wins again and again. Hoverla joined Khimik-OPZ Yuhnzy in a tie for second place with a record of 4-1, trailing undefeated BC Donetsk.
Budivelnyk Kyiv vs. Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk, 82:88
This was a case of Budivelnyk being unable to contain Hoverla’s explosive import that night. Travis Peterson (208 cm, Samford’08) ran poorly contested for the contest and blew up for 34 points, which included five treys, and nine boards. His impressive performance was key to creating a solid 13-point lead for his team after three frames. It was not a one-man show for Peterson, fellow starter Seamus Boxley (201 cm, Portland State’05) supported him with a double-double performance, finishing the game with 13 points and 13 boards. Combined, both players accounted for 22 of Hoverla’s 38 total rebounds.
Despite their defensive lapses, Budivelnyk used offense to catch up against Hoverla as they had four of their players score in double figures. They were led by Micah Downs (195 cm, Gonzaga’09) who produced a stat-sheet filling line of his own with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He also knocked down four of his seven attempts from downtown. Latvian import Janis Strelnieks (191 cm) chipped in 16 points, six boards and six assists in the losing effort.
BC Kyiv vs. Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk, 73:65
BC Kyiv pulled off an upset victory over Dnipro as they made full use of their home court advantage in this encounter. After being at a deadlock at the end of the third quarter, the home team pulled away in the fourth to seal the victory. The 41-32 rebounding advantage may have spelled the difference in their successful play. BC Kyiv had two of their starters clean up the glass and wind up with double-double performances. Mike Davis (205 cm, Illinois’11) was the best performer for the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Dominique Coleman (190 cm, Colorado’07) flirted with a triple-double, scoring 14 points, grabbed 10 boards and handed out seven assists. In a nutshell, their efforts became the one-two punch that BC Kyiv needed to knock Dnipro senseless for the game.
Dnipro was led by local player Olexandr Mishula (192 cm) who pulled in with 15 points and four assists. Stanislav Tymofeyenko (202 cm) and Oleksii Shchepkin (191 cm) added 11 and 12 points, respectively.
BC Odessa vs. Polytekhnika-Halychyna Lviv, 69: 54
BC Odessa rolled over Halychyna for most of the first half of the game. Halychyna tried to pound out a rally in the third frame, but it was not enough to catch up to their opponents. BC Odessa, played it straight up and delivered good fundamental basketball. They moved the ball well to find the open man and were on point when it came to defense. Their execution led to Halychyna committing 16 turnovers versus their 10. The win gave BC Odessa the edge over Halychyna in the standings. They are now seventh with a 3-2 record, while Halychyna sank to the eighth spot with a 2-3 record.
Serbian Vladan Vukosavljevic (206 cm) was the lone bright spot for Halychyna as he delivered the goods with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kyndall Dykes (190 cm, New Orleans’09) and local player Sergei Alferov (189 cm) each added 10 points.
BC Odessa had a balanced attack with four of their players able to hit double figures for the game. They were led by Justin Love (189 cm, St. Louis’00) and Terrell Everett (193 cm, Oklahoma’06), who both scored 12 points and handed five assists each.