PARMA defeated Mega in WINLINE Basket Cup group stage game on the road – 94:79 (24:21, 23:18, 23:26, 24:14).
Game progress
Mega started the Cup with 2 wins, while PARMA had a neutral balance in the standings (1-1) before traveling to Belgrade. At the start, the teams engaged in a shootout, but gradually the three-pointer percentage began to drop. In this situation, Evgeny Pashutin used Terrell Carter in the point (15 points in the first half). In the middle of the second quarter, Jalen Adams allowed Perm team to pull away to a comfortable lead – 47:39.
In the second half, the teams picked up the pace and began to exchange scoring runs more frequently. Mega made a comeback and reduced score difference to 3 points after 3rd quarter.
Key moment
At the start of the decisive quarter, PARMA made a 6:0 run with a drive by Lev Svinin and three-pointer by Victor Sanders. After a timeout, Mega stabilized the situation and entered the final minutes with a chance to save the game,. But then there were 2 consecutive steals by Jalen Adams and a beautiful long-range shot by Svinin. Soon, Jalen scored again. This allowed the Perm team to end the game with win.
X-factor
Mega’s bench poor performance, with only 2 substitutes scoring points (17 in total). The leaders played at their usual level, but the lack of support still had an impact. PARMA rotation contributed 28 points, including a short but effective performance by Gleb Firsov – 11 points and 5 rebounds in just 8 minutes.
Facts
Mega got first loss in the WINLINE Basket Cup. UNICS remains the only undefeated team in the tournament.
Mega added newcomer for the tournament – 178 cm point guard Kyrell Luc started and scored 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Now the American, along with Casper Ware, is the shortest player in the tournament.
Luc became the first American in the Serbian club since the 2022/23 season.
Leaders
Mega: Bogoljub Markovic (18 + 9 rebounds), Asim Dzulovic (15 + 6 rebounds), Savo Drezgic (14), Luigi Suigo (11 + 5 rebounds)
PARMA: Jalen Adams (23), Terrell Carter (17 + 6 rebounds), Gleb Firsov (11 + 5 rebounds), Brendan Adams (10 + 5 assists)
Next game
Zenit (Russia) vs Igokea (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on December 23.