Russia’s Uralmash defeated Serbia’s FMP 88–73 (14–23, 23–23, 27–14, 24–13) in an away game at the WINLINE Basket Cup.
Main Story
The game in Belgrade began with the home team setting the pace. The Serbian squad quickly found its rhythm thanks to the scoring efforts of Marko Kovačević, whose energy allowed FMP to comfortably win the opening 10-minute quarter (23–14). However, the emotional intensity of the game took its toll: the Serbian team’s head coach, Saša Nikitović, received two technical fouls and was ejected, which affected the “Panthers”. In the second quarter, Uralmash stabilized the situation—23–23.
The Clutch Moment
After halftime, Yekaterinburg completely seized their opportunity and dominated the court. In the second half, Uralmash looked faster and more accurate than their opponents, and also significantly stepped up their defense, putting together two strong runs in the third (27–14) and fourth (24–13) quarters. The Uralmash players handled the FMP leaders in one-on-one situations, quickly erased the deficit, and coolly sealed the deal with a confident victory by a final margin of “+15.”
X-Factor
Uralmash’s dominance in the second half and their accuracy in the closing stages. The Yekaterinburg team outscored their opponent 51–27 in the third and fourth quarters and also posted a higher field goal percentage on two-point shots (58.1% versus FMP’s 50.0%) and, in particular, on free throws (74.1% versus 59.3%).
Interesting Facts
The game was physical and chaotic—the two teams combined for 47 turnovers (24 by FMP, 23 by Uralmash) and recorded 30 steals (17 by the Yekaterinburg team, 13 by the Belgrade team).
The visitors outrebounded FMP (34 to 29), including 11 offensive rebounds.
Press Conference
FMP Assistant Coach Goran Tadić:
– We had a very good first half. Uralmash is a very experienced team, and we held our own against them in the first two quarters. In the third quarter, we couldn’t withstand their aggression and rotation, and they, in turn, played a high-quality game. I’d like to single out their center, Octavius Ellis, who scored a lot of important points. They deserved to win. The Adriatic League awaits us next, and we’ll face Uralmash again.
Anton Yudin, Head Coach of Uralmash:
– Today was a game of two halves. In the first half, we were too slow and too soft. We let our opponents score a lot of points and didn’t defend well in one-on-one situations. In the second half, we showed our potential and how we can play when we give 100 percent. The 27 points we gave up in the second half are exactly the statistic we always talk about and work on in practice.
Defense comes first, and it was defense that gave us the momentum to play better on offense. That’s why we saw two completely different halves: a terrible first half and a very good second half. I congratulate the team on the victory.
Top Performers
FMP: Marko Kovačević (19), Filip Rebrača (14 + 8 rebounds), Brandon Rush (13)
Uralmash: Octavius Ellis (20 + 6 rebounds), David Efianayi(18 + 3 steals), Timofey Gerasimov (12 + 5 rebounds), Chris Clemons (10)
Up Next
November 15. Lokomotiv-Kuban vs. UNICS.