In their second head-to-head match of the Ukrainian Basketball Superleague regular season, Kharkiv Sokoly secured a convincing 86:75 victory over Rivne on a court in Kyiv. The duel, marked by intense competition and tactical adjustments, served as an opportunity for the Kharkiv team to redeem themselves for their first-round loss, where they fell to Rivne 81:93. The home team set an aggressive pace from the opening minutes, while the visitors, despite individual flashes of brilliance, were unable to shift the momentum of the game.
Sokoly seize initiative early
It was Rivne that opened the scoring in the match: Tymoshchuk nailed a three-pointer early on. However, this success turned out to be the only one for Rivne in the opening stretch. The Sokoly quickly seized the initiative and took the lead for the first time at 8:5, after which they never allowed their opponents to regain the advantage. By the end of the first quarter, the nominal hosts had built a comfortable nine-point cushion (29:20), and by halftime, the teams went to the locker rooms with the Kharkiv side enjoying a twelve-point lead — 49:37. At the beginning of the third quarter, the Sokoly's lead reached a maximum of seventeen points, and despite Rivne's attempts to organize a chase, the visitors were unable to cut the deficit to less than nine points.
Control of the glass decides the outcome
The main key to the Kharkiv team's success was their undisputed dominance on the boards. The winners pulled down 48 rebounds compared to 29 by their opponents, leading to 15 second-chance points against Rivne's five. The turnover statistics also point to a more disciplined game by the Sokoly: the Kharkiv players committed only five turnovers compared to ten by the visitors. It was this combination of offensive control and defensive reliability that allowed the Sokoly to hold their lead throughout all four quarters: 29:20, 20:17, 22:23, 15:15.
Klevzunik named MVP of the game
The award for the best player of the match rightfully went to winning forward Denys Klevzunik, who, in nearly 30 minutes on the floor, scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, finishing the game with an efficiency rating of 22. Significant contributions were also made by Egor Sushkin (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Andrii Khokhonik (11 points, 5 assists). For Rivne, Tarik Eisa was the top scorer with 22 points and 6 rebounds, though his individual efforts were not enough to compensate for the team's lag in key components of the game.
Tournament situation after the rematch
This victory allowed Kharkiv Sokoly to level the score in the season series against Rivne at 1:1, thereby taking revenge for their first-round defeat. Following this game, the Kharkiv team holds a record of six wins in nine matches, placing them fourth in the Superleague standings. Rivne, with seven wins in ten games, retains the second position. Both teams continue to fight for a spot in the upper part of the table, and the upcoming rounds of the regular season promise equally intense matchups.
