On Sunday, November 8, regular season matches took place in the Ukrainian Basketball Superleague. Two duels were in the spotlight: Zaporizhzhia coped with Cherkaski Mavpy on its home court, and Rivne defeated Prykarpattia-Hoverla in a tense struggle, despite the guests nearly overcoming a double-digit deficit in the final minutes. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the Basketball Federation of Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia defeats the underdog

Yevhen Isakov's team started the encounter better and won the first quarter 26:22, then increased its advantage in the second ten-minute period and headed into the halftime break leading 41:33. After the break, the game leveled out: one reason was Illedge’s foul trouble, forcing the home team's player to spend limited time on the court. Nevertheless, Zaporizhzhia maintained control over the game thanks to solid defense — the hosts won the rebounding battle 50:35 and scored 14 more points from the paint. The final score was 74:65 (26:22, 15:11, 18:18, 15:14).

Julian Powell is the match's main star

The main hero of the duel was American forward Julian Powell, who played his best game of the season: he recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. Zaporizhzhia captain Anton Buts also recorded a double-double — 11 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. For Cherkaski Mavpy, Kyrylo Marchenko was the top scorer with 17 points, but it was not enough to mount a comeback.

Dramatic duel in Rivne

The events in Rivne unfolded even more dramatically, where the hosts nearly squandered a 22-point advantage. After an even start, Rivne took the initiative, won the first quarter 22:13, and increased the gap to 49:30 in the second period. By the start of the third quarter, the Rivne lead reached a maximum of 22 points, and it seemed the fate of the match was already decided. However, Prykarpattia-Hoverla organized a striking comeback: the guests won the third quarter 23:15 and the final one 24:16, even tying the score late in the game, but they failed to capitalize on opportunities in the decisive moments. Rivne held on to a three-point lead and extended its winning streak to five matches — result 80:77 (22:13, 27:17, 15:23, 16:24).

Free throws and the bench played a decisive role

The top scorers for the hosts were Javon Benson and Tarig Eisa, who both scored 13 points; Benson also added nine rebounds. The reserves played an important role: Demarius Jacobs scored 12 points, Dmytro Trykolenko 11, and in total, Rivne's substitutes brought the team 30 points. For Prykarpattia-Hoverla, the best player was Railon Tion Howard with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Serhiy Startsev added 12 points. One of the key factors in the victory was the conversion of free throws: the hosts hit 24 of 28 attempts, while the guests only 12 of 17.

First round summary

Thanks to the victory, Zaporizhzhia finished the first round of the championship in third place, with six wins in nine matches. The Cherkasy team remained last in the table with one win. Earlier in the same round, Dnipro and Nico-Basket kept the intrigue until the last second. Thus, the latest Superleague game day confirmed the high level of competition in the middle and bottom of the table, where even a 22-point lead does not guarantee a calm finish.