Trumble's Benefit vs. Reynolds' efforts: UNICS led by '+17' but couldn't hold off CSKA and lost the battle for first place

“We can beat anyone, but CSKA...”

“CSKA is a team that never makes stupid mistakes. Against them, you need to show very solid defense, a high level of toughness... We can beat anyone, but CSKA... we always have certain difficulties with them," shared UNICS head coach Velimir Perasovic after the match against Igokea before the trip to Moscow.

In the 2025/26 season, the Kazan team poses the main threat to the army team. Before this match, both teams nominally shared first place in the “regular season” by number of wins and losses, and CSKA forward Nikita Kurbanov called them a “potential opponent in the playoff stage.”

And while everything is fine with the army team — all players from the roster can take the court, UNICS is still missing its forward Dyson Pierre, whom Perasovic announced would return after the break, and guard CJ Bryce, who is out for the rest of the season.

Even before the start of the match, experts insisted: UNICS is strong in the backcourt, CSKA — in the frontcourt. This was supposed to give the army team an advantage: while the Kazan players “packed” the paint, they would hit threes. But to the misfortune of Andreas Pistiolis, Paris Lee returned to the UNICS lineup, on whom great hopes were pinned. However, after a serious injury, the player is still finding his game, and today he managed to make only one accurate three-point shot out of five attempts. But the hero of the match was not him; the Muscovites had to defend their basket against another overseas player...

CSKA deliberately added toughness, especially when guarding Reynolds

The first half of the match completely followed the guests' script. UNICS's surge began with an unexpected three-pointer by Mikhail Belenitsky and productive action by Jalen Reynolds. The Kazan players quickly organized a lead, “cementing” their defense: CSKA did not score for more than three minutes. On offense, the army team depended entirely on Melo Trimble, who scored points mainly from the free-throw line, cleverly drawing fouls. After the match, Pistiolis stated: an unsuccessful first half allowed UNICS to feel too confident on the court.

In the second ten-minute period, CSKA attempted a chase: thanks to Antonius Cleveland, the gap was reduced to "+4”. However, UNICS instantly regained control of the game. First, Paris Lee cold-bloodedly punished Casper Ware for a foul on the arc, making three free throws, and then, together with Dmitry Kulagin, organized a series of long-range hits. At the end of the quarter, Mikhail Belenitsky reminded everyone of himself again with an accurate shot from the corner, and Marcos Bingham extended the Kazan team's lead to a comfortable "+13” with his step-back.

It was at this moment that the foundation laid by UNICS's starting five began to crack. As Nikita Kurbanov admitted after the match, the army team deliberately added toughness, especially when guarding Jalen Reynolds, which provoked a series of turnovers for the Kazan players. The American himself, however, had an outstanding match: he had 21 points and 6 rebounds. At the end of the third quarter, the intensity of the struggle reached its peak — Reynolds engaged in a “shootout” with Melo Trimble after another foul. And although Jalen responded to his opponent's productive move with an accurate mid-range shot, the last word remained with the CSKA leader. Trimble's three-pointer at the end of the period and Paris Lee's miss in the counterattack reduced the gap to a dangerous "-5” — 65:70.

Problems with personal fouls started for the guests back in the third quarter: Andrey Lopatin and Mikhail Belenitsky picked up four fouls each, forcing the Kazan defense to act less aggressively. As a result, both forwards ended the game early, and following them, the leaders — Dmitry Kulagin and Jalen Reynolds — also left the court due to foul trouble. After the match, Velimir Perasovic emphasized a serious imbalance: CSKA players attempted 34 free throws during the evening, while UNICS attempted only 21. He referred to the criteria of the refereeing crew led by Evgeny Ostrovsky, which allowed the hosts to commit such actions.

— Their strategy aimed at provoking fouls proved effective. We failed to find an answer to it, which became the decisive factor in their victory, — said Perasovic.

“The team gave its whole heart for this great victory”

CSKA entered the decisive stage of the match with a three-point advantage — 81:78. In the last minute, UNICS players Paris Lee, Marcos Bingham, and Alexey Shved had several opportunities to tie the score with long-range shots, but all attempts were inaccurate. The tactic of intentional fouls also did not save the Kazan players: in the nerve-wracking finale, Trimble and Ivan Ukhov cold-bloodedly made free throws, securing the final victory for the army team.

— In the second half, we showed the right attitude, the psychological approach to the game. In the locker room, we talked about the fact that the difficulties we encountered give us an opportunity to show the character we have. We raised the level of toughness, and we applied that toughness wisely. The team better executed the instructions given by the coach, but at the same time, it all came down to dedication, to the fact that the team gave its whole heart for this great victory, — Pistiolis said after the match, congratulating his team.

The Kazan team will try to bounce back on Wednesday, February 4, at 17:00 Moscow time. Perasovic's team will play away against Yekaterinburg's Uralmash. The team will return to its home court on February 12 in a match against BC Parma.

Match Statistics:

CSKA — UNICS — 84:80 (18:24, 19:26, 28:20, 19:10)

Army team leaders: Trimble (34 + 5 assists), Jean-Charles (13), Ware (11).

Kazan team leaders: Reynolds (21 + 6 rebounds), Bingham (16 + 6 rebounds), Kulagin (14 + 6 rebounds).