14th round of the Superleague is over. Kutaisi hosted the final, 5th meeting, where Rustavi went to play and eventually, lost its 7th match in the current Superleague. Vice-champion of the Superleague – Kutaisi 2010 defeated Rustavians 98:82 and advanced to the 3rd place in standings. Kutaisi, Vera and Olimpi have equal points, however, due to matches among each other, Imeretian club holds the 3rd place, then Vera and then – Olimpi.
Today’s meeting started successfully to Rustavians, they won the first period 27:18 thanks to three-pointers. Merab Boqolishvili, Denzel Livingston and Nikola Tadic had been very effective in long-range shots, before Kutaisi strengthened defense and equalized the score. The hosts won this quarter by 4 points, but the main attack took place in the third period.
Kutaisians got an advantage under the shield and the leader was soon changed. With accurate shots and free-throws, the hosts managed to win the thierd period 31:13, which almost meant victory. Their leadership reached more than 20 points at the beginning of the final quarter and the game became just a formality. The hosts went to the victory persuasively and importantely improved their position in the standings.
Rustavi scored 16 three-pointers in today’s match, which is the best result in the current championship. However, the fact that long-range shots aren’t enough to win games was once again confirmed. Kutaisians scored 10 more two-pointers and 11 more free throws than their rivals, which turned out enough to win by a huge difference.
Beqa Beqauri led the winners with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Levan Grdzelidze collected 19 points. De Juan Wright and Jovan Mooring scored 14-14 points each. Denzel Livingston was the most effective with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in Rustavi. The top scorer of the team was Nikola Tadic with 18 points
Matches of the next round will be held on March 6, 7 and 8.
