Russia (bbabo.net), - The clubs of the Russian women's basketball Premier League, with the exception of the participants in the National Cup final of Nika Syktyvkar and Dynamo Kursk, went on a short New Year vacation. According to the results of the first round, UMMC (Yekaterinburg) is in the lead, having not suffered a single defeat in 11 matches.

The calendar of the Premier League, the games of which will resume on January 5 of next year, in the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF), under whose auspices the tournament is held, was drawn up very competently. Towards the end of the first round - a match between the reigning champion of the Yekaterinburg UMMC and the winner of the "silver" Kursk "Dynamo". It is quite natural that the rivals approached this meeting without defeat. But the struggle in Kursk did not work out. The hostesses lost with a difference of 35 (!) Points - 53:88.

Already at the end of the starting quarter, the Uralochka had a colossal advantage of "plus 20" - 32:12. And if the next ten minutes passed in a more or less equal fight (25:21), then in the third segment of the match UMMC dominated again - 22: 8. This is why the ending has essentially become a formality.

The most productive among the winners were the player of the national team of Bosnia and at the same time the native of the Bahamas Jonquel Jones (21 points), the Belgian Emma Meesseman (19), the American with the Hungarian passport Ellie Quigley (17) and the center of our national team Maria Vadeeva (11). At Dynamo Kursk, foreign basketball players were overshadowed by Russians Yulia Kozik and Anna Burova, who scored 11 points each.

The capital's MBA, which in principle relies solely on homegrown performers, corresponds to its status as a bronze medalist of the Russian Championship 2020/21 (this is the highest success in the history of the club so far). In December, the Muscovites beat Nadezhda in a principled meeting at home (76:63). Let us remind that it was MBA who replaced Orenburg women on the pedestal in the spring, who had won medals for 11 years in a row.

The fourth in rank before the start of the championship and the finalist of the current Russian Cup, Syktyvkar "Nika" under the leadership of the former head coach of the national team Alexander Vasin this month experienced problems due to the injury of its leader Raisa Musina. The team from the capital of the Komi Republic devastatingly lost to the UMMC (65: 108), also failed to cope with Dynamo Kursk (60:67) at home, and with great difficulty on the road was able to defeat the modest composition of Peresvet Rostov (84:82 ).

A necessary note on the position of the participants in the table below. Kursk “Dynamo” and “Peresvet” played more than the rest of the clubs, as at the very beginning of the championship, by mutual agreement, they met twice in a row on the floor of the “white-blue”. According to the results of the regular season two-round tournament, the eight strongest participants will reach the playoffs. The struggle for a place in the final top-8 has now intensified due to the progress of the previously hopeless outsider of the capital “Dynamo”, as well as due to the worthy performance of “Samara”, which played a division below last season (in Super League 1).

Our leading clubs are also competing in continental cup competitions in parallel. UMMC won all 10 matches in its Euroleague group. Thus, Yekaterinburg women in total (taking into account the Premier League) - 21 victories in a row from the start of the season. In the same eight, MBA is still out of the playoff zone (2 wins - 8 losses). Dynamo Kursk are fighting in another group, while the indicator is 6-4 and there are good chances of reaching the quarterfinals. In the second most important European Cup "Nadezhda" Orenburg overcame the barrier of the first round of the playoffs, winning on aggregate against the Slovak "Ruzomberok". Also in the 1/8 finals will perform and "Nika", both times defeating the French "Roche Vendee".

The position of the teams in the Premier League

1. UMMC (Yekaterinburg) - 11 victories - 0 defeats;

2. Dynamo (Kursk) - 11-1;

3. MBA (Moscow) - 8-3;

4. "Nika" (Syktyvkar) - 7-4;

5. Dynamo (Novosibirsk region) - 6-5;

6. "Nadezhda" (Orenburg region) - 5-6;

7. Sparta & K (Vidnoe) - 5-6;

8. "Yenisei" (Krasnoyarsk Territory) - 5-6;

9. Dynamo (Moscow) - 4-7;

10. BC "Samara" - 4-7;

11. "Peresvet" (Rostov-on-Don) - 1-11;

12. Spartak (Noginsk) - 0-11.

Where to watch

December 25, Saturday

"Match! Country"

16.55. Dynamo (Kursk) - Nika (Syktyvkar). Final of the Russian Cup. Live broadcast.

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