Azovmash Mariupol defeated BC Kyiv 76:81 in Game 2 of the Superleague Finals, in spite of a fantastic 4th quarter surge by the home side.

The defending champions knocked Kyiv down with a 29:12 first quarter, during which Yahor Mesheriakau was simply unstoppable.

Serhiy Lishchuk joined the game in the second stretch and gave his team more energy, but his opponent Viacheslav Kravtsov improved Kyiv’s game in the paint. Still, the home side had difficulty handling Mariupol’s guards, who managed to increase the gap to 18 and it was only Marko Maravic’s half-court buzzer beater that cut it to 15 points at the end of the 2nd quarter.

Kyiv managed to get back in the game early in the 3rd frame, reducing Azovmash’s lead to 9. But an 11:1 response cooled them down and the margin grew to21 at the start of the last quarter.

Kyiv refused to throw the towel in, though, outscoring the opponents 27:11 in the final stretch and coming back within 7 points with two minutes to go. But the time (as well as the foul limit for key players) ran out before they managed to catch up, leaving the Kyiv side without the home court advantage.

Game 3 is in Mariupol on May 22.