In the championship of the women’s Premier League on Saturday, October 30, a match was held in which all four silver medalists of the Tokyo Olympics in basketball 3×3 – Anastasia Logunova (MBA, Moscow), Yulia Kozik, Evgenia and Olga Frolkin (all – “Dynamo”, Kursk). In the capital, the “white-blue” won – 78:54. In addition to the Kurdish women, UMMC (Yekaterinburg) and Nika (Syktyvkar) are unbeaten in the tournament.
Perhaps it was the meeting between IBA and Dynamo Kursk at the site of the capital’s sports palace in Krylatskoye that became the central match in October in the top division of the Russian women’s championship. The bronze and silver medalists of the national championship of the last season, the participants of the current Euroleague 2021/22, competed.
The MBA (Moscow Basketball Association) team, which relies exclusively on homegrown basketball players, still failed to cope with strong rival legionnaires. Among the guests, very prominent figures were American Natasha Howard (21 points) and Arike Ogunbovale (9), Slovenian Nika Baric (12) and Eva Lisek (6). For the sake of completeness, let’s add to this company the play-off Epiphany Prince, an American woman with a Russian passport.
In the ranks of the IBA there were enough basketball players who at various times were involved in the Russian national team and continue to be considered candidates for the national squad. They are Karina Nizamova, Tatyana Petrushina, Alexandra Joiner, Anastasia Logunova, MVP of the “gold” for us European Championship 2011 Alena Kirillova (Danilochkina), Alexandra Shtanko, Anna Leshkovtseva, Zhosselina Maiga, Nina Glonti. But, alas, even the strongest Russians are still objectively inferior to far from the most stellar legionnaires.
Kursk “Dynamo”, led by Vasily Karasev, the former coach of the Russian men’s team, won for the sixth victory in a row from the start of the tournament. The teams in the championship played a different number of matches (from three to six), but if we count the lost points, then the tournament is dominated by triarchy. The reigning champion of UMMC (Yekaterinburg) and the finalist of the Russian Cup 2021 Syktyvkar “Nika”, for which one of the key performers of the national squad, the 2017 world champion among youth, Raisa Musina, will enter from this season.
The teams from the capital of the Komi Republic under the guidance of the most experienced specialist Alexander Vasin won two very important guest victories in the second half of October – over Nadezhda Orenburg (62:60) and MBA (68:60). “Nika”, who played in the second division of the Russian championship (Superleague-1) the year before last, eloquently announced its claims for the first ever Premier League medals. Musina proves herself a real leader of the Syktyvkar team. For example, in Moscow, she shipped 22 points to MBA and became the top scorer of the match.
The position of the leaders in the Premier League: Dynamo (Kursk) – 6 wins – 0 defeats, UMMC (Yekaterinburg) – 4-0, Nika (Syktyvkar) – 4-0, MBA (Moscow) – 3-2. The tournament is attended by 12 teams, following the results of the two-round regular championship, the eight strongest will continue to fight for awards in the playoffs.
by the way
The women’s national team of Russia will begin the qualifying cycle of the European Championship-2023 with a guest meeting with Montenegro on November 11. The second rival is Denmark, the game will take place on November 14 in the capital’s sports palace “Basket-Hall” in Krylatskoye, at the home arena of the MBA. Head coach Alexander Kovalev will announce the list of basketball players called to prepare for the battles of the first “window” of the continental qualification.
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