Ufa beat Barnaul 81 to 78 in the Russian Cup on Wednesday. The visitors made it two wins from two against their opponents this month, having taken 92 to 79 on the first of October. The result extends Ufa's momentum after their 101 to 59 demolition of Novosibirsk two days earlier.
And here's the thing — Barnaul were not in great form coming into this one. They had lost 81 to 91 to Temp Sumz Revda on Sunday and 79 to 92 to Ufa themselves on Tuesday. The hosts could not find a way to turn things around despite the home advantage in the Cup match.
Ufa's confidence appeared to carry through from their big win over Novosibirsk. They scored 101 points there and followed up with 81 against Barnaul, showing they can maintain a high output. To be fair, Barnaul's recent record suggests they have been struggling to contain opposition attacks of late.
By then, the pattern was clear. Ufa had won three of their five matches in April, lost two, and then won both October fixtures so far. Barnaul had only one win in five games during the spring and carried that weakness into the new campaign.
The scoreline tells you everything about a match that was tighter than the visitors' recent dominance might suggest. Ufa won by three points, not by the margins they showed against Novosibirsk or even against Barnaul earlier this month. The hosts made it competitive until the final moments.
