Tempt Sumz Revda saw off Barnaul 91:81 in the Russian Superleague on Saturday evening. The hosts moved further clear in third place while the visitors remain rooted to fourteenth. By then the gap between the two sides in the table was already substantial.
Seventeen wins from twenty-six games puts Tempt Sumz Revda firmly in the upper echelon. Barnaul have only managed four victories in the same number of fixtures. The result extends the home side's unbeaten run and does little to ease the pressure on the away coaching staff.
Tempt Sumz Revda arrived having won their most recent outing 105:77 against Novosibirsk. Barnaul's last game ended 79:92 in defeat to Ufa. And here's the thing — the contrast in momentum was visible even before the opening tip-off.
The home team kept their heads throughout and punished Barnaul whenever the visitors drifted. A 10-point margin might not look enormous, but it reflected a game where Tempt Sumz Revda controlled the tempo. They played the second half a man up in terms of composure.
What the scoreline doesn't capture is the consistency of the home performance. Barnaul had moments but couldn't string enough together. To be fair, the visitors didn't collapse — they simply couldn't find a way through a disciplined defence.
The table now shows Tempt Sumz Revda four points ahead of the next team below them. Barnaul sit 18 points off the top six. The draw brought them together early, and the result speaks for itself.
