Avtodor has won just 6 of their 31 games this season. However, when we met last time, on February 1st, Saratov put up a great fight – Lokomotiv won by just two points, 78:76, thanks to a basket from Vince Hunter two seconds before the buzzer. That evening, the home team’s top scorer was Alen Hadzibegovic (22+9), who has since moved to Krasnodar. We also want to highlight Igor Volkhin, who always has been having a great time against Loko – that time, he recorded a double-double (17+10). Overall, this small forward is third on Avtodor’s current roster in points (9.3) and rebounds (5.0).
In Avtodor’s next game – against CSKA Moscow on February 8 (a 60:95 loss) – small forward Pavel Zemsky, on loan from Zenit, came close to a double-double (8+10). He currently leads his team in steals (1.1).
Against CSKA, Daniil Kasko, on loan from Lokomotiv, had his best game in a Avtodor uniform – 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Maybe the forward was inspired by his invitation to the 2026 All-Star Game to participate in the slam dunk contest, announced a few days earlier.
On March 12, Avtodor lost 87:95 to the last-place team, Samara, at home. Of no help were Malik Newman‘s 26 points, Hadzibegovic‘s 20, and team captain Vitalijus Pranauskis‘s 13 points and 4 assists (this guy leads his team in assists with 3.7).
For the next game, Stipe Kuliš, previously an assistant to Milenko Bogičević, took over as head coach of the Saratov team. The Croatian didn’t get off to a winning start, as Yenisei secured a decisive victory, 85:64. Even a rocking performance by Grigori Motovilov—24 points, 9 assists, and 5 steals, for a total efficiency rating of 34—wasn’t enough.
In the next game – a home loss to UNICS (65:101) – Motovilov again led Avtodor in scoring (21 points), but showed the same efficiency as Anton Sushchik (19 points). The 21-year-old center made his first career start in a VTB United League game that day, playing 26.5 minutes and recording 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Following the international break, Avtodor suffered another home devastation – 53:102 to Uralmash. The outcome became clear at the end of the first quarter, 7:33. However, Dusan Beslač returned to the Volga team’s lineup after a long absence, leading the team in scoring alongside Kasko (11 points each). In nine games played this season, the Serb has 14 points (39.6% three-point shooting – 2.1 out of 5.3 attempts per game), 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks (2nd best in the league).
On March 11, our opponent defeated Samara 94:89 on the road, ending a 7-game losing streak. Beslač played firmly (19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, and 11 fouls from opponents). But he was outshone by Malik Newman, who scored 13 points in overtime, nearly breaking Patrick Miller‘s league record. Newman totalled 26 points that game, bringing his season average to 18.2 (only Samara’s Nikita Mikhailovsky has more).
Please note that the game will start at a different time than usual on a Sunday – 4:00 PM. Our arena will open to fans at 2:30 PM. See you in the stands! Go, Loko!