KRSU basketball players won silver medals at the 2022 Universiade
At the end of March, the main sports competitions among students of higher educational institutions started on the sports grounds of Bishkek – Universiade 2022.
Basketball players were among the first to enter the fight for medals. Based on the results of the draw, the men's team KRSU was placed in the same subgroup with the teams of KNAU, MU Jalal-abad, MUK, KGUSTA and Batken State University.
On the first day of play, our basketball players met with opponents from Batken. As a rule, start of any sports competition is accompanied by excessive nervousness and pre-start excitement. This basketball tournament was no exception. In the first quarter of the match, players from both teams took turns making simple mistakes. The advantage in points scored alternately passed from one team to another. But with the beginning of the second quarter of the match, the game advantage gradually passed to the KRSU team. The difference in the score reached 9 points – 26:17 and it seemed that our guys had completely seized the initiative and would confidently bring this meeting to a victorious end. But excessive self-confidence almost played a cruel joke. In the fourth quarter, the Batken basketball players began to increase the pace of the game, they began to make medium and long-range shots, but still, competent actions in defense and effective play in attack allowed our team to win the first and very important victory with a score of 40:36.
On the second game day, the KRSU team met with the team of the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University. A detailed analysis of the previous game and a clearly executed setup allowed our guys to deal with the opponent without any problems, and the final whistle of the match recorded the numbers on the scoreboard at 45:27.
The next opponent was representatives of Jalal-abad University. From the first minutes of the meeting, the KRSU basketball players seized the initiative. Effective three-point shots by Salavat Akchurin and Amirsaid Ibraev, confident play under the shield of centers Arlen Asanov and Nazar Kosmynin left no chance for the opponents. The final score of the match is 52:43.
The basketball tournament picked up pace, and our team felt more and more confident. The next opponent was the basketball players of the International University. In this meeting, the Krsushniki beat their opponents with a score of 60:34.
Finally, the decisive group confrontation in the subgroup was the game between KRSU and KGUSTA. The opponents, like our team, did not lose a single game. According to the regulations, the team that takes first place in its subgroup receives a bonus and advances to the final part of the tournament with a slight advantage. Our basketball players started the match confidently and took the lead. By the big break, the KRSU team was leading 34:19. It seemed that the outcome of the battle was predetermined, but in the third quarter the opponents managed to turn the tide of the match and equalize the score. In the fourth quarter, the scales alternately tipped in one direction or the other, and when regulation time expired, the score was equal – 52:52. To determine the winner, the teams played overtime (an additional five minutes). Passions were heating up, no one wanted to give in. When overtime ended, the score on the scoreboard remained equal – 61:61. In the second additional five minutes, our team organized two quick and effective counterattacks in a row, which immediately brought our team 6 points, and the opponents were no longer able to oppose anything. Having calmly finished the second overtime, the KRSU team won a difficult and strong-willed victory with a score of 74:69, taking 1st place in its subgroup.
Next, we played two games in the final with the two best teams of the parallel subgroup. They were the teams of Osh State University and Bishkek State University. For many years, basketball rivalry with teams from the southern region was accompanied by extreme passion and uncompromising struggle. The match with Osh basketball players was no exception. Throughout the entire meeting, neither team managed to break away from the opponent by more than three points. Our basketball players looked a little tired after the previous game, but this did not affect their internal state – the sports spirit and will to win were the locomotive that moved our team forward. Through fatigue and through «I can’t», the Krsushniki tried to keep the threads of the game in their hands. On this day, the basketball gods decided to test our team again. The main time of the meeting ended with an equal score of 48:48. In the extra five minutes, the KRSU team played extremely collectedly, carefully and without fouls in defense, while responding assertively in attack. The game was ours – 57:52.
In the final match, the KRSU basketball players had to fight with the BSU team and determine the Universiade champion. The opponents approached the final match fresher; they did not have to play additional overtime in previous meetings. This circumstance was reflected at the beginning of the meeting. BSU basketball players confidently seized the initiative and quickly increased their lead in the score. In the second and third quarters of the match, our team found strength and leveled the game, but the disastrous first quarter still turned out to be decisive. In the fourth final quarter, the KRSU basketball players tried their best, but they simply did not have enough time to reduce the gap. The final score – 40:34 in favor of the BSU team. The KRSU team thus won silver medals at the Universiade. OshSU found itself on the third step of the podium. Congratulations to our guys and hope that at the next Universiade they will take the coveted first place!
