Budivelnyk Kiev claim Superleague title

Budivelnyk Kiev maintained its grip on Ukrainian Basketball by claiming another Superleague crown with an 85-77 win over Khimik Yuhzny. The victory in Game 4 of the Finals series meant the club lifted its second successive Superleague title and its third in four seasons. The 3-1 series success will look good on paper as it was achieved against a Khimik team that had impressed during the Regular Season and topped the league with a 23-3 record.

Veteran big man Darjus Lavrinovic has been in sensational form for Budivelnyk Kiev and the centre was the standout player once again. It has been a strong series for the Lithuanian and he was deserving of his Superleague Finals MVP award.

It was Lavrinovic who paced Budivelnyk once more as the hosts started the game well, but Khimik still had plenty to play for with the opportunity to tie the series at 2-2. After 10 minutes of play the teams could not be separated and score was locked at 18 apiece. The second quarter was a lot more one sided as Budivelnyk Kiev took hold of the game and went into halftime with an 8 point lead, with the scoreboard reading 37-29. The visitors responded in fine fashion and dictated the play in the third quarter, hitting 28 points and restricting Kiev to just 18 (55-57). The hosts responded like champions and in the fourth quarter swept Khimik with a fantastic 30-20 run to win the game and claim the title of Superleague winners.

Lavrinovic was the best player on the court for Budivelnyk Kiev as he collected 20 points, but DaJuan Summers was also a strong contributor with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Jamal Shuler picked up 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for Khimik, while Romeo Travis logged 20 points and 6 rebounds.