Lokomotivs Ischenko: No Excuses for Loss Despite Readiness Gap with UNICS

The Russian defender from the Lokomotiv-Kuban club, **[Vsevolod Ishchenko](https://www.championat.com/tag/42842-vsevolod-ischenko/)**, provided a candid assessment of his team’s loss in the first match of the United League series against UNICS, which will determine the bronze medalist. The game ended with a score of 97:90 in favor of the Kazan team.

«It was a tough match. UNICS started off with a quick attack and took advantage of our fatigue, but that’s no excuse. We should have responded, but we couldn’t pull it off. In the second half, we found some solutions through pressing and steals, scoring some easy points, and started fighting for rebounds, but we ran out of time.

There was a noticeable difference in readiness, although that’s not an excuse. We didn’t approach the game with the seriousness it required. In the next match, we will focus on correcting our mistakes, especially on defense and in transition; we need to perform better on the boards. We aim to play in a way that minimizes second and third chances for our opponents,» said Vsevolod, as reported by Championship correspondent Rustam Imamov.