Rivne-Oshvsm vs. Kharkiv
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KHARKIV, Ukraine (Interstat) — Kharkiv hosts Rivne-Oshvsm on Saturday in a Ukrainian SL Favorit Sport matchup that pits the league’s top team against an opponent that just handed it a loss.
Kharkiv (24-9 overall) enters with the superior record, but Rivne-Oshvsm (14-19) earned a 92-87 home win Wednesday, April 29, in the teams’ most recent meeting. That victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Rivne-Oshvsm and gave it a split in the season series. Kharkiv has won three of the five head-to-head games this season, including an 83-70 home win Saturday, April 25, and a 101-71 rout March 7.
Rivne-Oshvsm center Jalen Dupree has been the focal point of the offense. In Wednesday’s win, Dupree played 37 minutes and posted 24 points, nine rebounds and one assist. He has averaged 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds over his last seven games, though his production has been inconsistent against Kharkiv. In the April 25 loss at Kharkiv, Dupree managed only eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in 39 minutes, despite grabbing nine rebounds. He has recorded double-doubles in three of his last four games, including a 30-point, 10-rebound effort in an April 16 loss at Dnipro.
Kharkiv guard Maxim Nikitin has provided steady production off the bench. Nikitin scored 12 points with six rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes Wednesday. In the April 25 win over Rivne-Oshvsm, he played 16 minutes and contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Over his last seven games, Nikitin is averaging 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting efficiently. He has scored in double figures in six of those seven contests.
Kharkiv’s depth was evident in the April 25 victory, when Andrii Khokhonyk added six points, four rebounds and eight assists, and Vadim Zaplotinsky scored 10 points. For Rivne-Oshvsm, guard Demarius Jacobs had 20 points and four assists in Wednesday’s win, and forward Yevgen Koroviyakov added 15 points and six rebounds.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time.