Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Zenit in Semifinals Game 6 at home – 75:74 (19:24, 12:21, 22:12, 22:17).
Game progress
From the very first seconds, the game was tense. Neither team managed to gain any advantage. Only at the end of the first quarter, the St. Petersburg team was able to take a slight lead with Alexey Shved, Alex Poythress and Sergey Karasev shots – 24:18.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Krasnodar team caught up with the opponent. But the guests had a good stretch in the end again. Three-pointers by Trent Frazier and Sergey Karasev helped Zenit to increase the score difference to double-digits. Xavier Pascual team got a 14-point lead by halftime – 45:31.
The second half started with Andrey Vorontsevich long-range shot. The Krasnodar team responded with a 9-point run. A good start of the quarter gave the hosts confidence and Loko rushed to chase. At the start of the final quarter, Patrick Miller cut Loko deficit to just 2 points – 59:61.
Key moment
The game went into clutch. Dwayne Bacon missed several shots in the clutch and made a layup. But Patrick Miller first cut the hosts deficit to a minimum with three-pointer, and then gave Loko first lead in the game – 75:74. Zenit still had 10 seconds to save the game, but Bacon missed another shot.
X-factor
In this series, the rule “Whoever wins the rebounds – wins the game” is clearly working. The Krasnodar team took 10 more than the opponent (40 vs 30). Loko players were especially aggressive in offense, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds.
Facts
With tonight’s win, Loko ties the series with Zenit once again – 3-3. The Game 7 will be on May 22 in St. Petersburg.
Zenit’s maximum lead was 17 points.
Alex Poythress repeated his VTB League career-high 23 points.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Patrick Miller (28 + 6 rebounds), Tahjere McCall (20), Antonius Cleveland (10 + 7 rebounds), Kirill Elatontsev (10), Isaiah Whaley (0 + 10 rebounds).
Zenit: Alex Poythress (23), Andrey Vorontsevich (10).
What’s next
Game 7 on May 22 in St. Petersburg.
