Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Zenit at home – 89:80 (28:20, 18:16, 24:30, 19:14).
Game progress
From the very first minutes, the teams delighted the audience with exciting offensive basketball. For most of the first quarter, the game was equal. But at some point, Patrick Miller and Kassius Robertson stepped up. At the start of the second quarter, Kirill Temirov’s three-pointer let the Krasnodar team to take a double-digit lead for the first time – 31:20.
The hosts did not stop there. They were close to achieving a 20-point lead. But at the end of the second quarter, the St. Petersburg team managed to close down the offense and bring the intrigue back. Great defense and several possessions allowed Zenit to reduce the deficit to 10 points by halftime – 36:46.
Key moment
In the third quarter, the teams started a shootout. They scored 54 points. The guests looked slightly better. At one point, Zenit reduced their deficit to one shot – 64:67. But the St. Petersburg team could not achieve more.
In the final quarter, Lokomotiv Kuban managed to stop the guests offense. The Krasnodar team leader Miller scored important points and restored comfortable lead. His hosts did not let it slip away.
X-factor
Offense ruled this game. The hosts showed an excellent field goal percentage – 55.9% (33 of 59). The Krasnodar team was particularly impressive with its three-point shooting – 53.8% (7 out of 13).
Facts
The Krasnodar team has not lost at home since season opener versus Uralmash. Loko has 4 consecutive home wins.
Sergey Karasev moved into third place in the VTB League’s all-time scoring list. Zenit forward surpassed Vitaly Fridzon (2,896 points). After today’s game, Karasev has 2,901 points.
Vince Hunter became the 5th international player in the VTB League to reach the 2,000 points. Previously, this milestone was achieved by Jalen Reynolds, Nando De Colo, Casper Ware and Marcos Knight.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Patrick Miller (23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds), Kassius Robertson (19 points, 6 rebounds), Kirill Temirov (15 points), Anton Kvitkovskikh (14)
Zenit: Levi Randolph (17 + 5 rebounds), Trent Frazier (17 + 6 assists), Andrei Martiuk (11 + 6 rebounds), Vladislav Emchenko (10 + 5 rebounds)
What’s next
Lokomotiv Kuban: November 12 at home against BETCITY PARMA
Zenit: November 12 at home versus MBA-MAI.
