Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Zenit in the 3rd Place Series Game 3 at home – 90:87 (14:23, 25:23, 30:19, 21:22).
Game progress
After the first offensive possessions, Loko players couldn’t find a key to Zenit defense for a long time. The guests took advantage of Okaro White and Maurice Ndour absence time after time with using pick-and-rolls. A 15:2 run by Sergey Karasev and Trent Frazier made the lead double-digit by the start of the second quarter – 26:16. Soon the hosts started to open up the opponent defense, and several times had a chance to get close. But Karasev long range shot and 21 points in the first half with 100% three-point shooting, allowed the St. Petersburg team to keep the lead to by the halftime – 46:39.
The second half started with Loko 12:5 run. Xavi Pascual timeout restored Zenit pace – the game was equal till the end of the quarter, but DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell long-range shot gave the Krasnodar team a 4-point lead before the final quarter.
Key moment
Neither team was able to create a lead before the decisive minutes, and the score was tied with 4:30 left before the end – 83:83. The Krasnodar team played good defense. But Vince Hunter shot cut the lead to 2 points, but a long-range shot by Dmitrii Uzinskii gave Loko a lead – 90:85.
The St. Petersburg team had 2 minutes to get back into the game, but all 5 three-pointers were missed, and their only 2 points came from the free throw line. The Krasnodar team survived in the end and took the series into the Game 4.
X-factor
Aleksandr Scherbenev made a significant contribution to Loko win. The Russian guard came off the bench and scored 11 points in the second half. He helped the Krasnodar team to take the lead in the third quarter for the first time in 2 quarters and start the final quarter well.
Fact
Karvel Anderson made 3 long-range shots per game, becoming the first player in VTB United League history to make 150 three-pointers in a season. The American guard needed 51 games to reach that milestone.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Karvel Anderson (19), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (13 + 5 assists), Dmitrii Uzinskii (11), Aleksandr Scherbenev (11), Vladislav Emchenko (10).
Zenit: Sergey Karasev (27), Thomas Heurtel (17), Trent Frazier (14 + 7 assists), Vince Hunter (12 + 8 rebounds).
What’s next
June 1 in Krasnodar.
