Lokomotiv Kuban beat Enisey at home – 88:65 (20:13, 26:20, 23:13, 19:19).
Game progress
After spending a few minutes to warm up, the hosts took lead midway through the first quarter. The Krasnodar team made the next run in the second quarter. Aggressive defense and strong play by the American internationals allowed Loko to gain a tangible advantage. After Johnson three-pointer, the hosts lead reached 20 points – 37:17.
Victor Sanders woke up the Siberian team. 3 long-range shots allowed Enisey to get back into the game. By the halftime, the guests had cut the difference to 13 points – 33:46.
Key moment
After the halftime, the hosts had the lead. Loko aggressive defense, a lot of mistakes by Enisey and versatile offense allowed to take 20 point lead – 69:46.
In the final quarter, the teams allowed to play a little for the fans, but it had no effect on the final result.
X-factor
Great defense was the key to the hosts win in this game. The Krasnodar team allowed to score only 65 points, forcing the opponent to make 23 turnovers (the new season-worst). Loko players made 15 steals (a repeat of the season-high).
Fact
Like Zenit, it’s been a tradition for Loko to lose the first game of the season. Before that, the Krasnodar team started the season with 3 losses in 3 straight seasons. This year, the the team broke this trend.
For Andrey Vedischev, this game was his debut as a head coach in the VTB League. He started his career with a win. It is symbolic that this game was in Vedischev birthday.
2 young Loko players made their VTB League debut in this game. Vsevolod Ishchenko came in the starting five and scored 2 points in 15 minutes. Mikhail Vedischev was a little more successful. In 15.5 minutes, he managed to make 3 points.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Karvel Anderson (17), Antonius Cleveland (13 + 5 steals), B.J. Johnson (11), Vladislav Emchenko (10).
Enisey: Victor Sanders (15), Sergey Balashov (10 + 5 rebounds)
What’s next
Lokomotiv Kuban: September 25 at home against Astana.
Enisey: September 26 on the road versus MBA-MAI.
