Three-pointers helps Loko to defeat Astana

Three-pointers helps Loko to defeat Astana

Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Astana at home – 102:82 (24:24, 18:16, 31:21, 29:21).

Game progress
Anton Kvitkovskikh and Daniel Utomi scored 7 points each at the start of the game. The Krasnodar team had a chance to increase the lead with Vladislav Emchenko 11 points, but Astana used front court players and tied the score – 24:24. In the second quarter, the Krasnodar team started to get more offensive rebounds and used full-court pressure. And those actions had an effect – after Cleveland’s slam-dunk, the score difference reached 7 points (34:27). However, Loko aggressive defense quickly led to foul trouble. The Kazakh team was able to take advantage of this and cut the deficit to a minimum by halftime – 42:40.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Loko continued to press and made a 17:6 run in 5 minutes. Only a second timeout by Gleb Plotnikov helped to slow down the opponent’s high pace, after which Astana rebooted offense with Utomi and Askar Maydekin. The guests began to get back into the game.

Mikhail Vedischev made 3 long-range shots in a row and increased the difference to17, and then the Kazakh team had no energy left for a comeback. The Krasnodar team confidently got win, and Vedischev closed out the game with 2 more three-pointers.

X-factor
Play in the paint played decisive role in this game. The Krasnodar team got 21 offensive rebounds compared to only 7 by the opponent.

Facts
Mikhail Vedischev set new career-high 17 points with 5 of 5 three-pointers made.

Askar Maydekin played his 100th game in the VTB United League. The Kazakh team bigman scored 8 points.

Loko scored 100+ points in the game for the sixth time this season. Notably, the Krasnodar team scored first 100 points of the season against Astana at home.

Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Vladislav Emchenko (17), Mikhail Vedischev (17), Andrei Martiuk (15 + 10 rebounds), Tahjere McCall (10 + 7 assists).
Astana: Daniel Utomi (18), Galin Smith (13), Andrey Desyatnikov (12 + 7 rebounds), Grigory Motovilov (12 + 6 assists).

What’s next
Lokomotiv Kuban: April 5 at home against UNICS.
Astana: April 5 at home versus PARMA.