Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Zenit in Semifinals Game 3 at home – 86:76 (24:13, 20:20, 20:20, 22:23).
Game progress
The guests opened the score. But the hosts turned on trademark style of play from the start. Aggressive defense and a quick transition from defense to offense resulted in a 9-point run that gave the Krasnodar team a comfortable lead.
The St. Petersburg team was able to equalize the game for a while with Trent Frazier and Dwayne Bacon actions. But the Krasnodar team responded with another run. The first quarter ended with Antonius Cleveland three-pointer, after which Loko lead became double-digit for the first time in the game – 24:13. And just three minutes later, the hosts had a 20-point lead – 37:17.
But the guests gradually managed to take control of the game pace. Xavier Pascual team looked more confident than the opponent in position play. Georgy Zhbanov, Andrey Vorontsevich and Bacon helped Zenit to cut the deficit by halftime – 33:44.
The game became tight in second half. The third quarter was sniper time. This time the Krasnodar team did not let the opponent to use three-point shooting tactics. But in the final quarter, at some point the guests managed to take the initiative. Alexey Shved allowed Zenit to restore intrigue. After the guard’s accurate free throws in the middle of the quarter, the guests deficit was cut to 5 points – 67:72.
Key moment
But the St. Petersburg team was unable to accomplish more. The end of the game was tense. The Krasnodar team felt more confident in contact game. Loko defended well several times, and scored important shots.
Tahjere McCall helped the hosts to achieve double-digit lead- 82:72, and then took Game 3.
X-factor
The whole game was tense. In such tempo, the hosts had superiority in rebounds. In the first 2 games of the series, Loko was worse than Zenit. In today’s game, however, the Krasnodar team outscored the opponent – 43-29.
Facts
Zenit’s record winning streak ended at 25th game. This series began after the home loss to Loko (98:117) exactly 4 months ago, on January 11.
Alexey Shved and Okaro White lost for the first time with Zenit.
Zenit had led for only 14 seconds in this game.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Tahjere McCall (18 + 7 assists + 6 rebounds), Andrei Martiuk (17 + 8 rebounds), Patrick Miller (14 + 7 assists + 5 rebounds), Isaiah Whaley (10 + 5 rebounds).
Zenit: Dwayne Bacon (19), Alex Poythress (11 + 5 rebounds), Okaro White (11 + 5 rebounds), Alexey Shved (11).
What’s next
May 13 in Krasnodar.
