Nizhny Novgorod defeated Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar at home in overtime, 92-86 (17-23, 18-19, 20-19, 21-15, 16-10).
Top Scorers
Nizhny Novgorod: Artem Komolov (17), Stevan Jelovac (14), Ivan Strebkov (12 + 8 ast), Petr Gubanov (12)
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Brian Qvale (17), Jonas Maciulis (11 + 6 reb), Mardy Collins (11 + 5 ast), Frank Elegar (11 + 6 reb)
Story
Lokomotiv-Kuban demolished Nizhny Novgorod by 30 points in the first meeting of the season, way back on October 28.
It was a different story on Saturday. On the heels of clinching a playoff berth, Nizhny Novgorod added another scalp to its regular-season resume, dropping visiting Krasnodar, 92-86, in overtime.
24-year-old Russian guard Artem Komolov led the way for the home team, scoring a team-high 17, including the go-ahead triple with 40 seconds on the clock.
Nizhny trailed by as much as 17 midway through the 3rd quarter, but the home team caught fire from beyond the arc, cutting the deficit to six entering the 4th, 61-55.
It didn’t take long to complete the comeback. Ivan Strebkov pulled Nizhny within one point, 63-62, on a 3-pointer with eight minutes left in the game, while Maxim Grigoryev gave the Black-Whites the lead with five minutes to go, 69-68.
But Krasnodar refused to quit. Trailing by two with less than a minute to go, Frank Elegar hit a pair of big free throws to tie the game at 76-76. Both teams missed chances in the final seconds to hit the game-winner, forcing an extra period.
Овертайм в Нижнем Новгороде! pic.twitter.com/D0l5JyjJBM
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) May 12, 2018
Nizhny led much of the extra period, too, but a 6-0 Loko run late in the period tied the game at 84-84. After the two teams traded baskets, Komolov stole the spotlight, draining the go-ahead three with 40 seconds on the clock. Loko missed multiple chances to score on the next possession and Nizhny was able to close out the win at the three-throw line.
With the victory, Nizhny finishes with a 10-14 record, taking down Zenit, Avtodor and Lokomotiv-Kuban in the final month of the season. The Volga club faces UNICS in the first round of the playoffs.
Loko closes out its regular-season campaign with a 17-7 record, facing Khimki in the first round.
Up Next
Nizhny Novgorod: Season complete (10-14, 7th place)
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Season complete (17-7, 3rd place)
Images of the Game
