Lokomotiv Kuban snatched a win from PARMA-PARIMATCH on the road – 90:85 (14:27, 24:25, 20:17, 32:16).
The best scorers
PARMA-PARIMATCH: Adas Jushkevicius (22 + 5 assists), Artsiyom Parakhouski (19 + 9 rebounds), Artem Zabelin (14), Mareks Mejeris (11 + 5 rebounds).
Lokomotiv Kuban: Errick McCollum (26 + 5 assists), Jonathan Motley (20 + 9 rebounds), Stanton Kidd (18), Greg Whittington (11 + 7 rebounds).
Game progress
PARMA-PARIMATCH (3-3) and Lokomotiv-Kuban (4-3) approached the game close in the standings, taking 7th and 6th places respectively. The Perm team started the game in a dominant style. Jeremiah Hill, Adas Jushkevicius and Mareks Mejeris bombarded the enemy rim from behind the arc, Artsiyom Parakhouski confidently sorted out under the rim.
The defense turned out to be not the only problem of the Krasnodar team, who scored only 2 points in 6 and 1,5 minutes after the start. PARMA’s 17:2 run predetermined the course of the 1st half. The hosts caught the courage, led by Parakhouski and Jushkevicius, controlled the game and went for a break leading by 14 points – 52:38.
After the halftime, Lokomotiv managed to rebuild in defense and limit PARMA’s offence to 17 points in the 3rd quarter. The guests got closer to the opponent by only 3 points, but still the balance of power on the court changed: the Krasnodar team had a chance to make a comeback in the last 10 minutes.
And it happened! First, Greg Whittington allowed Loko to return to -10 ten with two long-range shots and finally believe in comeback, and then it was time for Errick McCollum. The advantage by this time had already passed to Loko side, the hosts lost the ball and missed from under the rim. Errick scored 3 three-pointers in the middle of the 4th quarter, securing a sharp plot twist of the duel – 82:81 Loko lead before deceive 3 minutes of the game.
The key moment
The ending turned out to be tense and ineffective. At Loko, Stanton Kidd and Jonathan Motley took advantage of their chances, PARMA players jointly scored only 2 points in the last 1,5 minutes. 19 seconds before the siren, Kidd scored 2 free-throws, removing all questions – 90:85. The win allowed the red-green team to rise to 5th place.
Hero
Errick McCollum. Motley and Kidd played an important role in Loko win, but still Krasnodar’s key success maker will be McCollum. His crazy performance in the 4th quarter, including 3 three-pointers in a 1,5 minutes. Errick scored 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Numbers
20 is the biggest PARMA lead had in the 3rd quarter. Earlier this week, Loko made a comeback in the EuroCup game with Trento, having from -13 in the 4th quarter.
Comments
Kazys Maksvytis, PARMA-PARIMATCH Head Coach:
– I just didn’t have enough strength to get a win in today’s game. After the game in Poland, the team had a difficult flight and little time to prepare. Also, the injuries of three of our players did not play into our hands. We controlled the course of the game for 3 quarters, but we conceded a lot of points in the last one – having 2 team fouls, we could play harder and stop the opponent tactically. A large number of turnovers was also one of the reasons for today’s loss. In the 1st half we had three turnovers, in the 2nd – 12. The guys fought to the end, but today it was not enough.
Evgeny Pashutin, Lokomotiv Kuban Head Coach:
– I want to congratulate everyone on a hard win, I think we deserved it today. We started the game very slowly and gently. It was clear that PARMA had prepared and played pretty hard. At the beginning of the game, we gave a big advantage to the opponent, and he felt it. After the halftime, we talked with the team, decided to play from the defense and use the 3rd quarter to gradually reduce the gap in the score. We set a higher line, answered the opponent in defense with the size and closed the Perm team’s easy shots. In the offense, they began to move the ball, find each other and make easy shots. We are pulling out the 2nd game in a row on character, and this is very important for us to become even stronger and go to our goal.
What’s next
PARMA-PARIMATCH: home game versus Astana on December 19.
Lokomotiv Kuban: road game against Nizhny Novgorod on December 18.
Фото 
