Lokomotiv-Kuban beat Tsmoki-Minsk on the road – 101:75 (31:21, 22:17, 32:15, 16:22).
Top scorers
Tsmoki-Minsk: Kris Clyburn (22), Derek Cooke (10 + 5 rebounds).
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Nigel Williams-Goss (15), Mindaugas Kuzminskas (15), Will Cummings (13), Kevin Hervey (11), Andrey Martyuk (11), Drew Gordon (10 + 7 rebounds), Mantas Kalnietis (10 + 5 assists).
Story
Lokomotiv-Kuban (15-6) fight for 2nd place in standings: 6-game winning streak helped Krasnodar get closer to UNICS and CSKA. Tsmoki-Minsk approached the game on the last spot with 2-18 record.
Despite the front-runner status Loko started the game calmly. While the guests were trying to find their hand Minsk had a few successful possessions and three minutes later were up – 11:6. But the hosts couldn’t develop the success. Lokomotiv players took over the game quickly and started to score from the paint and from the perimeter. Guests’ offense was led by Nigel Williams-Goss and Mantas Kalnietis. The guards scored 15 points combined that let Loko finish the quarter with double digit lead – 31:21. In the second quarter the pace went down, but Loko still were controlling the game. Minsk tried to catch the opponents one more time in the end of the first half: Derek Cooke scored 6 points in a row and cut the gap to 9 points.
Hosts’ run made Loko turn on at defense, it led to 2 steals in 3 hosts’ final possessions. Krasnodar moved the opponents on a comfortable distance and finished the half with 15-point lead – 53:38.
Lokomotiv started the second half with 16:4 run. Krasnodar solid advantage let Evgeny Pashutin give some minutes to 3 Junior VTB League silver medalists – Andrey Martyuk, Yegor Sychkov and Sargey Dolinin. Martyuk was the most active scoring 11 points. Increasing the gap to +30, the guests decided the game and made it to the victory.
Hero
Andrey Martyuk. Young forward stepped on the court confidently and became one of the brightest players. He scored 11 points and 12 efficiency points in 10 minutes on the court.
Stat
7 – seven Loko players scored 10+ points. Perfect team chemistry ensured Krasnodar’s success in this game.
Comments
Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Rostislav Vergun:
– I think, there is nothing to comment on for us. We couldn’t find a leader, absolutely disgusting defense. The opponents were dominating at all positions. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find any positive moments. Failure, we have to do our homework and play better next time.
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– Firstly, congratulations to my team. The guys approached the game seriously. Every game is important, we are fighting for the higher seed. We have good chances to climb in standings. Chemistry was good, the guys dedicated on 100%. More than 5 players scored 10+ points and scored 100. Unlike the latest game we played better at defense, showed the game we are striving. Our goal now is to prepare for the next game and the play-offs. The most important games are ahead, but tonight we deserved the win. Congratulations to the team and the fans. Moving forward.
Next
Tsmoki-Minsk: April 16 vs Enisey
Lokomotiv-Kuban: April 17 vs CSKA
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