Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Astana – 93:83 (25:23, 18:22, 31:17, 19:21).
Game progress
The first quarter was equal. Carvel Anderson made 4 three-pointers. Lokomotiv Kuban was traditionally was better in the paint, and the difference was minimal – 25:23. Then the teams slowed down and began to make free-throws more often, Astana did it better (92% versus 62%).
Loko started to get away in the third quarter. Several turnovers by Markell Johnson allowed Aleksander Sekulic team to make a 14:0 run and had 12-point lead before the fourth quarter.
Key moment
Astana attempted to make a comeback and cut the difference – 83:90. In the final 2 minutes, Andrey Martiuk and Jaylen Barford missed their shots and gave the guests a chance to save, but first Rustam Murzagaliev missed, and then Royce Hamm fouled out. An offensive rebound and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell put the game to an end.
Loko won at home for the 9th time in a row and moved up to the third place in the standings, ahead of Zenit (their match against PARMA started an hour later).
X-factor
In the final quarter, only Andrey Martiuk, DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Jaylen Barford scored points for Loko, but some played a key role. Barford was the only player to score in 4 minutes, giving his team 10 points. The entire Astana scored 9 points.
Fact
Lokomotiv Kuban made 20 offensive rebounds and updated season-high. It’s also the third-best in the entire League – after PARMA (the Perm team previously made 22 offensive rebounds against Loko on October 5 and then 27 against MINSK on October 22).
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Jaylen Barford (24 + 5 rebounds), Andrey Martiuk (21 + 7 rebounds), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (18), Vladislav Emchenko (10 + 7 assists).
Astana: Carvel Anderson (19), Royce Hamm (18 + 9 rebounds), Devin Davis (16 + 11 rebounds), Markell Johnson (11 points + 9 assists).
What’s next
Lokomotiv Kuban (14-6): January 9 on the road against Avtodor
Astana (8-12): January 10 at home versus PARMA.
