Lokomotiv Kuban defeated CSKA in the Semifinals Game 3 at home – 84:81 (11-25, 30-25, 12-19, 31-12).
Game progress
The Series was tie before the Game 3 and both games were very tight. That helped to boost interest and gave hope for continuation of the battle.
Nikola Milutinov absence changed CSKA play style. At the beginning, the guests game was focused on guards. Casper Ware became the leader in the first quarter. He made 4 of 5 shots from the game, scored 10 points and let the Army team to take the lead. Ware actions inspired his teammates. Throughout the first quarter, CSKA looked better than their opponent, which resulted in a comfortable lead – 25:11.
The game had changed in the second quarter. Aleksander Sekulic got 2 technical fouls in a row and had to leave the bench. Surprisingly, the episode energized Loko players and they picked up the pace. The Army team was confident in scoring, but failed to guard the Krasnodar team leaders. As a result, Loko scored 30 points in 1 quarter, cutting their lead to 9 points at the halftime – 41:50.
Unfortunately for the hosts, their offenisve momentum was short. At the beginning of the third quarter, Casper Ware, Alexey Shved and Dejan Davidovac gave the Army team a comfortable lead back – 58:43. At the beginning of the final quarter, the Army team had sizable lead and looked like nothing could prevent them from winning – 75:58.
Key moment
But then the game turned around. At one point, the guests couldn’t score a single point for over 4 minutes. The Krasnodar team took full advantage. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Okaro White led Loko to a 16:0 run, which completely changed the game. With 37 seconds left, the hosts took the first lead of the game – 82:81.
That lay-up became the winning for Loko. With the rest of the game, the Army team missed 2 shots, Jalen Barford made free-throws and the game ended – 84:81.
Key factor
The hosts offense was inconsistent. But in the final quarter, the leaders turned the game around. DeVaughn Akoon-Purscll and Okaro White combined for 20 points and led Loko’s magnificent comeback.
Fact
Loko scored 84 points in all 3 games of the Semifinals.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Okaro White (18 + 5 rebounds), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (17 + 6 rebounds), Jaylen Barford (17 + 8 assists), Vladislav Emchenko (10)
CSKA: Casper Ware (24), Alexey Shved (16 + 6 assists), DeVontae Cacok (13 + 12 rebounds).
Next game: April 22 in Krasnodar
