Lokomotiv Kuban beat Zenit in the clutch, getting the 13th win in the season — 92:90 (30:24, 23:23, 16:21, 23:22).
Game progress
Less than three weeks ago, Zenit and Loko staged a real thriller, where the Krasnodar team could snatch win in the last seconds, but Zenit got it. The reigning champions came to today’s game with 2 losses in a row and intended to break this series.
However, Loko immediately made it clear that the third game is going to be hot. The teams started a shootout with a clear offensive focus. Although Loko had the advantage, 8 points in a row from Trey Tompkins helped Zenit to catch up, but Vladislav Emchenko made shots returned the lead to the guests — 30:24 Loko lead in the end of first quarter.
The guests started the second quarter with double-digit lead, but a 9:0 run by Zenit (the French duo Thomas Heurtel and newcomer Adrian Moerman) forced Loko to start all over again. The Krasnodar team still made it, continuing to lead 53:47 by the halftime. But after the break, Zenit seriously added perimeter defense, as a result Loko could not make a single three-pointer for the entire third quarter,. And although Zenit failed to regain the lead, the difference was reduced to a minimum — 69:68 Loko led before the fourth quarter.
Key moment
The fourth quarter was very equal. Zenit trailed, but continued to put pressure with three-point shots. 12 consecutive points by the hosts did not allow Loko to hold a comfortable lead.
Last seconds of the game was clutch. Twice in a row, Royce Hamm equilised the score, returning hope to Zenit fans. 5 seconds before the end of regulation Jaylen Barford almost lost the ball after the Zenit players doubled-team him, but he made a pass to Vladislav Emchenko. He coolly made the shot and Trey Tompkins missed the buzzer-beater three-pointer.
Lokomotiv-Kuban wins the Game of the Week and takes revenge for 2 losses in the first round!
Key factor
Jaylen Barford was Loko leader the whole game, and it would be logical if he would attempt to score in the end. But Barford had experience in previous games, and made a pass to free Vladislav Emchenko. The guests joker and best bench player made the winning shot.
Fact
The St. Petersburg team announced two newcomers for the game with Loko — Adrian Moerman and Royce Hamm. And if Moerman has not yet managed to prove brightly, Hamm immediately made it clear that he is not going to waste the opportunity — his 6 points in a row at the end kept Zenit in the game until the last seconds.
Leaders
Zenit: Trey Tompkins (23 + 8 rebounds), Sergey Karasev (15), Royce Hamm (14 + 3 blocks), Thomas Heurtel (14 + 10 assists), Caleb Homesley (13 + 5 rebounds + 5 assists)
Lokomotiv Kuban: Jaylen Barford (22 + 6 assists), Vladislav Emchenko (13), Anton Kvitkovskikh (11), DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (11), Chris Horton (9 + 6 rebounds + 6 assists)
Next games
Zenit: home game versus MBA on February 1
Lokomotiv Kuban: road game against UNICS on February 2
