Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar defeated Enisey Krasnoyarsk on the road, 93-86 (26-19, 17-26, 20-23, 30-18).
Top Scorers
Enisey: John Roberson (20 + 5 ast), D’Angelo Harrison (18 + 5 reb), Alex Young (16 + 6 reb)
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Dmitry Kulagin (23), Jamel McLean (20 + 12 reb), JaJuan Johnson (16 + 5 reb), Vitaly Fridzon (11)
Story
Dmitry Kulagin got hot late, scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter to help Lokomotiv avoid another upset in Krasnoyarsk. The visitors trailed by seven early in the final period, 70-63, but an 8-0 Loko run changed the momentum and, ultimately, the outcome of the game.
Kulagin, who finished with a game-high 23, was instrumental down the stretch. He converted three three-point plays, forced a key steal that led to a Vitaly Fridzon triple, and dished out several assists.
The game was essentially over by the midway point of the 4th. Enisey’s John Roberson tried to slow the Loko tide with a 3-pointer and two free throws to make it 75-75 with 7:48 remaining.
But the Railwaymen answered with an 11-0 run in two minutes to put the game away.
Despite not being favored and trailing by nine midway through the 1st quarter, Enisey hung tough vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban. An early turning point came with the home team down 31-25. John Roberson sparked Enisey by picking off a Kulagin pass, before Alexander Lavnikov and Alex Young combined for 11 unanswered points to go ahead, 36-31.
Enisey would take a 45-43 advantage into halftime and led by five at the end of the 3rd quarter before Loko’s 4th-quarter turnaround.
The victory helps Lokomotiv-Kuban stay above .500 at 5-3. Enisey misses a chance to build on last week’s win over Zielona Gora, dropping to 3-6.
Star
Dmitry Kulagin engineered Loko’s comeback in the 4th quarter. He scored 14 points and made plays on both ends of the court to secure the win.
Stat
44 – Number of points scored by Kuban in the paint. Enisey never had an answer for Loko’s dominance down low.
Quotes
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov: “We controlled the game for three quarters. But, unfortunately, Loko used its skill and talent in the 4th quarter to take over and ultimately get the win. Kulagin and Fridzon were fresh in the 4th quarter and scored 10 points. We didn’t have the necessary energy at that point. I also think the four quick fouls picked up by our center Meiers had an impact on the result.”
Lokomotiv-Kuban interim head coach Vlade Jovanovic: “We had a tough week. We played PARMA, followed by difficult journeys to Turkey and now Krasnoyarsk. Over the course of the week, we only practiced once. I can’t say we played poorly on offense, but on defense we were able to contain one of Enisey’s big scorers, Roberson. We knew Enisey shoots well from beyond the arc. We managed to shut down the perimeter, which is how we won.”
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