Lokomotiv-Kuban defeated Moscow’s MBA at home, 92–87 (17–25, 24–22, 27–21, 24–19).
Main Story
The teams engaged in a fierce battle right from the start. Although MBA turned the ball over more often than its opponent (6-3), it managed to take the lead thanks to good ball movement and effective two-point shooting (8 of 13 – 61%). During the second quarter, turnover problems plagued Loko, and the visitors capitalized on this, extending their lead to double digits. The Moscow team also demonstrated an excellent shooting percentage from long range (7 of 13 – 53%). Krasnodar, on the other side, made more free throws (22-2), which allowed them to cut the deficit to 6 points by halftime.
The Shifting point
In the second half, Kuban continued its comeback and tied the score midway through the third quarter. The “Railroaders” managed to seize the initiative late in the game. They stepped up their defense and went on a run, taking an 11-point lead with five minutes remaining. In the remaining time, Sergei Voznyuk’s team tried to mount a comeback, but they ran out of time.
X-Factor
In addition to committing more turnovers (20–14), MBA fouled more often than their opponents. Lokomotiv capitalized on the fouls and made 40 free throws, while the visitors made only 19.
Interesting Fact
During the game, the Krasnodar team came back from a 16-point deficit.
Maksim Barashkov spent the previous three seasons with MBA.
Press Conference —Tomislav Tomović, Head Coach of Lokomotiv-Kuban:
– First and foremost, congratulations to MBA—they’re playing very well, which was already evident during the preseason tournaments. And even with a limited roster, they continue to remain competitive. I have great respect for that team’s coach.
As for our performance, unfortunately, I have to say the same thing today that I said a week ago: it’s unacceptable to start games this way. Yes, during the long break, I was able to get through to the team. Yes, starting in the third quarter, we stepped up our aggression, which allowed us to turn the game around. But the very fact that this has happened to us for the second time in two games is a troubling sign. We’ll work to ensure this doesn’t happen again. If we plan to contend for something serious, we need a completely different approach.
MBA Head Coach Sergey Voznyuk:
– It’s always a pleasure to play in Krasnodar; there’s a great basketball atmosphere here.
Showing grit, we stayed focused from the start of the game, which allowed us to win the first half. But then we didn’t start the third quarter as aggressively, which, in my opinion, became the decisive stretch of the game. Our opponent’s leader, Patrick Miller, started taking the game into his own hands, and we couldn’t handle it. We allowed our opponent to grab a lot of rebounds on our end in the second half. The difference in the number of free throws shows that “Loko” played with much more aggression. These factors, in my opinion, had the greatest impact on the final result.
But overall, I have to commend the team for how we played against a strong opponent. Every player in the rotation brought good energy, and everyone performed respectably, including those who are just starting out in the VTB United League.
Top Performers
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Patrick Miller (28 points, 6 assists), Aleksej Pokusevski (18 points, 7 rebounds), Trevelin Queen (15 points)
MBA: Maksim Ogarkov (21 points, 8 rebounds), Dmitry Sonko (15), Daniil Pevnev (14 + 6 rebounds), Matvey Padius (10)
Up Next
Lokomotiv-Kuban: October 11, away against CSKA
MBA: October 10, at home against Enisey.
