Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar defeated UNICS Kazan at home, 75-64 (14-16, 17-21, 24-17, 20-10).
Top Scorers
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Kevin Jones (15+6 reb), Matt Janning (13), Ryan Broekhoff (12+10 reb), Dmitry Khvostov (10+5 ast)
UNICS: Orlando Johnson (16+5 reb), Keith Langford (14), Quino Colom (12+5 reb)
Build-Up
Evgeny Pashutin tried to end the League’s longest winning streak (8 games) with defense. Both teams were successful attacking from beyond the arc in the first half, though not at high volume.
Kazan, however, did an excellent job limiting Krasnodar’s efficiency inside the arc, holding the home team to under 30% to pick up a six-point lead at halftime.
During the 3rd quarter, Keith Langford and UNICS continued to extend the lead, surging to a 13-point advantage, 51-38. But Langford was not to be the star in Krasnodar.
Instead, Loko’s Matt Janning took control late in the quarter, drilling three straight 3-pointers to put Krasnodar on top entering the 4th.
Turning Point
Loko enjoyed tremendous success in the 4th quarter attacking the basket. Kevin Jones and Ian Vougioukas did most of the damage, while the defense put on a sterling performance, limiting the visitors to 10 points.
With the win, Lokomotiv improves to 9-2, half a game back of 10-2 UNICS in 3rd place.
Star
Matt Janning. The Loko guard shifted the momentum in the 3rd quarter, scoring all of his 13 points to give his team a lead it would not relinquish.
Stat
82% – Lokomotiv went 9-11 from beyond the arc!
Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– I want to congratulate Lokomotiv-Kuban on a deserved win. We analyzed their games against CSKA and Gran-Canaria. We wanted to limit snipers Janning and Broekhoff, as well as force Vougioukas and Jones to go 1-on-1. We wanted to play physical, ugly basketball. That’s the only way to play against teams like Loko on the road. When we led by 14, we couldn’t stay focused. Janning scored 11 points, which had an impact on them mentally. At the end, we stopped playing as a team and moving the ball, missing six 3-pointers and couldn’t get rebounds. If we want to be at the very top, we need to be able to be patient and stay focused under any pressure.
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Sasa Obradovic:
– First of all, a big thank you to our fans, who came and supported us today. We didn’t start the game with the right tempo and wasted a lot of opportunities. We played at their rhythm. That was bad for us. We started the second half much better. Janning’s 3-pointers really helped. This game was important in deciding who will be 2nd and 3rd in the United League. We let UNICS score only 64 points, which was also a factor in our win. We also didn’t let our opponent’s best player, Keith Langford, get going. That also played a role.
Up Next
Lokomotiv-Kuban: January 15 at Kalev
UNICS: January 16 vs. CSKA
