VEF Latvia defeated Lokomotiv-Kuban Russia at home, 75-71 (20-24, 18-23, 18-12, 19-12).
Top scorers
VEF: Jabril Durham (15 + 6 ast), Andris Misters (13), Glenn Cosey (11), Steve Zack (10 + 8 reb), Artis Ate (10 + 6 reb)
Lokomotiv-Kuban: JaJuan Johnson (20), Dmitry Kulagin (16 + 6 reb + 9 ast), Mateusz Ponitka (11 + 6 reb + 5 ast), Vitaly Fridzon (11)
Story
VEF closed the season in style, knocking off visiting Lokomotiv-Kuban for its 10th win and a top-10 finish. The Latvians opened the year 3-13, but won seven of 10 down the stretch, including back-to-back wins at home to finish the 2018-19 campaign.
Jabril Durham scored a team-high 15 for the Latvians, who had five players in double digits and overcame an early-second half deficit of 11 points.
Lokomotiv was in control much of the first half, ending the 1st quarter with a 24-20 lead thanks to Stanislav Ilnitsky’s 3-pointer. The Railwaymen stretched the advantage to 10, 34-24, early in the 2nd quarter, and took a nine-point lead into the break, 47-38.
The momentum began to shift late in the 3rd quarter. After Kulagin put Krasnodar up by nine, 58-49, with a triple, Riga went on a 7-0 run to make it a one-possession game.
Ultimately, the key for VEF was defense. After conceding only 12 points in the 3rd quarter to pull within three, the Latvians held the visitors to three points in the first five minutes of the 4th. Steve Zack gave VEF the lead with back-to-back baskets, 66-63.
With a minute remaining and the score tied at 71-71, the home team took advantage of multiple Loko turnovers to take a two-point advantage and hang on for the victory. VEF sealed the victory with two huge offensive rebounds, which eventually forced Krasnodar to send Glenn Cosey to the line, who knocked down both freebies, putting the game out of reach.
The loss does not affect Krasnodar’s 4th-place position, but consecutive losses to end the season are perhaps a worrying sign for the Railwaymen. VEF, on the other hand, will miss the postseason, but grabs 10th place as consolation.
Stat
12 – number of points scored by Lokomotiv in each of the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Quotes
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis: “We played well in the second half, especially on defense and under the basket, where we grabbed some key rebounds. Thank you to our players for their effort in a game that didn’t decide anything. We showed our toughness and will to win.”
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Bob Donewald: “17 turnovers is too many. We made several unnecessary mistakes, which led to the loss. But Loko’s biggest games of the season are still to come. We are looking forward to the quarterfinal series with Zenit, where the team needs to learn from its mistakes and play its best basketball.”
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