Lokomotiv Kuban arrived in Minsk as the favourite and started to prove it from the very beginning – 4:0 burst. Tsmoki quickly came back in the game. That was quite painful for Loko: Saddler’s two 3Ps led to Minsk’s burst – 11:0. Sasa Obradovic had to take a timeout. After a break, Loko’s newcomer Jonas Maciulis appeared on the court. From the second try, the Lithuanian scored his first points for Loko. Krasnodar won the first quarter – 16:15. Adamovic netted three 3 seconds ahead of the end of the period.
Loko started the second quarter unsuccessfully – 2:8. Tsmoki had the pullaway again. Chris Babb was a good luck charm for Lokomotiv’s comeback. He scored 4/4 downtown shots. Loko won the second period with a 5-points advantage – 39:34.
Maciulis got three from the corner and opened the score in the third quarter. Tsmoki faced Krasnodar defense and failed to score for three minutes. Lokomotiv Kuban’s advantage grew to 10 points. However, our team didn’t consolidate the advantage. Saddler and Kudrautsau scored to threes in a row in transition, and the home team took the lead – 45:44. Saddler, Adamovic, and Babb organized shooting in the mid of the quarter. Loko lost the period with a 9-point gap – 55:51 ahead of the last quarter.
Minsk had a 11-point advantage 6.47 minute ahead of the final buzzer. Dmitry Kulagin did his best to help the team. He cut under Tsmoki’s rim, was fouled, and successfully attempted free throws. The end of the game appeared to be quite tensed. Mardy Collins missed two free throws. Tsmoki did the same. Another attempt to foul on Loko’s cap was unsuccessful for the home side – Mardy scored. Krasnodar got the last possession but Kulagin got covered and missed. The teams had to play in overtime.
Tsmoki started the overtime intensively. Kravish and Kudrautsau scored 3Ps each. Kulagin got all 12 points of Loko in overtime. But it wasn’t enough to win the game – 84:88. Loko was defeated by Minsk for the first time in history.
