It definitely was a big pleasure for the Krasnodar team fans to watch the start of game #2. The first action recorded was a block by Andrei Martyuk to Vince Hunter. A few seconds later Lokomotiv nibbled a rebound in the opponent’s post, and Tahjere McCall opened the scoring from beyond the arc. Hunter soon received another block, and Patrick Miller in a fast transition, then Isaiah Whaley in another one made it 8:3.
The Petersburgers gradually adapted to such pace and even tied the score, but McCall put Loko ahead again, Miller secured the lead, and the whole guest team noticeably caught the courage, scoring time after time in very fast possessions. The main hero of the previous game, Dwayne Bacon (he scored 33 points then), was guarded so hard that he had no time to shoot. And then the rings of the St. Petersburg KSK Arena began to suck in unobvious hits ‒ such as Miller’s 3-pointer or Antonius Cleveland’s second free throw, after which the score became 21:12 in our favor.
Sergey Karasev won back three points with a throw over Vladislav Yemchenko, but this only got angry our guard, who immediately scored from afar right in front of Karasev, then caught him on two consecutive offensive fouls and found an opportunity to score from the mid-range. The quarter was summed up by Cleveland’s free throws, 26:15.
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The second quarter began with Georgy Zhbanov blocking Yemchenko’s layup, but the Zenit guard got a technical foul for putting his knee forward. Hunter immediately got another foul – an unsportsmanlike one – after he waved off Kirill Yelatontsev. But this visually lighted Zenit up: Zhbanov and Trent Frazier scored 3-pointers each, Hunter – 2+0 (the bonus free throw missed), Fraser – one more long shot, and soon Hunter, having made a steal, tied the score with a dunk, 32:32.
Anton Kvitkovskikh stop this run, calmly scoring both free throws. And gradually Lokomotiv came to their senses and started scoring not only from the free throw line: Cleveland performed a tough hit, Miller did the same, Whaley and Yelatontsev scored 2+1 both. So by the big break our team create a gap again, although not as big as after the 1st quarter – 50:45.
The main thing to be noticed was the big number of fouls: both teams made 31 combined. Martyuk already had 4, the last of which he received for his reaction to the preceding referee’s decision.
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In the first attack of the 2nd half, McCall found Yelatontsev with a great pass, and our center two easy points. But that was where the easy points ended ‒ in both directions. Zenit clearly focused on stopping Loko’s fast transitions, so for some time only isolations worked out (like Miller’s or Martyuk’s). On the other side of the court, Bacon’s increased guard gave Zenit space on the arc, and after Karasev made two 3-pointers, the score became 60:56. After the timeout, Whaley showed that he was also good from long range today, and after an exchange of free throws, the scoreboard showed 65:62 by the last break.
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Whaley continued to score three-pointers at the start of the 4th quarter: one, two, and now it’s “+9”, 71:62. But soon Dmitry Uzinsky, who had been relentlessly pursuing Bacon throughout the match, received his fifth foul. McCall made the score 75:67, but immediately received a regular foul + a technical, which also became his fifth. Without two key defensive specialists, Loko began to allow the opponent a little more – and this advantage was taken by Zhbanov, who kept shooting without a single miss. After his third 3-pointer, Zenit took the lead for the first time that evening, 75:76.
Yemchenko immediately returned the lead to Lokomotiv, Bacon missed, but Emchenko missed too, and Frazier made the leader change again (77:78), after which he immediately fouled Miller ‒ but Loko point guard missed both free throws. In the chaos after the rebound, Zhbanov picked up the ball ‒ and rushed off to dunk. Miller scored 2 points, and in the counterattack, Zenit violated the 24-second rule. But Lokomotiv couldn’t come up with anything, and Zhbanov, in a fit of courage, scored his fourth 3-pointer for today ‒ 79:83. Tactical free throws in the remaining seconds, alas, did not make big change.
However, a huge gratitude to our fans who supported Loko in the stands of the St. Petersburg KSK Arena!
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Lokomotiv Kuban lost the second game in a row, but learned that they are capable of playing Zenit from a strong position. There is a good lesson to be learned from this defeat. And the semifinal series is up to 4 wins, so on May 11 and 13 we will need you all at Basket Hall to give Peterburgers a really hot reception and help our team win both home games.
We believe in the team! We are pushing until the end!