Ivan Samoylenko‘s performance in the previous game earned him a spot in the starting five against PARMA. Ilya Popov scored Loko’s first 4 points, twice successfully battling the 130-pound Terrell Carter in the post. By the midway point of the 1st quarter, Popov had 8 points, and Kirill Temirov added 7 more, making it 17:7.
Soon after, Temirov surpassed the double-digit scoring mark, hitting the hoop from the very corner. PARMA held on thanks to Alexander Zakharov‘s three-pointers, but in the fast-paced play that was going on, Loko was clearly better: Kassius Robertson finished the quarter with 2+1e, giving us a 27:17 lead.
The 2nd quarter began with a long-range shot by Royce Hamm, followed by a layup from Carter, and then the scoring percentage suddenly dropped on both sides. Loko managed to score their next 2 points only at the end of the 13th minute – Vince Hunter did it after a pass from Patrick Miller,. At one point, PARMA got within 4 points, 32:28, but Temirov scored once again from the very corner.
The contact intensified, but that didn’t stop Miller from scoring his first non-free-throw points. PARMA twice more pulled within 3-4 points – and Temirov responded with 3-pointers each time, totaling 19 points in the first half! However, the hosts also were good at long shots: Alexander Shashkov, then Jaylen Adams from 8 meters out made it 44-44 with 44 seconds left. But the final points in the first half were scored by Loko: after two offensive rebounds, Samoylenko hit the basket from beyond the arc, 47:44.
PARMA started the second half with an 11:0 run. Lokomotiv seemed to completely lose their luck in attack, missing even open shots from under the hoop. Finally, Hamm scored from the free throw linear the end of the 24th minute – 49:55. Soon, Robertson scored twice more – 4 consecutive free throws (3 for a foul on a long shot and another for a technical foul on the opposing coach), Miller and Hunter also performed good shots, but the home team scored on every attack without exception, and at one point making it 57:66.
The only good thing for Loko these minutes was the fact that all of PARMA’s leaders had at least 3 fouls. Shashkov was the first to be fouled out at the end of the 3rd quarter, with 65:75 on the scoreboard.
Early in the fourth quarter, Zakharov extended the hosts’ lead to 13 points from beyond the arc. Hamm responded with 2 points, but Zakharov and Lev Svinin quickly brought it down to “–16”. Temirov led the pursuit, surpassing the 20-point mark in the 32nd minute, and Hunter also was very good, scoring after a solo run, then putting the ball back after Anton Kvitkovskikh‘s miss, finishing off an alley-oop from Miller, and forcing Carter‘s 4th foul – 77:87 with 3.5 minutes remaining.
The Krasnodar defense stopped several PARMA attacks, Robertson scored from long range, Hunter blocked Carter‘s shot and immediately drew his 5th foul – 84:89 with 38 seconds remaining. Lokomotiv’s pressure forced Brendan Adams to make a turnover, but Miller immediately did the same. Zakharov returned the score to 7 points with his free throws, and that, surprisingly, happened to be the final change in the score – Loko’s attack had no tempo.
Now Lokomotiv is heading to Kazan, where they will face the current leader of the VTB United League, UNICS, on October 19.