Lokomotiv Kuban put 11 players in the game roster, but Danil Sheyanov and Jeremiah Martin didn’t play a single second.
The game started off rather tense, with both opponents scoring their first points from the free throw line. Then Vsevolod Ishchenko finely outran Hayden Dalton and capped the moment with 2 points, then Kirill Temirov made a steal and scored from afar, and did the same on the next attack. Vince Hunter summed up the 3-minute scoring spree—11:6 in Loko’s favor.
Makar Konovalov looked like a decent substitution to Patrick Miller, actively taking charge of the game and handing out assists to Hunter and Ilya Popov. Lokomotiv was great at grabbing rebounds, especially on the offensive post, and if it weren’t for the 25% free throw shooting in the 1st quarter, it would have ended in our favor with a score of more than 18:16.
Uralmash opened the second period with a 7:0 run. Anton Kvitkovskikh (who had already taken a hit on the chin and was covered with a band-aid) responded with a 3-pointer, then was fouled on during a long-distance shot attempt and. scored all his free throws, 26:27. Meanwhile, the home team was consistently missing their 3-pointers, and it wasn’t until Garrett Navels‘ 9th attempt went in, 34:34. Despite 3 more points from Kvitkovskikh, Uralmash was better at the end of the quarter, culminating in Anton Kardanakhishvili‘s slalom run, 37:41.
After the side switch, Hunter quickly scored 2 points, Kvitkovskikh tied the game, and on the next episode, Nevels received a technical foul, and Temirov made a free throw in, 42:41. Uralmash made another unsuccessful attack, after which Hunter scored with a foul, missed the bonus free throw, but Loko grabbed the rebound, and Kvitkovskikh added 2 more points. Temirov immediately made a steal and ran for a dunk – 11:0 in just 3 minutes!
A timeout didn’t help the hosts: another hasty attack led to Ishchenko‘s 3-pointer in response. Uralmash’s play was getting increasingly erratic, so Konovalov and Ivan Samoylenko extended Loko’s run to 18:0 – and only then did Tyrell Nelson score his team’s first points of the 2nd half. However, Hunter immediately responded with a long-range shot, making it 58:44. The Yekaterinburg team managed to even the score somewhat, but they didn’t get much closer by the end of the quarter – 66:53.
Uralmash’s next timeout was called just 1 minute into the 4th quarter, after a Kvitkovskikh steal and Hunter‘s fast break. Nelson scored 2 points, then a goal drought set in for couple of minutes, which was clearly in Loko’s favored. When Nevels cut the gap by another 2 points, Anton Yudin called a timeout.
But the Krasnodar fans didn’t have to worry about the outcome. Samoylenko fired in several 3-pointers, improving his VTB United League career high by 1.5 times (it’s 15 points now). And once Octavius Ellis started scoring, Temirov also set his career high (19 points; he recently had 21, but in the inter-season cup). Lokomotiv played fast and calm: Hunter scored 22 points (his free throw that made it 75:59, marking our team’s 1,000th point of the season – we are the first to reach that mark), Kvitkovskikh got his second consecutive double-double, and in the final seconds, Temirov and Ishchenko put on a defensive showtime, sending Konovalov to the defenceless basket.
Using only 9 players, Lokomotiv Kuban made a no-clutch-game for Uralmash – it’s just a second time this season for Urals team. Bravo to everyone who brought this victory to the club and our fans. Let’s hope the team’s character will keep improving.
Lokomotiv Kuban will now play against the club of the same name in Samara on Saturday, November 22. We believe our guys won’t underestimate their opponent, and we’ll all head into the 2-week break in a winning mood. Just like today.
Go, Loko!