Before the match, the traditional MELBET prize was awarded to Lokomotiv’s best player of the month. Vsevolod Ishchenko was named the December fan vote winner. Congratulations!
We also are happy to announce the record attendance at Basket Hall this season – 6,211 spectators.
The game started off on equal terms: Jeremiah Martin and Vince Hunter scored points for Loko, while UNICS had 4 different players make 2-pointers, with Marcus Bingham heading to the bench after just 5 minutes with 2 fouls. Ishchenko made a steal and scored on a fast break, Martin added 2+1, and Hunter made several successful defenses against Jalen Reynolds, causing the Kazan big man to get out of rhythm and commit two consecutive turnovers after Hunter was subbed out. Neither team managed to get ahead by more than 4 points, with the lead changing 8 times in the 1st quarter, and Mike Moore‘s dunk capping the period, 18:15 in Lokomotiv’s favor.
Alexey Shved and Bingham launched a 5:0 run for UNICS early in the 2nd quarter, but the Krasnodar team quickly took the lead again: BJ Johnson hit a 3-pointer, Kassius Robertson swiftly handled the layup, and after Martin‘s clever pass to Hunter, Kazan called a timeout at 27:22. Soon, Bingham picked up his 3rd foul, but Hunter did the same. The visitors staged a 6-point run, capped by Mikhail Belenitsky‘s post-up, who began to celebrate, failed to return to defense in time for Ishchenko‘s breakthrough, and received a scolding from Velimir Perasović.
Frequent lead changes began again, but just as UNICS took a 4-point lead, Miller and Ishchenko each scored 2+1, and Johnson put Loko ahead from beyond the arc. After Martin‘s isolation, the score was 44:40, but Reynolds and Dmitry Kulagin each hit 3-pointers – the 9th lead change of the 2nd quarter! But the teams went into the break tied, with Miller hitting his signature mid-range shot, 46:46.
It seemed both coaches adjusted their teams’ defensive play in the locker room – the start of the 3rd period was pretty low-scoring. UNICS took a 5-point lead at some point, only to have Anton Kvitkovskikh answer with a 3-pointer, making it 51:53. However, Lokomotiv continued to struggle to score, and by the 27th minute, Kazan was up +7. Ishchenko scored quite in time, and on the next play, Hunter forced a turnover from Bingham, and Moore brought the game back within one possession, 60:63. UNICS switched to long-range shooting, missed twice, and Miller‘s two-pointer was the last shot of the quarter once again, making it 62:63.
Anton Yudin had to call a timeout just a minute and a half into the 4th quarter – the opponent had a 7:0 run during that stretch. After the game resumed, Hunter scored 2+1, then both opponents had no scoring until Hunter grabbed a rebound, dribbled the length of the court, and put a layup in, sending UNICS into a timeout, 67:70. Then Kulagin stepped up, scoring 5 points in a short period. Fortunately, Hunter‘s 2 points were oreoed in between his shots. After Martin‘s isolation, the scoreboard showed 71:75 in the 37th minute. Soon after, Belenitsky was eliminated with his 5th foul, and the visitors’ rotation, already playing with 8 players, became even thinner.
Immediately after Kazan’s timeout, Bingham scored an alley-oop, after which Lokomotiv’s defense finally got going: rebounds started rolling in, quality shot-blocking began, and Hunter, Martin, and Robertson tied the game with 1.5 minutes left! Hunter blocked Dyshawn Pierre‘s shot, but Reynolds grabbed the rebound, and the attack ended with Kulagin‘s basket from 9 meters out, 77:80 with 21 seconds left. Miller took the shot to tie the game, but was blocked by Bingham. Pierre was fouled, and he set the final score from the free throw line.
Lokomotiv’s next home game is coming up soon – January 7th at 3:00 PM against Uralmash. See you in the stands!