Thanks to 3-pointers from Mike Moore, Patrick Miller, and Anton Kvitkovskikh, Loko took a quick 9:4 lead, though they also got 4 fouls in the first two minutes, compared to none for their opponent. Matt Coleman‘s scoring kept Yenisei alive, despite 2+1 from Vince Hunter and another long-range shot from Moore. Alen Hadzibegovic and Vsevolod Ishchenko, who came off the bench, each scored elegantly, but Danilo Tasić and Daniil Kasatkin responded with 3-pointers, putting the Siberians ahead 21:23, and by the first intermission, the lead had risen to 23:27.
Lokomotiv’s offense began to struggle early in the 2nd quarter, and aside from Jeremiah Martin‘s free throws, the home team couldn’t add anything to their score. Dmitry Sonko‘s long-range shot widened the gap to 25:36. Once Miller and Hunter returned to the court, things improved a bit–the duo executed an alley-oop, the captain scored 2+1, and then the others followed suit: Kvitkovskikh and Moore each dunked to make it 34:41. Tasić scored 4 points in two possessions, after which Krasnodar’s defense suddenly stalled, completely unable to cope with their opponents. With 2 minutes remaining before the big break, the deficit snowballed to a critical 37:56.
As soon as the game resumed after the switch, Dominic Artis‘s free throws brought the gap to 21. Miller made 2+1, but Coleman scored 4 points in 30 seconds. And when Nikita Yevdokimov responded to Martin‘s isolation play with a 3-pointer, it was easy to lose faith that Lokomotiv could return from”–23″ in the remaining 17 minutes.
However, Kirill Temirov found his free throws just 9 seconds later and made both, Yegor Ryzhov was forced to make a mistake, and on Lokomotiv’s next attack, Hadzibegovic grabbed rebounds off the opposing board until Martin scored two points. Sonko missed a 3-pointer, and Miller converted his long-range attempt in a quick transition, making it 49:65. The visiting coach called a timeout, after which Kasatkin scored from long range, Sonko made a steal, and Tasić brought the distance back to 20 points. That’s when Miller unleashed a truly epic run: 9 points in two minutes, totally unanswered due to the team’s excellent defensive work.
Yeniseш faltered: Coleman‘s pass was intercepted by Ishchenko, and Kvitkovskikh‘s long-range shot cut the deficit to 61:69. High pressure, Ishchenko steals the ball from Kasatkin, who fouls – and it’s an unsportsmanlike foul (so, Kvitkovskikh‘s dunk, pictured below, was disallowed). Two free throws were made, possession was maintained, and Hadzibegovic scored 2 more points – 65:69, a 16:0 run within 3 minutes! Tasić finally broke Krasnoyarsk’s drought, converting 1 of 2 free throws, and just before the end of the quarter, Artis made a steal and sent Coleman dunking, but still, the 65:72 scoreline gave the Kuban fans a completely different outlook for the final ten minutes!
If you’re a fan of defensive play, be sure to rewatch the first 2 minutes of the 4th quarter – both teams were locked in a serious battle, effectively making the opponent struggle to make any creative plays. Ultimately, Ishchenko scored 2 points, Moore made another 1 from the free throw line, and Hadzibegovic made a steal and raced to close the 4-point deficit even further, but… he was blocked by Tasić and given a technical for his overreaction. Coleman converted the free throw, and then scored from afar during the ensuing possession – 68:76. Once again, Loko turned on the turbo in rebounding with Hunter scoring 2 points on his 3rd try in one attack. Coleman misses a lay-up, Ishchenko sends Miller on a fast break – and the captain scores 2+1 for the 4th time today, bringing the game to within one shot, 73:76.
Active pressure leads to a Yenisei error on the throw-in. After two offensive rebounds, Temirov gets the ball on the perimeter – and ties the game! Mikhail Vedishchev hits 1 of 2 free throws, and Martin gives Lokomotiv their first lead since the debut of the game, 78:77. A long attack by Krasnoyarsk ends with Vedishchev hitting a deft shot from afar just at the 24-second buzzer. Tomislav Tomović requests a video review – and after a briefing at the monitor, the referees disallow Krasnoyarsk’s 3 points!
After this, Yenisei is already behind: Martin and Hunter take turns creating a “+3” lead, the opponent reduces it to a minimum a couple of times, and in the 40th minute even gets a chance to take the lead, but Tasić awkwardly dribbles the ball, Martin makes an interception, Miller runs away – 86:83, and a hasty shot by Coleman somewhere off-target finally determines the result.
Having given their fans a thrilling ride, Loko ends the regular season with a victory and starts preparing for the quarterfinals, which begin on Monday, April 27. The opponent is BETCITY PARMA. Come support us (and in the second game, on April 29, too).