Report
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar remained undefeated in the 7DAYS EuroCup and recorded its first road win in the Top 16 by rallying to beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica 62-68 in the Montenegrin capital on Wednesday. Ryan Broekhoff led the winners with 15 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting plus 10 rebounds. Joe Ragland added 11 points and Chris Babb 10, while Frank Elegar pulled down 14 rebounds for Lokomotiv. Zoran Nikolic and Nikola Ivanovic led Buducnost with 12 points apiece. Nemanja Gordic and Kyle Landry each added 10, while Aleksa Ilic pulled down 11 rebounds for the hosts. Ivanovic, Gordic and Kyle Landry led an 18-3 run that gave Buducnost a double-digit margin, 37-24, at halftime. Mardy Collins, Trevor Lacey and Dmitry Kulagin shined in the third quarter as Lokomotiv rallied to regain the lead, 46-50. Zoran Nikolic brought Buducnost within 59-61, but Kulagin struck from downtown and Collins added a big basket to seal the outcome.
A dunk by Nikolic ignited a 7-0 run that Kyle Gibson capped with free throws for a 9-2 Buducnost lead. Lokomotiv did not panic, as Broekhoff and Babb each struck from downtown in a 0-10 run that Kulagin capped with a fast break layup for an 11-14 score. Landry downed a triple and Ragland and Petar Popovic traded driving layups for a 16-16 tie after 10 minutes. Elegar split free throws early in the second quarter, but Buducnost improved its defense. Meanwhile, Landry followed a jumper with free throws and Ivanovic nailed back-to-back triples in a 12-0 Buducnost run that made it a double-digit game, 28-17. Broekhoff nailed his second three-pointer, but Gordic answered from beyond the arc and Gibson added a jumper for a 35-20 Buducnost lead. A triple by Ragland and a free throw by Elegar brought Lokomotiv a bit closer, 37-24, at halftime.
Collins tried to ignite a Lokomotiv comeback with a three-point play right after the break, but Ilic and Nikolic kept Buducnost fully in charge, 43-31. Broekhoff nailed consecutive three-pointers and Dmitriy Khvostov added a jumper to bring Lokomotiv back to life at 43-39. Babb downed his second triple, Collins added a turnaround jumper and back-to-back baskets by Lacey completed the comeback, 46-48. A jumper by Kulagin boosted Lokomotiv’s margin to 46-50 after 30 minutes. Babb buried another three-pointer early in the fourth quarter and Ragland added a driving layup for a 48-56 Lokomotiv lead. Ivanovic followed a jumper with a three-pointer and got help from Gibson to give Buducnost hope at 55-60 with over four minutes left. A huge dunk by Ilic and free throws by Nikolic made it a 2-point game. Kulagin buried a critical three-pointer and a basket by Collins sealed the outcome, 59-66, with 48 seconds left.