Lokomotiv takes 1-game lead in VTB League

After a surprisingly good Euroleague campaign, Lokomotiv Kuban is not ready to end the season and the Russian club claimed victory in Game 1 of the VTB United League play-offs. Lokomotiv travelled to fellow Russian outfit Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd and secured a 85-91 road win to start this phase of the competition perfectly.

Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd vs. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 85-71.

First quarter
Lokomotiv got the scoreboard ticking by making the first basket of the game after just over a minute of play. Marcus Cousin went 50% from the charity strip to open Oktyabr’s account, but Anton Ponkrashov laid up to extend the visitors to 1-4. Cousin atoned from the free throw line before the hosts took the lead for the first time, with the score reading 6-4. The teams traded briefly before Lokomotiv found another gear and pulled ahead 12-22 across the middle of the quarter, capping a 0-9 run and making it a double digit game. Cousin was keeping pace for the home team and was backed by Willie Dean, but Kuban stayed strong to close out the first quarter with a 22-25 lead.

Second quarter
Cousin scored another lay up to draw Volgograd to within one point (24-25) to commence scoring in the second period. The game went scoreless for over a minute before Cousin struck again to reclaim the lead for the hosts at 26-25. Once again the teams went up and down and exchanged scores until the game was locked at 31-30 in favour of the home team. It had been a poor second stanza from Lokomotiv, but the team bounced back when Marcus Williams took a jumper and Aleksander Maric sunk from downtown (31-35). Oktyabr scored the next six points to take back the lead at 37-36 and again scores were exchanged until the board read 41-40. From there Krasny exploded and reeled off a 10-2 run to head into half-time with a healthy 51-43 lead.

Third quarter
Lokomotiv had struggled in the second frame, but the team quickly set about cutting the deficit, with Valerii Likhodei netting from beyond the arc to open Q3. The hosts hit back with a two pointer and triple courtesy of Bernard King, putting the score at 56-46. Marin hit two for Kuban, but Krasny had found a groove as Cuthbert Victor and King both scored points to make the board read 59-48. The visiting players used the middle of the third quarter to slowly chip into the Okyyabr lead, but the home team did manage to stay one step ahead. The away team did start to find better consistency in defense though, with Richard Hendrix and Likhodei chipping in. The result was that Lokomotiv cut the 11 point lead to just five points after 30 minutes (67-62).

Fourth quarter
Kuban opened the final stanza with six points to regain the lead at 68-67, and although Krasny registered a single free throw an 1-8 streak had fuelled a Lokomotive resurgence. The visitors spent the next few minutes taking the lead only to see the home team come back to level the game. However, Lokomotiv took the lead for good with four minutes left and claimed a morale boosting win in the process.

Williams led the charge for Lokomotiv by securing 18 points and 14 assists for an impressive double/double.

Willie Deane had a massive game despite the Krasny loss, he picked up 28 points, six rebounds, five assists. Also taking double digits for the losing team were Cousin with 18 points, King with 18, and Victor with 17 points and 9 rebounds.