Fresh off their VTB home defeat to CSKA Moscow last Sunday, Lokomotiv Kuban (5-1) bounced back with a 97-95 (23-25, 21-23, 22-26, 31-21) win over Dolomiti Energia Trento (1-5) at Krasnodar to stay undefeated at home in EuroCup competition.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
39
|
| Errick McCollum | |
| Points | 29 |
| Accuracy | 8-16 |
| Rebounds | 2 |
| Assists | 13 |
Johnathan Motley carried the winners throughout most of the game, finishing with 33 points on 13/20 two-point shots, 7/9 free-throws, 11 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 2 blocks and a Performance Index Rating of 33. Motley smashed his previous EuroCup scoring record - 30 points against Boulogne Metropolitans.
Errick McCollum carried the torch in the second half, scoring 13 of his total 27 points in the fourth quarter. The 33-year-old guard had 7/15 field goals, 3 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 36 in PIR.
Trento, who edged Slask Wroclaw by 4 points after overtime in Round 5, couldn't repeat their feat despite them having the lead for almost the entire game. Emmanuele Molin's squad had five players in double digits, with Wesley Saunders and Desonta Bradford pouring 18 points apiece.
Johnathan Motley went off to a great start, scoring in all possible ways and being the author of 10 out of Loko's 12 first points (12-6). Despite trailing for the most part of the first quarter, Trento got their grip and took a 20-19 lead thanks to an and-one effort by Wesley Saunders.
With the passage of time, Trento's advantage grew bigger (33-27), as the hosts found a way to score some easy baskets and create problems to an inert Russian defense. Motley continued being a team on his own, arriving at the 20-point mark midway through the second quarter.
Alas, the American center could not take on quarterback duties and that was one of the reasons why Trento comfortably maintained the lead (41-32). Errick McCollum scored his first basket 19 minutes into the game, after misfiring on his first five field goals.
Overall, Motley accounted for 24 of Trento's 44 points half-time points and for 5 of their 12 total rebounds.
On the other end, the Italian squad had an impeccable offensive balance, getting score from seven out of nine players used by coach Lele Molin. Johnathan Williams didn't contribute as he used to, but that didn't hurt Trento.
When, somewhat inexplicably, the Italians rushed on offense committing several unforced turnovers which allowed Loko to stay close (53-58), Diego Flaccadori poured six points to keep the visitors in charge.
By then, Motley's fatigue had started to show but Pashutin chose to keep him on the court for the better part of the third quarter.
Desonta Bradford made it 58-70 from distance, but McCollum responded with 8 points in a row to cut down the deficit (66-74). Loko's resurgence was short-lived, as Trento quickly issued a response through Bradford who scored all of his 18 points in the second half.
When Saunders hit a jump shot to make it 76-88 with six minutes remaining, the game seemed to be almost over. Nevertheless, the hosts initiated an 8-0 run that brought them closer than ever (84-88). Errick McCollum hit another three and Lokomotiv finished off their comeback with Ilnitskiy scoring four points in a row to tie the contest at 93.
McCollum scored another jumper to put Loko upfront 95-93. With 17'' remaining, Trento had the chance to tie or regain the lead, but Thomspon stole the ball from Flaccadori to seal victory for the Russian side with a couple of free throws.
Lokomotiv Kuban: Johnathan Motley 33 (13/20 FG, 7/9 FT, 11 REB, 3 TO, 2 BS), Errick McCollum 27 (7/15 FG, 3 REB, 13 AST, 1 ST, 1 BL), Darius Thompson 12 (2 REB), Stanislav Ilnitskiy 10 (3/3 3-PT SHOTS).
Dolomiti Energia Trento: Wesley Saunders 18 (8/17 FG, 2/3 FT, 7 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO), Desonta Bradford 18 (5/11 FG, 4/4 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 TO), Diego Flaccadori 17 (6/10 FG, 5/5 FT, 2 REB, 6 AST, 4 TO), Andrea Mezzanotte 16 (4/6 FG, 5/ FT, 5 REB, 2 AST), Jordan Caroline 13 (6/15 FG, 10 REB, 4 AST).
Full game highlights:
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