Stelmet Zielona Gora bowed out of the Eurocup on a high-note with an impressive come-from-behind victory, 94-88, over Lokomotiv Kuban. The hosts used a 13-0 fourth-quarter run into the last minute to stun Lokomotiv and snatch a win that seemed unlikely when Kuban led by double-digits for much of the first half. Zielona Gora finished third in Group K with a 3-3 record, only missing a spot in the quarterfinals on a tiebreaker. The loss for Lokomotiv denied it a chance to be the only team to run the table in the Last 16. Nevertheless it won the group and will Buducnost in the quarterfinals. Walter Hodge starred once more for Zielona Gora with 29 points and 10 assists. Dejan Borovnjak added 23 points and 12 rebounds – both season highs. Marcin Sroka scored 13, Oliver Stevic 11 and Mantas Cesnaukis 10 for the winners. Richard Hendrix paced Lokomotiv with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick Brown scored 19, Mantas Kalnietis amassed 14 points and 7 assists and Nick Calathes 13 points and 11 assists.

Lokomotiov got off to an ideal start with Hendrix scoring twice around a Calathes three-point play to make it 0-7 after just over one minute. Quinton Hosley netted Zielona Gora’s first points from the line and soon after Hodge scored the hosts’ first basket, but Hendrix kept Lokomotiv in total control, 6-17 midway through the first quarter. After the teams traded baskets for a few minutes, a Hodge triple and Sroka bucket trimmed the deficit to 6. Milos Lopicic’s first points made it 21-27 after 10 minutes. Sroka and Hodge got the hosts within 28-29 early in the second quarter, but Calathes found Andrey Zubkov and Aleksey Savarasenko for baskets on consecutive possessions to rescue the visitors. A pair of Valery Likhodey triples extended the lead to 30-39 and a Maxin Grigoryev three-pointer restored a double-digit advantage. Stevic made it 38-48 at the break.

Baskets by Borovnjak and Sroka to open the second half brought Zielona Gora back. Brown and Hendrix kept Lokomotiv ahead, but the hosts kept battling. Hodge buried a triple and added free throws on the next possession to draw his team within 53-56. Neither team flinched as baskets continued to flow until Hodge made it 64-68 at the end of the quarter. A Cesnaukis three-pointer early in the fourth gave Zielona Gora its first lead, 69-68. Zubkov made 3 free throws over two possessions as Lokomotiv regained the lead, 71-73, but before long Hodge’s steal and assist to Stevic knotted the score once more. A pair of Kalnietis layups put Lokomotiv up 79-83, but Zielona Gora didn’t stay down for long. Sroka responded with a three-pointer, Hodge added 2 free throws and Cesnaukis nailed a triple. Borovnjak added a free throw for an 88-83 lead with less than a minute remaining. Cesnaukis and Hodge each added 2 free throws to cap a game-winning 13-0 run and seal the victory.