2017-18SemifinalsGame 1
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 82
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia 65
March 20, 2018 CET: 17:30
Local time: 19:30 BASKET HALL

Lokomotiv tops Reggio Emilia in Game 1 for record-tying win

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar took another step towards a place in the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals with an 82-65 win over visiting Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia in Game 1 of their semifinals series on Tuesday. The victory kept Lokomotiv undefeated on the season and tied the competition record with 19 consecutive wins to open the season, which Lokomotiv also did in 2014-15. Behind a 16-2 second-quarter run, Lokomotiv grabbed a 43-28 halftime lead and the margin reached 18 points in the third quarter. Reggio Emilia, which played without EuroCup’s top scorer Amedeo Della Valle, kept a manageable deficit, but never was able to make a charge and turn things around. Brian Qvale was the top scorer for the winners with 16 points, Frank Elegar collected 11 points and 9 rebounds, Chris Babb also scored 11 and Mardy Collins tallied 10 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in victory. Chris Wright scored 14 points for the visitors, Jalen Reynolds collected 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and Garrett Nevels finished with 10 points in the losing effort.

Manuchar Markoishvili opened the game with a three-pointer, but Elegar had back-to-back alley-oop dunks that got the hosts going. A runner from Dmitry Kulagin and a baseline basket kept the run going and Babb nailed his first triple to open a 19-9 lead. But Chris and Julian Wright combined to score 6 points at the end of the first to close the margin to 19-15 and the two Wrights kept it going early in the second quarter to tie the game at 21-21. However, the visitors never grabbed the lead. Antipov hit a three-pointer to start a 16-2 run, during which Collins hit a jumper, Elegar dunked and Babb beat the buzzer with a corner-triple that made it 43-28 at halftime.

Babb opened the second half with a three-pointer, but Reggio Emilia saw Julian Wright convert a three-point play and Nevels nailed a triple to help cut the deficit to 48-36. Kulagin and Qvale combined to extend the margin to 54-36, and after Chris Wright and Reynolds sparked a 0-6 run with plays on both ends of the floor, Antipov knocked down a three-pointer that kept the margin at 15 points. Nevels knocked down a three and James White made a pair of baskets that made it 63-51 after 30 minutes. If there was any doubt left, after the teams traded baskets early in the fourth, the hosts held Reggio Emilia without a single point for more than three minutes. Meanwhile, Qvale, Trevor Lacey and Elegar helped extend the margin to 73-55 with less than five minutes to go, and Lokomotiv cruised the rest of the way.

Brian Qvale - Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (photo Lokomotiv) - EC17
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Eurocupbasketball.com
Referees: FOUFIS, IOANNIS; SHEMMESH, SEFFI; JURAS, MARKO
Attendance: 6367
By Quarter1234
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar19242019
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia15132314
End of Quarter1234
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar19436382
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia15285165
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 COLLINS, MARDY 27:35 10 4/7 0/2 2/2   5 5 6 1 1 1   1 1 17
2 ANTIPOV, PAVEL 19:13 8 1/1 2/3   1   1 1         2 1 8
3 RAGLAND, JOE 24:18 9 2/6 0/2 5/8       2   1   4 2 5  
4 BABURIN, EVGENY 1:49     0/1           1       1   -1
7 LACEY, TREVOR 20:10 4 1/4 0/1 2/3 1 4 5         1   4 7
10 IVLEV, VLADIMIR DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 ILNITSKIY, STANISLAV 8:01 4     4/4 1 3 4 2   1     2 2 9
13 KHVOSTOV, DMITRY 8:27     0/2                   3   -5
15 ELEGAR, FRANK 14:09 11 4/5   3/3 2 7 9   1       4 4 20
19 BABB, CHRIS 21:12 11   3/7 2/2 1 3 4 2   1     3 1 10
22 KULAGIN, DMITRY 29:15 9 3/5 0/2 3/4 1 2 3 4 1 4     1 5 12
41 QVALE, BRIAN 25:51 16 7/12   2/2 2 2 4 1     1   2 3 18
Team           5 4 9               9
Totals 200:00 82 22/40 5/20 23/28 14 30 44 18 4 8 2 5 21 26 104
        55% 25% 82.1%
Head coach: OBRADOVIC, SASA
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
4 MUSSINI, FEDERICO 0:40                              
5 WRIGHT, JULIAN 20:27 7 2/7 0/2 3/5 1 3 4 1   2 1     4 6
6 BONACINI, FEDERICO 1:31                              
7 CANDI, LEONARDO 22:56 3 1/1 0/2 1/2                 2 2  
9 WHITE, JAMES 22:31 6 3/5 0/2     1 1 2   1     4 1 1
10 REYNOLDS, JALEN 26:25 13 4/10   5/6 2 7 9 2 2 2 4   5 4 20
11 MARKOISHVILI, MANUCHAR 20:44 3 0/1 1/3     1 1 6   1     3 2 5
12 WRIGHT, CHRIS 22:27 14 6/10 0/2 2/2 1   1 4       1 2 2 12
14 CERVI, RICCARDO 9:49 4 2/4     2   2         1 2 1 2
15 NEVELS, GARRETT 22:01 10 2/7 2/2   1 3 4 1 1       3 1 9
18 LLOMPART, PEDRO 17:01   0/1       2 2 3 1       2 2 5
19 DE VICO, NICCOLO 13:28 5 0/1 1/3 2/2 1 1 2           3 2 3
Team           2 2 4               4
Totals 200:00 65 20/47 4/16 13/17 10 20 30 19 4 6 5 2 26 21 67
        42.6% 25% 76.5%
Head coach: MENETTI, MASSIMILIANO

Head Coaches

OBRADOVIC, SASA
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
"We expected a lot of nervousness on both sides. We found a way to win the game. This is not an easy opponent. They have tactical and changing defenses. In one moment we did not react perfect in the first half, but we found the way. It was a team win, especially coming off a so-so atmosphere, losing in the VTB League in Minsk. We did not look our best, but I think with time it is going to get better. I am happy for this win, but it is still a long way to go. In their gym it is quite hard to play. A lot of favorites, like Bayern or UNICS or Zenit, could not win there. The first half of this series is finished. We know what we are going to face there, plus Della Valle who is their best scorer, will be there in the second game. Everyone gave contributions in this game. Reggio Emilia plays different at home, they attack the basket more, they fly on fast breaks. And with the talent of Della Valle, who brings even more, it will be twice as hard."
MENETTI, MASSIMILIANO
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia
"Congratulations to Lokomotiv, they deserved to win. They played a stronger and a better game. For me they are the best team in Europe, and their 19-0 record in the EuroCup proves what I am saying. About us, it is clear that last two and a half minutes of the second quarter is what decided the game. And it took away our confidence. On the other side, our spirit, our strength that pushed us all the way here is to never give up. We never gave up in this game. We had an opportunity to come back, cutting it down to 10 points. We won the third quarter, we were close to winning fourth quarter, and that also shows we don’t give up, we don’t want to give up, and we never give up because we don’t want to go out of this competition because of everything we did. We will do everything until the last second to come back here. It is a nice city, nice arena, we enjoy it, we like it, and we want to come back. The absence of Della Valle did not influence us, I even forgot he was not with us. All the injuries and problems we had are the reasons we are here. We never want to use alibies. We work hard and we want to do the best with the players we have available and on the court."