PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar stayed undefeated in Last 16 Group K by topping Cajasol Seville 80-87 on the road on Wednesday. Lokomotiv improved to 3-0 and could qualify to the Quarterfinals next week if it wins and Spartak St. Petersburg defeats Stelmet Zielona Gora. Cajasol dropped to 0-3 and could be eliminated with a loss next week. Derrick Brown led the winners with 28 points on 14-of-17 two-point shots. Aleks Maric added 26 on 11-of-19 two-point shots and 9 rebounds, Mantas Kalnietis had 15 points and Nick Calathes got 9 and 9 assists for Lokomotiv. Luka Bogdanovic led Cajasol with 18 points. Joan Sastre added 14 while Latavious Williams and Ondrej Balvin each had 12 for the hosts. Cajasol had a strong start as Williams and Holland allowed the hosts to get a 23-17 after 10 minutes. A jumper by Rod Blakney soon gave Cajasol its biggest lead, 28-17. An unstoppable Maric and a buzzer-beating jumper by Simas Jasaitis brought Lokomotiv a bit closer, 41-34, at halftime. Brown and Maric led a 0-8 run that completed the guests' comeback, 49-51. Maric and Brown helped Lokomotiv to extend its margin to 57-60 after three quarters and then again to 66-77 with 4 minutes left, enough to cruise to another road win.
Bogdanovic got Cajasol going with a jumper. Calathes answered with a layup but Williams and John Holland soon gave Cajasol a 6-2 lead. Jasaitis scored in the paint and free throws by Maric tied it at 6-6. Williams followed a dunk with a jumper and matched Maric's slam with another basket, good for a 12-8 Cajasol edge. Brown dunked it, Sastre nailed a jumper and a put-back dunk by Balvin gave the hosts some fresh air at 16-12. Brown and Sastre traded baskets but Kalnietis found his first points to keep Lokomotiv within 19-17. Rod Blakney and Brian Asbury allowed Cajasol to get a 23-17 margin after 10 minutes. Sastre struck from downtown early in the second quarter and a jumper by Blakney forced Lokomotiv to call timeout, 28-17, after a 9-0 run. Calathes stepped up with a driving layup that Beka Burjanadze erased with a tip-in. Lokomotiv improved its defense while a jumper by Kalnietis and a put-back basket by Brown made Cajasol stop the game at 31-23. Kalnietis and Asbury exchanged baskets, Bykov shined with a driving layup but a dunk by Williams gave the hosts way ahead, 35-27. Maric took over with a layup-plus-foul that Holland matched with a triple. A layup by Brown, a three-point play by Bogdanovic and a buzzer-beater jumper by Jasaitis fixed the halftime score at 41-34.
Maric scored down low after the break and an easy basket by Brown made it a three-point game, 41-38. Bogdanovic stepped up with a three-pointer and Holland slammed up but Maric followed a three-point play with a dunk to keep Lokomotiv within 46-43. Blakney answered from downtown but Brown and Maric combined for all points in a 0-8 run that gave the guests a 49-51 edge. Bogdanovic buried another triple and Tomas Satoransky added a layup but Maric scored twice in the paint for a 54-55 Lokomotiv lead. Kalnietis took over with a fast break layup and Jasaitis struck from downtown and Balvin and Williams kept Cajasol within 57-60 after 30 minutes. Calathes and Bogdanovic traded baskets early in the fourth quarter and a layup by Brown gave the guests a 59-64 edge. Bogdanovic and Sastre downed consecutive jumpers but Brown and Maric boosted Lokomotiv's lead to 63-70 with 6 minutes left. Kalnietis took over with a three-point play and a layup by Maric sealed the outcome, 63-75, with a 0-9 run. By the time Brown followed a jumper with a dunk, everything was said and done already, 66-79, with 3 minutes to go. Cajasol kept trying but Lokomotiv had plenty of time to celebrate an important road win.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Eurocupbasketball.com