Lokomotiv beats Nancy for 14th consecutive Eurocup win

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar stayed undefeated in Group N by downing SLUC Nancy 57-66 on the road on Wednesday. Lokomotiv improved to 3-0 and recorded its 14th consecutive win in the competition, one shy of the all-time record, 15, which belongs to Khimki Moscow Region. Nancy dropped to 1-2. Anthony Randolph paced the winners with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Brown and Krunoslav Simon each added 12 points for Lokomotiv. Sergii Gladyr led Nancy with 12 points. Florent Pietrus added 11 while Vaughn Duggins had 10 for the hosts, which led 14-2 early in the game. Lokomotiv got within 16-14 after 10 minutes and took a 32-35 edge at halftime. Lokomotiv extended its margin to 45-52 after 30 minutes but a three-pointers by Kee Kee Clark brought Nancy within 53-55 after 30 minutes. Nikita Kurbanov hit back-to-back triples in a 0-10 run which sealed the outcome.

Derrick Brown got Lokomotiv going with a dunk but Nancy held the guests scoreless for the next 6 minutes. Meanwhile, Florent Pietrus and Vaughn Duggins combined for 10 points in a 14-0 run which gave the hosts a 14-2 lead. Brown dunked twice and had 6 points in an 0-8 run which brought Lokomotiv back to life, 14-10. Back-to-back layups by Richard Hendrix got the guests even closer, 16-14, after 10 minutes. A triple by Sergii Gladyr and free throws by Pietrus gave Nancy some fresh air, 21-16, early in the second quarter. Andrey Zubkov sank a jumper and Anthony Randolph scored down low but an unstoppable Gladyr boosted the hosts' lead to 26-20. It didn't last long, however, as Brown and Randolph had 4 points each in a 0-8 run which put Lokomotiv back ahead, 26-28. Gladyr and Malcolm Delaney exchanged three-pointers but Krunoslav Simon and Randolph allowed the guests to get a 32-35 edge at halftime. Delaney and Simon boosted Lokomotiv's lead to 32-39 right after the break. Ryan Reid and Simon exchanged baskets and a layup by Kurbanov made it a nine-point game, 34-43. Randal Falker and Benjamin Sene stepped up for Nancy and a layup by Valentin Bigote brought the hosts as close as 43-45. Maxim Kolyushkin hit a three-pointer and Simon gave Lokomotiv a 45-52 edge after 30 minutes. Duggins and Randolph traded triples early in the fourth quarter and a dunk by Pietrus gave Nancy within 50-55. Kee Kee Clark hit a three-pointer but Kurbanov struck twice from downtown in a 0-10 run which sealed the outcome, 53-65, in the next-to-last minute.