By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar needed a win with a 12-point margin or more to seal its 7DAYS EuroCup quarterfinals berth and so they did, after beating Dolomiti Energia Trento 100-86 on the final day of the Top 16 stage on Wednesday.
The Lithuanian duo of Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mantas Kalnietis took charge to pace Loko to this victory that helped them through the quarterfinals round. Kuzminskas had a season-high performance with 26 points and 9 rebounds and floor general Kalnietis dropped 21 points and 10 assists along with 4 rebounds for Evgeny Pashutin’s squad.
.@MantasKalnietis teams up with @MKuzminskas for the smooth fastbreak alley-oop!@lokobasket #7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/eLT2ZTuOvo
— 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) March 10, 2021
Nigel Williams-Goss added 13 points with a major fourth-quarter contribution, including this crucial three-pointer:
Lokomotiv Kuban needed to beat Trento by least 12 points in order to advance to the EuroCup playoffs. They won 100 – 86.
Here’s Nigel Williams-Goss hitting the big triple in crunch time. pic.twitter.com/VcKB1tYilO
— Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) March 10, 2021
Jacorey Williams dropped 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Trento, while Victor Sanders had 27 points, as the team will now have to wait for the final game of Group F (Partizan vs. Boulogne) later on Wednesday to determine its fate.
Boulogne Metropolitans 92 sealed the second and final ticket for the quarterfinals after edging Partizan NIS Belgrade 75-70 after an intense battle to conclude Top 16 action. A historic win for the French club that made it through for the first time in its history to also clinch the top spot of the group.
Anthony Brown paced Jure Zdovc’s squad with a big-time performance of 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, David Michineau tapped 14 points and Lahaou Konate had 10 points.
RaShawn Thomas led all Partizan scorers with 20 points and 6 rebounds and Joshua Perkins tapped 10 points.
Photo: EuroCup