By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Three three-pointers by Dontaye Draper and Malcolm Delaney, in the last minute of the game, helped Lokomotiv Kuban beat Panathinaikos at home (76-67). This was the third win for the hosts in group E (3-1), whereas the visitors suffered their third defeat (1-3).
For the winners, Draper scored 20 points, on 6 for 8 from the three-point range, both a personal best in Euroleague, with Delaney adding 14 points and six assists. On the other hand, James Feldeine had 13 points and five assists for the losing squad, as three more players scored in double figures.
Lokomotiv Kuban made an explosive start to the game and immediately earned a double-digit advantage (12-0). However, Panathinaikos played better on both ends of the floor and went on a 2-14 run to tie the game (14-14). Things didn’t change much later, with the first quarter ending in a draw (22-22).
The Greens continued to execute very well, both offensively and defensively, managing to take a 12-point lead (24-36), behind a 2-14 run. The Russians, though, turned things upside down in the last three minutes of the first half, as they went on a 14-3 run to cut the deficit to just one point, after 20 minutes in the game (38-39).
In the second half, the hosts regained the lead (50-45, 53-48) and retained it until the end of the third quarter, with the visitors, though, managing to remain as close to their opponents as they could (53-51). In the fourth quarter, the situation remained the same, as both teams hit consecutive three-pointers (67-64).
In the remaining minutes, Sasa Djordjevic’s players missed crucial field goals, while three three-pointers by Draper and Delaney, in the last 70 seconds (76-67), let Giorgos Bartzokas’ team seal the deal, as the Greeks were unable to make a come-back.