«Bisons» Loimaa, Finland vs. «Lokomotiv-Kuban» Krasnodar, Russia

Bisons pulled off the upset at home, defeating Lokomotiv-Kuban in Loimaa, 70-68. The visitors struggled on offense, especially from the perimeter, trailing by as much as 15 points in the second half. A late surge cut the deficit to two points, but Bisons held on for the win, their first victory of the season.

Intro
Less than a year ago, Bisons shocked the league with an 82-77 victory over Lokomotiv-Kuban in Helsinki. Krasnodar won the rematch in April to even the series.

The Bison defense paralyzed Lokomotiv early, forcing the visitors to rush their shots and finish the first half with a measly 31 points. The home team was much more efficient, scoring 39 points to secure an eight-point advantage at halftime.

Bisons continued to dominate in the 3rd quarter. Paul Hill's '3' at the 6:36 mark made it 49-34. Despite a Lokomotiv-Kuban comeback, Bisons remained in front by seven at the end of the period, leading 55-48.

With less than two minutes to play, Bisons enjoyed a 69-61 advantage and had two chances to make it an 11-point game, but 3-point attempts from Mikko Koivisto and Martin Zeno missed the mark.

Lokomotiv took advantage. Five quick points from Malcolm Delaney cut the deficit to three...and after Martin Zeno went 1-2 from the free-throw line, Victor Claver made it a two-point game, 70-68, with 21 seconds to go.

Turning Point
Lokomotiv forced a Ronald Clark turnover on the ensuing possession, giving the Railwaymen a chance to tie or win the game at buzzer. Malcolm Delaney had a chance to be a hero, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark, allowing Bisons to escape with a much-needed win.

Star of the Game
Martin Zeno. The American leads the way for Bisons on offense and defense. Even a missed free throw in the final minute couldn't negate his impact as he finished with 15 points.

Stat of the Game
34. Bisons scored 34 points off the bench, 10 better than Lokomotiv.

Quotes
Bisons head coach Greg Gibson:
- I'm proud of my guys. We had lost three straight close games. Today, Delaney had to shoot a tough contested shot and we deserved to win. I trusted my guys and they didn't let me down.

Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Georgios Bartsokas:
- You can't underestimate anyone in the VTB United League. There are a lot of reasons for this loss, but no excuses. On Friday against Zalgiris, five of our guys played sick and it's only been 48 hours since then. Still, we had to be ready mentally and physically for the game. Everyone could see that we weren't ready. Now our main goal is to completely reboot for our next game.

Stats