«Lokomotiv-Kuban» Krasnodar, Russia vs. «Zenit» St. Petersburg, Russia

Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar defeated Zenit St. Petersburg at home, 78-70. Kuban was dialed in defensively from the opening tip and gradually pulled away in the second half to secure a huge victory and improve to 8-5 in the standings.

Intro
Lokomotiv-Kuban entered the game in 7th place, but back-to-back wins in late December gave the team some momentum entering 2016. Zenit, meanwhile, was 8-1 and 3rd in the standings, but several frontcourt injuries left the team short-handed for Sunday's visit to Krasnodar. The visitors had also gone nearly two weeks without a game and risked showing some rust on the road.

Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev said prior to the game that his team's biggest challenge would be playing well in the opening minutes. His men must have taken his words to heart, as they forced several Lokomotiv turnovers and limited the Railwaymen to 13 points in the opening period.

Trailing by five, the home team got going in the 2nd quarter, led by Sergey Bykov. Lokomotiv scored 27 points in the period and led 40-39 at halftime.

Loko began to hit its stride in the 3rd quarter. Georgios Bartzokas's men held Zenit to 10 points (and forced seven turnovers). A 7-0 run to start the 4th quarter gave Loko a 15-point advantage, but Zenit answered with a 9-0 run of its own, including seven points from Ryan Toolson, to make it a six-point game.

Turning Point
With three minutes remaining, Janis Timma had a chance to cut the deficit to three, but his three-point attempt was blocked by Anthony Randolph, who went the other way and threw down a breakaway dunk. Soon after, Randolph added another dunk to push the lead to double digits. Zenit kept battling, but there would be no miracle comeback.

Star Player
Anthony Randolph. Loko's American big man was terrific all night and made several plays down the stretch that sealed the win for his team.

Stat of the Game
3 - Lokomotiv has won three straight in the league for the first time this season.