«Lokomotiv-Kuban» Krasnodar, Russia vs. «Krasny Oktyabr» Volgograd, Russia

Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar defeated Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd at home, 81-63. Kuban picked up a double-digit advantage in the opening period and had no trouble protecting the lead, cruising to an 18-point win. With the defeat, Oktyabr is officially eliminated from the postseason hunt.

Recap
The visitors started aggressively, boosted by Vasily Zavoruev's five points in the first two minutes. For much of the 1st quarter, Oktyabr hung tough, knotting the score at 14-14 with a little under three minutes to play thanks to Jerry Jefferson's three-point play.

But Lokomotiv gradually wore the visitors down, finishing the period on a 12-2 run, capped by Anthony Randolph's dunk.

The home team controlled the tempo in the 2nd quarter. Despite only scoring 15 points, Loko added to its lead, enjoying a comfortable 41-29 edge at halftime.

Loko's master-class on defense continued in the second half. Krasnodar opened the 3rd quarter on a 21-2 run, limiting Volgograd to two points in the first eight minutes of the period.

Leading by 31, the Railwaymen cruised over the final 12 minutes, bringing in several reserves, including local product Igor Kanygin. With the 81-63 win, Krasnodar keeps the pressure on UNICS in 2nd and eliminates Oktyabr from the playoff chase.

Star Player
Anthony Randolph. Loko's American forward led all scorers with 18 points, in addition to his four rebounds and four steals. The big man also drew eight fouls.

Stat of the Game
50 - Viacheslav Zaitcev moved into the league's top-50 all-time in scoring, catching Loko guard Sergey Bykov, who didn't play in today's game. Zaitcev has scored 674 points in league competition.

Quotes
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Georgios Bartzokas:
- We picked up another very valuable win today. Three days ago we had a very tough game in the Euroleague and I'm happy that the team managed to enter this game with the right attitude. I'm thankful to the players for the approach they took today on the court. We continue to pursue our goals, but there are a lot of tough games ahead of us.

Krasny Oktyabr head coach Kirill Bolshakov:
- Lokomotiv-Kuban demonstrated incredible defense today. I understand that the team is playing in two competitions, but the motivation for today's game was higher than might have been expected. They defended well and didn't let us play our best. Our subpar offense in the first half also let us down. But the way that Lokomotiv-Kuban played in the first five minutes of the 3rd quarter was simply phenomenal. That's essentially when the outcome of the game was decided.

Snapshot