«Nizhny Novgorod» Nizhny Novgorod, Russia vs. «Lokomotiv-Kuban» Krasnodar, Russia

Nizhny Novgorod defeated Lokomotiv-Kuban at home, 96-91. Despite trailing the entire contest, Loko mounted a comeback in the 4th quarter, cutting the deficit to five with over two minutes to play. Nizhny, however, hit several clutch 3's and converted at the free-throw line to preserve a very important win.

Recap
Ainars Bagatskis's club had already defeated CSKA and Khimki at home and looked to add another scalp on Sunday, hosting a red-hot Lokomotiv-Kuban squad.

The home team quickly built a double-digit lead, getting 11 points from Victor Rudd in the opening period. Loko briefly cut the deficit to two early in the 2nd quarter, led by Malcolm Delaney, but Nizhny remained in control at halftime, boasting a 43-35 lead.

Dmitry Khvostov kept Nizhny rolling after the break. The Russian national team point guard scored nine points in the 3rd quarter, helping the home team to a 15-point advantage.

Trailing by 16 points with seven and a half minutes to play, Lokomotiv shut down the Nizhny offense, limiting the home team to two points over the next five and a half minutes. A 3-pointer from Matt Janning made it a five-point game, 82-77, with 2:10 to play.

Turning Point
After Ivan Strebkov and Delaney traded jumpers, Nizhny got two huge 3's from Strebkov and Khvostov to push the lead back to eight.

Loko kept battling. Ryan Broekhoff's steal and subsequent free throws cut the deficit to four, before Janning made it a three-point game with seven seconds remaining.

But Nizhny didn't crumble under the pressure, inbounding the ball to Ivan Strebkov, who knocked down his free throws and sealed a 96-91 win.

Star Player
Dmitry Khvostov. The Russian guard played one of his best games of the season, finishing with a team-high 26 points on 10-12 shooting. He also played a huge role in Nizhny Novgorod's dominant 3rd quarter.

Stat of the Game
14-14 - neither team missed a free throw in the final 23 seconds.

Snapshot