By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
By defeating Cedevita 85 – 60 on the road, Lokomotiv Kuban advanced to the EuroCup Top 16, eliminating the Croatian team in the process.
This result also allowed Buducnost an automatic qualification in the quarterfinals, following their double-overtime 106 – 105 win over Trento in Italy.
Loko extended its EuroCup winning streak to the almost hard-to-believe 14 – 0 thanks to Trevor Lacey’s 15 points plus the all-around effort by Dmitry Kulagin who finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Demetris Nichols and Andrija Stipanovic had 13 points apiece for Cedevita that didn’t manage to deliver against one of the title contenders of the competition.
As for Buducnost, a pair of free throws by Danilo Nikolic with no time remaining in the second extra period sent the Montenegrins to the EuroCup playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Nikolic finished with 15 points while Nemanja Gordic notched a brilliant combination of 23 points plus 7 assists and Nikola Ivanovic scored 20 for Buducnost.
Trento fought hard but lost in the details, despite Otto Forray’s 24 points plus Dominique Sutton’s 15 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
Group G Standings
| GROUP G | W | L | PTS+ | PTS- | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOKOMOTIV KUBAN KRASNODAR | 4 | 0 | 319 | 255 | 64 |
| BUDUCNOST VOLI PODGORICA | 3 | 1 | 301 | 291 | 10 |
| DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTO | 1 | 3 | 300 | 330 | -30 |
| CEDEVITA ZAGREB | 0 | 4 | 271 | 315 | -44 |