Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar rallied from a double-digit deficit in the final 5 minutes to beat Dolomiti Energia Trento 97-95 at home in Group B on Wednesday. Lokomotiv improved to 5-1 in Group A while Trento dropped to 1-5.
McCollum rallies Lokomotiv past Trento, 97-95
Johnathan Motley led the winners with 33 points and 11 rebounds, Errick McCollum added 29 points and 13 assists, Darius Thompson scored 12 and Stanislav Ilnitskiy got 10 for Lokomotiv. Wesley Saunders and Desonta Bradford paced Trento with 18 points apiece, Diego Flaccadori added 17, Andrea Mezzanotte 16 and Jordan Caroline 13. Trento's led 66-74 after 30 minutes and 70-83 early in the fourth quarter before an outstanding McCollum rallied Lokomotiv to a 95-93 edge with 40 seconds remaining and Thompson sealed the deal with a critical steal.
Related Videos
Motley got Lokomotiv going with back-to-back layups and a dunk. Mezzanotte downed a six-meter jumper and Caroline scored down low to make it 6-4. Motley scored in transition and followed Thompson's driving layup with a dunk. Ilnitskiy soon struck from downtown for a 15-6 Lokomotiv advantage. After Flaccadori downed a jumper, Ladurner hit a jump hook and Saunders matched Motley's slam with a driving layup to bring Trento within 17-12. Caroline hit a triple and Saunders followed a jumper with a three-point play to give Trento its first lead, 19-20. Saunders hit a baseline jumper and Mezzanotte drilled a three-pointer to put the visitors ahead 23-25 after 10 minutes.
Caroline and Toto Forray each scored around the basket, which prompted Lokomotiv to call timeout at 23-29. Thompson ignited the crowd with a wild dunk-and-foul, but Caroline and Ladurner kept Trento comfortably ahead, 27-33. Ladurner matched Motley's layup with a dunk and Conti scored in penetration to make it 29-37. Motley stayed on fire with a dunk-and-foul and an alley-oop slam, but Conti scored in the paint and Flaccadori's three-point play boosted Trento's margin to double digits, 34-44. Ilnitskiy and McCollum each buried a triple before Motley added a layup. Mezzanotte struck from beyond the arc, but McCollum drew the hosts within 44-48 at halftime.
Saunders hit a jumper right after the break and got help from Mezzanotte and Bradford to establish a 44-54 Trento lead. Motley stepped up with a put-back dunk and Stanton Kidd bettered Bradford's floater with a triple. Motley banked in a close shot, but Flaccadori kept Trento in control, 51-58. Thompson dunked off a steal and scored in penetration. Flaccadori followed a jumper with a driving layup and Caroline added a fast break basket and a tip-in for a 55-67 Trento lead. Bradford kept pacing the visitors, however, McCollum buried a couple of three-pointers and added free throws to give Lokomotiv hope at 66-72. Saunders's layup fixed the score at 66-74 after 30 minutes.
McCollum buried a baseline jumper early in the fourth quarter and Kidd added a backdoor slam but Bradford struck three times from beyond the arc to boost Trento's margin to 70-83. Mezzanotte joined the three-point shootout, too. McCollum singlehandedly brought Lokomotiv within 76-86. After Saunders buried a jumper, Motley and McCollum got the hosts even closer, 81-88, with less than 4 minutes left. Kidd buried a triple and Motley added a jumper. Mezzanotte gave Trento fresh air at 86-91. McCollum struck from downtown and Ilnitskiy split free throws, Flaccadori scored in penetration for a 90-93 Trento edge. Ilnitskiy hit a three-pointer and McCollum buried a jumper that completed Lokomotiv's comeback, 95-93, with 40 seconds left. Thompson collected a critical seal and sealed the outcome from the foul line.