"Ventspils" makes it hot for "Lokomotiv", loses in a tense game

Ventspils played the game without their forward Artjoms Butjankovs, but also the hosts were one man short as the point guard Malcolm Delaney also wasn’t playing. It was some sort of a balance on both ends. There were a bit more than 2000 fans who came out to support their team on its first home game.

Starting fives:
Ventspils: Chatman, Ate, Barnies, Grazulis, Grant
Lokomotiv: Miles, Voronov, Brown, Kurbanov, Randolph

The first two points of the game were made by Troy Barnies making his free throws, but the hosts quickly responded with 3-pointers by Derrick Brown and Anthony Randolph and another four points, suddenly leading 10:2, forcing the guests to take a time-out. It did not have the wanted effect on the spot, but the game improved steadily. At first both team scored but then suddenly guests made an eight point run. The sudden take-off ended with a three pointer by Artis Ate that made hosts to take a minute.

Ventspils successful game had its continuation and both teams could have gone into the break with the scored tied. Unfortunately, everything happened a bit differently. In the last chance to attack the basket of the hosts Zanis Peiners made a three pointer but the officials were sure that the player had stepped out of the bounds. In addition hosts got the chance to end the quarter with an impressive and effective response – Richard Hendrix made a slam dunk in the last second, extending the lead to five points – 22:17.

At the beginning of the second quarter the teams were playing a steady and even calm game but all of a sudden three “Ventspils” turnovers changed the score not in its favour, the hosts were leading by 9, 29:20 and could have gotten even further away but they didn’t. The hosts’ run was stopped by the second three-pointer by Maris Gulbis. Even though the Kuban’s team led by 10 points, at the end of the half-time the team of Roberts Stelmahers were able to come closer when Davis Lejasmeiers made another three-pointer but soon afterwards scored two points in transition. The end of the half-time – hosts leading by seven points 39:32.

The hosts started the second half-time with an aggressive game in the defence causing Ventspils big problems and extending the lead with each successful move. BK “Ventspils” had major difficulties to take a good shooting position even if the team tried not force the events with some crazy baskets from the long distance but there was no reason to be proud of the shooting percentage in them, either. In the middle of the quarter Gulbis scored a truly crazy three-point shot, then some time after Lejasmeiers added another three points being far away from the line, then Chatman scored straight after coming off the bench. The American was precise to the point when passed the ball to Jeray Grant who scored in the last second of the quarter. After 30 minutes the score was quite impossible as the hosts were leading by just by one single point – 51:50.

At the end of the second minute of the fourth quarter Bazarevich took a time-out as Ventspils have scored seven points and was leading by six points (57:51). After the time-out Aaron Miles scored a three point shot, as well as the hosts started to play one-on-one. Ventspils started to have problems with stopping the offence of the hosts, fouls were made and in the middle of the quarter Krasnodar’s team is leading, at first by one (58:57), then by five (62:57)... Ventspils score wiggled a bit when Akselis Vairogs made his free throws with a bit more than three minutes to play – 59:64.

Nevertheless, Latvian champions guaranteed an intense ending of the game against such a fierce and seemingly terrifying rival. Latvian team was even able to fight for a victory but the hosts played better and more determined in the decisive moments of the game. After all of the struggle BK „Ventspils” fell to „Lokomotiv” by 12 points, 60:72. It seems there is nothing to be happy about but there is anything to be ashamed about, either!

ULEB EuroCup, F group
Lokomotiv – Ventspils 72:60 (22:17, 17:15, 12:18, 21:10)
Lokomotiv: Randolph 17 (10r), Brown 14, Hendrix 10, Miles 9, Voronov 9, Simon 5, Kurbanov 4, Grigoryev 2, Zukov 2, Kolushkin
Ventspils: Gulbis 13 (6r), Chatman 8 (8ass, 6r), Lejasmeiers 8, Vairogs 7, Grant 7, Barnies 6, Ate 5, Meiers 4, Peiners