GREAT GAME IN KRASNODAR, MEGA SUPERBET FALL AFTER BIG FIGHT IN A TIGHT FINISH

Mega Superbet put up strong resistance against Lokomotiv Kuban in a very entertaining game in Krasnodar, but ultimately suffered a defeat in Round 5 of the Winline Basket Cup, 102–109 (32–31, 22–21, 28–33, 20–24).

Coached by Vule Avdalović, Mega played at a high tempo and matched the hosts throughout the contest, holding the lead after both the first and second quarters. However, despite a hard fight until the very end, they were unable to avoid defeat. Mega Superbet now holds a 2–3 record in Group A and will decide its Final Four fate in a direct clash with Parma Perm in the final round.

Notably, Lokomotiv and Mega set a Winline Basket Cup record with 63 combined points in the first quarter — the highest-scoring period in the competition’s history.

Bogoljub Marković led Mega with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists (27 PIR). Savo Drezgić added 14 points and nine assists, Urban Kroflič scored 16, Asim Đulović had 15, while Luigi Suigo and Kyrell Luc contributed 12 points each.

For Lokomotiv, Anton Kvitkovskikh scored 23 points, Jeremiah Martin added 20, Zakhar Vedishchev had 16, Vsevolod Ishchenko 13, and Kirill Temirov finished with 11 points.

From the opening tip, it was clear the game would be competitive. Played at a fast pace, the teams traded the lead before Mega took a 32–31 advantage after 10 minutes with a three-pointer by Srzentić. The second quarter followed a similar pattern — Lokomotiv briefly pulled ahead, but Mega responded through Drezgić and Marković to regain the lead, entering halftime up 54–52.

The battle continued after the break, with Mega building its first more significant margin midway through the third quarter (72–66). The hosts answered with an 8–0 run to retake the lead. The teams remained close until the end of the period, which Lokomotiv finished ahead 85–82 after a buzzer three.

Everything was decided in the final 10 minutes, where the Russian side established control and went up 98–89. Mega refused to give up and cut the deficit to four late, but lacked the strength for another comeback and ultimately fell short.

Mega Superbet will play its final Winline Basket Cup group-stage game on March 31, when it visits Parma in Perm.

Mega Superbet: Đulovic 15, Drezgić 14 (9 ast, PIR 24), Marković 17 (5 reb, PIR 27), Kroflič 16, Suigo 12 (5 reb), Milenković, Luc 12, Vukčević, Siby 4, Srzentić 9, Gačić 1, Mušicki 2

Lokomotiv Kuban: Johnson 8, Martin 20, Kvitkovskikh 23, Ishchenko 13, Popov 4, Moore 4, Temirov 11, Ryabkov, Vedishchev 16, Sheyanov 5, Konovalov 5

Photo: VTB League