The AS Monaco basketball team suffered another loss in the 7DAYS EuroCup as they hosted the visiting Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar at their home court of the Salle Gaston Medecin on October 28. The previous game saw Monaco lose their three-win streak to Bologna on October 21 but as the visiting side, the Roca Team now hold a 3-2 record in the European championship.
The game quickly became out of hand for the hosts right from tip-off as Lokomotiv’s Andrei Martiuk combined a couple of three pointers and a lay-up to produce a 3-8 lead. Over the two first quarters, Monaco kept the pressure up as every member of the team contributed with a selection of deep threes, lay-ups and put backs. However, this wasn’t enough to bridge the gap in the scoreline that was created in the earliest moments of the game as the score stood at 34-44 at halftime.
The second half didn’t start too well for the red and whites either, as Lokomotiv extended their lead to 36-55. Then, Monaco team captain Dee Bost kicked off an 11-2 scoring run with a clean three from deep, with Mathias Lessort contributing a lay-up and a put-back slam. As the score stood at 47-57, the hosts had every right to remain hopeful but Lokomotiv came back harder.
The beginning of the fourth quarter saw the guests nail a couple of crucial three pointers to stay comfortably ahead at 56-69. The next few minutes saw Lokomotiv extend their lead to 58-75, a scoreline that only increased in range as the game came to a close with a final score of 72-88.
The Roca Team will now move on from their home loss as they prepare to face off against MoraBanc Andorra at home again in a battle of the principalities wherein the red and whites will surely be keen to redeem themselves.
Featured image courtesy of @ASMonaco_Basket on twitter, Monaco Head Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic discusses strategy with his team
