Euroleague Basketball
Photo: Euroleague Basketball

Juan Carlos Navarro turned back the clocks to force overtime, then Anthony Randolph switched them back to the present.

Randolph scored 28 points, including 10 in the extra session as Lokomotiv Kuban evened the Euroleague Playoff series at 2-2 with a 92-80 win over Barcelona to force a deciding game five.

Victor Claver, who has been quiet throughout this series, posted 17 points and 10 rebounds and Malcolm Delaney amassed 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a well balanced Kuban scoring attack.

“I’m just glad we made shots at the end and we got the win,” Randolph said.

“Hopefully we can get a win at home and go to the Final Four. The team, all year we fought and just found way to win and tonight was the same thing. We just gotta get one more. It was tough; they have great players. Any given night somebody can have a good game for them. It’s hard to gameplan for them. We just got lucky tonight.”

The deciding game five will be in Krasnodar, Russia next week.

Lokomotiv aimed to have the game wrapped up in regulation, but with less than three seconds remaining, Navarro connected on a step back jumper to even it up at 76-76. Delaney had the opportunity to snatch victory but he missed his effort at the buzzer.

Randolph though was not to be denied. He pushed the visitors into the lead, and then single-handedly made the game safe – hitting a three-pointer gave Kuban an 11-point cushion with just under two minutes left – as he turned to the Kuban bench with his hands in the air in celebration.

“I think we did a serious game today,” said Lokomotiv Kuban coach Georgios Bartzokas. “We controlled everything that we needed, we should do.

“And finally we have the players with the personality that decided the result. Although we won in overtime, and the momentum was with Barca, we saw character and personality, we saw mental toughness which is very important now for this level.”

Navarro led the hosts with 19 points.