Second consecutive victory over CSKA
In the 29th round of the regular season of the VTB United League, a game between the local CSKA and Saint Petersburg's Zenit took place in Moscow. Xavi Pascual's players came to the capital for a win and showed their fighting spirit on the court of Megasport Arena. More details about this thrilling match in our report.
The starting lineup of Frazier, Karasev, Bacon, Hunter and Vorontsevich kicked off the game against the "army team" from the first seconds.
The hosts' opening attack ended with a foul by Vince Hunter on Livio Jean-Charles, who made his free throws and opened the score for the match. A little later, the French center committed a foul on Dwayne Bacon, who also was accurate from the free-throw line. But from that point on, the game gained speed, with both teams showing excellent shooting, and Trent Frazier started the match the best. The American guard of Zenit made a hook shot, a three-pointer, a 2+1, another long-range shot, and then drew a foul, converting both free throws — in just 4 minutes, he scored 13 points and gave his team a +6 lead. For a short time, CSKA managed to disrupt the rhythm of the blue-whites team and evened the score by containing the opponent’s offense. At that moment, Georgy Zhbanov appeared on the court, immediately making a powerful drive, and Alexey Shved, who was playing against CSKA for the first time after returning from China. Zenit's newcomer first made a beautiful alley-oop assist to Poythress, and then reminded fans of both teams how he shoots three-pointers. The St. Petersburg team regained their handicap and ended the first quarter with a buzzer-beater from Zрbanov, leading comfortably 19:29.
The next segment of the game began with a bit of confusion in offense from both sides, after which Hunter and Karasev’s baskets extended Zenit's lead to 14 points. This forced the coaching staff of Andreas Pistiolis to call a timeout, after which CSKA finally managed to get back into the game. After the break, Melo Trimble made his signature drives and went on an 8:0 run, drawing fouls on nearly every possession. CSKA’s successful series ended with a basket from Bacon, who broke the scoring drought for Zenit. One of the match's heroes, Trent Frazier, returned just in time, adding another drive and two more free throws after drawing a foul. All CSKA’s efforts were quickly negated by Zenit's offense, which restored a double-digit lead by halftime — 32:44.
After returning from the locker room, CSKA increased their intensity and started blocking more shots near their basket. In the early moments of the second half, the hosts executed several bright attacks, quickly cutting the deficit. However, after adjustments by the coaching staff during a timeout, Andrey Vorontsevich managed to open the scoring for his team in the new quarter, making two three-pointers. The game became like a rollercoaster ride. The teams took turns delivering bright segments, but it was clear that CSKA was starting to take control. The third quarter ended with a drive from Shved, and before the final quarter, Zenit led 50:56.
The final quarter knocked the guests off their feet when Ware and M'Baye hit three-pointers to even the score just over a minute into the quarter. However, the time had come for the St. Petersburg team. The perfect balance of defense and offense by Xavi Pascual’s squad allowed Zenit to go on a 13:0 run, which was undoubtedly the deciding factor in the game. Zhbanov, Hunter, Frazier, Bacon, Shved — all of them scored. In the final moments of the game, Zenit confidently secured the victory. The final score was 66:79.
The most productive players for Zenit today were Trent Frazier (27 points + 2 assists + 2 steals) and Dwayne Bacon (15 points + 7 rebounds + 2 assists + 2 steals). Team statistics: 51.3% two-pointers, 33.3% three-pointers, 100% free throws, 35 rebounds, 8 steals, 6 block shots.
In the next round of the VTB United League regular season, Zenit will host Enisey from Krasnoyarsk at the home court. The match will take place in Saint Petersburg at the CSC Arena on February 5. The game will start at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available at tickets.bc-zenit.com.
