Zenit's youth team defeats UNICS-2 twice at home
Zenit U21 played two home games against UNICS-2 as part of the regular season of the VTB United Youth League. The matches took place on February 4 and 5 at the Basketball Academy court and ended with victories for Roman Knyazev's team.
On the opening game day, the Zenit U21 players immediately seized the advantage, establishing a "+21" lead by halftime. The first match ended with a score of 85:58 in favor of the blue-whites team. The top scorers for Saint Petersburg were German Muschinskiy (12 points + 2 steals + 1 assist), Alexander Porotnikov (11 points + 5 rebounds + 5 assists + 2 steals) and Pavel Logunov (11 points + 3 steals + 2 rebounds + 1 assist).
The second game remained intense until the final buzzer. Both teams displayed a high level of competition throughout the match. In the last minute, the Kazan squad erased a 3-point deficit and took the lead. However, Semen Burinskiy calmly sank two free throws, securing the victory for Zenit U21 at 77:76. The standout players for the hosts in this game were Burinskiy (17 points + 4 assists + 2 rebounds + 1 steal), Alexander Porotnikov (11 points + 5 assists + 2 rebounds + 1 steal) and Ivan Vasiliev (10 points + 5 rebounds + 1 steal).
Currently, the blue-whites youth team holds 4th place in the VTB United Youth League regular season standings.
Roman Knyazev, Zenit U21 head coach:
As in our away games, the opponent gave us two very different emotional scenarios. I’m glad our guys once again held their ground and persevered in this battle. I’m especially happy for Ivan Vasiliev, who is returning after an injury and is getting back into shape. Also, Semen Burinskiy is regaining his game rhythm and helped us secure the win in the second game.
Semen Burinskiy, Zenit U21 guard:
The game was tough throughout all quarters. We struggled to secure rebounds on our own glass, and our communication in transition defense was lacking, which led to open three-pointers for the opponent. It’s good that we found the strength to push through and win in the end.
In the next round of the Youth League, Zenit U21 will host Pari Nizhny Novgorod-Junior on February 8 and 9 at the Basketball Academy court. Both games will start at 14:00 Saint Petersburg time. Entry is free for all fans, and each match will be streamed on the League’s website in the Zenit U21 schedule section.
