Zenit -2 will play in Vladivostok
The Primorye team is Zenit-2’s closest competitor in the standings. Dynamo currently sits in fifth place with 15 wins and 9 losses, just one spot below the St. Petersburg side.
The end of January and the beginning of February were a real test for Eduard Sandler’s team. Dynamo played six consecutive away games. Wins against BARS-RGEU and Barnaul were bright spots in this series, but four consecutive losses to Loko, Tambov, CSKA-2 and Novosibirsk set the Vladivostok team back in the standings.
In the remaining part of the regular season, Dynamo will play most of its games at home, including the upcoming clash against Zenit-2.
The key offensive force for the hosts is their trio of leaders: guards Ivan Strebkov (14.2 points, 4.9 assists per game) and Anton Ponkrashov (14.1 points, 3.7 assists), forward Vyacheslav Grachev (13.9 points), who is also the team’s top rebounder (5.5).
The teams will meet again after the international break. In the first-round matchup, Zenit-2 claimed a hard-fought victory with a score of 85:78. The St. Petersburg team managed to overcome a 15-point deficit in the final stretch, giving them a 3-2 edge in head-to-head encounters.
Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popovic on the match against Dynamo:
We are playing against a very experienced team that has strengthened with several players. They have ambitions to climb the standings, and they have the quality to do so. Unfortunately, we will be playing without the injured Dulkay and Krivyh. This will be one of the toughest away games.
The match will take place on February 27 at Olympiets sports complex and will start at 12:15 St. Petersburg time. The game will be streamed live on the Russian Basketball Federation’s website.
