Zenit wins at home in the first game after the break
The blue-whites team confidently defeated Astana in the home game of the 33rd round of the regular season of the VTB United League. This game was Zenit's first after a long pause for international matches.
From the first seconds of the match, the home team's starting five included captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich.
The game began with Zenit's possession, but Hunter's first shot was off target. The visitors opened the scoring with a mid-range shot from Daniel Utomi, however in the next attack, our captain responded with a three-pointer. After that, the tempo of the game slowed down a bit, and both teams experienced a "scoring drought" for a while. The Zenit players continued to attack actively from beyond the arc, and soon Bacon hit his three-pointer. In the middle of the first quarter, Astana's guard T.J. Starks, who had recovered from an injury, returned to the court for the first time since September. His return was spectacular: he immediately led a 5:0 run, assisting Galin Smith twice. The Kazakhs kept up a high pace and applied serious pressure on Zenit's defense. At the end of the quarter, they managed to take a 5-point lead, which forced coach Xavi Pascual to call his first timeout. In the final minute, Alexander Shcherbenev hit a three-pointer to reduce the difference to a single possession — 17:19.
In the second quarter, the Petersburg team drastically increased their speed and quickly took the lead thanks to a 2+1 from Okaro White. Zenit then took control of the game: a three-pointer and a mid-range shot by Alexey Shved, as well as a powerful drive by Hunter, helped the hosts take a 7-point lead. Confident defense, several steals, and block shots allowed the blue-whites team to maintain their advantage. Soon, Xavi Pascual's squad extended the lead to double digits. At the end of the quarter, Trent Frazier, who had been named the MVP of February in the VTB United League before the match, hit a three-pointer. At halftime, Zenit had a comfortable 45:34 lead. The Petersburg team demonstrated excellent shooting: 60% on two-pointers and 50% on three-pointers, while Astana's percentages were 46.2% and 25%, respectively.
After the break, the game continued at the same pace. Both teams fought for every ball, literally battling for the court. The fans in the stands were treated to some great plays: Bacon, Hunter, and Karasev thrilled them with impressive drives, and the captain also added another accurate three-pointer. The visitors were not giving up, not allowing the hosts to extend the gap. The duo of Motovilov and Utomi continued to score confidently, but towards the end of the third quarter, Zenit increased their offensive output. Shved and Frazier hit three-pointers, and Bacon scored from mid-range, allowing the blue-whites team to increase their lead to "+18". At the end of the third quarter, the score was 66:48.
In the final quarter, Zenit confidently brought the game to a win, increasing the lead to 23 points. Trent Frazier, as usual, was flawless from beyond the arc and also made a perfect pass to Alex Poythress for a dunk. This segment of the game was also memorable because Andrey Vorontsevich scored his points — the game against Astana was his 400th appearance in the VTB United League. The final score was 86:63.
The most productive players for the blue-whites team today were Dwayne Bacon (17 points + 6 rebounds + 2 assists), Trent Frazier (14 points + 5 assists + 1 rebound), Sergey Karasev (11 points + 4 rebounds), and Alexey Shved (11 points + 7 assists).
Zenit's next game will take place on Wednesday, March 5. The match against Samara will also be held in St. Petersburg at the CSC Arena. The game will begin at 19:30 St. Petersburg time. Tickets are available at tickets.bc-zenit.com.
