Blue-whites secure a hard-fought victory in Yekaterinburg

Zenit pulled off a comeback win against Uralmash in the 38th round of the VTB United League regular season. Trailing for most of the game, the blue-whites managed to turn the tide late in the third quarter. This victory marked the 200th win for Xavi Pascual as the head coach of the St. Petersburg team.

Zenit’s starting five: team captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Alexey Shved, Vince Hunter,and Andrey Vorontsevich.

The opening possession belonged to the hosts, and the league’s top scorer, Jeremiah Martin, immediately put Uralmash on the board. His drive sparked a 7:0 run, while Zenit’s first points came from Alexey Shved, who made a spectacular move to the basket. The visitors briefly slowed Uralmash’s momentum, but the home side soon picked up the pace again — accurate shots from Douglas and Ellis stretched their lead to 11 points. Zenit struggled offensively, but late in the first quarter, key plays by Frazier, White and Poythress helped them cut the deficit to 17:9.

The blue-whites came out with a different mindset in the second quarter. Gradually chipping away at the lead and tightening up on defense, they worked to seize the initiative. That’s when the D-factor kicked in — Dwayne Bacon drove to the hoop four times in a row, bringing Zenit back into the game. However, Uralmash didn’t let up, as Martin and Ellis continued to apply pressure. The game resembled a rollercoaster — each time the hosts pulled away, the visitors clawed back. Zenit got as close as possible at the end of the first half when Shved hit a mid-range jumper, followed by Okaro White draining a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 36:34.

After the halftime break, Zenit kept up the chase. The visitors played aggressively, tying the score multiple times but struggling to take the lead. Shved was putting on a phenomenal display — hitting three-pointers, capitalizing on second-chance points and sinking his free throws. But the key push came from Zenit's foreign stars — Bacon knocked down back-to-back threes in the final minutes of the third quarter, and then Trent Frazier drilled a deep buzzer-beater to finally give Zenit the lead, 58:59, heading into the final stretch.

In the decisive fourth quarter, the blue-whites never let go of their advantage. Consistent scoring and disciplined defense allowed them to keep Uralmash at a 3–5 point distance while maintaining control of the game. Midway through the period, clutch performer Georgy Zhbanov scored his first points of the night with a deep shot, followed by a two-pointer from Bacon, extending Zenit’s lead to "+8". With each passing minute, it became clear: victory belonged to St. Petersburg. Final score — 67:81, marking Zenit’s 14th consecutive win.

Top performers: Dwayne Bacon (23 points, 2 steals, 1 rebound), Okaro White (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) and Trent Frazier (12 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal).

Zenit will play their next match again on the road. They face Enisey in Krasnoyarsk on March 26, with tip-off at 15:30 St. Petersburg time.