Zenit crushes Enisey in an away game
Zenit secured a resounding victory over Enisey in an away match as part of the 39th round of the VTB United League regular season. Here's a closer look at the St. Petersburg team's impressive road win.
The starting five for Zenit featured Trent Frazier, Denis Zakharov, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich. Team captain Sergey Karasev missed the game.
From the very beginning, Zenit took the initiative, quickly establishing a comfortable 4-5 point lead. The starting players alternated with precise shots, confidently attacking from mid-range. Frazier and Bacon drove effectively to the basket, while Poythress and Hunter dominated the rebounds. However, Zenit struggled with three-point shooting in the first quarter, missing all five attempts. Despite this, the visitors led 14:22 after the opening ten minutes.
Both teams had a slow start in the second quarter, struggling to score. However, Zenit eventually found their rhythm from beyond the arc. Alexey Shved and Alexander Shcherbenev hit three-pointers, extending the lead to double digits for the first time. Maintaining control of the game’s pace and playing solid defense, the blue-whites built a 17-point advantage by halftime — 26:43.
The third quarter was Enisey’s strongest stretch of the game, as they edged Zenit 15:14 in the period. A key factor in this brief resurgence was the outstanding play of Dmitry Sonko, who would finish the game with 21 points — his career high. However, despite Enisey’s efforts, Zenit remained in control. The team’s three-point shooting percentage slightly dipped, but they still held a comfortable 41:57 lead heading into the final ten minutes.
Zenit erased any doubts about the outcome in the fourth quarter. Alex Poythress shined in offense, scoring from all areas — three-pointers, free throws, drives and second chance points. Their aggressive defense created opportunities for offense, and the lead quickly ballooned to "+21". Pavel Zemskiy capped off the performance with a powerful slam dunk, ensuring that every Zenit player who stepped on the court contributed points. The final score — 60:81 in favor of Zenit. This victory marked the team’s 15th consecutive win, tying the record from the 2016/17 season.
Zenit's top performers in the game were Alex Poythress (16 points + 4 rebounds + 2 blocks + 1 steal), Vince Hunter (14 points + 8 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 steal + 1 block) and Dwayne Bacon (11 points + 4 rebounds + 1 steal).
In the next round, Zenit will return to their home court for a high-stakes showdown against CSKA Moscow. The much-anticipated clash will take place on March 30 at CSC Arena, with tip-off at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.
