Youth team secures two wins in final road trip of the regular season

Zenit U21 wrapped up its final away series of the regular season against TSSP-Khimki-2. The VTB United Youth League games took place on March 28 and 29 at the Khimki Basketball Center.

The opening game started well for the blue-whites: after taking control of the first two quarters, the St. Petersburg team led by "+12" at halftime. In the final quarter, the hosts ramped up the pressure and came close to leveling the score, but the visitors held on for the win — 63:66. Zenit U21’s top performers in the first game were guards Semen Burinskiy (16 points + 5 assists + 4 rebounds + 1 steal) and Alexander Porotnikov (13 points + 8 assists + 1 rebound + 1 steal).

In the second game, Zenit U21 took a commanding lead early and finished with a comfortable margin — 56:76. The top contributors for Zenit were Mikhail Presnyakov (15 points + 8 rebounds + 1 block), Ivan Kasyanov (11 points + 7 rebounds + 2 steals + 1 assist) and Egor Evstafiev (11 points + 4 rebounds + 2 assists + 2 steals).

Following this round, the blue-whites retained their fourth place in the league standings with a record of 30 wins and 14 losses.

Roman Knyazev, Zenit U21 head coach:

The final road trip of the regular season was positive in terms of results, but I can't say the same about the quality of our play. At times, our defense looked solid, and the players executed the game plan well, causing plenty of trouble for the opponent. However, our offensive organization was lacking. We made mistakes in simple situations, which we must correct before the playoffs begin.

Zakhar Romashov, Zenit U21 guard:

We played two very different games. In the first, we underestimated our opponent a little, and although we managed to control the game, they closed the gap to a one-possession difference by the end. Fortunately, we secured the win. We learned from that game and made sure not to repeat the same mistakes in the second match, claiming a confident victory. Now we continue preparing for the final phase of the season, where every game will be crucial.

The youth team now looks ahead to its final home games of the 2024/25 regular season at the Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12).

In the next VTB United Youth League round, Zenit U21 will host Enisey-2. The first game is scheduled for April 4 at 14:00, with the second on April 5 at 16:30 (St. Petersburg time). The regular season will conclude with matchups against MBA-MAI-Junior on April 8 and 9.

Come support the blue-whites — admission is free!