"This victory was very important to us": Popovic and Zemskiy after Game 3

Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popovic summed up Game 3 of the Fonbet Super League quarterfinals against Novosibirsk, which ended in an 80:88 victory for the blue-whites.

I think this is a very interesting matchup — it’s art against youth. Today we won, and I believe it was deserved. Novosibirsk had a very good three-point percentage. But we still came out on top and allowed fewer points than we did in the second home game. This is only the second step. To reach the semifinals, each team needs to take three steps. I congratulate Novosibirsk on a good game today. I can say it’s a pleasure to play here: the arena was full, and the atmosphere was excellent.

St. Petersburg forward Pavel Zemskiy also commented on the away win. In the game, he recorded a double-double with 34 points and 11 rebounds.

It was a great game, I think both for the fans and for us. This victory was very important to us. Everyone — both on the court and on the bench — gave 100%, everyone supported each other. We managed to win thanks to our aggressive defense and quick transitions.