Zenit scores big home win over Uralmash
Xavi Pascual’s team claimed a confident victory over Uralmash in front of their home crowd. Here's a detailed recap of the 42nd round of the VTB United League regular season.
The starting five for the blue-whites included captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich. Meanwhile, the visiting team arrived without several key players — Octavius Ellis, Javonte Douglas and top scorer of the regular season Jeremiah Martin were not on the roster. Their absence undoubtedly affected the course of the game.
Right from the start, both teams engaged in a three-point shootout: Frazier, Bacon and Karasev scored for the hosts, while Belyankov, Dalton, and Kardanakhishvili answered for the guests. The scoreboard started to shift only due to Hunter’s accurate free throws. Midway through the first quarter, Uralmash briefly took the lead after an “and-one” by Kardanakhishvili and another three-pointer by Dalton. But the three-point festival didn’t end there — Frazier and Zhbanov (twice) hit from beyond the arc, helping Zenit regain control and go up by 8 points. Amid all the long-range shots, Alex Poythress stood out by dominating in the paint: scoring through contact, finishing after offensive rebounds and delivering powerful dunks. Denis Zakharov wrapped up the first quarter with a putback, giving Zenit a 33:23 lead.
In the second quarter, the same trends continued: long-range buckets and Poythress's dominance in the paint. Alexey Shved opened the quarter with a slick side-step three-pointer, and Poythress kept tearing up the guests’ defense, crashing the boards and attacking the rim. The lead grew to 15 points, prompting another timeout from Uralmash’s coaching staff, but their adjustments had little impact. Poythress continued to slash through the key, while Vorontsevich nailed back-to-back threes — Zenit’s run extended to 15:2! With a 23-point cushion, the home side eased up slightly, allowing a 7:0 run by the opposition. Still, after a brief pause, Zenit reasserted their dominance, controlling both the tempo and flow of the game. By halftime, it was 60:40.
The second half opened with a three-pointer from Kardanakhishvili — the young guard had his best game for Uralmash since joining the team, finishing with 17 points. However, his performance didn’t change the overall story: Zenit remained composed and cohesive, executing both defensive and offensive plans with precision. Their lead left no doubt about the outcome, and other moments took the spotlight — like an unsportsmanlike foul by Bacon or a technical on Uralmash’s head coach, Rostislav Vergun. A standout highlight came from Uralmash center Ilya Popov, who, after falling during a tussle, scored a two-pointer while sitting on the floor. Heading into the final quarter, Zenit had a comfortable 78:52 lead.
In the last ten minutes, the home team’s lead passed the 30-point mark as they cruised to their 18th straight win. Alexander Shcherbenev and Egor Ryzhov, who came off the bench, scored their first points of the match, meaning every Zenit player in the lineup contributed to the scoreboard. Final score — 96:66.
Zenit’s top performers were Alex Poythress (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), Andrey Vorontsevich (11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal), Dwayne Bacon (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and Okaro White (11 points, 5 rebounds).
Zenit will play their final home game of the 2024/25 VTB United League regular season on Wednesday, April 9, facing PARMA at CSC Arena. Tip-off is at 19:00 St. Petersburg time. Tickets are available at tickets.bc-zenit.com.
