The farm team loses in the first match of the Fonbet Super League semifinals

Zenit-2 loses to Temp-SUMZ in the opening game of the Fonbet Super League semifinals, which took place today on the opponent's court. Here’s everything you need to know about the first game against the Revda team in our report.

Pavel Zemskiy, Ivan Prokopenko, Egor Ryzhov, Daniil Aksenov and Mikhail Dulkay started match from the first seconds. 

At the start of the match, Zemskiy confidently pushed his opponents around in the paint: first, he made an impressive drive to the basket to score the first points, then earned and successfully converted free throws. The hosts responded with two accurate long-range shots. Early in the game, both teams played cautiously, gradually finding their rhythm. However, the pace was slowed down by frequent stoppages and fouls — in the first quarter, both teams combined for 20 free throws. Towards the middle of the first quarter, Zenit-2 managed to pull ahead by "+7", but then their offense faltered. The hosts took advantage of this, not only leveling the score but also pulling ahead. The first quarter ended in favor of Temp-SUMZ — 24:20.

In the second period, the blue-whites struggled to set up their offense on the opponent’s half. The Revda team solidified their lead, maintaining an advantage between 5 and 9 points. Despite tight defense and effective drives from Kryvyh, Prokopenko and Abdul Zenit-2 failed to narrow the gap by halftime — 38:31.

The second half followed a similar pattern. The St. Petersburg team tried to turn the game around, but Temp confidently controlled the game, not allowing the gap to close — 61:48 by the end of the third quarter. In the final period, Aksenov and Zemskiy hit from behind the arc, and Prokopenko was especially helpful in set plays. Unfortunately, the lead remained with Revda. The final score of the first match of the semifinal series was 85:71.

The most productive players for Zenit-2 today were Daniil Aksenov (23 points + 4 assists + 3 steals + 1 rebound), Pavel Zemskiy (17 points + 12 rebounds + 3 steals + 1 assist) and Ivan Prokopenko (15 points + 3 rebounds).

The team, coached by Oliver Popovic, will play again in Revda the day after tomorrow, April 18. The second match of the series will start at 16:00 St. Petersburg time. The broadcast will be available on the website of the Russian Basketball Federation.