Zenit-2 loses in second semifinal away game

Oliver Popovic’s team suffered a defeat in a tense ending to the second away game of the Fonbet Super League semifinal series. The match against Temp-SUMZ was inconsistent, with frequent lead changes, but the final victory went to the team from Revda.

Zenit-2’s starting five: Pavel Zemskiy, Mikhail Dulkay, Daniil Aksenov, Ivan Prokopenko and Vladislav Samukhin.

The first points of the game came from Dulkay, who successfully finished a drive after Samukhin’s rebound — second-chance points opened the scoring. Temp immediately responded with an and-one play from Nikita Ivanov. The game started at a high pace, with both teams exchanging fast-paced attacks. Scoring drives from Zemskiy and Prokopenko were matched by similar plays from Samoylenko and a three-pointer from Ivanov, who was active from the opening minutes. The lead shifted back and forth until Zenit-2 began steadily building an advantage. By the end of the first quarter, the St. Petersburg side pulled ahead by nine points, forcing the Temp-SUMZ coaching staff to call a timeout. After the break, the hosts calmed the game down a bit and managed to reduce the gap. The first ten minutes ended 24:19 in favor of the blue-whites.

However, the teams couldn’t maintain the same rhythm in the second quarter. A flurry of fouls and frequent pauses disrupted the flow, which played into the hands of the Revda team. The hosts quickly tied the game by making a series of free throws. Gradually, the momentum shifted in their favor, and they began to control the game, maintaining a narrow lead. Despite accurate shots from Pavel Zemskiy, this segment went to Temp-SUMZ, who led 44:39 at halftime.

After the break, every successful possession became more valuable. Both teams began hitting from beyond the arc — Levshin and Ilyin for Temp, Prokopenko and Zemskiy for Zenit-2. Oliver Popovic’s team managed to even things up and briefly took the lead, but the Urals side responded with a scoring run. The closing minutes of the third quarter belonged to the St. Petersburg team: scoring from close range by Prokopenko, a precise three-pointer from Akhmedov, and an emphatic dunk from Samukhin gave Zenit-2 a 68:64 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The game continued to swing back and forth, with constant lead changes and intense competition. In the decisive fourth quarter, the hosts once again erased the deficit and pulled ahead. In the closing minutes, Zenit-2 missed several open shots and failed to mount a comeback. The final buzzer sealed Temp-SUMZ’s win — 85:78.

In today’s game, Zenit-2 guard Ivan Prokopenko set a new personal scoring record, finishing with 27 points and 3 rebounds.

The series now heads to St. Petersburg. Game 3 will take place on April 22 at the Zenit Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12). Tip-off is at 18:00 local time, and admission is free.