Zenit-2 wins at home and extends the semifinal series
Oliver Popovic’s team led throughout the match and managed to keep their opponent at bay during a tense finish. A victory in Game 3 of the Fonbet Super League semifinals allowed the blue-whites to cut the series deficit to 1:2 in favor of the team from Revda. Here's a detailed breakdown of the game.
From the opening seconds on the court of the Basketball Academy, Zenit-2 lined up with Pavel Zemskiy, Ivan Prokopenko, Vladislav Samukhin, Daniil Aksenov and Mikhail Dulkay.
The hosts dominated the start of the game — a putback by Zemskiy and drives by Prokopenko and Dulkay put Zenit-2 up 6:0 early on. But soon Revda got on the board, with point guard Vladislav Ilinov finishing a strong drive. A tight battle ensued: Zenit-2 repeatedly built a lead, but Temp-SUMZ consistently fought back. This back-and-forth tug-of-war continued until the first-quarter buzzer, with Zenit-2 holding a 5-point lead — 23:18.
In the second quarter, the St. Petersburg team kept pressing their advantage. Popovic’s squad controlled the tempo and quickly built a 10-point lead. Akhmedov was reliable from the free throw line, while Prokopenko hit shots from both mid-range and beyond the arc. Despite pressure from the visitors, Zenit-2 maintained control. At halftime, the score was 47:36.
The second half opened with a burst from Revda center Nikita Ivanov, who drew fouls and converted an "and-one". But nearly everything that followed played into Zenit-2’s hands, triggering roars from the home crowd. Dulkay and Samukhin delivered big blocks, Prokopenko added a 2+1, and Zemskiy’s powerful slam dunk energized the arena, pushing the lead to 13. Temp-SUMZ needed another timeout. Zenit-2’s lead even stretched to 16 briefly, but the visitors rallied late in the third quarter to close the gap — 68:60 heading into the final 10 minutes.
A three-pointer from the visitors at the start of the fourth quarter cranked up the tension to maximum. Intense duels, fouls, blistering pace, and tough defense defined the final minutes. The game turned into a nail-biting clutch situation. In their final possessions, Temp-SUMZ had multiple chances to force overtime, but Zemskiy’s crucial "and-one" sealed the deal. Final score — 83:79.
Top performers for Zenit-2 were Pavel Zemskiy (18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block), Elkhan Akhmedov (16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Ivan Prokopenko (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal).
Game 4 of the semifinal series will also take place in St. Petersburg at the Zenit Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12). The game is scheduled for April 24 at 20:40 local time. Admission is free for all fans. A live broadcast will be available on the Russian Basketball Federation’s website.
