Zenit reached the semifinals of the VTB United League

The blue-whites team confidently defeated PARMA away in the third game of the quarterfinal series and became the first team to reach the semifinals of the 2024/25 VTB United League season. More about Zenit's 23rd consecutive win in our report.

From the first seconds on the court at the Molot arena, the team from St. Petersburg was represented by captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich.

At the beginning of the game, the main weapon for the St. Petersburg team was long-range shooting. Almost all players from the starting five confidently attacked from beyond the arc: Bacon and Frazier made two three-point attempts each, while Vorontsevich hit three times. Until the middle of the quarter, the Perm team kept up with their opponents, actively scoring, but then Zenit pulled ahead, and by the end of the first quarter, they had a significant advantage — 15:32.

The second quarter was more competitive and ended with a one-possession difference (19:21). Vince Hunter and Alex Poythress dominated in the paint, while PARMA's forward Samson Ruzhentsev gradually began to find his rhythm and eventually became the game's top scorer with 32 points. By halftime, the scoreboard at the Molot showed 34:53 in favor of Zenit.

In the second half, the St. Petersburg team returned with the starting five and finally settled the issue of the winner. Frazier and Bacon continued to effectively attack from beyond the arc, while Vorontsevich played confidently in the paint. Solid defensive play allowed them to contain PARMA, who had their least productive quarter. Before the final 10 minutes, the guests' lead reached almost 30 points — 48:77.

The last quarter was claimed by the Ural team, but Zenit confidently brought the game to victory without taking unnecessary risks. The final score was 74:91 in favor of the St. Petersburg team.

The best players on the court for the blue-whites were Dwayne Bacon (27 points + 7 assists + 4 rebounds + 2 steals), Trent Frazier (15 points + 2 assists + 1 steal), Vince Hunter (12 points + 11 rebounds + 1 block) and Alex Poythress (12 points + 3 rebounds + 1 steal).

In the semifinals, Zenit will face the winner of the Lokomotiv Kuban vs. Uralmash matchup. The game schedule will be published later.