Zenit-2 loses in the series for the bronze medal

The farm team of the blue-whites lost the third game in the bronze medal series of the 2024/25 Fonbet Super League. The match against Khimki, held today in St. Petersburg, ended in a 81:91 victory for the visitors, allowing the Moscow Region club to close the series with a 3–0 sweep.

Zenit-2's starting five: team captain Elkhan Akhmedov, Ivan Prokopenko, Ilyas Abdul, Mikhail Dulkay and Vladislav Samukhin.

The game began with a confident run by the visitors. Khimki opened with a 10:2 surge, securing a comfortable lead that they maintained throughout the first quarter. After a shaky start, Zenit-2 gradually settled into the game and began displaying solid positional basketball. One of the key players in this stretch was forward Mikhail Dulkay, who scored 8 points. At the first break, the scoreboard read 16:24 in Khimki’s favor.

In the second quarter, the St. Petersburg team responded with a run of their own and briefly took the lead. This was made possible by excellent three-point shooting — Khodorich, Akhmedov, and Aksenov (twice) all connected from deep. However, the teams went into halftime tied at 43:43.

After returning from the locker room, Khimki managed to regain control of the game and build a significant lead — a key factor in deciding the outcome. The duo of Mikhalev and Klyuchnikov essentially sealed the victory for their team, both in the match and in the bronze series. By the start of the final quarter, the scoreboard at the Basketball Academy showed 65:74 in favor of Khimki.

In the final ten minutes, Zenit-2 was unable to mount a comeback. Although the gap was just 5 points midway through the quarter, the win ultimately went to Khimki. Final score: 81:91.

Zenit-2's top performers on the court were Daniil Aksenov (18 points, 6 assists, 1 steal), Mikhail Dulkay (15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists) and Ivan Prokopenko (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals).

At the conclusion of the 2024/25 Fonbet Super League season, Zenit-2 finished in fourth place, repeating last year’s result. Compared to the previous season, the blue-whites improved their position in the regular season, also finishing fourth. In the semifinals, Oliver Popovic's team put up a strong fight against Temp-SUMZ, narrowly losing to the regular season champions in Game 5.

Additionally, Zenit-2 guard Ivan Prokopenko has been selected for the symbolic five of playoffs.

Thank you for the season, team!