Zenit loses to Lokomotiv Kuban on the road
Georgy Zhbanov, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich were on the court from the opening seconds.
Zenit started the game with intensity. After allowing the hosts to open the scoring in their first possession, the blue-whites shut down access to their rim and scored 6 unanswered points. However, the Saint Petersburg team quickly accumulated 4 team fouls, allowing Loko to get to the free-throw line more often and eventually tie the score. By the middle of the quarter, Zenit once again asserted their claim to the lead: Vorontsevich and Karasev hit from beyond the arc, Frazier was accurate from mid-range, Poythress dunked, while Zhbanov and Hunter delivered powerful blocks — the visitors went up by 8. Antonius Cleveland came to the aid of the "railroaders". The American guard cut into the deficit with a three-pointer and a couple of free throws. The first break came with Zenit leading 15:20.
After the break, Zenit continued to make the most of their offensive opportunities. White found open looks, and Hunter and Shcherbenev scored easily from mid-range. However, Cleveland remained a major factor for the hosts. With his team down by 9, he sparked another comeback by Lokomotiv Kuban: the hosts quickly cut the deficit to a one-possession game. Then the match turned into a rollercoaster. Zenit responded with a run of their own: an "and-one" by Hunter, a deep shot from Zhbanov, a driving layup by Frazier — the lead stretched to 8 again. How did Loko respond? With 7 straight points from Whaley. The high-paced, intense first half ended with a scoring burst from the visitors — the scoreboard showed 37:44 in Zenit’s favor.
At the start of the third quarter, the same key players continued to shine. For Zenit, Hunter and Zhbanov led the charge, while Cleveland kept Lokomotiv in the game, preventing Zenit from pulling away. An unexpected problem for the "railroaders" was their free-throw shooting — in this quarter, they converted only 9 out of 15 from the line. The blue-whites, on the other hand, played confidently thanks to the experience of their leaders. Shved and Karasev each hit a three, and then combined on a two-man play — Alexey with the assist, Sergey with the finish. This style of play prevented the hosts from closing the gap significantly, though Cleveland’s buzzer-beater from midcourt made it 58:64 heading into the fourth quarter.
The next quarter began with another three-pointer from White. But then Lokomotiv Kuban made a decisive run. Vedischev’s team scored 13 points while allowing just a single free throw from Zenit. With Krasnodar up by 3, Alexey Shved came through in the clutch, tying the game with a timely three-pointer. The final moments were intense: the lead changed hands several times, Hunter made a heroic layup, but then fouled out. Coaches took turns calling timeouts. The tight battle led to overtime — 78:78. In the extra five minutes, Lokomotiv Kuban ultimately secured the win. The X-factor was Patrick Miller’s performance — the Krasnodar guard scored 14 points in the crucial moments of the game. Final score — 96:88.
Zenit’s top performers were Vince Hunter (15 points + 6 rebounds + 2 blocks + 1 steal), Trent Frazier (12 points + 9 assists + 1 rebound + 1 steal) and Alexey Shved (6 assists + 3 rebounds).
The semifinal series now returns to Saint Petersburg. Game 5 will be played on Friday, May 16, at the CSC Arena. Tip-off is at 19:00 local time. Tickets are available on our website.
