The blue-whites win at home, the score in the series is 3-2
The fifth game of the VTB United League semifinal against Lokomotiv Kuban ended in a confident victory for Zenit, with a score of 93:80. Xavi Pascual’s team controlled the game for most of the time and took the lead in the series again — 3–2. The key moments of today’s victory are in our report.
From the first seconds on the home court, Zenit’s starting five featured Georgy Zhbanov, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich.
The match began with Zenit having a clear advantage. Early on, Bacon and Hunter scored a couple of accurate two-pointers to open the score. The visitors responded with a dunk from Andrey Martiuk, who was left alone in the paint. The opening minutes were tense and balanced: Zenit would pull ahead, then Lokomotiv would even the score. A significant run came midway through the quarter, as several three-pointers gave Zenit an 8-point lead, prompting Lokomotiv’s coaching staff to call the first timeout. The standout figure of the first 10 minutes was undoubtedly Dwayne Bacon — it had been announced before the game that he was named the MVP of the VTB United League regular season. The newly crowned MVP was on fire, scoring 12 points in the first quarter alone. However, this semifinal series has already shown that no lead is safe. Lokomotiv made adjustments that helped them even things out — 22:21 in Zenit’s favor by the end of the period.
The high intensity of the opening quarter carried over into the second. The pace slowed, with more physical battles and fouls. But Zenit’s fast breaks picked things up again. A series of quick attacks ending in threes from Zhbanov, Vorontsevich, and Frazier (twice), plus another drive from Bacon, gave Zenit a comfortable double-digit lead — "+11". At that point, the main task was maintaining the balance between offense and defense to prevent Lokomotiv from clawing back. However, play on both ends of the court became somewhat erratic. A barrage of threes and a few drives allowed the "railroaders" to close the gap — 48:43 at halftime.
By the halfway mark, two key duos had emerged for both teams. For Zenit, Bacon and Frazier had 16 points each. For Lokomotiv, Miller and Cleveland led the charge with 13 points apiece. The second half would determine which of the stars could carry their team to the finish.
The third quarter mirrored much of the previous two. Zenit maintained control, breaking down Lokomotiv’s defense with sharp attacks, while their aggressive defense kept Kuban’s offense at bay. Until the sixth minute of the quarter, the visitors only scored from the free-throw line. By the time Lokomotiv finally made a field goal, the deficit had grown to 12 points. Despite a spirited effort from the resurgent guests, Zenit kept their lead intact heading into the final stretch — 72:61.
In the final ten minutes, the blue-whites didn’t let up. Poythress delivered signature dunks, Hunter scored on drives, and Frazier was everywhere on the court, battling with Bacon for top scorer honors. Lokomotiv’s final push fell short, and the victory stayed in St. Petersburg. Final score — 93:80.
Zenit’s top performers were Dwayne Bacon (30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Trent Frazier (29 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) and Vince Hunter (11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks).
The VTB United League semifinal series now returns to Krasnodar. Zenit is just one win away from the finals. On Monday, May 19, our team will play Game 6 against Lokomotiv Kuban. Tip-off is at 20:00 St. Petersburg time.
