Zenit loses at the end of the first match against CSKA
Zenit suffered a loss to Moscow’s CSKA in the opening game of the 2024/25 VTB United League finals. Despite overcoming a 20-point deficit during the match, Xavi Pascual’s team couldn’t close it out, and the visitors secured the win in the final stretch. Here are the key moments from the game.
Starting five for the blue-whites: team captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich.
The game kicked off with an intense battle for every inch of the court. Vince Hunter opened the scoring in Zenit’s first possession and was arguably the most effective player for the hosts early on. The American center stood out on defense, dominated the boards, and added another drive to the basket. However, CSKA kept up the pace and went on a run that gave them a 7-point lead. This forced Xavi Pascual to call a timeout before the fourth minute had even ended. After some adjustments, Zenit began to settle down. Dwayne Bacon scored his first points with a three-pointer and a strong drive. Still, CSKA continued to extend their lead, while Zenit struggled with shot conversion. The first quarter ended 13:30 in favor of the visitors.
The second quarter began with a three-pointer from Alexey Shved. CSKA’s lead remained substantial, at one point reaching "+20". Their tough defense left little room for inside play, forcing Zenit to rely on outside shots. Sergey Karasev got his first points with a three, followed by another from Andrey Vorontsevich, trimming the deficit to 15 points. This mini-run led CSKA’s coaching staff to call a timeout. After the break, CSKA managed to disrupt Zenit's offensive rhythm. The game turned scrappy, with frequent stoppages and fouls. Toward the end of the quarter, Zenit found some momentum: Zakharov scored both from deep and on a drive, White added a put-back with a bonus free throw, and Zhbanov had a chance to bring the deficit to 10 but missed at the buzzer. The teams went into halftime with CSKA leading 36:48.
Coming out of the locker room, Zenit launched a comeback. Thunderous dunks fired up the home crowd: Hunter slammed one down, and Zhbanov did it twice. Even a timeout by Andreas Pistiolis couldn’t slow the hosts. Zhbanov followed up with a three-pointer, and within three minutes, Zenit had cut the deficit to just 5 points and fully re-entered the game. From that point on, the rest of the third quarter at CSC Arena was evenly matched, with both teams exchanging scoring runs. One of Zenit’s standouts during this phase was Okaro White, who helped carry the team forward. Heading into the final quarter, the score was 60:66.
The final ten minutes couldn’t have started better for Zenit. Dwayne Bacon took center stage, leading the team to erase the deficit and take the lead. The American forward attacked the basket with confidence, hit two three-pointers, and showed no signs of slowing down. Even after a timeout by CSKA, Bacon kept hitting shots from mid-range and long range, and Zenit found themselves up by five. What followed was a tense, back-and-forth finish. Slowly, momentum shifted to CSKA, and clutch plays in the final possessions sealed the victory for the visitors. Final score — 80:82.
Top performers for Zenit were Dwayne Bacon (28 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Okaro White (15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) and Vince Hunter (9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals)
Game 2 of the VTB United League finals will take place the day after tomorrow, May 29, once again in St. Petersburg at CSC Arena. Tip-off is at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available on Zenit’s official website.
