Zenit loses in the fourth match of the final series
Zenit lost to CSKA in the fourth match of the VTB United League final series, which took place in Moscow today. Read more about the last game in our report.
Zenit's starting five featured Okaro White, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich.
The game began with intense physical play. Both teams exchanged accurate shots and showed an evenly matched game. Early on, Zenit scored from long range: Andrey Vorontsevich and Okaro White — the team's leaders in this stat from the previous match — were accurate from beyond the arc. However, closer to the first pause, CSKA managed to pull ahead, building a comfortable 8-point lead thanks to several consecutive three-pointers. The first quarter ended 22:14 in CSKA’s favor.
After the break, the St. Petersburg side had a chance for a comeback. Zenit started the quarter well: Alex Poythress scored on a drive and a put-back, cutting the deficit to just 4 points. But then the hosts pulled away again. Mistakes by Zenit on both ends of the court allowed CSKA to extend their lead to 23 points by halftime — 48:25.
Coming out of the locker room, the Moscow team went on an 11:0 run, making it even harder for Zenit to get back into the game. In the remaining minutes, more playing time was given to Egor Ryzhov and Alexander Shcherbenev, who hit from beyond the arc and the free-throw line. The fourth quarter was the only one Zenit managed to win — 15:26. Shcherbenev, Zakharov and Vorontsevich were accurate from long range, while Poythress, Ryzhov and Bacon contributed from mid-range. The final score is 85:62.
Zenit's top performers today were Alex Poythress (13 points + 4 rebounds + 2 blocks + 1 steal), Alexander Shcherbenev (11 points + 1 rebound + 1 assist) and Andrey Vorontsevich (11 points + 8 rebounds + 3 assists + 2 steals + 1 block).
The next match of the final will be held on Friday, June 6. The fifth game of the series, which returns to St. Petersburg, will be held on the CSC Arena court. The match starts at 19:30 local time.
