Zenit will face UNICS in the final of the Kondrashin and Belov Cup
Following the first game day of the Vladimir Kondrashin and Alexander Belov Cup, held in St. Petersburg on September 8-9, the finalists and third-place contenders of the tournament have been determined.
In the first semifinal, which opened the fifth edition of the Cup honoring the legends of Leningrad basketball, UNICS faced BETCITY PARMA. For most of the game, the Kazan team maintained the lead and did not allow their opponents to pull ahead. The game ended 76:63 — UNICS advanced to the final, while PARMA will fight for bronze.
However, St. Petersburg fans were, of course, more interested in the outcome of the second semifinal. By the time Zenit faced Dynamo Primorye — the tournament debutant — more and more spectators had filled the stands of the CSC Arena, ensuring strong support for the Blue-White-Sky Blues.
Zenit’s starting five in their first official match of the season were Trent Frazier, Georgy Zhbanov, Alex Poythress, Andrey Vorontsevich and Vladislav Emchenko.
The game began with a three-point play from Dynamo guard Daniil Aksenov: the former Zenit-2 player drove to the basket and drew a foul from Trent Frazier. The hosts answered with two free throws from Alex Poythress, after which Georgy Zhbanov stepped into the spotlight. In just 30 seconds, the forward blocked a shot, missed a three-pointer, but then stole the ball and scored a layup. Early on, both sides showed sharp attacks and an even contest. Toward the end of the first quarter, Dynamo pulled ahead thanks to two long-range shots from Aksenov. However, Zenit captain Sergey Karasev cut the gap just before the buzzer with a driving layup, setting the score at 17:21.
In the second quarter, Zenit increased the pace, erased the deficit, and within minutes went up by nine. The gap steadily widened, and all of Zenit’s registered players made it onto the court, many of them scoring before halftime. Among those to hit shots were newcomers Neno Dimitrijevic, Dmitry Uzinskiy and Levi Randolph. Fans were especially excited to see accurate shots from 19-year-old Zenit’s Basketball Academy player Ilya Krivykh — his first official appearance for the senior team. By halftime, the scoreboard read 52:36 in favor of the hosts.
After the break, Zenit fully controlled the game. The third quarter ended evenly (20:20), but in the final ten minutes the difference in class between the teams became clear. Zenit quickly extended their lead to over 30 points and confidently marched toward their first triple-digit score of the new season. The team’s 100th point was made by Pavel Zemskiy with a three-pointer. The final score was 104:63.
Zenit’s top performers of the night were Neno Dimitrijevic (17 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal), Alex Poythress (13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and Trent Frazier (12 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals).
For the third time in a row, Zenit will meet UNICS in the final of the Kondrashin and Belov Cup, while Dynamo will face PARMA in the battle for bronze.
Both games will take place tomorrow, September 9, at the CSC Arena. The third-place game will start at 16:30, and the final at 19:30.
Tickets for the second game day are available on our website.
