Zenit defeats Uralmash in second match in Serbia
Aleksander Sekulic’s team beat Yekaterinburg’s Uralmash in their second game at a preseason friendly tournament in Belgrade. The game ended 92:80 in favor of the Blue-White-Sky Blues. More details — in our report.
Zenit stopped Uralmash’s first attack, while Garrett Nevels and Anton Kardanakhishvili missed their chances to open the scoring. But Georgy Zhbanov once again, just like in the game against Maccabi, succeeded early — 2:0. The starting five this time: Dimitrijevic, Zhbanov, Zemskiy, Roberson and Martiuk. The next points came from the Russian center, battling under the rim — 4:0. Neno found Roberson with a pass from under the basket, and Andre soared into the air and laid the ball in. Zenit played confidently and broadly. It was clear that the game against the Israelis had benefited the team, and the work on mistakes was done quickly. Zemskiy scored, and Emchenko came off the bench to add more. The first five minutes ended 10:5, after Nevels finally hit a three. Poythress answered spectacularly: Alex dunked — 12:5. At that point, Uralmash had no choice but to take a timeout. Emchenko sank a beautiful basket after hanging in the air, then Alex added two more routine points under the rim — 16:7. Frazier tried a three but missed, while Poythress calmly made both free throws — 18:7. Timofey Gerasimov’s efforts at point guard weren’t enough to trouble Zenit. Poythress scored a 2+1, and the scoreboard showed 21:7! Then Vorontsevich nailed a three, leaving Uralmash shaken — 24:7. The hosts of the night, Zenit, couldn’t be stopped — 26:10 after the first quarter, with Alex scoring 9 and Vlad 6.
The second quarter began like a can opener slicing a tin — another 2+1 from tireless Alex Poythress. Then Shcherbenev made his first basket from mid-range — 31:14. The lead could have been larger, but Martiuk fumbled under the rim. At 31:18, Sekulic called his first timeout. In the second quarter, Zenit eased the pressure, and Uralmash seized the chance. After 15 minutes, the score was 31:24. Martiuk kept missing, while the visitors surged forward, spurred on by the fiery Rostislav Vergun. After Levi’s shot, Zhbanov battled the ball into the hoop — 33:24. With 2:35 left in the half, Sekulic called another timeout. Dalton’s three was answered by a long-range bomb from Neno and a one-handed dunk by Andre — 41:29, forcing Vergun into another timeout to stop the bleeding. The halftime score — 41:33, Zenit ahead.
The second half started with Roberson extending Zenit’s lead — 43:33, but Dalton immediately earned his favorite 2+1. Gerasimov fouled Levi under the rim, then Randolph hit a mid-range jumper — 45:36. Both sides traded blows in those minutes. Frazier still couldn’t get on the scoreboard — his shot just wasn’t falling. At one point, there was concern for Poythress when Tyrell clattered him under the rim, but he shook it off. Soon, the visitors cut the gap to five — 47:42. Then Zhbanov showed nerves of steel, sinking three straight free throws — 50:42. Emchenko followed with a steal and a perfect assist to Zhbanov on the break — 52:42. Emchenko then nailed a three, and Zenit’s lead grew again. When Poythress dunked and Emchenko battled hard under the rim, the gap stretched to 15. Vergun immediately called timeout to stop his team’s slump. Poythress then sent a slick assist to Zemskiy for an easy basket — 63:46. Dimitrijevic capped the third quarter with a deep three — 68:51. Going into the fourth, only Trent, Uzi and Karasev were yet to score.
The final quarter began with Uralmash on a 6:0 run. Kardanakhishvili and Dalton made three free throws each — 68:57. Martiuk’s woes under the rim continued. In less than three minutes, the visitors cut the gap to 8, and then just 6 after a fiery drive from red-haired Dalton. Uralmash was on fire — 71:65, with 6 minutes still left. Vergun’s eyes sparkled at the thought of a heroic comeback, but Oleg Akramov missed two crucial free throws! The coach immediately benched him, but Dalton soon went to the line again — 71:66. If not for the poor free-throw shooting, Uralmash could have been just one possession away. Dalton was their undisputed leader, but one man alone isn’t enough. Neno steadied Zenit with free throws, then added two more points — 79:70 with three minutes left. When Neno made yet another pair of free throws, it was clear there would be no nerve-wracking finish this time. Trent’s first points came at just the right moment to settle things for Zenit. Uralmash had nothing to be ashamed of after such a fighting performance on the banks of the Sava and Danube. Final score — 92:80 for Sekulic’s team.
Zenit’s best players on the night were Alex Poythress (22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists), Neno Dimitrijevic (20 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal), Vladislav Emchenko (11 points, 3 assists, 2 steals).
On September 16, Zenit’s first team will hold their traditional Media Day. As always, the main details and behind-the-scenes moments can be followed on the club’s official Telegram channel.
