Zenit loses to CSKA in the final seconds
Zenit fell to CSKA on the home court with a score of 84:85. The outcome of the main game of the VTB United League round was decided by a three-pointer from CSKA forward Anton Astapkovich in the final second. All the key moments from today’s match are in our report.
The team missed captain Sergey Karasev, as well as guards Trent Frazier and Neno Dimitrijevic. In their absence, Zenit’s starting five looked like this: Georgy Zhbanov, Levi Randolph, Alex Poythress, Andrey Vorontsevich and Vladislav Emchenko.
On the very first possession of the game, Alex Poythress opened the scoring with a dunk. The visitors responded with a drive by Livio Jean-Charles, and from that moment, a real shootout began. The game started at a high pace with no breaks. Both teams exchanged scoring attacks and constantly swapped the lead. Another dunk from Poythress and a three-pointer from Randolph increased the home team’s advantage to 4 points, prompting the CSKA coaching staff to call the first timeout. After a brief pause, the teams continued to play a tight contest. Toward the end of the opening ten minutes, Zenit delighted the fans with several three-pointers — Emchenko scored once, and Shcherbenev hit twice. The first quarter ended with a slim advantage for the home team — 25:24.
The next segment of the game initially seemed to follow the same rhythm, with a battle for every inch of the court. However, with the score at 32:33 in favor of CSKA, the St. Petersburg team went on an 11:0 run to take a double-digit lead. Poythress scored on fast breaks, Zhbanov was first to rebounds, Vorontsevich hit from beyond the arc, and Alex again twice successfully drove to the opponent’s basket. But they couldn’t maintain this gap until halftime — CSKA responded with a 7:0 run, and the teams went to the locker room with the score at 43:40.
After the break, Zenit’s scoring drought continued, while the Moscow side kept pressing and soon went ahead by 4 points. Zenit’s first points of the quarter came only near the end of the third minute, when Vladislav Emchenko made free throws. Then Alexander Shcherbenev stepped up again: first hitting another three-pointer, then drawing a defensive foul, and soon earning a foul in offense. His free throws, along with accurate shots from Andrey Martiuk, brought St. Petersburg back to a 5-point lead and helped stabilize the situation after a rough start to the half. The point difference fluctuated between 2 and 7 points, but the advantage remained with Aleksander Sekulic’s team. This continued until the final seconds: in the closing moments of the quarter, CSKA guard Antonius Cleveland tied the score and had a chance to put his team ahead but missed from the line — 60:60 going into the final ten minutes.
Zenit started the final quarter confidently: three three-pointers from Andrey Vorontsevich and free throws from Alex Poythress gave the team a 6-point lead. However, the visitors soon turned the game around and approached the end leading. But Zenit was not ready to give up. The evening’s hero, Alexander Shcherbenev, kept scoring — the guard had his most productive game in a Zenit jersey. With 43.7 seconds remaining, Vladislav Emchenko put St. Petersburg ahead, and the lead lasted until the very last second. But it was Anton Astapkovich’s long-range shot that decided the game. Final score — 84:85, with CSKA snatching victory at the buzzer.
Alongside Alexander Shcherbenev (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal), Zenit’s top performers today were Andrey Vorontsevich (16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) and Alex Poythress (16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block).
Zenit’s next VTB United League game will be on October 15, away against Samara. Tip-off is at 18:30 St. Petersburg time.
