Zenit seals the win in the final moments of the home game against BETCITY PARMA
The Blue-White-Sky Blues defeated Perm’s BETCITY PARMA at home with a score of 82:79. The game took place as part of the 7th round of the VTB United League regular season. Read on for a full report of a matchup that kept the intrigue alive until the very last second.
Zenit started the game more than confidently: in the very first possession, Alex Poythress opened the scoring with a close-range finish. Joining him in the starting five were Trent Frazier, Andrey Vorontsevich, Vladislav Emchenko, and Levi Randolph, who both quickly drained three-pointers. The visitors responded to Zenit’s long-range shots with accurate twos from their young guns — Lev Svinin and Gleb Firsov. However, Zenit showed no signs of slowing down, and a quick 3+2 burst from Frazier forced the visitors to call their first timeout of the game. For a while, the situation on the court remained largely unchanged: Zenit’s advantage continued to grow, and a three-pointer from Vorontsevich made it a double-digit lead. A pleasant surprise for Zenit fans came midway through the first quarter — team captain Sergey Karasev made his return to the court after being sidelined for over a month with an injury. Yet, PARMA managed to swing the momentum before the first break: the two Adamses — Brendan and Jalen — combined for 7 straight points, significantly cutting into the deficit. The first quarter ended 26:18 in favor of Zenit.
At the start of the next stretch, Brendan Adams and Sergey Karasev exchanged long-range baskets, but overall it was clear that Aleksander Sekulic’s team was in control. Before long, the Blue-White-Sky Blues restored their double-digit lead and maintained it thanks to efficient plays from Shcherbenev and Martiuk — 48:36 at halftime.
The third quarter began with both sides trading mid-range shots. However, it soon became evident that the visitors came out of the locker room looking fresher. A 10:0 run by PARMA in just a few minutes cut the gap to a single possession, forcing Zenit to call a timeout. After Sekulić’s adjustments, the home team regrouped and started finding the basket again — Martiuk and Shcherbenev each added two-pointers. Andrey kept his rhythm from mid-range, helping Zenit restore a comfortable "+8" lead. It seemed that the hosts had found their balance between offense and defense, but closer to the buzzer, PARMA managed to claw their way back. Heading into the final quarter, the scoreboard at CSC Arena showed 61:58.
The ending promised to be fiery. Gleb Firsov and Alexander Zakharov quickly put PARMA ahead — the visitors were now in front. Zenit responded with a three-pointer from Pavel Zemskiy. The tension and intensity were at their peak; the teams traded baskets and leads, refusing to give in. PARMA made a strong push with an 8:0 run, but Vorontsevich stopped the drought by hitting another three-pointer to the roar of the crowd. The Ural team answered with a deep shot from Sanders, but then Zenit turned up the heat — Shcherbenev scored on a drive, and Frazier nailed a three-pointer. With 2 minutes and 1 second left and the score tied at 75:75, PARMA head coach Evgeny Pashutin called a timeout. However, the clutch moments belonged to the hosts. PARMA’s final two three-point attempts, which could have forced overtime, missed their mark. The final score — 82:79.
The top performers for Zenit were Andrey Martiuk (19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block), Trent Frazier (19 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals), Alexander Shcherbenev (8 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds), and Andrey Vorontsevich (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal).
Zenit’s next VTB United League game will be an away fixture in Krasnoyarsk against Enisey on November 1, starting at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.
The next home game in the WINLINE Basket Cup will take place on November 5, when Aleksander Sekulic’s team faces UNICS Kazan. Tip-off is at 19:00, and tickets are available on the club’s official website.
