Zenit falls to Lokomotiv Kuban in Krasnodar
Levi Randolph, who had recovered from injury, returned to the lineup. The American guard was immediately included in the starting five, alongside Vladislav Emchenko, Trent Frazier, Andrey Martiuk, and Andrey Vorontsevich.
The game opened with two made free throws by Trent, but the hosts quickly answered with a three-pointer from Anton Kvitkovskikh and a drive from Kirill Temurov. The game stayed close, though the Krasnodar team mostly led on the scoreboard. Kvitkovskikh’s effective play and a long three from Ivan Samoylenko put Loko up by six, prompting Zenit’s coaching staff to call an early timeout. After the break, Zenit went on an 8:2 run to tie the score — Karasev hit from deep, Shcherbenev converted a 2+3 play — forcing Lokomotiv to take a timeout of their own. Anton Yudin’s adjustments worked: the hosts quickly regained their cushion, closing the first quarter ahead 28:20.
In the second quarter, Lokomotiv Kuban continued to extend their lead, pulling away further. The gap reached as much as 19 points two and a half minutes before halftime. However, Zenit closed the half strongly — Emchenko and Martiuk scored from close range, and in the final minute, points came from the free-throw line. The teams went into halftime with the score at 46:36.
Zenit came out for the second half fired up and fully determined to stage a comeback. The turning point came midway through the third quarter, when Vorontsevich, Randolph, Shcherbenev, Karasev, and Frazier (twice) nailed six consecutive three-pointers, cutting the deficit to four. That run completely brought Zenit back into the game. Before the final quarter, Loko led 70:66.
But in the closing minutes, things went wrong again. Within just a few minutes, the Krasnodar team regained a double-digit lead and took control. In the final stretch, only Trent managed to score for Zenit, adding a driving layup and a three-pointer. The visitors couldn’t mount another push for victory. Final score — 89:80.
Zenit’s top performers: Trent Frazier (17 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 rebound), Levi Randolph (17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), Andrey Martiuk (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal).
In the next round of the VTB United League regular season, Zenit will host Moscow MBA-MAI at home. The game will take place on November 12 at the CSC Arena, starting at 19:30 St. Petersburg time. Tickets are available on the club’s official website.
