Zenit routs Samara, extending their winning streak to three games
The Blue-White-Sky Blues confidently defeated Samara on their home court. The game of the 14th round of the VTB United League regular season ended with a score of 95:56.
Before the matchup with Samara, Aleksander Sekuliс’s players had secured road victories during a long tour across the Balkans and the Urals. It’s no joke — before this game, the reigning league silver medalists last played at home on November 18, when they steamrolled Nizhny Novgorod. Since then, they suffered an away defeat to CSKA, had a long traditional break for national team games, and claimed victories over Igokea in the in-season Cup and Uralmash in the regular championship.
Before facing Zenit, the Volga side had yet to experience a single win this season, so the hosts absolutely could not afford to underestimate an opponent hungry for at least some local success. Sekuliс, for his part, noted beforehand that Samara had become noticeably stronger compared to the start of the season. His words were echoed by Neno Dimitrijeviс, who pointed out the visitors’ mobility. Such statements added intrigue ahead of the head-to-head meeting.
In the final moments of the opening minute of the first quarter, Andrey Martiuk opened the scoring with a mid-range jumper. Then he, Dimitrijevic, and Levi Randolph combined for a 7:0 run. Samara needed almost four minutes to get on the board thanks to Nikita Mikhaylovsky. Zenit played freely and effortlessly, much to the delight of the crowd. Noah Vonleh showed his full potential by delivering his first official dunk under the roof of Arena CSC. The quarter was capped by a three-pointer from Vladislav Emchenko, who had missed Zenit’s previous game.
In the second quarter, the Volga team performed more effectively, but Zenit did not intend to slow down. Andrey Vorontsevich hit a three-pointer — 32:18. Soon after, Sekulic called a timeout, and Alexander Shcherbenev responded with a long-range shot. Near the end of the quarter, Randolph showcased his sharpshooting skills — 40:22. Overall, the ten-minute stretch was marked by a methodical bombardment of the visitors’ basket.
After halftime, Zenit continued their assault. Sekulic’s players produced a 9:0 run. Vladislav Konovalov was forced to stop the game, but he couldn’t quite free his players from their stupor. The hosts dismantled Samara with visible ease, while Luka Samanic kept scoring and pulling down rebounds under his own rim. After thirty minutes, Zenit led 69:38…
Finishing the match confidently was a formality. Zenit fell just short of reaching triple digits — 95:56. In just three days, on December 13, Sekulic’s team will host a much more formidable opponent from Krasnoyarsk. In the autumn, Enisey defeated Zenit at home, so the Blue-White-Sky Blues fans are surely eager to witness a convincing revenge. Tickets are available on the club’s website.
