Zenit-2 steals overtime and beats Tambov on the road

Zenit-2 secured a hard-fought away victory over Tambov in the 12th-round match of the FONBET Super League regular season. The game ended 87:89 in favor of the Blue-White-Sky Blues.

The starting five of Ginko-Evstafiev-Samukhin-Abdul-Prokopenko gave the Petersburg team an excellent 10:0 run at the start of the match. However, after a timeout, the home team rallied and quickly neutralized this deficit. While Tambov seized the initiative, Zenit-2, on the contrary, failed to convert their chances and committed turnovers. The first quarter ended 20:16. 

The next segment of play began with a precise three-pointer from Evstafiev. However, the difference on the scoreboard continued to grow. The "wolves" found their rhythm and reached an 11-point lead by the midpoint of the quarter. The Blue-White-Sky Blues needed to regroup to cut the deficit, and they managed to do so before the main break. In just a few minutes, Oliver Popovic's team erased the home team's advantage: Samukhin was accurate from the free-throw line, Krivykh added a drive to his scoring from the line, and Rodionov and Evstafiev successfully attacked from beyond the arc. By halftime, Zenit-2 was already ahead — 40:37.

The third quarter was a battle of equals with intense pressure. Neither team allowed the other to make a significant run, and before the final ten minutes, the score was tied at 56:56. In the fourth period, the opponents continued to exchange sharp attacks and take turns leading. However, at one point, the Blue-White-Sky Blues managed to create a solid advantage thanks to long-range shots: Rodionov, Evstafiev, and Prokopenko were again accurate from beyond the arc. A nine-point lead seemed like excellent support for a final victory, but Zenit-2 couldn't hold onto it. Tambov, specifically point guard Artem Orekhov, took control of the end of the quarter, scoring 9 points in the last 1 minute and 23 seconds to send the game into overtime.

In the additional five minutes, either team could have won. However, Tambov failed to capitalize on their chance, and the Blue-White-Sky Blues secured the victory with a putback from Evstafiev. The final score was 89:87.

In this match, Egor Evstafiev set a new career-high at the professional level, scoring 27 points. The Blue-White-Sky Blues forward made 7 of 11 three-point attempts (63.6%).

Before the final games of 2025, Oliver Popovic's team sits in sixth place in the standings.

Home games against Chelyabinsk's CBK and Magnitogorsk's Metallurg will take place on December 25 and 28 at the Zenit Basketball Academy court (Severnaya Road, 12). Both games start at 19:00 St. Petersburg time.