Zenit falls to UNICS on the road
Zenit lost an away game to Kazan’s UNICS with a score of 88:75. The match took place as part of the 17th round of the regular season of the VTB United League. All the details of today’s game are in our report.
From the first seconds the Blue-White-Sky Blues lineup included Andrey Martiuk, Georgy Zhbanov, Levi Randolph, Neno Dimitrijevic, and Luka Samanic.
The first possession went to the hosts, but the scoring was opened by Randolph’s three-pointer. The accurate shot from the American guard of Zenit was met with a put-back from UNICS’ big man, Marcus Bingham. UNICS continued to score successfully while Zenit struggled in offense. A score of 11:3 on the board forced Aleksander Sekulic to call an early timeout. However, even after the break, the initiative remained with the greens, who occasionally extended their lead to double digits. Despite some bright highlights — Samanic’s dunk and Frazier’s three-pointer — the Blue-White-Sky Blues finished the first quarter trailing 23:14.
In the next stretch, Zenit took just three minutes to get back into the game. Trent caught fire and led the team to a comeback, scoring from the free-throw line, hitting two long-range shots, and adding a successful and-one. Adding a couple of three-pointers from Karasev and Samanis, the guests were now ahead 30:32. After that, the game continued in an even struggle with sharp attacks that repeatedly ended in precise shots. The first half ended with a put-back from Noah Vonleh, securing Zenit’s lead at halftime — 46:48.
The third quarter proceeded at a sluggish pace. The match was filled with many fouls and pauses due to controversial situations. Once the timer passed the midpoint, the hosts took control. UNICS took advantage of the moment and went ahead by seven points. Meanwhile, the Blue-White-Sky Blues continued to struggle offensively, and Aleksander Sekulic could no longer rely on Andrey Martiuk, who left the court due to foul trouble. By the start of the final quarter, the scoreboard showed 65:60 in favor of Kazan.
The decisive ten minutes began with an intense shootout. Samanic’s three-pointer was met with a close-range shot from Bingham. Luka added another drive, but UNICS responded effectively with a three-pointer from Pierre and a two-pointer from Bingham. Throughout the remaining time, Zenit sought the key to breaking through the opponent’s defense, but the gap only widened, and the victory remained with the hosts. Final score — 88:75.
The top scorers for Zenit today were Luka Samanic (20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), Trent Frazier (19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), and Noah Vonleh (10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block).
On December 23, the Blue-White-Sky Blues will play their last match of 2025 in the group stage of the WINLINE Basket Cup. The game against Bosnian team Igokea will take place in Saint Petersburg on the court of K\CSC Arena. The game starts at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available on the club’s website.
