Zenit-2 earns a win in the first match of the Russian Cup quarterfinal
Zenit-2 defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod 84:83 on the home court in the first match of the Gazprombank Russian Cup quarterfinals. The Blue-White-Sky Blues held the initiative from the opening minutes, gradually increasing their lead, which at one point reached 17 points. However, in the final quarter the visitors managed to significantly cut the deficit. All the highlights are in our match report.
Zenit-2 starting five: Daniil Ginko, Egor Evstafiev, Ilya Krivykh, Ilyas Abdul, and Ivan Prokopenko.
The opening was very tight. In the first minutes of the game, the Blue-White-Sky Blues ran effective half-court offenses that consistently ended with shots. Even when the ball missed the target, the hosts often secured the rebound, followed by a three-point attempt: by the middle of the quarter, Krivykh, Prokopenko, and Evstafiev had each hit a three. Zenit-2 center Vladislav Samukhin also played effectively in the paint, breaking through to the basket several times. Pari NN, despite opening the scoring, more often found themselves playing catch-up, at one point trailing by five points. However, toward the end of the ten-minute stretch the game evened out: Nizhny Novgorod’s Kirill Popov looked strong, scoring 9 points in this segment, and the teams went into the first break with the score at 23:20.
In the second quarter, the game initially continued at an even pace with chances at both ends, but after another series of three-pointers by Ginko, Prokopenko, and Evstafiev, the Saint Petersburg side managed to take their first double-digit lead of the night. Nizhny Novgorod responded to this surge with a run of their own: Karpenkov, Hunter, and Washington cut the gap to a single possession. Then, like a roller coaster, another wave of attacks followed, and Zenit-2 once again began to build their advantage. By halftime, Oliver Popovic’s team led by eight points — 49:41.
After returning from the locker room, the Blue-White-Sky Blues tried to keep their opponents at arm’s length, and they succeeded brilliantly. Thanks to smart play on both ends of the court, Zenit-2 not only maintained their lead but extended it to 17 points. Pari NN, meanwhile, struggled offensively and made mistakes on defense. Before the final quarter, the scoreboard at the Zenit Basketball Academy read 74:57.
However, in the final ten minutes, the Volga side bounced back and managed to cut the deficit to the minimum. The difference in class showed: the VTB United League team immediately began scoring points, and the hosts’ cushion gradually melted away. Solid free-throw shooting, baskets by Hunter and Baburin, and Platunov’s three-pointer on the final possession helped Pari NN neutralize a large deficit ahead of the second quarterfinal match. The final score was 84:83 in favor of Zenit-2.
The top performers for the Blue-White-Sky Blues today were Ivan Prokopenko (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal), Egor Evstafiev (18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist), and Ilya Krivykh (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist).
The return game of the quarterfinal against the VTB United League club will take place on January 28 in Nizhny Novgorod. The game will be played at the Meshchersky sports complex and will tip off at 19:00 Saint Petersburg time.
