Blue-White-Sky Blues hit the hundred mark and rout Avtodor at home
Zenit secured a convincing home victory over Saratov’s Avtodor — 105:79. The Round 24 regular season game of the VTB United League took place today in St. Petersburg. All the key moments from the clash with the Volga side are covered in the match report on the Blue-White-Sky Blues’ official website.
Zenit’s starting five featured Andre Roberson, Andrey Martiuk, Georgy Zhbanov, Levi Randolph, and Trent Frazier, who took the court today as Zenit’s captain.
The game opened at a measured pace, with long half-court possessions on both ends. After drives by Zhbanov and Roberson, the visitors responded with a 7:0 run, which was quickly met by a powerful Zenit answer: Martiuk converted an and-one, Frazier scored on a drive, and Randolph knocked down a three-pointer. Despite several scoring spurts from both sides, the contest remained evenly matched. Both teams allowed freedom on offense, leading to a high-scoring affair. While Zenit’s big men consistently put points on the board, Avtodor was carried by Malik Newman. The American guard poured in 17 points in the opening ten minutes alone, hitting five shots from beyond the arc. The first quarter ended level at 25:25.
After a short break, the three-point trend spread to other players: Zhbanov and Randolph traded long-range makes with Avtodor point guard Grigory Motovilov. Near the middle of the second quarter, Zenit went on a 10:0 run to build a double-digit lead. The guests answered with a made free throw by Hadzibegovic and a three from Evseev. With the scoreboard reading 41:35, Rostislav Vergun called his first timeout — and it worked. Zenit managed to extinguish Avtodor’s momentum early and stretch the lead to 11 points. Special mention goes to Luka Samanic, who kicked into turbo mode in the paint and scored a couple of crucial baskets. The half ended with two Avtodor turnovers that led to a Roberson drive and a Frazier three at the buzzer — 51:42.
In the third quarter, Zenit kept the opponent at a comfortable distance and executed nearly all of its offensive plans: Randolph completed a 2+1 and hit from deep, while Frazier and Samanic also added three-pointers. Avtodor, though unable to close the gap over these ten minutes, looked energetic but lost its leader — Malik Newman finished with 25 points and was forced to leave the court due to injury. Heading into the decisive quarter, the Blue-White-Sky Blues led 72:61.
At the start of the final stretch, the Frazier–Randolph duo scored 12 points in just a couple of minutes, bringing Zenit significantly closer to victory. Another timeout by the Saratov side had little impact on the flow of the game. Andrey Vorontsevich scored the hosts’ 100th point with a perfect shot from beyond the arc. The final score — 105:79.
Zenit’s top performers today were Levi Randolph (21 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, 1 rebound), Trent Frazier (20 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), and Georgy Zhbanov (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals).
On Sunday, February 1, Zenit will face Samara in Round 25 of the VTB United League regular season. The game will be played in St. Petersburg at CSC Arena, with tip-off at 13:00 local time. Buy tickets on the club’s website!
