Zenit secures convincing victory in Kazan

Zenit defeated Kazan’s UNICS on the road with a score of 75:82. The match was part of the 30th round of the VTB United League regular season. The key moment of the game came with a strong run by the Blue-White-Sky Blues at the start of the second half, after which the victory was never in doubt. Here’s a closer look at today’s clash in the capital of Tatarstan.

From the opening seconds, Zenit’s lineup featured captain Trent Frazier, Andrey Martiuk, Georgy Zhbanov, Vladislav Emchenko, and Luka Šamanić, who returned from injury.

The match began with an exchange of three-pointers: Zenit responded to baskets from Dmitry Kulagin, Paris Lee, and Jalen Reynolds with accurate long-range shots from Emchenko and Frazier. However, Zenit’s offense soon stalled, and the Kazan side took a solid lead — 15:6. After a timeout, the Blue-White-Sky Blues reacted perfectly and began to gradually close the gap. Šamanić and Frazier hit from long range, Uzinskiy scored under the basket, and Roberson paired with Emchenko to make successful drives. Under Dejan Radonjić’s guidance, Zenit quickly returned to contention — 24:22 at the first break.

At the start of the next quarter, Xavier Moon scored 5 points to put Zenit ahead for the first time today and later assisted Roberson on another basket, prompting a UNICS timeout. After adjustments from their coach, the greens stabilized the game. Until halftime, the contest remained tightly fought, with the lead changing hands several times — 37:38 at the break.

Zenit started the second half very strongly. Second-chance points from Martiuk and a fast-break basket from Zhbanov forced Velimir Perasović to call a timeout within the first minute. But this was just the beginning. Two consecutive three-pointers from Frazier, combined with scoring from the big men, extended the St. Petersburg run to 14:0. This stretch proved decisive in the match. Zenit never relinquished their lead, and before the final quarter, the scoreboard at Basket-Hall read 50:69.

In the closing stages, UNICS tried to mount a comeback. The Kazan team quickly reduced the deficit from 19 to 12 points, but Zenit executed smartly on both ends of the court and held onto their advantage. The final score was 75:82.

The top performers for the St. Petersburg side were Andre Roberson (21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist), Trent Frazier (17 points, 5 assists, 1 steal), and Xavier Moon (16 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal).

In the next round of the regular season, Zenit will face BETCITY PARMA at home. The game will take place on March 10 at CSC Arena and start at 20:00 St. Petersburg time. Tickets are available on the club’s website.