Zenit loses to Lokomotiv Kuban on home court
The Blue-White-Sky Blues lost to Krasnodar’s Lokomotiv Kuban 72:81 in a home game of Round 34 of the VTB United League regular season. We break down the matchup in our report on Zenit’s official website.
The starting lineup for Zenit in today’s game included Andre Roberson, Trent Frazier, Johnny Juzang, Georgy Zhbanov, and Luka Šamanić.
Before the game began, a ceremonial presentation took place honoring Trent, who received the February MVP award from VTB United League CEO Ilona Korstin. The ceremony ended with a group photo of the Blue-White-Sky Blues captain together with the whole team.
From the opening seconds, the game was extremely tight. Strong defense from both teams, man-to-man coverage, and some missed opportunities meant that Šamanić opened the scoring only near the end of the second minute. Fans at CSC Arena were treated to very physical basketball. By the middle of the first quarter, the duo of Luka and Johnny gave Zenit a 5-point lead, forcing Lokomotiv to call a timeout. By the end of the quarter, Šamanić had 10 points and Juzang had 8, which played a key role in the opening stretch. However, it is worth noting that by the first break the visitors managed to seize the initiative and won the quarter 20:22.
Zenit started the second period perfectly: Roberson delivered a block shot, Juzang attempted a fast-break three-pointer but missed, and after the rebound Emchenko finally scored from beyond the arc. The game then became more drawn-out and physical. The visitors periodically took leads of 2-4 points, but Zenit did not allow the gap to grow, repeatedly cutting it down, tying the score, and taking the lead themselves — several times over. In this quarter, scoring was more evenly distributed among Zenit players: Shcherbenev and Frazier scored from long range, Karasev and Bako each made a two-pointer, and Zhbanov was accurate from the free-throw line. The St. Petersburg side won the quarter by one possession and went into halftime with the score tied at 41:41.
The same tempo continued in the third period. The opponents stayed close and finished the quarter tied once again at 60:60. The decisive stretch, however, began with a surprise. For nearly the first four minutes, neither team scored. Eventually, the Krasnodar side broke the deadlock, while Zenit’s scoring drought continued and was only ended by a three-pointer from Frazier. Unfortunately, Zenit was unable to turn the tide in the remaining time — the gap was already too large. Trent ultimately became the top scorer for the home team with 14 points, while Lokomotiv Kuban finished the game with a 72:81 victory.
On March 26, Zenit will play its final group-stage game of the WINLINE Basket Cup. The match against UNICS will take place in Kazan and will begin at 19:00. To advance to the tournament’s Final Four, which will be held in St. Petersburg in April, the Blue-White-Sky Blues must win.
