Zenit defeats Avtodor on the road

Zenit secured a confident away victory over Avtodor with a score of 64:95. The game took place as part of Round 36 of the VTB United League regular season.

Compared to the previous game, the Blue-White-Sky Blues captain Trent Frazier returned to the roster. The starting five were: Johnny Juzang, Andrey Martiuk, Xavier Moon, Vladislav Emchenko, and Luka Šamanić.

The game began at a lively pace: both teams played aggressively and forced each other into mistakes. For Zenit, Martiuk shined early, scoring 8 points right away, repeatedly finishing with dunks. However, after Andrey went to the bench, scoring efficiency dropped. Closer to the break, Avtodor — who had mostly been chasing — managed to even things up on the court and briefly take the lead. Then four accurate free throws from Bako put the Blue-White-Sky Blues back in front, but the last word of the quarter belonged to the home team. The Volga duo Pranauskis and Fedorov organized a three-pointer in Saratov’s final possession — 18:18.

Already in the second quarter, Zenit improved their defense and capitalized on their chances. Soon Moon, Bako, Martiuk, and Juzang pushed the Blue-White-Sky Blues to a double-digit lead, and from that moment full control remained in the hands of the visitors. By halftime, the scoreboard at Kristall Sports Palace showed 29:45 in favor of St. Petersburg.

After returning from the locker room, the initiative remained with Zenit. Victory for Dejan Radonjić’s team was no longer in doubt, while Johnny Juzang caught fire and continued to build his statistics. By the end of the game, the American guard had scored 25 points, including six three-pointers. The game in Saratov ended 64:95 in favor of Zenit.

On Sunday, April 5, the Blue-White-Sky Blues will play their final away game of the 2025/26 VTB United League regular season. The match against Pari Nizhny Novgorod will take place at the Nagorny sports complex and will begin at 15:00 St. Petersburg time.