Zenit defeats UNICS at home and secures third place in the standings
The Blue-White-Sky Blues claimed a convincing 86:69 victory over UNICS. The win in the home game of Round 39 of the VTB United League regular season guaranteed Dejan Radonjić’s team third place in the standings. More details about today’s match can be found in the report on Zenit’s official website.
The starting lineup for the St. Petersburg side included team captain Trent Frazier, Andrey Martiuk, Vladislav Emchenko, Luka Šamanić, and Georgy Zhbanov — the forward, returning from injury, appeared on the court for the first time since March 26, once again in a game against UNICS!
From the opening minutes, both teams attacked actively and exchanged accurate shots in almost every possession. For Zenit, Martiuk had a strong start, scoring 7 points, along with 2 rebounds and 1 steal in his time on the court. However, in the second half of the quarter, the Blue-White-Sky Blues managed to turn the game around, and with the score at 21:15, the visitors called a timeout. A 9:0 run by the St. Petersburg team was interrupted by Dmitry Kulagin, whose fast drive allowed Kazan to break their scoring drought, but the gap on the scoreboard kept growing. In the end, Zenit closed the final minutes with a 16:2 run and finished the quarter ahead 32:17.
The next quarter started slowly for both teams — only one made free throw by Zhbanov within the first three minutes. However, scoring soon picked up: Emchenko hit from beyond the arc and from the free-throw line, while Martiuk and Šamanić dominated inside the paint. UNICS managed only a mid-range basket from Xavier Munford in response. The scoreboard at the CSC Arena showed 42:19. This situation did not satisfy the greens, and Velimir Perasović called another timeout. By halftime, the gap had slightly narrowed, but Zenit remained in control — 52:34.
The second half began with a 0:4 run by the visitors, prompting Dejan Radonjić to call a timeout. However, even after the coach’s instructions, Zenit struggled to convert their shots, while Kazan found success from long range, with Andrey Lopatin hitting a three-pointer. Still, by the fourth minute, Zenit ended their scoring drought: Emchenko scored inside, and Vorontsevich knocked down a corner three. The situation stabilized again — 57:41. The visitors continued to fight, disrupting rhythm and scoring effectively. By the end of the quarter, UNICS made another run, and the deficit could have been reduced to 12 points had Juzang and Moon not responded — the American duo scored repeatedly, pushing the lead to 66:47 heading into the final quarter.
Aside from a brief surge from Kazan (a 0:7 run at the start of the fourth quarter), the final period was fully controlled by the home team and ended with a confident victory. Final score — 86:69.
The top scorers for Zenit were Xavier Moon (21 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block), Vladislav Emchenko (17 points, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 rebound), and Andrey Martiuk (15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist).
Zenit’s next and final regular-season game in the VTB United League will be against a key rival — on April 22 they face CSKA in St. Petersburg. The game will be played at CSC Arena and starts at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available on the club’s official website.
However, it should be noted once again that following today’s result, the Blue-White-Sky Blues have secured third place in the regular season standings. Zenit’s quarterfinal opponent will be the team finishing 6th — either Uralmash Yekaterinburg or MBA-MAI Moscow, which will be decided soon.
