Zenit loses to Uralmash in first playoff game
The Blue-White-Sky Blues lost at home to Uralmash in the first game of the VTB United League quarterfinals of the 2025/26 season. The matchup with the team from Yekaterinburg ended with a score of 78:85. We break down the opening game of the playoff round in our report.
Compared to the previous game against CSKA, Xavier Moon and Georgy Zhbanov returned to Zenit's roster, but Igor Volkhin, Sergey Karasev, and Luka Šamanič missed the first quarterfinal game. The starting five for the St. Petersburg team today: Roberson-Frazier-Juzang-Martiuk-Zhbanov.
The game began with a run by the hosts — Zenit led 7:0, but the visitors responded with a long-range shot from Garrett Nevels. However, with the score at 10:3, Uralmash still called a timeout. After adjustments by the head coach of the Yekaterinburg team, they managed to stabilize the situation on the court. Gradually, the score on the board evened out, and soon the blue-white-sky blues' advantage completely vanished. With less than three minutes left until the first break, the score was 17:17. Then, thanks to shots from beyond the arc, the opponent managed to pull ahead by "+6". If not for an and-one play by Moon, the gap would have remained unpleasant — 22:25 by the end of the first quarter.
The start of the next period also belonged to the home team. The main figure at the beginning of the second ten-minute stretch was Ismaël Bako, who simply dominated in the paint and threw down dunks time after time. Add to that a three-pointer from Zhbanov, and you get a 9:0 run that significantly influenced the course of the first half. Zenit seized a comfortable handicap that allowed them to control the game. However, closer to halftime, just as in the previous period, the visitors managed to fight back and try to break the dominance of the St. Petersburg side. But our big men were against it. After 20 minutes of play, Bako (10 points), Martiuk (10), and Roberson (8) were Zenit's top scorers. The teams went to the break with the score at 44:39 on the board.
The third quarter, however, turned out to be disastrous and largely determined the outcome of today's matchup. After returning from the locker room, the Blue-White-Sky Blues made numerous mistakes on both ends of the court, leading to a 10:27 run by Uralmash in those ten minutes. In the fourth quarter, Zenit seized their chance to mount a comeback. Gradually, the Blue-White-Sky Blues cut the deficit. Zhbanov, Frazier, and Juzang hit shots from beyond the arc, and they also managed to complete a couple of drives to the basket. With less than two minutes left until the buzzer, the score was 76:77 in favor of the visitors. However, Uralmash held on in the clutch — 78:85. We start the quarterfinal series down 0-1.
The most productive player for Zenit today was Ismaël Bako — 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.
The second game of the quarterfinals will take place the day after tomorrow, April 28. The match against the team from Yekaterinburg will also be held in St. Petersburg on the court of the CSC Arena and will begin at 20:00 local time. Tickets are still on sale on the official website of the Blue-White-Sky Blues.
