Georgy Zhbanov: “Uralmash imposed their physical style on us”

Zenit forward Georgy Zhbanov answered media questions after the first game of the VTB League quarterfinal series, where the Blue-White-Sky Blues fell to Uralmash (78:85).

— It was a strong start — a 10–3 run and good defensive energy. What changed during the quarter when Uralmash came back and took the lead?

— Uralmash is probably one of the toughest opponents in the quarterfinals, in my opinion. They didn’t give up, kept fighting, and imposed their physical style on us. At times we couldn’t handle it — there were stretches where we just lost control. I’m not sure why yet, we’ll need to analyze it.

— Late in the game, when you cut it to just a one-point deficit, Zenit had several turnovers in a row. What could that be attributed to?

— There were some frustrating mistakes bringing the ball up, very simple turnovers… Uralmash defended well, and we didn’t handle it.