Zenit defeats UNICS and leads 3-1 in the VTB League semifinals

Zenit has secured its third consecutive victory in the semifinals of the 2025/26 VTB United League season. The fourth game of the series against UNICS, held today in St. Petersburg, ended with a score of 81:77 in favor of the Blue-White-Sky Blues. Dejan Radonjić's team now leads 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

For more details on today's battle of lions vs. dragons — read our report.

Zenit's starting five: Andre Roberson, Trent Frazier, Johnny Juzang, Andrey Martiuk, and Georgy Zhbanov.

The game started with intense back-and-forth action, with turnovers on both sides. The visitors opened the scoring: after a lengthy possession and an offensive rebound, Marcus Bingham threw the ball down from above. The Blue-White-Sky Blues responded with a drive by Frazier, followed by productive plays from Juzang, who scored accurately from both long and short range. Otherwise, the action on the court at CSC Arena was played at a tough, grinding pace. Both teams fought confidently for offensive rebounds and showed a decent three-point percentage, although there were noticeably fewer attempts compared to the previous meeting. The evenly matched play continued until the final minute of the quarter, when Luka Šamanić stepped up. The Croatian center, coming off the bench, first converted an and-one, then scored second-chance points off a rebound. The big man's points allowed Zenit to head into the first break with a slight lead — 21:16.

The second quarter began with two drives by the opponent — Reynolds and Bingham added two points each to UNICS's total, while Zenit could only answer with a single made free throw by Šamanić. However, a Blue-White-Sky Blues run followed: an 8:0 stretch that even a UNICS timeout couldn't stop. Uzinskiy and Šamanić each hit a three-pointer, and the Croatian center also spectacularly finished a dunk. The lead became double digits for the first time in the game (30:20), but the visitors quickly cut the deficit with four straight points. After that, Dejan Radonjić needed a timeout of his own. By the middle of the period, the pace had slowed somewhat due to numerous stoppages, but control remained with the Petersburg side. Closer to halftime, the greens' offense noticeably stalled, while Zenit efficiently capitalized on opportunities in the paint and regularly earned trips to the free-throw line. The teams headed to the locker rooms with a significant home advantage — 49:34.

During the halftime break on the home court, the champions of the 2025/26 VTB United Youth League — Zenit U21 — were honored.

The second half initially saw end-to-end action. For UNICS, Jalen Reynolds was accurate time and again — his injury, it seemed, was barely bothering him anymore and wasn't preventing him from playing his game. Zenit also found its moments: Johnny Juzang hit from beyond the arc, and Georgy Zhbanov broke down the opponent's defense. But then the Blue-White-Sky Blues offense stalled. Three minutes without a made basket by Zenit were used to maximum effect by the visitors — an 11:0 run, and suddenly UNICS's deficit was cut to three points. The Petersburg side managed to end the dry spell thanks to two accurate free throws and a drive by Xavier Moon. The third quarter ended with a scoring shootout from both sides and a score of 61:57. The finish promised to be intense!

In the final period, the teams first traded three-pointers: Moon converted a 2+1, and Pierre hit from deep. However, then two quick Zenit fast breaks and, as a result, a "+6" on the scoreboard forced UNICS to call another timeout. After that, the next points again went to the Blue-White-Sky Blues (Roberson scored on a drive), but then a couple of threes and free throws by the Kazan side allowed them to take the lead in this game for the first time in a long while — 70:71. In the clutch, first one team would take the lead, then the other, and then the score was tied. But victory went to Zenit — 81:77, and a 3-1 series lead.

The top scorers on our team today were Johnny Juzang (20 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal) and Luka Šamanić (15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal).

The fifth and, for now, decisive semifinal game for the Blue-White-Sky Blues will take place on May 22 in Kazan at the Basket Hall court. The game will begin at 19:30 St. Petersburg time. Just one step remains until the finals!