Zenit will play in the 3rd place match of the Super Cup
In Zenit's starting five, just like the day before, were team captain Sergey Karasev, guards Xavier Moon and Trent Frazier, forward Omari Spellman, and center Vince Hunter. Zenit won the opening tip, and Moon quickly scored the first points from his favorite mid-range spot. For a while, Xavier was the only one who scores by play. This trend continued until Spellman hit a three-pointer. Both teams played at a high pace, constantly trading the lead.
After a collision, Sergey Karasev was injured while fighting for the ball and left the court. Captaincy passed to Dwayne Bacon, who wasted no time and immediately nailed a smooth three-pointer. The sluggish first quarter brightened up when Moon and Spellman made back-to-back threes, giving Zenit a 7-point lead. The gap forced Kazan coach Velimir Perasovic to call a timeout, but it didn't help the opponents. Their attack failed, and shortly after, Frazier, following a fast run to the basket, assisted Poythress, who dunked the ball. Another three from Moon extended Zenit's lead to 10 points. Moon was the star of the first ten minutes, scoring 12 points with a perfect mid-range shooting and only one miss from beyond the arc. By the end of the first quarter, Xavier Pascual's team led 26:18.
In the second period, UNICS players quickly began to close the gap, and within seconds, Reynolds and Akoon-Purcell (who hit two three-pointers) added 8 points to their tally. Then Dmitry Kulagin tied the game after making his free throws, 28:28. From that moment on, the teams stayed close, with no one able to pull away. The lead constantly changed hands. Some of the brightest moments of this stretch included Georgy Zhbanov and Denis Zakharov finding good positions for three-point shots, the latter hitting the target. The even play continued until the very end of the quarter, and at halftime, UNICS held a slight advantage after a buzzer-beater, 46:48.
The second half mirrored the closing minutes of the previous quarter. Both teams made some unusual mistakes, but Zenit particularly struggled with finishing. Spellman, Bacon, Zhbanov, Frazier, and Moon all missed shots. Meanwhile, UNICS continued to build their lead, and heading into the final ten minutes, the scoreboard showed 54:62.
The final stretch of the game was slow and grinding. Kazan used the time wisely, skillfully slowing the game's pace. Five consecutive free throws and a jump shot from Moon gave Zenit fans hope for an exciting finish. With five minutes remaining, Poythress threw down a powerful dunk after a solo drive, and then Frazier hit a timely three-pointer, cutting Zenit's deficit to just 2 points. Unfortunately, the final moments belonged to Kazan. The game ended with a score of 72:78.
In the final, UNICS will face Moscow's CSKA. Zenit is set for the 3rd place match, which will take place tomorrow at 16:00 St. Petersburg time. The blue-whites will compete for the Super Cup bronze against Belgrade's Crvena Zvezda. The match will be broadcast on the Match! Igra channel and the VTB United League website.
