Zenit is the bronze medalist of the Super Cup
Georgy Zhbanov, Omari Spellman, Xavier Moon, Alex Poythress and Dwayne Bacon took to the court at VTB Arena from the first seconds.
The game started at a slow pace but picked up momentum with each passing minute. Early in the game, Spellman and Zhbanov stood out for Zenit, consistently scoring points. About halfway through the quarter, Zenit launched a brilliant fast break, with Moon sending a diagonal pass to Bacon, who quickly dished it to Spellman for a powerful dunk. This perfect teamwork gave Zenit a 4-point lead, and the first period ended 20:16 in favor of the blue-whites.
The second quarter was marked by tough physical play and frequent challenges. Zenit quickly accumulated five team fouls, which impacted the flow of the game. It was clear that this was the third game in three days, and head coach Xavier Pascual frequently rotated the lineup. Alexander Shcherbenev and Egor Ryzhov appeared on the court more frequently than in previous games. Crvena Zvezda, however, caught fire and took the lead with efficient scoring. Still, Poythress and Spellman, back on the floor, managed to close the gap with successful drives to the basket. In the 8th minute, Georgy Zhbanov had to leave the court after a collision with Spellman, which marred the end of the quarter. Despite Shcherbenev's buzzer-beater, the teams went into halftime with Crvena Zvezda leading 39:33.
At the start of the second half, Zenit struggled to score their first points, and at one point, Belgrade's lead stretched to 10 points. Xavier Moon broke the drought with a solo coast-to-coast run. Although Zenit's offense hadn't completely stalled, the Serbian defense was blocking every other attempt. The comeback began with moves from Poythress. First, he scored two points with a foul (though he missed the free throw), followed by a mid-range jumper, again accurate. A three-pointer from Alex and another from Denis Zakharov allowed Zenit to tie the game. After Hunter gave the blue-whites the lead, Crvena Zvezda’s coaching staff called an urgent timeout. But Shcherbenev wasn’t fazed and kept Zenit’s three-point barrage going just before the last minute. The teams entered the final quarter with Zenit leading 56:50.
In the final period, Shcherbenev continued his three-point shooting, nailing one in the first attack. Bacon followed suit, sinking three consecutive three-pointers, giving Pascual's team a 13-point lead. Crvena Zvezda launched their own desperate three-point attempts, and some of them landed. However, when Bacon hit his fifth (!) three-pointer of the quarter, it became clear that the leader wouldn’t change. The final score was 83:70, with the blue-whites securing the bronze medals.
Zenit's best players in today's game were comeback hero Dwayne Bacon (19 points + 5 rebounds + 5 assists + 1 steal), Alexander Shcherbenev (16 points + 2 rebounds + 1 assist), and Alex Poythress (14 points + 4 rebounds).
Congratulations to the team and the fans! We continue preparing for the season!
