Zenit scores a hundred points in the second match in a row
The VTB United League season continues and in another home game the blue-whites faced Saratov’s Avtodor. The game against the Volga team was the 250th match for Xavi Pascual as head coach of Zenit.
The St. Petersburg team started the game with the lineup of Frazier, Spellman, Moon, Bacon and Hunter. At the opening tip-off Vince battled Artem Klimenko and tactfully gave the ball to his former teammate. However, the advantage of the first possession didn’t help the Volga team. Soon after a successful steal and fast break Trent Frazier opened the score. Both teams were executing well and neither wanted to let the opponent pull ahead.
In the middle of the quarter we witnessed a sniper duel between Omari Spellman and Alexander Petenev. The blue-whites forward scored three consecutive shots at the opponent’s basket — twice from mid-range and once from beyond the arc and shortly after, he earned two more with a foul. In total, that’s "+9" in a row from Omari in this short stretch. The Saratov player responded to Spellman’s performance with a 7-point run.
Towards the end of the quarter, the game completely lacked defense: every attack by both teams ended in points. Georgy Zhbanov put a strong mark on the period by hitting a three-pointer in Zenit’s final attack, sending the teams into the break with the home team leading 26:24.
The fast pace continued into the second quarter, but now the intense scoring stretch was replaced by an offensive drought. The first three minutes of the quarter were dominated by the visitors with the score 8:0, which forced the coaching staff of Xavi Pascual to take a timeout during this pause, Dwayne Bacon appeared on the court, and he broke the scoring drought with a successful free throw.
At that moment, the blue-whites realized they needed to wake up. Alex Poythress decided to be the alarm clock, throwing down a powerful dunk that not only energized the team but also the entire arena. This served as a great example for his teammates. In next Saratov attack Georgy Zhbanov made a tough block and then Poythress converted free throws after Bryant Crawford’s technical foul. Quickly, St. Petersburg shifted the momentum: a few steals from Spellman and the score was tied again at 35:35. The visitors kept their edge through long-range shots (64% accuracy in the first half). Bacon and Moon decided to stay in the mix, displaying their sharpshooting skills from deep. Igor Volkhin's three points in the final seconds allowed the blue-whites to take a slight lead into the halftime break, 49:47. The most exciting part was yet to come.
The second half continued with tough competition and equally tough defense from Xavi Pascual’s squad: Spellman and Bacon fouled under their own basket, giving the visitors free throws, which they gladly took advantage of. On the offensive end the competition was no less fierce, but Hunter knew when to grab the crucial rebound and put the ball in the basket. Despite the equal play Zenit players produced some spectacular highlights, such as Poythress’ fiery dunk and Zhbanov’s two three-pointers in the final minutes of the third quarter. The denouement was already close — 74:68 before the final segment.
Zhbanov after a stunning buzzer-beating three-pointer in the previous quarter continued to shine in this one. Georgy, along with Poythress and Moon, simply dismantled Saratov’s defense at the start of the fourth quarter, giving their team a 17-point lead. In the remaining five minutes, Avtodor had very little chance of making a comeback, and they didn’t. The blue-whites were ready to score a hundred points for the second time in the season and did it beautifully — with Spellman's accurate three-pointer. The final score was a 103:86 victory for St. Petersburg.
The top scorers for Zenit today were Dwayne Bacon (23 points + 2 rebounds + 3 assists + 3 steals), Omari Spellman (21 points + 3 rebounds + 1 assist + 3 steals) and Georgy Zhbanov (16 points + 2 rebounds + 4 steals).
Zenit’s next game in the regular season of the VTB United League will take place on September 29 in Kazan. The match against UNICS is scheduled to begin at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.
