Zenit-2 starts with a victory in the Super League
The blue-whites farm team has finally kicked off the 2024/25 season. Their first official match was against Novosibirsk, and fans were treated to an exciting game with intense competition from both teams.
The starting five on the home court of the Basketball Academy included team captain Elkhan Akhmedov, Pavel Zemskiy, Egor Ryzhov, Daniil Aksenov and Mikhail Dulkay.
For the hosts, this game began in confusion: several approaches to the Novosibirsk ring were unsuccessful, and meanwhile the opponent pulled ahead by 6 points. Only by the end of the second minute of the meeting did Zemskiy manage to soak the score after a quick breakaway. A little later, the game was even. Thanks to Aksenov's three-pointer, Ryzhov's finishing and Zemskiy's dunk, the Petersburgers managed to even the score by the middle of the quarter. Aksenov decided not to stop throwing from behind the arc and provided the hosts with a comfortable "+4" lead. The trend for three-pointers was supported by Egor Evstafiev, but the first successful attempt was followed by a couple of misses. During the first break, the teams went for a small one-point advantage of the blue-whites — 20:19.
The second quarter opened with intense exchanges as Dmitry Makeev, captain of the visiting team, scored on a drive, to which Zenit-2 responded with a putback by Dulkay after Ryzhov’s shot. Both teams maintained a steady pace, not forcing the game. Igor Volkhvin hit a long-distance shot, giving his team a cushion. Along with Dulkay and Aksenov, he steadily built on the home team’s lead. With a 9-point gap, the visiting coach called a timeout. Novosibirsk attempted a comeback, chipping away at the lead, but Zenit-2 still ended the half with a comfortable 42:37 lead.
After the halftime break, Novosibirsk kept pressing hard to level the score. Aksenov and Ryzhov initially held them off with three-pointers, but the visitors managed to take the lead, 50:53. This marked the start of a decisive period in the game, with Igor Volkhvin and Egor Ryzhov leading Zenit-2 to a 63:58 advantage by the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter started with a 3+1 from Aksenov, setting the tone for the remaining ten minutes — Zenit-2 wouldn’t let go of the lead again. Ryzhov followed up with a solo run to score, increasing the lead to 11 points. Aksenov continued to show his shooting prowess from beyond the arc, while Novosibirsk failed to score after the break. The visitors began to crumble, and the outcome was sealed — 85:69.
The top scorers for Zenit-2 were Daniil Aksenov (24 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals), Igor Volkhvin (23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) and Egor Ryzhov (22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), who were crucial to the victory.
Zenit-2 will play their next game at home on October 11 against Barnaul. The game starts at 17:00 St. Petersburg time. We are waiting for all the fans, admission is free!
