Zenit defeats Pari NN at home
In today's match the blue-whites hosted their close rivals on the standings, Pari Nizhny Novgorod. The teams had to figure out who would take second place in the overall standings until next weekend, and who would face another defeat in the season.
From the very first seconds, our team's starting five featured Georgy Zhbanov, Xavier Moon, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich — a lineup making its debut this regular season.
The game started at a calm pace, gradually picking up speed. Zenit’s first points came from a fast break, with a Hunter-Bacon connection. Soon after, Dwayne hit a three-pointer. For the visitors, Evgeny Baburin made two threes, and Nemanja Durisic was accurate from the mid-range three times. When Alex Poythress entered the court, he quickly got into his element with some dunks. The center dunked twice and made a couple of free throws. Near the end of the quarter, the Nizhny Novgorod team briefly pulled ahead by five points, but Spellman and Zakharov turned the tide. After a steal on their side, the Petersburg team made one last attack, with Denis scoring from an Omari assist. The quarter ended with a slim advantage for the Volga team 21:22.
In the second quarter, the visitors found their rhythm. Kasey Shepherd scored eight points in a row while Zenit scored mainly from free throws. Denis Zakharov got Zenit’s first field goal of the quarter with a dunk. Our foreign players were also active: Spellman scored with a foul, Poythress hit a mid-range shot, Hunter dunke and Moon’s two-pointer tied the game. A fast break and a 3+1 from Bacon put Zenit in the lead at halftime — 42:41.
The third quarter began without hesitation: two and-ones, missed opportunities in a three-part attack, and precise blocks by Moon and Hunter on defense. Excellent teamwork and solo drives from the team's leaders helped Xavi Pascual's squad build a comfortable lead, which only grew, closing the quarter at 69:55.
In the final quarter, Zenit held a steady lead as Pari NN tried to mount a comeback. Their final push ended in a tense finish with timeouts and free throws on Zenit’s side, but the victory was secured. The final score was 81:78.
Zenit's top players today were Dwayne Bacon (24 points + 6 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 steal), Alex Poythress (14 points + 3 rebounds + 1 steal) and Xavier Moon (13 points + 5 rebounds + 4 assists + 2 blocks + 1 steal).
Soon, the blue-whites will head to Moscow for an away game against CSKA on October 13. The match will begin at 17:00 St. Petersburg time.
