"Today we had to move the ball faster": Popovic and Ryzhov — after the game with Barnaul

Zenit's center Egor Ryzhov shared his thoughts on the victory over Barnaul (80:69).

— Everything went according to plan. We couldn't gain a lead at the beginning, but we managed to do so by the end. We had more rotation, more strength. That probably helped us pull ahead at the end.

— You've come down from the main team. Is it difficult to adapt after training with them?

— No, the pace here is much slower than in the main team, so there's no difficulty in adapting. Plus, the team has a positive attitude, so communication is good, and there's no problem at all.

— What was the key to today's victory?

— Probably our physical fitness. We just kept running, and there wasn’t anything special tactically. We simply had more energy and rotation, and that's how we won.

Zenit’s reserve team head coach Oliver Popovic also commented on the game.

— Today, we played against a very experienced team that frequently changes its defensive strategy. Their defense varies a lot, so we had to counter that. But, overall, it was fine. When we bring Ryzhov down from the main team, it can be tough. He hasn't trained with us at all. Again, we played against an experienced team with a good coach. Some things went well, especially in offense, when there were a lot of shots. When we played quickly with passing, things worked. The guys played well. It’s hard to play at a high level against two such strong teams in just three days.

— You often play with three point guards on the court: Akhmedov, Prokopenko, Aksenov. How do you manage to use them all at the same time?

— Yes, it happens. It depends on the team we're up against. Today, we needed to move the ball faster, which worked in the second half.