Zenit-2 secures third consecutive victory
The teams struggled to open the scoring, repeatedly missing opportunities. Finally, the blue-whites team scored their first points through Mikhail Dulkay from under the basket. The low scoring seemed to set the tone for the beginning of the game. The debut quarter slightly favored the team from St. Petersburg, initially due to a three-pointer by Artem Khodorich, followed by a fast break that culminated in a Pavel Zemsky alley-oop from Khodorich's assist. The first quarter played out in a repeating pattern: the visitors took the lead, then the hosts evened the score. By the end of the quarter, the score was 11:15 in favor of St. Petersburg.
It seemed like the second quarter would belong to the blue-whites. Our team started strong with accurate shots from Ilyas Abdul, Egor Evstafiev and Vladislav Samukhin, giving them a solid nine-point lead. However, things quickly fell apart in the offense, and Temp-SUMZ began to claw back. The hosts capitalized on their opportunities at the basket, while Zenit-2 struggled to score. As a result, Revda took the lead and held it until the end of the period. In the final minute, the teams exchanged three-pointers: Daniil Aksenov scored his first points, followed by a three-pointer from Ivan Evstigneev of the home team. The halftime score was 37:31.
In the second half, Oliver Popovic’s team quickly closed the gap. Key actions from the leaders made a difference during this period: Dulkay made shots from long range, while Aksenov scored on a drive. The entire quarter embodied a balance between offense and defense. Both teams defended well while managing to organize successful offensive plays that often resulted in points. Aksenov hit signature long-range shots, while Prokopenko, Krivyh and Evstafiev worked efficiently on the mid-range. For most of these ten minutes, the score remained even, with the lead shifting back and forth. This back-and-forth continued as we entered the final period at 56:53.
The final quarter started much like the first, with the teams struggling to score. However, Zenit-2 then went on an eight-point run. Prokopenko scored from the paint, Aksenov made free throws and team captain Elkhan Akhmedov added a three-pointer. Still, the St. Petersburg team couldn't pull away at the beginning of the period. Midway through the quarter, Aksenov's free throws and three-pointers secured a comfortable five-point lead, allowing the visitors to control the pace and maintain a steady lead. The game ended at 77:88, marking Zenit-2's first victory over Temp-SUMZ in their rivalry history.
As usual, Daniil Aksenov led the blue-whites, making 6 out of 8 three-point attempts and finishing with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. Mikhail Dulkay (12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) and Pavel Zemskiy (11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) also contributed significantly to the team's success.
Zenit-2’s next opponent will be Kupol-Rodniki, with the game scheduled for October 19 in Izhevsk. The match will begin at 18:00 St. Petersburg time and will be streamed live on the Russian Basketball Federation’s website.
