Zenit defeats Uralmash in an away game
As part of the 8th round of the regular season of the VTB United League, Xavi Pascual's team traveled to Yekaterinburg. The last two away games against Uralmash ended in defeats for the blue-whites, which undoubtedly provided extra motivation today. Until the last seconds, fans and basketball enthusiasts witnessed a fiercely competitive match with constant lead changes.
The home team couldn’t score on their first possession, while Zenit immediately put up 3 points with a long-range shot from Trent. However, Uralmash quickly took the lead, executing their plays a bit better. Neither team was able to establish a dominant advantage as both sides tested each other, and the game was just gaining momentum. For most of the quarter, Zenit’s American starting five took charge: Spellman and Frazier shot mid-range jumpers, Hunter delivered a strong block and Moon and Bacon performed well on both ends of the court. The substitutions have also been productive. A few drives by Poythress, a three-pointer from Vorontsevich, and a buzzer-beater by Moon allowed the blue-whites to shift the game’s momentum and end the quarter with a comfortable lead of 16:22.
In the next ten minutes, Poythress quickly scored an easy two points under the basket, continuing Zenit's pressure. Andrey Vorontsevich was very active as well, adding another three-pointer, having his best game of the season. Zenit’s lead grew to 11 points, prompting Rostislav Vergun to call a quick timeout, which cooled the guests' fervour. After the pause, Uralmash confidently got back into the game, showing they were the true hosts of the court. The score gap quickly shrunk to "-4", then to "-1", and soon Stanley Whittaker put the "factory team" ahead again. The teams went into halftime with the orange-greens holding a narrow lead — 34:33.
After returning to the court, Zenit seemed to shake off the confusion of the previous ten minutes. In the second half, the team aggressively pushed forward — Spellman reminded everyone who dominated the paint, and Moon hit another three-pointer. However, a frustrating trend persisted from the previous quarter: every good stretch was followed by a scoring drought. This was especially evident midway through the third quarter when Whittaker once again gave the lead back to the home team. Xavier’s shooting became erratic, and Bacon also struggled, missing all 6 of his attempts. At that point, only Poythress and Spellman were making a significant impact for Zenit. A crucial and-one buzzer-beater from Uralmash’s guard Jeremiah Martin ended the third quarter, with the score at 53:50 heading into the final period.
In the final quarter, Dwayne finally registered his first points, tipping in his own missed three-point attempt with a dunk. The hosts continued to maintain a modest 4-7 point cushion. Zenit managed to level the score and stay in the fight thanks to a standout performance from Hunter. The center was dunking, drawing fouls and dominating the paint — at that moment, Vince became the leader for Zenit. His surge proved to be decisive. Regaining control, Zenit quickly built a 4-point lead that they didn’t relinquish, securing an away win with a score of 72:78.
The top performers for the blue-whites today were Trent Frazier (17 points + 3 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 steal), comeback hero Vince Hunter (16 points + 7 rebounds + 3 assists + 1 steal + 1 block) and Alex Poythress (12 points + 5 rebounds + 2 blocks). Xavier Moon became the first Zenit player of the new season to record a double-double — 10 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.
Xavi Pascual’s team will play their next game away on October 26. This Saturday, they face a road match against Astana. The game starts at 13:00 St. Petersburg time.
