Zenit U21 ends home game series with a victory
On October 21 and 22, the youth team of the blue-whites hosted Uralmash-2 on their home court. Zenit U21 won both matches against their peers from Yekaterinburg, thus concluding an eight-game home series.
The first game was relatively evenly matched. The visiting team took the first quarter, but gradually the St. Petersburg players seized the initiative and finished the game with a confident 69:59 victory. The top scorer was Ivan VasilIev, who recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist.
The next day, the match progressed even more comfortably for Zenit U21, ending in a blowout — 82:58. The top performers for the blue-whites were Timur Ivanov (17 points + 4 rebounds + 1 assist + 1 steal) and again Ivan Vasiliev (17 points + 4 rebounds + 3 steals).
Roman Knyazev, head coach of Zenit U21:
Both meetings turned out to be difficult, the absence of Mikhail Presnyakov in the squad affected. We lost the shield in both matches, which allowed the opponent to get additional opportunities. I am grateful to the players for their high aggression in defense, due to this we managed to tip the scales in our favor. There is a short break, we will try to regain strength and correct our mistakes.
The next round of the VTB United Youth League will be held away in Kazan, where Roman Knyazev's team will face UNICS-2 on November 2 and 3. Both games will start at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.
