Zenit crush Enisey at home
The match against Enisey seemed like the perfect opportunity for the players and fans of the blue-whites to spend time together and enjoy the game, as they won’t meet again for another month. It seems that everyone was satisfied with this evening.
The first five today were: Trent Frazier, Sergey Karasev, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich. This lineup set the pace at the start of the match.
The initial disputed possession went to Zenit, but the first points of the game were scored by the visitors — Viktor Sanders was accurate from mid-range. In response to the Krasnoyarsk team’s attack, Frazier reacted strongly, hitting two three-pointers. This game marked the 100th appearance for the American guard with the Saint Petersburg team. The opening phase of the match was very competitive, with Enisey having the advantage for some time. Zenit managed to take the lead thanks to two active plays from our guards: Frazier added another three-pointer, and Zhbanov stole the ball on his half, ran for a fast break and slammed it down for the fans’ delight. A series of team fouls from the Krasnoyarsk team, followed by free throws from Zenit, gave the hosts a 5-point lead. Under such a handicap of the blue-whites, the first quarter ended with Moon's drive a few seconds before the siren — 25:20.
We began the next segment with a precise three-pointer from Xavier, coming off a screen. The guests’ good start turned into a crisis, allowing Zenit to fully take control of the game. While the visitors missed their attempts, Spellman scored from the paint, and Shcherbenev, as the playmaker, directed Poytress for a signature slam dunk. A fast break with a eurostep from Moon and another solo drive from Bacon pushed the blue-whites to a "+12" lead. Krasnoyarsk’s coaching staff tried to make adjustments during a timeout. The pause slightly disrupted the pace of the game, especially slowing down the home team’s offense. The dry spell for Saint Petersburg was broken by Egor Ryzhov, who had just played for Zenit’s second team in a cup match the day before. Zenit regained a double-digit lead with a precise three-pointer from Vorontsevich. The teams went into halftime with the score 54:36 after Karasev’s buzzer-beater from behind the arc.
Upon returning to the court, a few unsuccessful attempts from Bacon turned into a performance by Vorontsevich, who first nailed a long-range shot and then added a basket in the paint on a drive. After Dwayne increased the gap between the teams to 23 points, the lead passed to Krasnoyarsk. While the hosts were missing their opportunities, Enisey went on a 9:0 run. However, a timely pause by Xavi Pascual took away this relaxation, and the St. Petersburg team remembered again what it was like to score — 77:56 before the last quarter.
The final period was the least productive. The standout performer of this period was Spellman, who not only scored 7 points but also looked for every opportunity to shoot. Zenit calmly brought the game to its logical conclusion — a 94:76 victory for the blue-whites.
The top scorers for Zenit today were Xavier Moon (19 points + 5 steals + 4 rebounds + 4 assists + 1 block), Dwayne Bacon (18 points + 5 rebounds + 1 assist) and Trent Frazier (13 points + 3 assists + 1 rebound).
Now, Xavi Pascual’s team heads to Saratov, where the blue-whites will begin their away series. The game against Avtodor is scheduled for November 10, starting at 15:00 Saint Petersburg time.
