Youth team takes victory from Nizhny Novgorod

The youth team of Zenit returns home with an equal number of wins and losses after their away games against Pari Nizhny Novgorod-Junior. The matches with the Volga team took place on November 6 and 7 at the Tishin Sports Academy court.

In the first game, Zenit U21 performed well at the start, but a slump in the second and third quarters left Roman Knyazev’s team with no chance of a comeback in the final period — 90:76 in favor of the home team. The most productive player for blue-whites in this match was Artemiy Koshev, who scored 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

The following day, St. Petersburg team took revenge in a hard-fought battle. The outcome of the game was decided only in the final quarter, which our team won by 11 points. The final score was 62:74. Zenit’s best player was Timur Ivanov, who scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block shot.

Roman Knyazev, Zenit U21 head coach:

The game was very challenging, but it showed and proved what we are capable of. From the beginning guys set a high and fast pace of play. They listened carefully and followed all the instructions. They showed aggression on defense and didn’t break under the pressure of Nizhny Novgorod. Thanks to everyone for their dedication and fight. There is still a lot to work on and improve. And most importantly, there are prospects to grow and strive for.

In the next round of the VTB United Youth League regular season, Zenit U21 will host the Lokomotiv Kuban-2. The games will be held on November 13 and 14 at the Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12). Both games will begin at 16:00 local time. Admission for all fans is free.