Returning from Nizhny Novgorod with the ninth consecutive victory
Team captain Sergey Karasev, Trent Frazier, Dwayne Bacon, Vince Hunter and Andrey Vorontsevich started on first five for today's game with the Nizhny Novgorod team.
Despite Hunter scoring the debut points of the match, the hosts confidently began with successful three-point shots from Evgeny Baburin and Aleksandr Chadov, maintaining the lead for a considerable time. However, gradually, Zenit took control of the game, thanks to the efforts of Alex Poythress, Xavier Moon and Georgy Zhbanov, who came off the bench. They built a five-point lead. Zenit could have finished the first quarter with a bigger advantage, but the last minute turned into a series of missed opportunities. Both teams executed several attacks but faltered at the crucial moment. At the first break, the visitors led 17:22.
The second quarter began with a festival of three-pointers. After Aubrey Dawkins scored from beyond the arc, Georgy Zhbanov responded with his own three-pointer, followed by another long-range shot from Evgeny Baburin. Omari Spellman attempted a three-pointer as well but missed; fortunately, Moon capitalized on the second-chance points. Overall, three-point shots were an effective weapon for the hosts as they fought to even the score. For Zenit, Zhbanov stood out, maintaining his flawless shooting streak with five successful attempts in a row. After Zhbanov left the court, Zenit continued to dictate the game, extending the gap with Hunter and Frazier's drives, Bacon's free throws and Spellman's mid-range and three-point shots. The nine-point deficit forced Sergey Kozin's coaching staff to call their first timeout of the game, but it didn't significantly change the situation. By halftime, Zenit confidently led 31:43.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod started the third quarter strongly, quickly cutting the visitors' lead to just three points within five minutes. Zenit’s initial response came from two three-pointers by Frazier, but later, Sergey Karasev added a couple of two-pointers, including one with a foul. Heading into the final period, Zenit restored a more comfortable six-point lead, with the scoreboard at the Nagornyy arena showing 53:59.
The final stretch was entirely dominated by Zenit. In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Xavi Pascual’s team delivered an unstoppable 9:2 run, steadily increasing their advantage. Frazier and Spellman continued hitting three-pointers, while Moon claimed the title of Zenit’s top scorer for this match, adding 11 points in the final quarter alone. The game ended with a decisive Zenit victory 68:85.
The top performers for Zenit were Xavier Mooon (20 points + 4 rebounds + 4 assists), Trent Frazier (18 points + 6 assists + 5 rebounds + 1 steal) and Georgy Zhbanov (12 points + 5 rebounds + 1 steal).
In the next round of the regular season, Zenit finally returns to their home court for a top match against CSKA Moscow. The game against the army team will take place on December 7 at 14:00 St. Petersburg time.
