"We picked up the pace and scored a lot of easy points in transition": Popovic and Rodionov reflect on the crushing victory over Irkut

Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popovic shared his impressions of the game against Irkut (100:68) during the post-match press conference, highlighting the positive aspects of his team's performance.

— Coach, congratulations on the victory. So far, we’ve had no home losses this season. What do you think is the reason for this result?

— Yes, we’ve been winning at home, but the guys train and work hard. Today, even our approach to defense was very good — except for a couple of minutes in the second quarter when we slowed down and stopped defending. But overall, they work hard in practice, so for me, this is normal.

— How did the game progress, and what led to such a large advantage?

— We started the first quarter well, but halfway through the second, we slowed down and didn’t defend. We committed only nine fouls in the first half, which I really didn’t like. In the third quarter, we picked up the pace and scored a lot of easy points in transition. After that, the game started flowing better. In the third and fourth quarters, our defense was also very solid.

— How has Igor Volkhin adapted after a long break in his first game back in the Super League?

— Listen, this guy trains fantastically, even with the main team. He only had one practice with us yesterday, but it was 100% effort on both defense and offense. I really like how he approaches his work here. Yes, we’re trying to integrate him, but it’s not easy when a player doesn’t practice regularly with us. And as for Ryzhov and him, it’s not simple to fully utilize players without much training time.

— Today, every player on the team got court time, and almost everyone scored, except for Semen Burinskiy, who contributed with an assist. Are you satisfied with how the team performed today?

— They know I focus on their defensive effort, how many rebounds we grab, and our free throw percentage. Our free throw percentage today was terrible, but everything else, honestly, was fine. The defensive effort was very, very good, except for a few minutes in the second quarter.

— The team scored 100 points today. How important is that for the players? Does it motivate them to push forward when they see the milestone approaching on the scoreboard?

— It probably motivates them, but honestly, it doesn’t for me. My main concern is that they play the way we practice. Of course, when you’re playing at home, it’s nice to look at the scoreboard and see 100 points.

Zenit forward Dmitry Rodionov also shared his thoughts on the victory over Irkut and reflected on his emotions after scoring his first points in the Super League. In the game, he recorded three points.

— How did the game go, and what led to such a big victory?

— From the start, the coach emphasized that the game wouldn’t be easy. Everyone approached it with the mindset of a playoff game. That attitude helped us build a solid lead, in my opinion.

— You scored your first points in the Super League. How did that feel?

— Of course, I was very happy. Big thanks to the coach for giving me a chance and some minutes. I think I didn’t let him down — I scored.

— Did the team congratulate you in the locker room?

— Yes, yes. They’ve already said I owe them a treat.

— Will you celebrate the 100-point milestone, and is there any "treat" expected from the player who scored the 100th point?

— Well, that’s a question for him. Egor Evstafiev scored the 100th point, so we’ll have to ask him about that in the locker room.

— When did it become clear that you were winning this game?

— Probably after the third quarter. The opponent seemed to relax, but we didn’t let up and pushed through to the end. We’re happy with the win.