Zenit takes revenge on CSKA with home crowd support
Team captain Sergey Karasev, guard Trent Frazier, forwards Dwayne Bacon and Andrey Vorontsevich, along with center Vince Hunter, started the game on the court of the CSC Arena.
The opening tip went to the home team, with Karasev immediately sinking a confident three-pointer. CSKA’s response came quickly, as their playmaker Melo Trimble also scored from beyond the arc. The game was fiercely contested, with both teams trading basket for basket. While Trimble and Nikita Kurbanov were actively driving CSKA’s offense, Hunter took the spotlight for Zenit. The American center orchestrated several successful plays under the opponent’s basket, scoring seven points. A mid-quarter surge by Bacon, featuring a long-range shot and a solo drive, gave Zenit a lead. Another mid-range jumper from Xavier Moon secured a seven-point advantage for the blue-whites team. However, CSKA soon equalized, prompting Xavi Pascual to call the first timeout. The quarter ended in a 21:21 tie.
The second quarter began with mutual two-point scores from Moon and Jekiri. After several successful plays by Omari Spellman and Alex Poythress, the latter finishing with his signature dunk, the visitors called a timeout. It partially worked, as CSKA managed to curb Zenit’s momentum and narrow the gap slightly. But this was when Karasev and Zbanov stepped up, delivering their signature three-pointers and sparking a Zenit scoring run. This decisive stretch allowed Zenit to claim the first half. At one point, they were up by as many as 14 points, but a late rally by CSKA narrowed the margin to 46:39 at halftime.
The second half was marked by streaky play. The early minutes of the third quarter went to CSKA, led by Trimble, who quickly scored four points. But Zenit soon answered with a 7-point run of their own. This back-and-forth pattern persisted for much of the quarter, with the score margin fluctuating between three and eight points. Zenit’s standout performer during this stretch was Poythress, who dominated the boards and finished consistently at the rim. The quarter’s closing moments favored CSKA, but Zenit entered the final period with a slim lead 64:63.
The fourth quarter opened with a lightning-fast drive by Moon into CSKA’s paint, followed by a powerful dunk from Spellman. Zenit worked to maintain control and keep their opponent at bay. However, midway through the quarter, CSKA managed to tie the game and briefly take the lead. Nevertheless, Zenit’s solid defensive teamwork and clutch performances from their key players secured the victory. The final score was 82:78.
Zenit’s top performers included Dwayne Bacon (20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist), Xavier Moon (20 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals), Alex Poythress (10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal) and Vince Hunter (10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal).
Zenit’s next game will be on Wednesday, December 11, against Astana. The match will also take place in St. Petersburg at the CSC Arena, starting at 19:30 local time. Tickets are available at tickets.bc-zenit.com.
