Zenit-2 smashes Universitet-Yugra at home
The second team of the blue-whites triumphed over basketball club Universitet-Yugra in the 11th round of the Fonbet Super League. This marks the team’s third victory and second consecutive game scoring over 100 points under the leadership of Oliver Popovic.
Pavel Zemskiy, Vladislav Samukhin, Daniil Aksenov, Mikhail Dulkay and Ivan Prokopenko started the game from first seconds.
Graciously allowing the visitors to score first, Zenit-2 quickly took control of the game. Initially, it was Dulkay who stepped into the spotlight, scoring the team’s first 9 points. Later, his momentum was supported by his teammates: Prokopenko and Aksenov were precise at the free-throw line, while Volkhin and Ryzhov made their mark both beyond the arc and in the paint. By the eighth minute, Zenit-2 had built a 20-point lead, though Yugra managed to narrow the gap slightly by the end of the quarter. Despite the Siberian team’s efforts, the first quarter ended with a confident 31:20 lead for Zenit-2, with Dulkay already boasting 13 points.
The second quarter was less productive but followed a similar pattern. Both teams occasionally struggled with accuracy and missed opportunities. However, Zenit-2’s game continued to revolve around three key players: Zemskiy, Ryzhov and Dulkay. Egor Evstafiev entered the game strongly, adding a couple of three-pointers alongside Igor Volkhin. By halftime, Zenit-2 restored their 20-point lead, heading into the break at 54:34.
In the second half, Yugra came onto the court at the Basketball Academy with a clear goal: to slow the pace of the game and change the scoreboard dynamic. Alexey Chizhenok hit a mid-range shot, and Igor Smygin delivered back-to-back plays with a two-pointer and a three-pointer. However, the guests’ aggressive approach did not significantly alter the game’s trajectory. Zenit-2 maintained their pace and finished the quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Artem Khodorich, extending the lead to 77:52.
By the final stretch, the game’s outcome was all but decided. This reality seemed to liberate the players, especially those from the visiting team, who posted their highest-scoring quarter. For Zenit-2, Semen Burinskiy received more playing time and rewarded the coach’s trust with 8 points. The final highlight of the game was Khodorich’s three-pointer, which brought Zenit-2’s score to triple digits. The final score was 102:75.
The standout players for Zenit-2 were Mikhail Dulkay (21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block) and Egor Ryzhov (17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks).
Zenit-2’s next game will take place at home on December 10 against Khimki at the Basketball Academy (Severnaya Road, 12). Match will start at 18:00. Admission for fans is free, and the game will be streamed live on the Russian Basketball Federation’s website.
