Trent Frazier: "We didn't handle the pressure"

Zenit guard Trent Frazier named the main reasons for the team’s defeat in the away game of the VTB United League against Krasnodar’s Lokomotiv Kuban (95:85). In the game, the American point guard scored 20 points, along with 9 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals.

— What, in your opinion, didn’t work for Zenit today?

— I thought we didn't handle the pressure. I mean the energy that they brought to us in the first half — I thought they came out punched us in the face and we kind of just were everywhere we're flustered a little bit and a little too nervous handling the pressure. We got to do a better job of just controlling our emotions as a team, controlling their pressure, and just trying to run our offense and better be focused. But at least second half, we came out with a little more fight, obviously, the basketball guys don't really reward you like that when you can't put 40 minutes together, when you're down all game like that by plus 20. I thought we showed some character a little bit. We fought back to get it to 10. But like I said, they're already hot. Those guys are already feeling it, but they're making tough shots, you know, everything's going away. So when you don't put 40 minutes together, it's tough to come out in the second half and try to fight back.

— What happened at the start of the first quarter, when Zenit allowed a run from Loko and then couldn’t fully get back into the game?

— Like I said before, we just have to do a better job of controlling our emotions and controlling the pressure. We know it was going to be a tough game for us. We let them get out and transition early and get easy baskets. We let them get their rhythm early, too early. And that's what put us in a hole. 

— Did the coach’s technical foul at the end of the first half affect the team’s mindset?

— No, I mean like I said the whole game started in the first half, we didn't do a really good job of controlling the tempo, controlling the pressure from them. They just did a hell of a job just playing at their pace, doing what they were doing, moving the ball a lot. We just had a lack of focus. Once you get down like that against a good team on the road, it's very, very tough to come back. We showed some character. We fought a little bit that we did in the first half, but when you don't put 40 minutes together, It's very very difficult.