«Зенит» завершил «регулярку» домашним поражением от ЦСКА
Zenit’s main team lost to CSKA in the match of the final, 40th round of the 2025/26 VTB United League regular season. The game against the Moscow team ended with a score of 74:83. Details of the final regular-season game are in our report.
In today’s match, Zenit players Georgy Zhbanov, Sergey Karasev, Xavier Moon, and Luka Šamanić did not take part. At the same time, the game against CSKA became the first after returning to the club for Igor Volkhin and Pavel Zemskiy — the Zenit academy product appeared on the court from the opening seconds alongside Andre Roberson, Trent Frazier, Andrey Martiuk, and Vladislav Emchenko.
The start of the game was intense, largely thanks to the high percentage of three-point shooting from both teams. Three-pointers by Trent, Andre, Pavel, and Johnny allowed Zenit to take the lead — 15:11 midway through the first quarter. However, the pace of the game slowed afterward, and the ball found the basket less frequently. The quarter ended with baskets by Juzang for Zenit and Trimble for CSKA — 19:19, with the score tied.
The next stretch began with a run by the visitors — even a timeout by Radonjić did not help. Zenit responded to CSKA’s 0:9 run with a three-pointer by Vorontsevich, which ended the team’s scoring drought. The Moscow side managed to gain a comfortable advantage, allowing them to control the flow of the game until halftime. Although Zenit improved offensively (Andre and Johnny scored from close range), the teams headed to the locker rooms with CSKA holding a confident lead — 33:43.
The chase continued after the break. Zenit looked for different ways to break through the opponent’s defense, and often succeeded: Bako and Martiuk scored with dunks, Frazier completed an and-one, and Roberson finished a fast break. However, Zenit struggled with three-point shooting in the second half. Unfortunately, CSKA’s offense remained highly effective. CSKA not only prevented the gap from shrinking but also increased it — 52–68 before the final quarter.
In the last ten minutes, the opponent maintained the winning result despite a phenomenal 18–0 run by Zenit near the end. The gap was too large, and there was critically little time remaining. The final score was 74–83. The top scorers for Zenit were Johnny Juzang (18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal) and Trent Frazier (17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals).
The VTB United League regular season has concluded, and the playoffs are ahead. In the quarterfinals, Zenit will face Uralmash Yekaterinburg.
The series will begin in Saint Petersburg on Zenit’s home court at KSK Arena. The first game will take place on April 26 at 13:00 local time, and the second game on April 28 at 20:00.
Tickets are on sale!
