Zenit defeated MBA-MAI at home – 83:69 (16:11, 25:29, 18:17, 24:12).
Game progress
At the game start, defense dominating offense. The return of Nenad Dimitrijevic and newcomer Luka Samanic levelled up the game. Several shots by the Croatian helped the hosts take the lead.
In the second quarter, both teams picked up the pace, which had a positive effect on the score. The St. Petersburg team managed to build a comfortable lead at one point – 41:32. But the end of the quarter ended with the Moscow team run, which continued after the halftime. 12 points in a row allowed MBA-MAI to regain the lead – 44:41.
Key moment
The St. Petersburg team made a key run at the beginning of the final quarter. The hosts’ surge was based on Nenad Dimitrijevic and Trent Frazier efforts. Zenit’s lead became double digits – 70:59. This time, the hosts did not let the advantage slip away and confidently took the wwn.
X-factor
The addition of Dimitrijevic and Samanic to Zenit’s roster clearly benefited the team. In this game, they were the best scorers (23 and 21 points, respectively). They combined for 37 points.
Facts
Luka Samanic made his debut for Zenit in this game. In 19 minutes, the Croatian center scored 19 points and made 6 rebounds.
Zenit overtook MBA-MAI in the standings on point difference with today’s win.
Andrey Zubkov played his 400th game in the VTB League. He is the 5th player in history to achieve this milestone (after Kurbanov, Vorontsevich, Antonov and Zaitsev).
Leaders
Zenit: Luka Samanic (19 + 6 rebounds), Nenad Dimitrijevic (18), Andrey Vorontsevich (11), Andrei Martiuk (10 + 10 rebounds), Levi Randolph (10)
MBA-MAI: Andrey Zubkov (18 + 5 rebounds + 5 assists), Vladislav Trushkin (14), Danil Pevnev (12 + 7 rebounds)
What’s next
Zenit: November 18 at home against Pari NN
MBA-MAI: November 15 on the road versus Lokomotiv Kuban.
