Zenit defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod at home – 81:78 (21:22, 21:19, 27:14, 12:23).

Game progress
The teams had the same stats in the standings before the game (4 wins in 5 games) and in the first half was equal. Despite guests status, Nizhny started very actively. Evgenii Baburin and Aubrey Dawkins helped the Volga team take a lead into the first break – 22:21. Nizhny Novgorod also led for almost the entire second quarter, but 4 points in the possession by Dwayne Bacon gave Zenit the lead back by halftime – 42:4.

The guests started the second half very poor. Nizhny made several turnovers and Zenit immediately used these chances. Zenit advantage quickly became double-digit and Bacon three-pointer brought the difference to 17 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Key moment
Still, Nizhny didn’t let up in an almost hopeless situation. Long-range shots by Sergey Kozin team turned into 7-point difference, but that was just the beginning. JaKeenan Gant cut the deficit to 3 points a minute before the end.

Xavier Moon made shot over Kasey Shepherd was decisive, and on the next possession Shepherd also made a turnover that sealed the game – Dawkins’ free throws in the final seconds decided nothing. Zenit moved ahead of CSKA and into second place in the standings with this win.

X-factor
Nizhny Novgorod had more turnovers (12 – only 3 more than Zenit), but ithis became a key reason of Zenit run in the third quarter, and Shepherd turnover in the last minute finally let the guests to lose any chances to win the game.

Facts
Zenit home winning streak against Nizhny has been going on for 5 years now – the last time the Volga team won in St. Petersburg in October 2019.

Dwayne Bacon solidified his leadership in the list of the League’s best scorers, increasing his average from 18.6 points to 19.5.

Leaders
Zenit: Dwayne Bacon (24 + 6 rebounds), Alex Poythress (14), Xavier Moon (13 + 5 rebounds), Omari Spellman (11 + 5 rebounds), Georgy Zhbanov (3 + 6 rebounds).
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Kasey Shepherd (20 + 7 assists), Aubrey Dawkins (11), Nemanja Djurisic (10 + 7 rebounds), JaKeenan Gant (10 + 5 rebounds), Aleksandr Chadov (9 + 6 rebounds).

What’s next
Zenit: October 13 on the road against CSKA.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: October 15 on the road versus Samara.