Zenit defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod at home – 94:79 (23:30, 30:17, 21:13, 20:19).

Game progress
Pari NN ended 5-game road series in St. Petersburg and had 4 losses in previous games. That’s why the Volga team immediately showed fast-paced game at the start. At one point the guests were close to securing a double-digit lead, but the St. Petersburg team was luckier at the end of the quarter and didn’t allow the guests to get the initiative – 30:23. Despite Zach Nutall bright performance, Zenit finished the first half as the leader – 53:47.

Key moment
Dwayne Bacon led the team at the start of the second half. The score differential grew quickly – another Vorontsevich three-pointer brought it to a maximum 18 points. Ilya Karpenkov and Sergey Zotkin managed to briefly restore the intrigue, cutting Nizhny deficit to 8 points. However, Zhbanov and Vince Hunter allowed Xavier Pascual team to take the win and get back into the race for the regular season lead.

X-Factor
Georgy Zhbanov was perhaps the brightest player of the game. Zhbanov got 14 points and showed great defensive play and his three-pointer and dunk in the end kept the guests out of the game.

Facts
Georgy Zhbanov made career-high 6 steals.

Pari NN failed to bring any wins from the 5-game roas series. The last time Volga team won in St. Petersburg was in the fall of 2019.

Leaders
Zenit: Dwayne Bacon (18), Alex Poythress (16 + 9 rebounds), Georgy Zhbanov (14 + 6 steals), Sergey Karasev (11), Trent Frazier (9 + 8 assists), Xavier Moon (6 + 3 steals)
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Zach Natall (14), Ilya Karpenkov (12), Sergey Zotkin (11 + 5 assists), Pavel Zakharov (10), Alexander Khomenko (8 + 5 rebounds + 8 assists).

What’s next
Zenit: January 19 on the road against Avtodor
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: January 18 at home versus Uralmash.