Uralmash made a 10-point comeback and defeated Zenit in the debut League game – 75:70 (14:14, 19:24, 24:18, 18:14).
Game progress
The United League newcomer got off to a very solid start against one of the season’s main favourites. The Yekaterinburg team defense immediately managed to slow down Zenit offence – the St. Petersburg team scored points mostly in the paint, and didn’t make their first three-pointers until the second quarter. In turn, Javonte Douglas – Aleksandr Zakharov – Garrett Nevels trio broke Zenit defense. A couple of minutes before the end of the first half, the guests led, but Kyle Kuric made two three-point shots and helped the St. Petersburg team go into the halftime with a 5-point lead – 38:33.
After the halftime, Uralmash didn’t let up. Although Xavier Pascual team managed to take a 10-point lead, the guests quickly got back on track and even took the lead again, winning the third quarter – 24:18. Zakharov proved himself again, scoring 9 points in the quarter.
Key moment
In the final quarter, the teams locked down on defence, and the cost of mistakes was very high. Bojan Dubljevic broke into the paint a lot, while Uralmash answered with shots by Douglas and Nevels. In the final minute, the guests led by 5. Dubljevic got Zenit back in the game with an offensive rebound and two free-throws, but then Josh Perkins, who had made only one shot, had his moment. Uralmash guard ignored Zenit defence amd made a mid-range shot. There was almost no time left for the hosts to respond, and after Thomas Heurtel made a 5-second inbound violation, the game result was clear.
Fact
The last time the Yekaterinburg team played in the Russian basketball elite was 18 years ago – in the 2004/05 season Evraz played in the top league. Uralmash broke into the United League by defeating the most star team, according to Uralmash president.
Key factor
Douglas – Nevels – Zakharov trio was unstoppable in this game. They scored 59 points out of 75 team points.
Leaders
Zenit: Bojan Dubljevic (17), Kyle Kuric (16), Sergey Karasev (14), Vince Hunter (8 + 10 rebounds), Thomas Heurtel (4 + 13 assists).
Uralmash: Javonte Douglas (22 + 9 rebounds), Garrett Nevels (19 + 7 rebounds), Aleksandr Zakharov (18 + 7 rebounds).
What’s next
Zenit: 5 October on the road versus Samara
Uralmash: 6 October at home against Runa.
