Zenit defeated PARMA-PARI on the road — 65:60 (9:16, 18:18, 19:13, 19:13).
The best scorers
PARMA-PARI: Aleksandr Platunov (18 + 6 rebounds), Malik Dime (16 + 7 rebounds)
Zenit: Trey Tompkins (18 + 10 rebounds)
Game progress
Less than a week ago, PARMA-PARI demonstrated the best defense in the club’s history, letting the opposing team to score 48 points. And although the Perm team used to play with a different level team, they immediately made it clear that even the United League and SuperCup champions will have to try very hard to beat the hosts’ defense. In the first quarter, Zenit failed to score more than 10 points and could not score from the three-point line. PARMA offense was also not very effective, but the percentage was higher, they made their three-pointers twice and this was enough to finish the first quarter as a leader — 16:9.
Zenit finally started the second quarter with a long-range shot by Thomas Wimbush. But the game did not change from this — Pavel Antipov and Aleksandr Platunov continued to keep the guests at a comfortable distance. Shortly before the halftime, Gleb Sheiko made his team lead double-digit – 30:20. And yet Denis Zakharov, with his 5 points at the end of the quarter, allowed Zenit to pull up to the same 7 points diffenrence.
In the second half, Zenit made adjustments. Although PARMA managed to guard Thomas Heurtel, who could not open the score to the points scored, Trey Tompkins became the team’s main scorer. The former Real Madrid player helped Zenit seize the difference and Caleb Homesley reduced the St. Petersburg team trail to a minimum – 47:46. Seconds before the end of the quarter, he could have put Zenit ahead, but missed three free-throws.
The key moment
PARMA-PARI started the final 10 minutes with a 5-0 run, but Dmitry Kulagin and Trey Tompkins made shots quickly brought Zenit back to the game. The situation of the guests were more complicated when Richard Solomon left the floor with 5 fouls. But Trey Tompkins was the key player on the court — his link with his recent Real Madrid partner Heurtel worked like clockwork. Another long-range shot by Tompkins put Zenit ahead — 56:54.
The game has moved to the clutch. Three minutes before the end of regulation, Dmitry Kulagin scored a three-pointer with a foul and got 4 points in 1 possesion. With such a game, it could have been a decisive advantage, and a minute later Thomas Heurtel finally managed to score his first 2 points in this game. Malik Dime scored two=pointer, but it was not enough. Xavi Pascual outplays Evgeny Pashutin and wins his first game in the regular season.
Hero
Trey Tompkins. Zenit was able to turn the course of the game because of Trey. The American got a double-double and became the best scoring player of the game with Aleksandr Platunov from PARMA-PARI. He is also the only one in the Zenit squad who scored more than 10 points.
Numbers
4 — three-pointers were made by Trey Tompkins. This is more than all the other Zenit players combined — in total, in this game, the St. Petersburg players made 7 three-pointers.
What’s next
PARMA-PARI: road game against Astana on October 13
Zenit: home game against Avtodor on October 14
