Zenit defeated Samara on the road in a regular season game – 84:76 (27:13, 17:28, 14:17, 26:18).
Game progress
Samara started with a win over Avtodor, while Zenit unexpectedly lost to Uralmash in the first game. In the middle of the first quarter, Thomas Heurtel scored 7 points in 40 seconds and inspired a 16-2 run that gave the guests a 14-point lead. But the St. Petersburg team wasn’t able to hold the lead. Justin Robinson’s 21 points with 7 out of 10 shooting in the first half allowed Samara to cut the guests lead to 3 points at the halftime.
In the third quarter, the game calmed down, Samara scored 3 more points. The score was tied before the final quarter – 58:58 .
Key moment
The game was decided in the end, when Zenit showed their class. Trent Frazier, Sergey Karasev and Adrien Moerman made three long-ragne shots in a row in just 1:15 minute, making a 9-0 run. In the remaining minutes, the St. Petersburg team held the lead and secured their first win of the season.
Key factor
Xavier Pascual made adjustments at the halftime and took Justin Roberson out of the game. One of Samara leaders had 21 points in the first half, but in the second half he scored 0 points (0 of 5 from the game).
Fact
Zenit started the season with two losses only once – in 2019. Then the St. Petersburg team lost first in Krasnodar (64:96) and then in Astana (91:93). This time Zenit managed to avoid this fate.
Leaders
Samara: Justin Roberson (21), Nikola Rebic (17 + 6 assists), James Thompson (12 + 6 rebounds), Dalton Hayden (10 + 6 rebounds).
Zenit: Thomas heurtel (13 + 6 rebounds), Trent Frazier (13), Vince Hunter (12 + 8 rebounds), Sergey Karasev (12 + 5 rebounds).
What’s next
Samara: October 9 on the road against Runa
Zenit: October 8 at home against CSKA.
