Zenit St. Petersburg defeated Avtodor Saratov on the road, 107-92 (33-25, 28-23, 31-25, 20-14).
Top Scorers
Avtodor: Brendan Frazier (22 + 5 ast), Coty Clarke (19 + 8 reb), Artem Klimenko (15 + 6 reb)
Zenit: Kyle Kuric (22 + 5 reb), Drew Gordon (20 + 5 reb), Sergey Karasev (20), Demonte Harper (19 + 8 ast)
Story
Zenit took care of the ball in the first half, dishing out 11 assists to only two assists (Avtodor had three assists and seven turnovers). Sergey Karasev and Drew Gordon keyed the offense, each scoring 12 points in the opening 20 minutes. St. Petersburg led by as much as 10 in the 2nd quarter, but Coty Clarke and Branden Frazier were able to help Avtodor trim the deficit to three by halftime with a mix of fast breaks and mid-range shooting.
Zenit guard Scottie Reynolds was ejected in the 2nd quarter and Evgeny Valiev had a tooth knocked out in the 3rd. But nothing could stop the visitors from seizing control of the game. Late in the 3rd quarter, Kyle Kuric exploded for an 11 straight points in two minutes, staking Zenit to an 87-78 lead entering the 4th.
Kuric and Demonte Harper iced the game early in the final period with 3-pointers, giving St. Petersburg a double-digit lead.
Zenit improves to 7-1, while Avtodor drops to 4-4, suffering its first defeat under head coach Evgeny Pashutin.
Highlights
. @AvtodorSaratov vs. @zenitbasket one minute highlights 📹 pic.twitter.com/t4PCz2ReYD
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) December 9, 2017
Stat
18 – Avtodor shot 18% from beyond the arc, making only three of 16 attempts.
Nice Play
Star
Kyle Kuric. He scored a team-high 22 points, including 11 huge points late in the 3rd quarter that sealed Zenit’s win.
Up Next
Avtodor: January 6 away vs. VEF
Zenit: December 16 away vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban
Photos
