Zenit Russia defeated Astana Kazakhstan at home, 84-73 (21-14, 24-13, 15-22, 24-24).
Top Scorers
Zenit: Demonte Harper (21 + 5 reb + 4 ast), Kyle Kuric (18), Sergey Karasev (17), Drew Gordon (10 + 8 reb)
Astana: Justin Carter (27 + 9 reb), Ike Udanoh (16 + 13 reb + 3 stl), Anthony Clemmons (11)
Story
Zenit rode excellent three-point shooting to victory at home, sinking a gutsy effort from the Kazakh visitors and electric point guard Justin Carter.
Astana lost the season opener to CSKA at home and hoped to avoid an 0-2 start in St. Petersburg. Zenit, meanwhile, entered with a 1-1 record in the League and 0-1 Eurocup mark after getting trounced by Gran Canaria on Wednesday.
Zenit never trailed against Astana, jumping out to a 14-7 lead thanks to 10 points from Demonte Harper.
Trailing 21-14 at the end of one, Astana cut the deficit to one, 23-22, early in the 2nd quarter. Zenit responded with a knockout 20-2 run, capped by four straight triples from Sergey Karasev, Marko Simonovic and Kyle Kuric.
Despite the 19-point deficit, Astana didn’t quit. Justin Carter, who finished with a game-high 27, scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter to make it an eight-point game with 2:14 remaining in the period.
But Zenit could not be stopped on the perimeter. Kuric drained another three to end the quarter, one of 12 Zenit triples in the contest, and the home team led by 13 entering the 4th.
Kuric would ice the win midway through the final period, converting three free throws after getting fouled by Carter on a three-point attempt. He added one more triple a minute later, stretching Zenit’s lead to 75-57.
St. Petersburg picks up a much-needed victory and improves to 2-1, while visiting Astana drops to 0-2.
Stat
41-36 – Astana won the rebounding battle, led by a combined 22 boards from Ike Udanoh and Justin Carter. Despite finding success on the glass, a 3-16 effort from beyond the arc sank the visitors’ chances.
Slam
What a PUTBACK SLAM! @xtraGORDONary32 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Zum9oO0OMv
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) October 15, 2017
Quotes
Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev:
– Given our circumstances, the most important thing is a win, no matter how we get it. Both Gordon and Valiev were playing hurt, but I think we played well and controlled the game. There was a stretch when we let up in the 3rd quarter and Astana took advantage, but we came back and preserved our lead.
Astana head coach Kostas Flevarakis:
– Zenit was very aggressive in the 1st quarter and pushed the tempo. We only got going in the second half when we were already trailing by a big margin. We still haven’t gelled completely, because our roster was a bit different in the Asia Cup. That’s why the guys haven’t played as much team-centered basketball.
Up Next
Zenit: October 22 home vs. VEF
Astana: October 22 away vs. Tsmoki-Minsk
Snapshot
