Zenit defeated Perm at home, 99–85 (23–19, 20–25, 25–19, 31–22).
Main Story
Both teams started the game aggressively. For most of the opening stretch, they traded baskets. Thanks to tenacious defense and effective three-point shooting (4 of 8), the St. Petersburg team seized the initiative and pulled ahead. At one point in the second quarter, their lead reached 9 points. The Perm team responded with a high percentage of 2-point shots (13 of 21 – 62%). However, it was the long-range shots by Brian Fobbs and Isaiah Whaley late in the first half that put PARMA ahead, 44–43.
After halftime, Zenit came out fired up. Dusko Ivanovic’s team went on a 12–0 run in the first three minutes, building a double-digit lead. But they were unable to hold onto it. By the start of the final 10 minutes, the visitors had closed the gap to five points.
The Clutch Moment
In the final quarter, Georgy Zhbanov took on the leadership role for Zenit. In the first four minutes, the guard scored 7 points, helping his team build a 13-point lead. After sinking a three-pointer, the lead reached 20 points, effectively sealing the victory.
X-Factor
The St. Petersburg team capitalized on their opponents’ numerous turnovers. Perm committed 23 turnovers, allowing the home team to record 16 steals, while PARMA got only 10.
Interesting Facts
Dusko Ivanović’s team recorded 31 assists, matching their season high. UNICS also reached this mark in their game against Dynamo.
Every player on Zenit’s roster has been on the court.
Five players from St. Petersburg scored 10 or more points.
Press Conference
Zenit Head Coach, Dusko Ivanovic: Congratulations to my players. Tonight, the most important thing was to demonstrate that we are a team that can play for the title. This is more important than this victory. The intensity, the focus, how everybody played — this was important. And, of course, this victory against PARMA, who are one of the teams that have beaten UNICS and CSKA, is a great victory for us.
BETCITY PARMA Head Coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– First of all, we had 23 turnovers today. Also, our rebounding was the worst. Every team outrebounded us. And, of course, there were those turnovers.
Zenit played aggressively. We started arguing with the referees; we weren’t prepared for that kind of aggression. Naturally, on the road, the standard for physical contact is very high, and we saw that several times there were two-on-one situations—double teams—with such aggressive defense that it allowed Zenit to make a lot of steals and launch fast breaks.
We warned them, we talked to them, the mistake we all made—both the coaching staff and the team—was that after two good games, we came here having in mind Zenit’s game in Kazan, when they lost by 40 points, and I think that made the guys let their guard down, but that’s no excuse.
It was the same story when Zenit finished last in Moscow at the SuperCup and then beat Uralmash. It’s exactly the same situation. We talked about this before the game because Zenit plays much tougher and better at home, but the physicality is also on a completely different level than on the road, as we saw in the game in Kazan.
So it’s our fault. We weren’t ready. Zenit deserved to win.
Top Performers
Zenit: Georgy Zhbanov (18 points + 5 rebounds), Ike Iroegbu (16 points + 6 assists), Andre Roberson (15 points + 5 rebounds), Andrey Martyuk (13 points + 7 rebounds), Alex Poythress (10 points + 6 rebounds)
BETCITY PARMA: Jeremiah Martin (21 points + 5 assists), Isaiah Whaley (20 points + 7 rebounds), Joshua Primo (16)
Up Next:
Zenit: October 11 at home against Avtodor
BETCITY PARMA: October 10 on the road against Uralmash.
Condensed Game:
