Zenit beat Pari Nizhniy Novgorod in the end and got the 20th win of the season — 83:67 (16:18, 28:18, 15:18, 24:13).
Game progress
2 weeks earlier, Nizhniy Novgorod managed to beat Zenit 79:70 at home. That win gave confidence to the team. So Pari NN started the game in St. Petersburg with bigmen focus and succeeded. Dragan Apic and Maksim Salash made 5 of 6 shots and Pari Nizhniy Novgorod confidently led – 10:4.
The hosts managed to turn the situation around with a timeout and substitutions. The key was Artem Klimenko appearance. The Russian center added reliability in the paint and rebounds. And after Klimenko made shot, the St. Petersburg team took the lead for the first time at the beginning of the second quarter – 20:18.
The bigmen factor became the key throughout the first half. In 20 minutes, the teams made only 1 of 17 three-pointers. At the same time, thetwo-pointers percentage was insanely big – 80%. In such a game, the hosts still looked better. The St. Petersburg team lost the ball less, were better in rebounds and scored more. All this allowed Zenit to get an 8-point lead – 44:36.
Key moment
Jeremaine Love game in the third quarter allowed Nizhniy Novgorod to equalize – 50:50. As a result, the game result was decided in the end. And here Zenit players experience affected. The hosts run began with Dmitriy Kulagin made shot – 65:62, and then Trent Frazier turned on. The American guard was unstoppable. In the last 3 minutes, he scored 16 points, leaving Nizhniy Novgorod no chance to save the game – 83:67.
Key factor
Trent Frazier showed first-class scoring ability at the end. The guard took on the role of leader and scored 16 points in less than 3 minutes, having made 5 out of 5 from the game.
Fact
The today’s win practically guaranteed Zenit the Top-3 place of the regular season. It is enough for the St. Petersburg team to win 1 of the 5 remaining games.
Next games
Zenit: road game against Lokomotiv Kuban on March 7
Pari Nizhniy Novgorod: home game versus UNICS on March
