Zenit defeated MBA on the road in the Quarterfinals Game 4 and advanced to the Semifinals – 99:80 (23:23, 28:19, 24:21, 24:17).
Game progress
The st. Petersburg team quickly recovered from their setback in the Game 1 and responded with 2 wins. In the first quarter, Evgeny Voronov let know that his team didn’t mind surprising once again. The Moscow team played equal with the reigning champion, but the guests picked up their pace in the second quarter. The St. Petersburg team began to make shots. Thomas Heurtel and Trent Frazier looked excellent. Even Makar Konovalov 14 points didn’t stop Zenit from pulling ahead 51:42 at the halftime.
In the third quarter Zenit kept scoring and Frazier shots helped the guests to win the segment and build a double-digit lead heading into the final quarter – 75:63. In the Game 1, MBA made an 18-0 run to win the game. This time Zenit kept the momentum going and continued to build their lead. Heurtel managed the team’s offense, making the double-double. Zenit enjoyed the game, but failed to score 100 points.
Fact
Zenit and MBA Series was the only one that didn’t end in 3 games. The Moscow team pulled off the biggest Playoffs sensation of all, defeating the reignong champion and third-seeded team from the regular season in the opening game. But the St. Petersburg team moves to the next round.
Key factor
Zenit had a good three-point shooting percentage – 13 out of 28 or 46.4%. Heurtel made 4 out of 8, Frazier 3 out of 6.
Leaders
MBA: Evgeny Voronov (17), Makar Konovalov (14), Maksim Lichutin (10), Ilya Platonov (9 + 9 rebounds)
Zenit: Thomas Heurtel (20 + 11 assists), Trent FraZIer (17), Andrey Zubkov (15), Adrien Moerman (10 + 5 rebounds), Dmitriy Kulagin (10)
