St Petersburg defeated Avtodor while being at home 91:71 (18:13, 28:16, 21:17, 24:25).
Main Story
The hosts took the lead right from the start of the game, but the Saratov didn’t let Zenit quickly build a comfortable lead. The visitors held their own in the battle under the boards, handled the ball more carefully on offense, and played solid defense. Their composure helped them stay within 1–2 possessions.
It wasn’t until the middle of the second quarter that Dusko Ivanović’s team really picked up the pace. Zenit went on an 11-0 run and headed into halftime with a 17-point lead, making things as difficult as possible for Avtodor heading into the second half. Newcomer Chris Ledlum was the top scorer at that point with 11 points (4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc).
The Clutch Moment
The home team maintained control on the court after the break as well. Their lead reached up to 25 points in the third quarter and remained substantial until the final buzzer, despite all of Avtodor’s attempts to make it a close game down the stretch.
X-Factor
Rookie Chris Ledlum scored 23 points in his second game for Zenit. The forward made 8 of 11 field goals, 2 of 2 from beyond the arc, and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Interesting Facts
19-year-old Dmitry Chikishev made his VTB League debut and scored his first points (2 in 2 minutes on the court).
Zenit extended its winning streak against Avtodor to 11 games. The overall record stands at 28-6.
Ledlum matched his season-high in steals (5).
Press Conference
Zenit Head Coach Duško Ivanović:
– I’d like to congratulate my players on this victory, because we were playing against Avtodor—an opponent that plays very well as a team, both on defense and offense, and shows a lot of patience. We needed to stay focused for the full 40 minutes and play especially well on defense. We managed to do that, but at some point we ran into trouble after our lead exceeded 20 points. We let our guard down a bit and lost our focus, but overall it was a good game for us.
Avtodor Head Coach Rostislav Vergun:
– First and foremost, I’d like to say that the guys did a great job. I knew what to expect. Regarding the skills level of our opponents… In my opinion, Zenit is currently the team with the best defense in the League. I’m very glad we got this lesson and had the opportunity to test ourselves against that level of physicality and defensive quality. I really hope that our leaders, above all, will draw the right conclusions, understand, and see the essence of what we need to work toward going forward. None of these guys had definitely played at this level before this season. And you can talk about it for hours, show it on video, but until you experience it firsthand, I don’t think there’s anything better you can come up with. That’s why for me—and I said this in the locker room—what matters most is how we respond to this lesson. I’ll repeat what I started with: they fought until the very end. Specifically right now, specifically as of today, the opponent’s level and skill.
Top Performers
Zenit: Chris Ledlum (23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals), Georgy Zhbanov (16), Andrei Martyuk (14), Ike Iroegbu (11), Andre Roberson (7 points, 10 rebounds)
Avtodor: Curtis Hollis (18), Alexander Evseev (13 + 7 rebounds)
Up Next
Zenit: October 18, away against Lokomotiv-Kuban
Avtodor: October 14, away against Lokomotiv-Kuban.
Condensed Game:
Highlights:
