St. Petersburg’s Zenit defeated Samara at home, 92–56 (27–12, 23–13, 19–20, 23–11).
Main Story
Several turnovers by the visitors and an inspired performance by Georgy Zhbanov, who scored 12 points in the opening quarter, allowed the St. Petersburg team to take the lead and build a comfortable advantage. Zenit moved the ball well and created opportunities for open shots, which was reflected in their field goal percentage. The home team made 16 of 22 two-point shots (72%) in the first half and won it by a twofold margin—50–25.
After halftime, the Volga team managed to temporarily halt St. Petersburg’s offense and won the third quarter 20–19. But it didn’t amount to a real comeback. Dusko Ivanović’s players regained the initiative in the final 10 minutes and secured a confident victory.
X-Factor
The difference in turnovers played a key role. Zenit committed only 9, while Samara had 25, which allowed the home team to record 14 steals.
Interesting Facts
Zenit remains undefeated at home this season: five wins in five games. In every game, the St. Petersburg team has scored more than 90 points.
Andrey Martyuk recorded a double-double. The center finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Press Conference
Zenit Head Coach Duško Ivanović:
– We did everything we needed to do to win this game. We had some very strong stretches: excellent defense, good focus, and a strong offense. But it’s only natural that when you’re leading by 20 points, you lose a little focus. In the end, my team put in a good effort to secure the victory.
Samara Head Coach Milos Pavicevic:
– Congratulations to Zenit on the victory. They played very well defensively. We couldn’t handle their pressure on the ball and gave up a lot of fast breaks because of those steals, which is why they scored 92 points. I think we didn’t lack fight today, and we battled well on the boards, unlike in the last game. That aspect was clearly better than in the last game. But 25 turnovers against an opponent like this, with so many talented players, is very tough.
Top Performers
Zenit: Markus Howard (20), Georgy Zhbanov (16), Andrey Martyuk (11 + 10 rebounds), Chris Ledlum (10 + 7 rebounds)
Samara: Zakhar Vedishchev (12), Andrei Savrasov (10 + 5 rebounds)
Up Next
Zenit: November 15, away against BETCITY PARMA
Samara: November 14, at home against CSKA.
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