Zenit beat Samara at home – 115:57 (32:14, 25:18, 30:12, 28:13).
Game progress
The St. Petersburg team immediately took the lead in the game, It took the hosts just over 2 minutes to gain a double-digit lead – 10-0.
The guests tried to iget back into the game, but Zenit players dominated. At some point Georgy Zhbanov became the main engine of Zenit offense. After his fast break layups at the start of the second quarter, Zenit lead reached 22 points – 36:14.
The coaches of both teams actively used rotation and in the first half all the players who were on the roster for the game appeared. In Zenit lineup, all 12 players scored points. A great offense allowed the hosts to maintain a comfortable lead by halftime – 57:32.
In the third quarter, Zenit finally eliminated all questions about the winner. A great offense and aggressive defense helped the St. Petersburg team rapidly increase the lead to 40 points – 75:35. In the remaining time, Xavier Pascual team increased the score difference even more, renewed the team all-time record for scoring differencial and took the win.
X-factor
Georgy Zhbanov had his best game in VTB League. Zenit guard made all 8 field-goal shots, scored 20 points and set career-high field goal percentage and three-pointers made (4).
Facts
Zenit won by 58 points. This is the biggest win for the St. Petersburg team in VTB League history.
The hosts extended the winning streak to 10 games. This is the longest active winning streak.
Samara has never beaten Zenit in its history. All 10 games of the teams ended with the St. Petersburg team wins.
Samara holds the season record for the number of players who have played for one team. Artyom Pivtcaykin became the 26th such player.
Leaders
Zenit: Dwayne Bacon (23 + 7 rebounds), Georgy Zhbanov (20), Alexey Shved (11 + 9 assists), Alex Poythress (10 + 5 rebounds).
Samara: Gleb Goldyrev (11), Nikita Kosyakov (10).
What’s next
Zenit: March 9 on the road against Lokomotiv Kuban.
Samara: March 8 on the road versus MBA-MAI.
