Zenit beat Astana and won the 15th game of the season — 93:75 (30:15, 16:18, 23:22, 24:20).
Game progress
Zenit arrived in Astana as a clear favorite. From the very first minutes, the guests began to prove it. Thomas Heurtel playmaking talent and Caleb Homesley sniper mode allowed the St. Petersburg team to increase the lead. Throughout the opening quarter, Zenit players scored with a high percentage. The Russian team had a double-digit lead after the first quarter – 30:15.
But the St. Petersburg team could not maintain offensive pace. In the second quarter, the hosts began to defend better and forced the opponent to make a lot of mistakes and often foul. Zenit offensive potential has dropped and Astana used it. Daniil Aksenov helped the team to leveled the game and even slightly reduced the score difference by the halftime – 33:46.
Key moment
At the start of the final quarter, after Dmitry Gavrilov hook shot, Astana trailed by 9 points for the first time – 62:71. But the hosts’ hopes for a comeback were lost. At the decisive moment, Thomas Heurtel traditionally turned on. The French guard first gave an assist to Homesley and then scored 8 team points in a row. The St. Petersburg team lead in the middle of the quarter returned to 15 points – 82:67, which allowed the guests to get the win.
Key factor
The St. Petersburg team made 15 three–pointers (15 out of 30 – 50%) and repeated their team best this season.
Fact
Before this game, Michael Myers and Thomas Heurtel were in second and third places on the list of leaders in double-doubles. Astana center could not improve his stats due fouls. Heurtel took advantage of this and scored 23 points and 13 assists. Now both players have 5 double-doubles this season.
Game leaders
Astana: Daniil Aksenov (19), Kwame Vaughn (15), Valery Likhodey (15)
Zenit: Thomas Heurtel (23 + 13 assists), Caleb Homesley (19), Thomas Wimbush (11), Richard Solomon (10 + 11 rebounds), Dmitriy Kulagin (10)
Next games
Astana: home game versus MINSK on January 11
Zenit: home game against Lokomotiv Kuban on January 10.
