Zenit St. Petersburg turned out to be stronger than UNICS Kazan in the SuperCup semi-final– 83:76 (23:23, 23:18, 19:16, 18:19).
Best scorers
UNICS: Mario Hezonja (22), John Brown (12 + 5 rebounds + 4 steals), Isiah Canaan (12).
Zenit: Shabazz Napier (33), Jordan Mickey (13 + 3 blocks), Billy Baron (11).
Game progress
The SuperCup is the first pre-season tournament in the VTB United League history, which was established in the 2021 off-season. The game between UNICS and Zenit, which finished in the Top 4 according to the results of the last draw, marked the beginning of a new annual competition.
Teams are still getting in shape before the new season, but the starting quarter began and passed at a brisk pace, pleasing with numerous hits. The main weapon of the opponents were 3-pointers. Kazan first took the lead. St. Petersburg team pulled up to the end of the quarter after a successful performance from the bench by Billy Baron- 23:23.
At the beginning of the second quarter, UNICS reserves were already pushing up – John Brown and Isiah Canaan organized a breakthrough 8 points for the Kazan team. It was not possible to develop the success. The blue-white-blues gradually seized the initiative, which was facilitated by the dominance on the boards (17-6 after the first half). And Shabazz Napier was also involved. Very fast American came to his senses after a chaotic start and rubbed the opponent’s defense. Basketball players in the green uniform did not adjust to the feints and strides during long-range attempts performed by the ex-NBA player. Shabazz scored 12 points in the second 10-minutes, Zenit went to the break as the leader- 46:41.
After the first half, UNICS and Zenit demonstrated that they are able to increase the pace in defense as well. Kazan slowed down the opponent with a tight game to receive, Jordan Mickey got spectacular block shots. Zenit players were the first to establish offensive actions. The acceleration started with 5 points in a row from Mickey, then Baron returned in the game again and Andrey Zubkov scored from behind the arc. For the first time, the advantage of one of the teams became double-digit (65:55), and before the decisive quarter, St. Petersburg team had +8.
In the fourth quarter, a viscous struggle ensued on the floor. UNICS made desperate attempts to drag the opponent into the end and succeeded. Effective offensive actions by Brown III and Hezonja led to the fact that 2 minutes before the end, the white-greens reduced the gap to -4 after accurate free-throws by the Croat (74: 78).
The key moment
Napier had the last word. The American responded with two hits from the line in the next possession, and then, after an interception by Mateusz Ponitka, removed the question of the winner with a long – range shot- 83:74.
Hero
Shabazz Napier. In a not very productive game, Shabazz recorded 33 points, making 8 of 11 from the game and 11 of 13 from the line. The point guard turned on in the second quarter and has been the main character on the court since then – there is a bid for the Super Bowl MVP.
Number
61-the percentage of the implementation of 3-points from the St. Petersburg team. Largely due to long-range hits, Zenit managed to reach the Super Cup final.
What’s next
In the SuperCup final, Zenit will face CSKA – Lokomotiv-Kuban pair winner.
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