Zenit defeated Uralmash on the road – 78:60 (29:18, 20:15, 13:14, 16:13).
Game progress
The guests immediately took the initiative with aggressive defense. By the middle of the first quarter, the Yekaterinburg team had made only 5 shots from the field, while committing 6 turnovers. The St. Petersburg team skillfully exploited the opponent mistakes, scoring points on fast breaks. Combined with a high percentage of three-pointers, this allowed Zenit to pull ahead by 16 points at one point – 29:13.
After missing the opening shot, the hosts were still able to equalise the game. But that was all. Throughout the second quarter, the guests maintained a double-digit lead and held it till halftime – 49:33.
Key moment
Zenit’s defense once again had a big impact in the final quarter. The St. Petersburg team shut down the opponent offense for 6 minutes. During this time, the guests increased the lead to 28 points – 78:50, which guaranteed win.
X-factor
Defense was the key to win for Zenit in this game. The guests allowed the opponent to score only 60 points. At the same time, Uralmash committed 21 turnovers in this game.
Facts
Zenit won 5 games in a row for the first time this season.
Trent Frazier pulled away from Garrett Nevels in the list of leaders in three-point shooting this season. After today’s game, Zenit guard is ahead of his pursuer by 4 made shots (68 to 64).
Igor Novikov played his 100th game in the VTB League.
Leaders
Uralmash: Tyrell Nelson (13), Octavius Ellis (12 + 6 rebounds)
Zenit: Trent Frazier (22 + 5 assists), Vladislav Emchenko (14 + 5 rebounds), Andre Roberson (8 + 13 rebounds)
What’s next
Uralmash: February 22 at home versus MBA-MAI
Zenit: February 22 on the road against BETCITY PARMA.
