Zenit took the confident win over MINSK on the road – 91:66 (21-16, 30-15, 19-18, 21-17).
Game progress
In the entire rivalry history, Zenit has never lost to the Belarusian team. There were no conditions to lose this time: the St. Petersburg team came to the capital of Belarus in the 3rd place, while MINSK won only 1 game out of 18 and by the beginning of 2023 had 7 loses in a row.
Already from the start of the game, Zenit tried to take the lead with 6 points in 2 minutes. But MINSK quickly rebuilt the defense and gradually reduced the difference until by the middle of the quarter it got to the minimum – 9:10. It was not possible to get ahead, but the Belarusian team was not going to let the opponent go far. Only with Richard Solomon and Thomas Wimbush actions and their 12 points, the St. Petersburg team managed to win the first quarter – 21:16.
Surprisingly, at the same time, both teams scored from the game with literally the same percentage (7 out of 14 shots (50%)). Zenit was in the lead due to free-throws – 6 out of 8, while MINSK made only 1 out of 2.
Key moment
But the equal game did not last too long: in a little over a minute in the second quarter, Zenit scored 9 points in a row, making a double-digit lead for the first time and forcing the opponent to take a timeout. For a short time, MINSK reduced the St. Petersburg team offensive force, but it was not able to repeat the first quarter and get close to Zenit.
The guests controlled the end of the second quarter: Andrey Zubkov, Artem Klimenko and Sergey Monia let the team to 20-point lead – 51:31.
In the second half, the game has not changed. Zenit calmly took the 14th win of the season.
Key factor
Rebounds. Despite Trey Tompkins absence, Zenit dominated in the paint with 17 more rebounds than the opponent – 38 against 21. At the same time, the St. Petersburg team made 15 offensive rebounds – the same as MINSK made defensive.
Fact
MINSK remains the only team that has not won at home in the 2022/23 season. The Belarusian team took the only win in Krasnoyarsk.
Leaders
MINSK: Supreme Hannah (13), Vadim Stubeda (11)
Zenit: Caleb Homesley (25 + 5 rebounds), Richard Solomon (17), Artem Klimenko (14 + 6 rebounds), Andrey Zubkov (10 + 9 rebounds), Thomas Heurtel (15 assists)
Next games
MINSK: road game versus Astana on January 11
Zenit: road game against Astana on January 7
