Zenit beat CSKA in the Game 1 of the 3rd Place Series – 86:68 (20-23, 21-10, 19-13, 26-22).
Game progress
The 3rd Place Series began in Moscow. If the first quarter were equal, with the hosts slight advantage, the second quarter was all Zenit. Xavi Pascual team completely shut down CSKA offense, turning off the leaders. After scoring only 10 points in one quarter, the hosts trailed by 8 – 33:41.
After the break, the game slowed considerably. Zenit continued to hold a comfortable lead, occasionally leading by 10-12 points. An early 7-0 run by the Army team allowed Emil Rajkovic team to trail 6 points, but Zenit quickly sealed the momentum. Vitaliy Fridzon was the key player – the veteran scored 4 points and made an assist to Caleb Homesley for a three-pointer. Adrien Moerman closed the third quarter with a buzzer-beating three, 60:46 – the guests led.
Key moment
The Army team was never able to get back into the game. Despite a brief shootaround early in the fourth quarter, when the teams made 4 threes in a minute, CSKA suffered in the last quarter. Zenit continued to play well on defense, increasing their lead, and quietly got to a big win.
Key factor
Zenit played the game without their leader Thomas Heurtel. The French guard was replaced by Trent Frazier, who got a whopping 16 points and 9 assists in 25 minutes.
Fact
68 points – repeating CSKA’s worst offensive performance of the season. Moreover, the Army team’s lowest-scoring performance was just 10 days ago, in the Game 5 against Lokomotiv Kuban.
Leaders
CSKA: Anton Astapkovic (14), Nikola Milutinov (10 + 8 rebounds), Samson Ruzhentsev (10)
Zenit: Caleb Homesley (20), Adrien Moerman (18), Trent Frazier (16 + 9 assists)
Next game: May 7 in Moscow
