Zenit defeated MBA in the Quarterfinals Game 3 on the road – 86:61 (23:17, 28:6, 19:19, 16:19).
Game progress
MBA surprised with a win in the Game 1 against Zenit. Not surprisingly, the St. Petersburg team now approaches each game without underestimating the opponent. In the Game 3, the guests took the lead from the very first minutes. Through the first quarter, the Moscow team managed to hold the opponent for some time.
Trent Frazier’s appearance was the key in the game. The American guard opened up MBA defense with surprising ease. He made 5 of 6 shots from the game, scored 16 points and was the key to increase Zenit’s pace. Throughout the second quarter, Zenit completely outplayed their opponents in every aspect of the game. The result of such domination was a huge lead before the halftime – 51:23.
In the second half the hosts played better. But it was not enough to make a comeback. Zenit confidently controlled the game and secured a comfortable win.
Key factor
Just as in the previous Game 2, the second quarter became the key one. The guests won by 22 points and sealed the game.
Fact
In this Series MBA players win only 1 quarter in each game – the fourth one. In the Game 1, this helped the team to win. In the next 2 games the St. Petersburg team had a solid lead long before the final quarter.
Leaders
MBA: Timofey Yakushin (16), Andrey Lopatin (14 points + 9 rebounds), Makar Konovalov (10)
Zenit: Trent Fraser (23 points + 5 rebounds), Sergey Toropov (11), Adrien Moerman (10 points + 5 rebounds), Royce Hamm (10 points + 5 rebounds).
Next game: April 8 in Moscow
