Zenit defeated MBA-MAI on the road – 83:65 (24:28, 17:10, 25:12, 17:15).
Game progress
The Moscow team started the game with 8 of 10 three-pointers in first quarter. Zenit couldn’t match that shooting accuracy, but kept the deficit from growing too large with aggressive offensive rebounding and tight defense in the paint.
The guests shut down the perimeter in the second quarter, the Moscow team lost its primary offensive option. The St. Petersburg team had a 3-point lead by halftime, despite low scoring in the quarter.
After the break, MBA-MAI was still unable to resolve its offensive issues. Zenit’s 15-2 run in the third quarter gave a significant lead heading into the fourth quarter, where the guests calmly secured the win.
X-Factor
Zenit’s overwhelming advantage in field goal attempts (74-53) was decisive. This was due to their dominance in offensive rebounds (20-7) and steals (12-4).
Facts
Andrey Vorontsevich reached 3,000 points in his VTB United League career and became the fourth player in the League history to achieve this milestone.
Johnny Juzang played his first game for Zenit—6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal in 20.2 minutes on the court.
Trent Frazier recorded a career-high 14 assists in the VTB League for the third time. He had also achieved this in the previous game against MBA-MAI in January.
Zenit’s winning streak in the League has reached 10 games.
Leaders
MBA-MAI: Maksim Barashkov (12 points + 9 rebounds), Evgeny Voronov (11 points)
Zenit: Andre Robertson (16 points + 8 rebounds + 4 steals), Andrey Vorontsevich (15 points, 5 rebounds), Georgy Zhbanov (14 points, 6 rebounds), Luka Samanic (12 points)
What’s next
MBA-MAI: March 21 at home versus Uralmash
Zenit: March 22 at home against Lokomotiv Kuban.
