Zenit secured road win over Uralmash in WINLINE Basket Cup first game – 92:63 (28:17, 19:18, 25:13, 20:15).
Game progress
The game in Yekaterinburg opened the new international tournament organized by WINLINE and the VTB United League. In their last League games, Uralmash and Zenit had disappointing losses to MBA-MAI and UNICS, both teams were eager to rehabilitate. The game began with a 7:0 run by the hosts, Zenit responded with Georgy Zhbanov, Levi Randolph and Andrey Vorontsevich three-pointers. The St. Petersburg team caught the momentum and began to increase the lead.
Key moment
Zenit made the key run in the third quarter. In the absence of Octavius Ellis, Uralmash was unable to guard Andrei Martiuk in the paint, and the center was actively supported by the guests sharpshooters. The St. Petersburg team entered the fourth quarter with a 24-point lead and confidently took the win.
Х-factor
The St. Petersburg team rotation made the difference. Zenit bench scored 56 points (Uralmash rotation had 14).
Uralmash players Octavius Ellis, Garrett Nevels, and Yauheni Beliankou missed the game.
Facts
Zenit won its first victory in the history of the WINLINE Basket Cup.
All of the St. Petersburg team players scored points (except for Dmitry Uzinskii, who played for 8 seconds).
Andre Roberson had his best game for Zenit with 14 points and 6 rebounds on 6 of 7 field-goals made.
Leaders
Uralmash: Timofei Gerasimov (18). Tyrell Nelson (11)
Zenit: : Levi Randolph (15), Andre Roberson (14 + 6 rebounds), Andrei Martiuk (14 + 5 rebounds), Vladislav Emchenko (10 + 6 assists)
What’s next
PARMA vs. Lokomotiv Kuban on October 15