Zenit St Petersburg improved to 5-0 on the road this season with a 75-83 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday evening at Zalgirio Arena.
Zenit wins again on the road
Game Report
1 min read
Zenit St Petersburg improved to 5-0 on the road this season with a 75-83 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday evening at Zalgirio Arena. Austin Hollins starred in a 0-8 finish to the first quarter that put Zenit up by 10 and after leading 32-45 at halftime, Zenit opened the second half on a 2-14 tear and took to margin to 25 before coasting the rest of the way. Zalgiris rallied to 6 in the closing minutes, but ran out of time. The result lifted Zenit's record to 6-2, while Zalgiris slumped to 5-6 with its fourth straight loss at home. Hollins paced the Zenit attack with 20 points, Will Thomas tallied 16 points and 7 rebounds, Kevin Pangos delivered 13 points and 7 assists and Alex Poythress added 11 points. Marius Grigonis led Zalgiris with 18 points, Joffrey Lauvergne collected 17 points and 8 rebounds and Augustine Rubit scored 12 in defeat.
Regular Season
Round 11 of 34
Group Regular Season
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A pair of baskets by Lauvergne gave the hosts an early lead, but the defenses cooled the pace and Mateusz Ponitka's layup gave Zenit its first lead, 6-8. Thomas powered the visitors from the outside and in the paint and Hollins got going with a steal and slam followed by a three-pointer and free throws that boosted the margin to 13-23. Rubit ended Zenit's 0-8 run and closed the gap to 15-23 after 10 minutes. Zenit continued to roll as K.C. Rivers opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and Kevin Pangos soon added another to make it 17-31. A three by Grigonis got the hosts going again, but a score by Poythress made it 24-36 midway through the second quarter. Grigonis connected twice more from behind the arc to keep Zenit from pulling away, but Thomas left the visitors comfortable ahead, 32-45, at the break.
Zenit came out hot for the second half with back-to-back threes by Hollins and Pangos. Before long, Thomas and Ponitka added triples. Pangos zipped through the Zalgiris defense with a layup to cap a 2-14 run that made it 34-59. Grigonis provided a spark for Zalgiris and a modest 6-0 run with points from Lauvergne, Paulius Jankunas and Arturas Milaknis trimmed the deficit to 47-63. Lauvergne added a jumper to make it 51-66 through three quarters. Nigel Hayes heated up for Zalgiris and Lauvergne's steal and slam made it 58-68. Rokus Jokubaitis narrowed the gap to 8 before Hollins relaxed the visitors with a jumper and an all-balance three by Thomas extended the lead to 69-81 with 2 and a half minutes to play. Even though Grigonis sank free throws that made it a 6-point game, the clock became a Zalgiris opponent, too, and Zenit held on for the victory.
Game Leaders
Hot start
Zalgiris had no response for Austin Hollins in the early going as the Zenit guard netted 13 first-quarter points. He was 2 for 2 on three-pointers and did not miss on 5 trips to the line in helping the visitors take charge.
Decisive run
The visitors led by 13 at halftime, but a strong start for Zalgiris could have changed things quickly. However, Austin Hollins, Kevin Pangos, Will Thomas and Mateusz Ponitka all hit threes in a 2-14 Zenit charge to make it 34-59 and the controlled the score the rest of the way.
Impact numbers
Zenit combined to shoot 12 for 23 (52.2%) on three-pointers, with three players knocking down 3 shots from downtown. Will Thomas was 3 for 3, while Kevin Pangos and Austin Hollins were both 3 for 4.