«Nizhny Novgorod» Nizhny Novgorod, Russia vs. «Zenit» St. Petersburg, Russia

Zenit defeated Nizhny Novgorod on the road, 88-84. St. Petersburg couldn't be stopped in the first half, scoring 51 points to take a 15-point lead at halftime. Nizhny Novgorod cut into the deficit in the second half, but couldn't do enough to overcome Zenit's first-half advantage. Nizhny has now lost five in a row, while Zenit improves to 8-1.

Recap
Four straight losses and a drop to 9th in the standings meant Nizhny would be extremely motivated in its return home. Zenit also had serious skin in the game, having been eliminated by Nizhny Novgorod in the 2015 playoff quarterfinals. Off to a great start in the 2015-16 season, Zenit wanted revenge.

The Blue-White-Sky Blues small, athletic lineup was terrific on offense in the first half. Zabian Dowdell and Artem Vikhrov drove the lane, Ryan Toolson and Kyle Landry knocked down shots on the perimeter and Pavel Antipov patrolled the post to help Zenit score 51 points in the opening 20 minutes. Nizhny Novgorod, meanwhile, struggled to score the ball, turning the ball over 10 times while shooting 38% from the field. Heading into halftime, the visitors held a 15-point lead.

Victor Rudd led a Nizhny comeback in the 3rd quarter, helping the visitors cut the deficit to 10 several times. Zenit failed to match its energy from the first half, looking to neutralize the home team. But the conservative approach proved enough as Zenit enjoyed a 12-point advantage entering the 4th quarter and held on for an impressive win on the road. The visitors improve to 8-1, a game behind 1st-place CSKA in the standings.

Star Player
Ryan Toolson. The Zenit guard was everywhere on the court, finishing with 23 points (6-10 from the field), five rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Stat of the Game
16 - Nizhny Novgorod's 3-point field-goal percentage. The 4-25 performance from beyond the arc doomed Nizhny's chances.