UNICS Kazan, Russia vs. «Zenit» St. Petersburg, Russia

UNICS Kazan defeated Zenit St. Petersburg at home, 101-66. The White-Greens took control with a 20-3 run to start the game and never looked back, going on to win by 35. With the victory, Kazan tightens its grip on 2nd place, while extending a seven-game winning streak.

Recap
Two of the league's top teams met in Kazan. Both UNICS and Zenit had just two losses entering the game and hoped to keep the pressure on 1st-place CSKA with a win.

Dmitry Golovin and Daniil Solovyev made surprising starts for the visitors. Kazan, however, was not fooled, scoring the first six points of the game. Zenit made several quick substitutions in response, but the home team continued to dominate, racing to a 20-3 lead through six and a half minutes.

Anton Pushkov gave St. Petersburg a boost off the bench to close the period, scoring seven straight points, but UNICS maintained a 14-point advantage after 10 minutes.

Not much changed in the second period. Zenit's offense was improved, but the defense continued to struggle. UNICS finished with 55 points in the first half and enjoyed a comfortable 55-33 lead entering the locker room.

St. Petersburg never made it close in the second half, allowing UNICS to cruise to a seventh-straight win and pick up a one-game lead on Khimki for 2nd place in the standings. Zenit drops to 8-3, two and a half games back.

Star Player
Artsiom Parakhouski. The Belarusian center laid the foundation for Kazan's big run to start the game and finished with a game-high 20 points on 9-11 shooting to go with five rebounds.

Stat of the Game
20-3 - Zenit never bounced back from Kazan's big 1st-quarter run.

Snapshot