5 factors in Nizhny's Game 5 win over Zenit

Zenit - Nizhny Novgorod highlighted the quarterfinal round with the series coming down to a decisive Game 5 in St. Petersburg where Ainars Bagatskis's men came out on top. Konstantin Kucher singles out the five key factors that helped Nizhny secure the win for Breaking It Down.

Tarence Kinsey's big night
Kinsey didn't have a big impact in the first four games. But he was huge in the biggest game of the series. Kinsey wasn't afraid to take the initiative and made several clutch shots over the course of the contest. The American forward helped Nizhny go in front after halftime, scoring 18 points in the second half. Each of his baskets brought the visitors one step closer to a series win.

Taylor Rochestie's awakening
Taylor Rochestie was another Game 5 hero. Despite a modest stat line, the American guard had a huge impact. Rochestie played his best when the game was on the line, scoring a key basket, locking down on defense and frustrating Zenit's comeback attempts. He was especially effective distributing the ball. His pass to a wide-open Artsiom Parakhouski with 40 seconds left finally broke Zenit's resistance.

Walter Hodge's disappearance down the stretch
St. Petersburg star Walter Hodge didn't live up to expectations. Hodge was up and down all series with Dmitry Kulagin often taking over for Zenit down the stretch. That was certainly the case in Game 5. While Kulagin tried to keep the home team in the game single-handedly, Hodge struggled to break free of Nizhny's defense. He missed a couple of shots early in the 4th quarter and had little impact after that. In fact, he didn't attempt another shot until after the outcome had already been decided.

Experience in close games
Zenit St. Petersburg has one of the league's youngest teams. That worked to the team's advantage during the regular season. Zenit was often in better physical condition and hungrier than its opponents. But experience takes center stage in the postseason. The Blue-White-Sky Blues were not quite consistent enough and lacked a killer instinct.

Nizhny Novgorod, on the other hand, rose to the occasion. Last year's run to the VTB United League finals and experience in the Euroleague had toughened up Ainars Bagatskis's squad. That was obvious during Game 5 in St. Petersburg. The visitors protected their second half lead and never let Zenit tie the score in the final minutes.

Bench
Nizhny's superior depth was another important factor in its success. Zenit got solid performances from Kulagin, Valiev and, at times, Hodge and Jones, but that wasn't enough for a win. Kyle Landry, Artem Vikhrov and D.J. Stephens all struggled in Game 5. Zenit's leaders during the regular season went missing when their team needed them most.

Nizhny Novgorod also struggled with consistency. No one on the team was terrific all series long. But someone was always able to step up when the team needed them. Semen Antonov, Dmitry Khvostov, Evgeny Baburin, Trey Thompkins, Taylor Rochestie, Tarence Kinsey, Artsiom Parakhouski, Gal Mekel...each had big performances over the course of the series. That gave Ainars Bagatskis the ability to keep things fresh and turn to whoever was hot down the stretch.

The quarterfinal series between Zenit and Nizhny Novgorod highlighted the first round of the VTB United League playoffs. The series featured two evenly matched opponents with Nizhny Novgorod ultimately coming out on top. They deserved to advance. St. Petersburg was young and hungry and has a great fanbase, but Nizhny's superior depth and experience tilted the balance in their favor and decided the outcome of Game 5.