By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Zenit St. Petersburg snapped back from a three-game slip at the most crucial turn of the season to beat Khimki in Moscow 91-70 in Round 31 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
With this win, Xavi Pascual’s squad takes a step forward to remain in the playoffs race, after improving to a 17-13 record and will look to keep adding up wins in the upcoming double-game week.
A solid team effort helped Zenit take control in the second half and expand its lead to a 20-point digit one towards the end of the third quarter, from which Khimki never recovered.
“We had a good day, and achieved a very important win for us. We were effective with three-point shooting. Not too much at the start, but after that, step by step, we were more effective. That was important. They collapsed in the paint and we were open a lot of the time, and we were effective in this part of the game, especially we started the play with a lead. We felt more comfortable, we felt more confidence, and we started to score more”, said Pascual after the victory.
Austin Hollins led the visitors with 17 points, Kevin Pangos had 13 points and 6 assists, while Billy Baron and Alex Poythress tapped 10 points each.
The St. Petersburg side added up to Khimki’s woes that have now slipped its fourth straight game and remain at the bottom of the standings with a 3-27 record.
Jordan Mickey paced the efforts of the hosts with a game-high of 23 points, 5 rebounds, while Alexey Shved and Errick McCollum added 19 and 17 points respectively for Khimki.
Photo: EuroLeague