“Zenit” defeated “Khimki” at home in Game 2 of the playoff semifinals, 92-89.
Leading by as much as 16 midway through the 2nd quarter, visiting “Khimki” had an excellent chance to steal home-court advantage in Game 2 of the semifinals.
Alexey Shved’s 3-pointer with less than three minutes remaining put Moscow Region on top by four, 84-80.
But a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought allowed “Zenit” to go on a 9-0 run and close out a huge Game 2 victory.
Ryan Toolson and Sergey Karasev led the way for the home team, scoring a team-high 24 and 21 points, respectively. Karasev’s driving layup tied the game at 84-84, while Toolson drained the go-ahead jumper and converted twice at the free-throw line in the final seconds to secure victory.
Early on, it looked like “Khimki” might boatrace “Zenit” and restore equilibrium in the series. Shved knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the first five minutes as Dusko Ivanovic’s men stormed to an 18-4 lead.
Two 3-pointers from Viacheslav Zaitcev, meanwhile, stretched “Khimki’s” edge to a game-high 16, 38-22, midway through the 2nd.
“Zenit”, however, was able to pull within nine at halftime on Stefan Markovic’s 3-pointer and never trailed by more than 10 points the rest of the way.
Alexey Shved, despite a team-high 23 points to go with 12 assists, struggled to get going in the second half, shooting 2-13 over the final 20 minutes.
With the victory, “Zenit” takes a 2-0 lead in the series. “Khimki” faces a must-win on Tuesday in Game 3, hoping to stay alive at home and force a return to St. Petersburg for Game 5.
“Zenit’s” Sergey Karasev scored 21 points and made 8 rebounds, Earl Rowland from “Khimki” scored 14 points.
