Toolson leads Zenit past Szolnoki

Zenit St. Petersburg shows its authority in Group E by downing Szolnoki Olaj 89-64 at home on Wednesday. Zenit, which had qualified to the Last 32 before this game, improved to 7-1 and keeps leading this group's standings. Szolnoki dropped to 3-5 and saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. Ryan Toolson led the winners with 28 points on 5-of-7 three-point shots. Zabian Dowdell added 8 assists for Zenit. Milos Borisov and David Vojvoda led Szolnoki with 12 points apiece. Toolson and Anton Pushkov fueled an early 9-0 run and a three-point play by Janis Timma soon gave Zenit a double-digit lead, 17-6. Dmitry Golovin and an unstoppable Toolson boosted the hosts' lead to 24-10 after 10 minutes. Vojvoda and Borisov managed to bring Szolnoki a bit closer, 30-21, but Toolson had 7 quick points and got help from Timma to restore a 45-31 Zenit margin at halftime. Toolson kept pacing the hosts after the break, allowing Zenit to boost its margin to 59-35. Nothing changed since that moment, as Zenit boosted its margin to 70-42 after 30 minutes and never looked back.

Strahinja Milosevic got Szolnoki going with a layup but Zenit bounced back, as Toolson and Pushkov fueled a 9-0 run which gave the hosts a 9-2 lead. Vojvoda found his first points and Oleksandr Lypovyy added a basket but a red hot Toolson forced Szolnoki to call timeout at 14-6. A three-point play by Timma soon made it a double-digit game, 17-6. Dmitry Golovin struck from downtown and Kyle Landry soon gave Zenit a 22-8 margin. Kyryl Natyazhko and Evgeny Valiev exchanged baskets for a 24-10 score after 10 minutes. Dino Gregory and Vojvoda stepped up for the guests early in the second quarter but Landry and Dowdell kept Zenit way ahead, 28-17. Pushkov shined with a three-point play but Krisztian Wittman and Borisov got Szolnoki within single digits, 30-21. Toolson took over with consecutive baskets and soon struck from downtown to make the guests call timeout at 37-23. Golovin, Milosevic and Timma each nailed one from beyond the arc and even when Valiev scored again, Borisov allowed Szolnoki to get within 45-31 at halftime.

Aaron Craft scored off a steal right after the break but Toolson did better with a big triple off the dribble and a stop-and-pop jumper in transition to make the guests call timeout at 50-33. Timma also buried one from downtown and even when Craft hit a mid-range jumper, Artem Vikhrov nailed his own triple to break the game open, 56-35. Toolson made free throws and a layup by Landry made it a 26-point game, 61-35. Toolson - who else? - sank his fifth three-pointer, as Szolnoki foun a go-to guy in Natyazhko. Golovin and Antipov stepped up for Zenit late in the third quarter to keep the hosts way ahead, 70-42, at the end of the third quarter. Far from being done, Zenit kept excelling on defense, while a three-pointer by Vikhrov and a layup by Landry boosted the hosts' lead to 75-42. Vojvoda and Toolson exchanged baskets and by the time Antipov hit a triple, everything was said and done already. Zenit kept getting closer to clinch first place while Szolnoki must bounce back right away to keep its Last 32 options alive.