Unics crushes Zenit in Kazan

In an All-Russian showdown in Group G, Unics Kazan improved to 2-1 by overwhelming Zenit St. Petersburg 103-67 on Wednesday. Unics stayed undefeated at home while Zenit dropped to 1-2. Keith Langford led the winners with 24 points. James White added 23, Kostas Kaimakoglou had 14 and 8 assists, Dmitry Sokolov had 12 points while D'Or Fischer and Curtis Jerrells each had 10 for Unics. Cameron Jones led Zenit with 12 points. Langford and Fischer fueled an early 15-1 run which allowed Unics to keep a 27-19 margin after 10 minutes. Jones led a 0-8 run which brought Zenit within 42-37 but Langford, Fischer and White allowed Unics to reach halftime with a 49-41 edge. White took over after the break and an 11-0 run which Sokolov capped with a layup sealed the outcome, 73-51, late in the third quarter. Unics boosted its margin to 90-55 and cruised to a pivotal home win.

Dejan Borovnjak got Zenit going with a layup but Kaimakoglou scored down low, Fischer shined with consecutive baskets and a three-pointer by White made the guests call timeout at 10-2. Langford followed a dunk with a triple to cap a 15-1 run. Walter Hodge struck from downtown and Dalenta Stephens dunked but Kaimakoglou and Fischer kept Unics way ahead, 20-8. Arten Vikhrov tried to change things for Zenit and got help from Kyle Landry to bring the guests within 27-19 after 10 minutes. Sokolov and an outstanding Jerrells gave Unics fresh air, 34-22, early in the second quarter. Jones hit free throws and Borovnjak added a layupbut Langford and Jerrells kept the hosts way ahead, 40-29. Langford struck from downtown but Jones had 5 points in a 0-8 run that got Zenit within 42-37. Langford and Fischer restored a 49-41 Unics lead at halftime. A 6-0 run highlighted by Fischer's dunk gave the hosts a 55-41 margin right after the break. Jones and Stephens tried to ignite Zenit's comeback but White singlehandly boosted Unics's lead to 62-47. Landry stepped up with a put-back basket and Andrey Koshcheev found his first points but Sokolov and Langford made Zenit call timeout at 69-51. Sokolov capped an 11-0 run with a put-back layup and a buzzer-beating jumper by Langford fixed the score at 75-53 after 30 minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers by White and Kaimakoglou sealed the outcome, 83-53, early in the fourth quarter. Unics boosted its margin to 90-55 soon after that and had plenty of time to celebrate an important win.