2015-16Last 32Round 4
January 27, 2016 CET: 18:00
Local time: 20:00 SIBUR ARENA
Mateusz Ponitka - Stelmet Zielona Gora - EC15 (photo Zenit)

Ponitka leads Zielona Gora to road win in St. Petersburg

Stelmet Zielona Gora improved its chances to make it to the Eurocup elimination series in Group L by downing previously undefeated Zenit St. Petersburg 69-73 on the road on Wednesday. Zielona Gora improved to 2-2 in Group L while Zenit still leads at 3-1 and will qualify with its next win, regardless of other scores. Mateusz Ponitka led the winners with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Dejan Borovnjak and Vlad Moldoveanu each added 12 while Dee Bost had 10 for Zielona Gora. Ryan Toolson led Zenit with 23 points. Artem Vikhrov and Anton Pushkov each had 10 for the hosts. Moldoveanu and Ponitka shined early to give Zielona Gora a 18-22 lead after 10 minutes. A step-back jumper by Bost soon made it a nine-point gane, 21-30, but Toolson and Pavel Antipov stepped up for Zenit and a jumper by Pushkov tied it at 33-33 at halftime. Ponitka kept pacing Zielona Gora after the break and got plenty of help from Borovnjak to make it a double-digit game, 49-60, at the end of the third quarter. The guests extended their margin to 56-70 but Zabian Dowdell, Toolson and Janis Timma brought Zenit within 69-72. A free throw by Nemanja Djurisic and a critical block by Ponitka allowed Zielona Gora to stop the hosts' comeback.

Andrey Koshcheev got Zenit going with a layup which Bost erased with a driving basket. Vikhrov struck from downtown and Koshcheev added a layup-plus-foul but back-to-back triples by Moldoveanu and a free throw by Ponitka gave Zielona Gora its first lead, 8-9. Antipov and Lukasz Koszarek traded baskets and a three-point play by Toolson restored a 13-11 Zenit edge. Ponitka sank an off-balance shot and a reverse layup by Djurisic put the guests back ahead, 13-15. Ponitka hit foul shots and a layup by Adam Hrycaniuk made Zenit call timeout at 14-19. Timma hit foul shots and Pushkov forced Zielona Gora to stop the game at 18-19. A free throw by Hrycaniuk and a put-back basket by Ponitka gave the guests a 18-22 edge after 10 minutes. Hrycaniuk scored again early in the second quarter and a fast break layup by Djurisic made it an eight-point game, 18-26. Toolson rescued Zenit with a corner triple but Bost followed a running layup with a step-back jumper to boost his team's margin to 21-30. Toolson shined with a turnaround jumper and Dmitry Golovin added a three-pointer for a 27-30 score. Moldoveanu split free throws off a Zielona Gora timeout and erased Antipov's six-meter shot with a layup. Free throws by Toolson and a buzzer-beating jumper by Pushkov fixed the halftime score at 33-33.

Ponitka struck from downtown right after the break and soon added a put-back basket to make Zenit call timeout at 33-38. Vikrov tried to change things with a fast break layup which Toolson followed with a wild three-pointer to tie it again, 38-38. Koszarek quickly answered with a layup and Moldoveanu struck from beyond the arc for a 38-43 Zielona Gora lead. Borovnjak scored around the basket and another triple by Toolson kept Zenit within 41-45. Borovnjak made free throws and even Golovin hit a close jumper, Ponitka and Bost made it an eight-point game, 43-51. Artem Komissarov and Pushkov made free throws but Ponitka followed a high-flying tip-in wuth a layup and Karol Gruszecki hit a triple that made it a double-digit game, 47-58. Toolson made free throws and a close basket by Borovnjak gave Zielona Gora a 49-60 margin after 30 minutes. Toolson nailed his fourth triple early in the fourth quarter. Borovnjak made free throws and Djurisic added a layup for a 52-64 score. Borovnjak and Vikhrov traded baskets and Pushkov gave Zenit hope at 56-66. Borovnjak scored again and a coast-to-coast basket by Bost seemed to seal the outcome, 56-70. Vikhrov and Pushkov kept pacing Zenit, however, and free throws by Toolson got the hosts within 62-70. Koszarek scored again but Timma and Dowdell, who had been scoreless until then, brought Zenit within 69-72 already in the final minute. Djurisic split free throws with 14 seconds left and a block by Ponitka on Toolson's three-point shot sealed the outcome down the stretch.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Eurocupbasketball.com
No results found.
Referees: VOJINOVIC, MILIJA; PAPAPETROU, PETROS; RADOJKOVIC, JOSIP
Attendance: 2300 (Tentative)
By Quarter1234
Zenit St Petersburg18151620
Stelmet Zielona Gora22112713
End of Quarter1234
Zenit St Petersburg18334969
Stelmet Zielona Gora22336073
Zenit St Petersburg
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
2 ANTIPOV, PAVEL 26:14 6 3/5 0/1   1 4 5   2 2     3   5
6 TIMMA, JANIS 21:45 4   0/2 4/4   1 1 2   1 1   4 3 4
7 KOSHCHEEV, ANDREY 17:01 5 2/3   1/1 2 4 6 1   1     2 2 10
8 KOMISSAROV, ARTEM 8:55 2   0/1 2/2   1 1     3     2 1 -2
9 MOTOVILOV, GRIGORY DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 TOOLSON, RYAN 34:17 23 2/8 4/7 7/7   2 2 5 1 2   3 2 7 22
13 VIKHROV, ARTEM 32:39 10 3/5 1/1 1/6 3   3 3   1     2 5 11
14 PUSHKOV, ANTON 21:19 10 3/4   4/6 1 4 5   2 4 1     4 15
19 KARPUKHIN, ALEKSANDR 3:04     0/1     1 1                
22 DOWDELL, ZABIAN 23:28 4 2/11 0/1   1 4 5 4 1 1       2 5
41 SOLOVEV, DANIIL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
55 GOLOVIN, DMITRY 11:18 5 1/1 1/2         1         3   2
Team           4   4     1         3
Totals 200:00 69 16/37 6/16 19/26 12 21 33 16 6 16 2 3 18 24 75
        43.2% 37.5% 73.1%
Head coach: KARASEV, VASILY
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Stelmet Zielona Gora
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
1 BOST, DEE 31:13 10 5/12 0/2   1 1 2 6 3 2     2 1 9
7 ZYWERT, KAMIL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 SZEWCZYK, SZYMON 3:46           1 1               1
11 PONITKA, MARCEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 MOLDOVEANU, VLAD 18:18 12 1/3 3/4 1/2 2 1 3 2         4 2 11
20 PONITKA, MATEUSZ 31:47 18 6/8 1/3 3/4 3 6 9 2   2 3   2 4 27
33 GRUSZECKI, KAROL 20:11 3   1/3     1 1   2       2 1 3
34 HRYCANIUK, ADAM 10:53 5 2/5   1/2 1 2 3 1       1 2 1 3
35 ZAMOJSKI, PRZEMYSLAW 5:41   0/1 0/1                       -2
41 BOROVNJAK, DEJAN 23:47 12 4/6   4/4 1 2 3 2 1 3   1 4 5 13
42 DJURISIC, NEMANJA 23:16 7 3/5 0/1 1/2 4 1 5 1 1 1     4 2 7
55 KOSZAREK, LUKASZ 31:08 6 3/8 0/1     2 2 3   3     4 2  
Team           1 4 5     2         3
Totals 200:00 73 24/48 5/15 10/14 13 21 34 17 7 13 3 2 24 18 75
        50% 33.3% 71.4%
Head coach: FILIPOVSKI, SASO

Head Coaches

KARASEV, VASILY
Zenit St Petersburg
"We just found our game after Landry’s injury and two losses in VTB League and then we lose Valiev. Now we have only three big players left. We have to transfer players to play power forwards and because of that we have problems in defense and rebounds and even in offense. We have a lot of problems now, but we will solve them."
FILIPOVSKI, SASO
Stelmet Zielona Gora
"I am very glad about this victory, because the last 10 days we had four players with a fever. I respect Zenit; they play really good basketball and have several young talents in the team. Last game we played badly in terms of defense and rebounds. It’s a good thing that we were able to improve these two things today. In offense we didn’t make stupid mistakes and didn’t let the opponent attack after turnovers. I want to thank Zenit for the good game and I wish them best of luck in the future."

Players

BOROVNJAK, DEJAN
Stelmet Zielona Gora
"It was an important game for us after the previous loss at home. We came here just to play hard and fast. I think that today we deserved the win. We were leading all game even though there were some ups and downs. This is a very important victory for us. The Zenit fans still support their team which is showing a good performance both in the Eurocup and VTB League."