Nizhny reaches Eurocup quarterfinals despite loss in St. Petersburg

Nizhny Novgorod advanced to the Eurocup quarterfinals despite an 89-74 loss against Zenit St. Petersburg in Game 2 of their two-way eighthfinals series on Wednesday. Nizhny carried a 26-point lead from Game 1 and never lost control of the situation to make it to the quarterfinals against Strasbourg, winning the series with an aggregate score of 176-165. Semen Antonov led Nizhny with 18 points. Victor Rudd added 15 and 11 rebounds while Dmitriy Khvostov and Vladimir Ivlev each had 14 points for the guests. Ryan Toolson led Zenit with 24 points. Zab Dowdell added 15, Anton Pushkov had 14, Andrey Desnyatnikov got 11 while Janis Timma contributed 10 for the hosts. Nizhny shined early and a jumper by Rudd gave the guests a 5-13 lead. Pavel Antipov led a 10-0 Zenit run and Timma soon gave the hosts a 22-21 lead but a three-pointer by Ivan Strebkov put Nizhny back ahead, 22-24, after 10 minutes. Khvostov took over in the second quarter to extend the guests' margin to 34-42 but Pushkov and Toolson brought Zenit within 41-43 at the break. Timma and Dowdell stepped up after halftime and a layup by Desnyatnikov made it a double-digit game, 59-49. Semen Antonov and Khvostov kept the guests within 64-57 after 30 minutes. Toolson managed to give Zenit a 73-60 lead with 6 minutes left but Antonov and Khvostov made sure that Nizhny stayed out of trouble until the final buzzer.

Antonov got Nizhny going with a two-handed backdoor slam but Dowdell split free throws and Pushkov dunked for a 3-2 Zenit lead. Rudd shined with an acrobatic layup, igniting a 0-7 run which Evgeny Baburin capped with a layup-plus-foul. Desnyatnikov stepped up for Zenit with free throws but Ivlev scored again and Rudd hit a jumper off the dribble to make it a 34-point series, 5-13. Dowdell scored in penetration and Toolson hit a triple in a 10-0 Zenit run in which Antipov had 5 points. Rudd hit a running jumper but Desnyatnikov dunked for a 17-15 Zenit lead. Rasid Mahalbasic answered with a put-back basket which Timma improved with a three-pointer. Antonov kept pacing Nizhny with a layup and erased Timma's coast-to-coast slam with a close basket. A three-pointer by Strebkov gave Nizhny a 22-24 edge after 10 minutes. Dowdell hit free throws early in the second quarter and Toolson buried a jumper but Khvostov and Ivlev restored a 26-28 Nizhny lead. Rudd finished a long Nizhny offense with a layup and Ivlev scored again but Andrey Koshcheev kept Zenit within 30-32. Rudd and a three-pointer by Khvostov made the hosts call timeout at 30-37. Pushkov hit foul shots and Toolson hit a jumper but an outstanding Khvostov kept Nizhny way ahead, 34-42. Pushkov followed a layup with free throws and a buzzer-beating triple by Toolson kept Zenit within 41-43 at halftime.

Timma took over with a big dunk right after the break and Desnyatnikov also added a slam to give Zenit a 45-43 lead. Ivlev rescued Nizhny with a layup and a one-handed slam but a three-pointer by Timma put the hosts back ahead, 48-47. Rudd scored again but Dowdell followed a jumper with a triple that made Nizhny call timeout at 54-49. Dowdell shined with a driving layup and a close basket by Desnyatnikov gave Zenit hope at 59-49 - getting within 16 in the series. Antonov stepped up for the guests and a layup by Khvostov got Nizhny within 59-53. Desnyatnikov provided a highlight with a put-back slam that Strebkov erased with a quick basket. Mahalbasic scored off a spin move in the low post but Toolson restored a 64-57 Zenit lead after 30 minutes. Andrey Koshcheev split free throws and Toolson struck from downtown in transition to make Nizhny call timeout at 68-57. Mahalbasic split foul shots and Antonov dunked but Koshcheev and Toolson boosted the hosts' lead to 73-60. Khvostov and Toolson traded baskets and back-to-back three-pointers by Antonov sealed the outcome of the series, 78-68. Zenit kept fighting for a prestigious win but Nizhny already knew it would keep fighting for Eurocup glory.