Top Scorers
Zenit: Ryan Toolson (24+6 ast), Sergey Karasev (21+8 ast), Janis Timma (13), Stefan Markovic (11+10 ast)

Khimki: Alexey Shved (23+12 ast), Marko Todorovic (22+6 reb), E.J. Rowland (14)

Recap
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.

Stat
63 – Vasily Karasev decided to bring Sergey Karasev and Ryan Toolson off the bench, and the duo delivered, helping Zenit’s reserves score an astounding 63 points.

Video


Quotes
Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev:
– I want to thank the fans who came to the game and supported us throughout the contest. They helped us squeeze out a very tough game. We managed to win thanks to our work and that’s the most important thing.

Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic:
– We lost two games on the road, but now the series starts over and we’re ready to play two games at home. I believe in my team. We can win two and three games in a row. Shved’s fatigue? Everyone’s in the same position. On the court, no one thinks about fatigue, only winning. He’ll also be ready for the next game.

Game 3
Tuesday, May 30 in Khimki