Zenit St.Petersburg started its 2020-21 EuroLeague campaign with a win against last season’s top-seeded team, Anadolu Efes.
The Russian club improved its defense in the fourth quarter and got away with a victory over the Turks (69-73). Kevin Pangos was crucial for Zenit, as he finished the contest with 23 points and seven assists.
The Canadian guard made some important free throws down the stretch to close out the contest. Efes, who led the score for most of the second half, wasn’t capable of closing out the game in the last four minutes.
For Efes, which opened the new season without last year’s best player Shane Larkin, Vasilje Micic had a team-high 17 points.
For Zenit, this match was a special occasion, as newly-hired coach Xavi Pascual started his coaching stint in St.Petersburg with a win in the upper echelon of European competitions.
