Tim Abromaitis Zenit Saint Petersburg
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball

Zenit Saint Petersburg made history on Friday night (18/10), after registering its first-ever victory in the EuroLeague.

The Russians defeated Olympiacos on the road in overtime (68-77) and put an end to their two-game losing streak (1-2).

Zenit came back from a slow start (12-0) and was close to the win late in the fourth quarter (58-64). Yet, Olympiacos went on a 6-0 run in the final seconds and tied the game to force an overtime (64-64).

In the extra period, Zenit outscored the “Reds” 4-13 and secured its first-ever victory in the competition. On the other hand, Olympiacos dropped to 1-2.

Mateusz Ponitka led the way for the winners with 18 points, whereas Kevin Punter and Nikola Milutinov (16 rebounds) scored 16 points apiece for the losing squad.

In Spain, Anadolu Efes came back from a seven-point deficit at halftime (46-39) and edged Valencia (78-83).

The Turks outscored their opponents 17-30 in the third quarter to take the lead and never look back (63-69). Valencia never recovered after that and remained winless in the EuroLeague (0-3).

Five players scored in double figures for the winners, with Krunoslav Simon leading the way with 19 points. On the other hand, Bojan Dubljevic matched his EuroLeague career best with 22 points for the losing squad.

Barcelona stayed perfect in the league (3-0), after dominating ALBA Berlin at home (103-84).

The Germans were close until halftime (46-44), but the Catalans took over after that. Thanks to a 22-6 run in the third quarter, they earned an 18-point lead (68-50) and cruised to the victory.

Cory Higgins led the winners with 22 points, whereas Rokas Giedraitis had 17 points for the losing squad, which dropped to 1-2.