By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris Kaunas stood strong in Berlin and defeated ALBA 74-71 to reach their fifth consecutive victory at the midpoint of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Nigel Hayes paced the visitors with a season-high of 18 points, 5 rebounds for a PIR of 23 points while Joffrey Lauvergne also stepped up strong with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Marius Grigonis sealed the final win for the visitors and finished the game with 12 points.
“It’s important to win all types of games. We pride ourselves on defense, playing tough, so most of our games are low-scoring. We came in against a very high-potent offensive team, and the only way to get a win against these guys is to try to make them uncomfortable. Both teams fought really hard and, fortunately, we were able to win. We’re doing pretty well right now”, said top-scorer Hayes.
The Lithuanian side struggled for most of the first half, though a strong comeback in the third quarter was enough to turn the tables of the game and grab a 54-48 advantage at the end of the period.
“We figured out how to score the ball a little bit better in the second half and then, obviously, with Luke Sikma going out in the end, that is a big hit for them and a big advantage for us. You have to mention it; it’s part of this. And it kind of helped us get over the hump”, said coach Martin Schiller after the game.
In the wake of head coach Aito Garcia Reneses testing positive for COVID-19 late last week, Israel Gonzalez took on coaching duties for the team’s final EuroLeague game of the year. Simone Fontecchio paced the hosts with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Luke Sikma and Niels Giffey posted 11 points apiece. Tim Schneider joined the list of scorers in double digits as he hit a three-pointer with just 4 seconds remaining in the game, to exit the game with 11 points as well.
This marks ALBA’s third consecutive defeat, as they fall further down the standings with a 6-10 record. On the other hand, Zalgiris ends the year in the best way possible after a six-game slip that cost them a lot after a strong start and improved to a 10-7 record.
Photo: EuroLeague