By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
A nearly packed Zalgirio Arena (at least for COVID-19 protocols and standards) wasn’t enough to stop Zenit St Petersburg’s momentum, as the Russian team emerged with a 64-70 win against hosts Zalgiris Kaunas to move on with 2-0 early in the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Coach Xavi Pascual highlighted the meaning of this victory in Kaunas post-game, stating “I want to congratulate the club and the fans. It is amazing what I feel here. This is probably the most beautiful stadium in the competition with one of the greatest atmospheres. It’s amazing what I feel here.”
Despite the low-scoring display by both sides, Zenit’s backcourt took charge in the second half, as Jordan Loyd posted 19 points and Billy Baron had 11 points.
Zenit held on to a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter (65-55) and from that point on there was no turning back for the hosts, despite an effort to trim the deficit in the last two minutes and as a result, they slipped their second straight game.
Janis Strelnieks and Joffrey Lauvergne added 14 and 10 points respectively for Zalgiris, while Lukas Lekavicius added 10 points.
Zenit has yet to lose a game against the Lithuanian side, as they now count five wins in respective meetings. Next week, Pascual’s squad will look to keep up their streak against CSKA Moscow (October 12) and FC Bayern Munich (October). Once again the team will lack Shabazz Napier, who will remain sidelined for at least two more weeks, as the coach commented in the post-game press conference.
In the meantime, Zalgiris hopes to bounce back when facing Crvena Zvezda (October 13) and Olympiacos (October 15).
Photo: EuroLeague