By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Alba Berlin improved to 3-5 in Euroleague after beating Zalgiris Kaunas 79-71 on the road and sending the Lithuanians to a 0-8 record, keeping them the only winless team this season.
Marcus Eriksson showed a glimpse of his last-season form, after returning from injury, and led the way with 16 points. Oscar da Silva followed with 15 while Ben Lammers and Luke Sikma added ten points each.
“It’s really good to be able to come back with a win. We knew it would be tough here. They’ve started the season not so good so we knew they’d be well prepared with their fans who are very supportive, so we’re very happy with the win,” Eriksson said.
Coach Israel Gonzales was very happy with his team, especially the way the injured players have returned.
“I’m very happy with the team. In the second half we controlled the rebounds in defense and offense and this is very good for us to have second opportunities on our offense. I’m happy with what we’ve done today, let’s continue like this. I’m very happy they [Ben Lammers and Marcus Eriksson] are coming back but we know they’re not in perfect shape so we need to use games and practise to get in shape. We have to give them confidence.”
“I’m very happy with the team. In the second half we controlled the rebounds in defense and offense and this is very good for us to have second opportunities on our offense. I’m happy with what we’ve done today, let’s continue like this. I’m very happy they [Ben Lammers and Marcus Eriksson] are coming back but we know they’re not in perfect shape so we need to use games and practise to get in shape. We have to give them confidence.”
For Zalgiris, Tyler Cavanaugh scored 17 and Janis Strelnieks 16 points. Lukas Lekavicius helped with 11.
Alba was in control from the very beginning with a 22-8 start to the game. Zalgiris did put on a comeback and was down by four at halftime (41-37) but Alba quickly returned to double-digits after the break (62-52), which was enough to keep them afloat until the end.
“You can see how modern teams should look. They’re too good for us, too quick. Even when we defend they jump on us, they make offensive rebounds, they score from the second action every time, this is killing us. We were too naïve, too slow. Congratulations to ALBA, they deserved to win,” coach Jure Zdovc said.