By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda (7-6) is on a roll and nobody can stop Dusko Ivanovic’s squad.
The sixth win for the Belgrade side in a row since coach Dusko overtook the bench in EuroLeague is a fact and the hero this time is Luka Vildoza who hit all the big shots for a 77-73 victory against Zalgiris (6-7).
The Argentinian had a huge night, scoring 27 points.
“We never give up. We continued to work. It was a team victory. I feel love from the fans, and I love them“, said Vildoza.
While Vildoza was Batman tonight, Nemanja Nedovic was Robin. He scored 21 points.
“We knew they were a tough team, but in the end, we managed to keep our focus“, the Serb guard added.
It’s worth mentioning that Zalgiris was missing guard Lukas Lekavicius. US import Keenan Evans scored 18 points in a losing effort. “We had a big advantage a couple of times during the game, but we could not keep this advantage,” pointed out Kazys Maksvytis.
After a quick start by Zalgiris, and three-pointers from Evans, the Lithuanian side was off to the races. Crvena Zvezda has no answer for Evans who was the main reason the away team had an eight-point advantage after the first quarter. But the tides turned, after a crucial Dusko Ivanovic time-out. After Crvena Zvezda made a 10-0 push and Luka Vildoza was red hot. The Argentinian already had 10 points in the first half and kept his team in the game. Zalgiris was up 37-36 after the first two quarters.
The second half was one for the ages. Both teams were going back and forth, Evans was doing everything in his power to keep Zalgiris in the driver’s seat but Vildoza and Nedovic were amazing. The most crucial play was on defense when Vildoza stole the ball in the closing seconds with Zvezda leading by two (75-73) giving his team the advantage and the victory in the end.
“Luca hit some big, big shots, stole the ball in a very, very important moment, and I am very proud,” mentioned Nedovic.