By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After taking down Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Zalgiris Kaunas defeated another team with a significantly better position in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, showing they will not stop fighting for a Top 10 spot until the end.
In Round 31, Andrea Trinchieri’s side defeated Baskonia convincingly, 94-76, improving their record to 13-18. The loss would likely take them out of contention for the Play-Ins, but with another significant win, at least Zalgiris‘ hopes are alive with three games to play in the regular season.
As usual, Keenan Evans led the scoring for Zalgiris with 20 points. Kevarrius Hayes also had a good game, contributing 17 points and six rebounds. Edgaras Ulanovas added 11 points and seven boards, and Arnas Butkevicius scored 10.
“Very good double week for us. Double-digit wins bring up morale and energy and keep our spirits high for what could happen. We played very physical defense, and we were able to deflect a lot of balls. We were fortunate in the first half; they missed some easy shots, but we decided to emphasize that and not let them get easy ones. It’s hard to keep Howard from scoring all night, but we did the best we could and limited his three-point shots,” Hayes said after the match.
For Baskonia, Cody Miller-McIntyre scored 16 points and provided seven assists, while Markus Howard added 14 points, all in the second half. Vanja Marinkovic and Chima Moneke contributed 12 points each, and Matt Costello finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds.
Zalgiris won every quarter except the third, during which Baskonia attempted a comeback, managing to reduce the deficit to six points midway through. However, they struggled to maintain momentum on both offense and defense, allowing the hosts to regain a double-digit lead. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Zalgiris held a comfortable 71-57 advantage. Baskonia couldn’t mount a strong enough push to threaten the hosts’ lead, and it became evident early in the fourth quarter that the Kaunas team would emerge victorious.
Zalgiris effectively contained Baskonia’s potent offense, limiting them to four three-pointers out of 22 attempts. Additionally, Zalgiris controlled the rebounds (38:31) and capitalized on their free throws, missing only one out of 16 attempts.
“We were starving against Virtus but had to be hungrier today”
Zalgiris coach Andrea Trinchieri, as always, had some interesting remarks after the match, commenting on a great double week from his players.
“It was a hell of a week for us. My players were starving for the win, super hungry against Virtus. I asked them to be even hungrier because what was good yesterday won’t be enough today. We played another great defensive game. We did well against Howard; we made some mistakes, but it was one of our best games in terms of energy,” Trinchieri said.
Baskonia’s coach, Dusko Ivanovic, was brief.
“Congratulations to Zalgiris; they played better, with better energy and aggressiveness, and deserved to win the game,” Ivanovic said.