By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris delivered in front of its home crowd in a packed Zalgirio Arena and defeated LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 70-56 in Round 4 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The Lithuanian side improved to a 2-2 record in the standings, same as ASVEL after this defeat.
Nearly 15,000 spectators in Kaunas, in the team’s third sold-out game, witnessed Sarunas Jasikevicius’ squad put on a great defensive work for the most part of the game en route to their second victory. The two sides clashed again for the first time in 10 years when Zalgiris defeated the French side in the season opener.
Saras wants more
Sarunas Jasikevicius shared his thoughts after the game and despite ASVEL scoring only 56 points, he believes there’s still room to improve. “Defensively, so many mental mistakes, in my opinion, and still, 56 points, so it is something I take. Right now, the most important is to keep winning but it is equally important to improve. We got the win but I am not sure we improved today. This is negative for me.”
Multiple players of the hosts ended the game in double-digits, including a 13-point performance by Zach LeDay, as well as Thomas Walkup’s 12 points and six rebounds.
ASVEL has been a surprise so far in the season with two home-court victories against Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, though after an initial 20-14 lead in the first quarter they trailed for the rest of the game.
Notably, big man Tonye Jekiri finished with a team-high performance of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Photo credit: EuroLeague