By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Kevin Pangos dropped 15 points on 5/6 from downtown, leading Zalgiris Kaunas to a stunning 84-71 road victory against Anadolu Efes in Istanbul.
This result brings the Lithuanian squad to a 5 – 8 record while Efes now stands at six victories and 7 defeats.
Coach Jasikevicius’ players took care of most of the job thanks to a dominant first half. After a nervous entrance by both teams, Zalgiris began fastening the pace of the game, taking absolute control, especially on the offensive end with 28 points in the second period for a 44 – 30 halftime lead.
The hosts tried to strike back after the return of the locker rooms but despite making buckets they failed to defend properly, especially on the primeter where Pangos had a party with 12 points in the third period. The Canadian guard also added 3 assists and 3 rebounds tying his PIR-high with 17.
It was small wonder that Zalgiris’ rhythm was never downtuned, since despite trailing by a large margin, Efes made only 1 foul in the third period, a sign of its failure to even… “annoy” the visiting squad.
From Efes’ Thomas Heurtel scored 18 points, dished out 4 assists and stole the ball four times, Derrick Brown added 16 points and Tyler Honeycutt 12 plus 8 rebounds. But the losing side never managed to actually threaten its opponents who always kept Efes at a distance.
When Zalgiris made it 60 – 78, four minutes into the final period it was a sign that nothing could change the fate of the game in their favor who weren’t up for giving up their hold in the match.
Apart from Pangos, Edgaras Ulanovas also stood out for Zalgiris with 14 points while Brock Motum added 11 and 5 rebounds.