Nedas Pacevicius saw his team defeat Reyer thanks to a dominant fourth quarter.
Wolves showed character in first win for new head coach
Wolves Vilnius stepped up at Umana Reyer Venice with its season on the line, as it showed its character en route to a 57-75 triumph. However, it wasn’t enough to keep Wolves’ slim playoff hopes alive.
Wolves, now led by head coach Nedas Pacevicius following the departure of Kestutis Kemzura, did a good job of shutting down a Reyer team that had won its last two games, scoring 106 and 104 points in those contests. The Lithuanian club conceded only 7 points in the fourth quarter.
Stats favored Wolves
Reyer also shot just 40.0% on two-pointers and was held to 28.6% on three-pointers while also being outrebounded 50-35. Both teams committed 14 turnovers, but Wolves built a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
“We showed heart tonight. That was the main thing going in. We haven’t had the best EuroCup season, so our whole thing was playing with intensity and playing with heart,” said Tre’Shawn Thurman, who led Wolves with 14 points.
An unbeaten start for Coach Pacevicius
“I am proud of my guys, that they finally showed that they really can play defense first of all,” noted Coach Pacevicius. “We showed our identity. We were trying to build it up. It did not go so well during the season, but there are still so many games left – unfortunately not in the EuroCup.”
It was the first win for Pacevicius after previously acting as assistant coach for Kemzura, who left the club by mutual agreement on Sunday.
Pacevicius stepped in and helped Wolves to an 82-82 tie against Zalgiris Kaunas in the Lithuanian Cup quarterfinals second leg, so it’s not been a bad start.
“It’s a good feeling for me, for sure, with this first victory as head coach at this club,” he noted. “Unfortunately, three days ago we played a tight game against Zalgiris but could not win that game. But I am really happy.”
“Congrats to coach on his first win. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going forward,” added Thurman.