Prometey looked the more likely winner after the opening 20 minutes but fell apart in the third quarter.
Wolves swung the momentum their way in the second half
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Wolves Vilnius ran out as worthy 85-71 winners against Prometey Slobozhanske after turning the defensive screw in the second half, while the home team’s playmaker, Rasheed Sulaimon, fired on all cylinders at the other end of the court.
Wolves trailed 40-41 at halftime, having been outrebounded 20-14 by the visitors, who also dished out more assists (12-9) in the first half.
Prometey’s unselfish approach countered a heroic one-man effort by Sulaimon, who sank 17 points in the opening half (14 in the first quarter) with his teammates struggling to make shots outside the paint.
A different story after the break
Then the third quarter produced an entirely different script as Wolves went on a 17-4 run and never looked back, with Sulaimon again at the heart of the home team’s drive. He scored 8 points in the third period, with Wolves swinging the balance in the paint and dishing out assists like confetti, resulting in a 68-57 advantage heading into the fourth.
Prometey fought hard to stay in the game, but the visitors were unable to get back within striking distance. In the end, they were outrebounded 36-35 as Wolves racked up a staggering 17 offensive boards to the visiting team’s 11, ultimately producing a barrage of second-chance possessions.
Rebounding and limiting turnovers
Wolves also had more assists (18-17) on the final buzzer, with Sulaimon sinking 6 of the home side’s 11 three-pointers. Just as crucially, Wolves committed much fewer turnovers (7-15).
“We played a great game, especially in the second half,” Wolves head coach Kestutis Kemzura said during the post-game press conference. “Credit to the players, they did a great job defensively.
“The other key was offensive rebounding. We knew before the game that Prometey was the best rebounding team in the EuroCup and we controlled the boards this evening.
“The other one was the turnovers. We only had 7 and forced 15 from them, which helped us control the fastbreaks. The energy, effort and passion shown by our team was exceptional.”