Down on the scoreboard much of the night and losing by 10 with 5 minutes left, Umana Reyer Venice was able to hold on for a 74-71 home win against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys thanks to superior rebounding.
Reyer's rebounders saved the day
Reyer's field goal shooting was nothing to thrill its home fans: 36.8% on two-pointers, 36.0% from downtown. Its 17 turnovers didn't bode well for a victory, either.
But on the boards there was a big difference in favor of the winners. Reyer's rebounders finished with a 46-31 overall difference, most of which could be found in their 15-3 advantage on the offensive glass. That led to Reyer taking 9 more field goal attempts on the night, just enough to come from behind and win.
Derek Willis was ever-present around the rim with 9 rebounds. Mitchell Watt added 8 and Jordan Parks 7 before fouling out. They were helped by guards Jayson Granger (4) and Mark Spissu (3). Altogether, eight different Reyer players took at least 1 offensive rebound.
It was just enough to flip the scoreboard late as Lietkabelis was held to just 1 offensive board in the second half, and none in the final 13 minutes, giving Reyer the extra possessions needed to mount the comeback and break their tie in Group A.