Zalgiris improves to 2-0 after knocking off Fenerbahce, 84-81

Coach Tomas Masiulis's team has started the EuroLeague season with two wins against last season's finalist and champion

Regular Season

Round 2 of 38

game Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs Zalgiris Kaunas

Regular Season

Zalgiris KaunasZAL

8481

Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulFBB

Overview

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In a thriller that went down to the final shot, Zalgiris Kaunas improved to 2-0 in the standings by downing defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 84-81 in front of a sellout crowd at Zalgirio Arena on Friday.

Nigel Williams-Goss led the winners with 20 points. Sylvain Francisco added 18 while Moses Wright had 11. Wade Baldwin paced Fenerbahce with 36 points, a new EuroLeague season high. Devon Hall added 12 while Talen Horton-Tucket had 10 for the guests, who dropped to 1-1.

Williams-Goss got Zalgiris off to a strong start, and Laurynas Birutis responded to Hall’s layup with a three-point play to make it 5–2. Williams-Goss continued to lead the hosts, knocking down back-to-back jumpers, but Khem Birch and Baldwin helped Fenerbahce close the gap to 9–7. Birutis then added a jump hook followed by an alley-oop slam, extending Zalgiris’s lead to 13–7. Nicolo Melli connected from beyond the arc, then Tarik Biberovic matched Williams-Goss’s floater with a driving layup. Williams-Goss, seemingly unstoppable, scored again, while Armando Bacot answered with a layup. Wright’s jumper pushed the hosts ahead at 19–14. Bacot scored inside, but Maodo Lo along with Azoulas Tubelis each got on the scoreboard before Baldwin brought Fenerbahce within striking distance at 23–20. Francisco and Wright each hit a triple to give Zalgiris a 29–20 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Melli and Wright exchanged layups early in the second quarter. Onuralp Bitim drove to the basket for a score, and Baldwin answered Wright’s dunk with a rainbow jumper. Horton-Tucker knocked down a fadeaway shot, which was immediately matched by Williams-Goss with a driving layup. Dustin Selva capped a three-chance Zalgiris possession with a layup, followed by driving finishes from Hall and Francisco. Colson then trimmed the deficit to 39–36. Francisco found an open lane for an uncontested layup, forcing the visitors to call a timeout at 41–36. Baldwin split free throws, and Wright powered through traffic for a thunderous dunk, setting the score at 43–37 after 20 minutes.

Francisco set up Birutis for an alley-oop slam, found Sleva for a strong finish, and added free throws to give Zalgiris a 12-point lead at 49–37. Hall tried to shift momentum with a jump hook, followed by a wild driving basket from Horton-Tucker. Williams-Goss floated in a one-handed shot in the lane, and Baldwin responded with a jump hook and a close-range jumper to cut the deficit to 51–45. Horton-Tucker struck again, Francisco answered with a three-pointer, and Baldwin’s jumper kept Fenerbahce within reach at 54–49. Lo added a floater, then Francisco topped it with another triple. Tubelis improved Hall’s layup with a three-pointer of his own before striking again from deep to blow the game open at 65–51. Baldwin powered through for a dunk in traffic, closing the quarter at 65–53.

Francisco ignited the crowd with an acrobatic layup early in the fourth. Horton-Tucker answered, and Baldwin’s dunk cut the deficit to 67-57. Ulanovas kept Zalgiris afloat, but Baldwin hit free throws and fed Hall for a fast-break slam. Hall then found Baldwin for a transition triple, forcing a Zalgiris timeout at 69-64. Williams-Goss added free throws before Baldwin hit two more threes, making it 71-70 with under six minutes left. Hall drove to score, but Ulanovas and Francisco kept Zalgiris ahead, 74-72. Baldwin buried another three to give Fenerbahce its first lead, 74-75. Williams-Goss hit a floater, but Horton-Tucker tied it with free throws. Ulanovas nailed a triple, and Butkevicius bettered Baldwin’s jumper with his own three to make it 82-79 with 46 seconds left. Jantunen scored on a put-back before Williams-Goss hit free throws with 12.8 seconds remaining. He hit both attempts and Melli missed from beyond the arc second before the final buzzer.