Thursday's games
Zalgiris Kaunas 90-77 VEF Riga, Friendly game, Kaunas, Lithuania
Pınar Karsıyaka 87-98 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Pinar Cup, Karsiyaka, Turkey
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 70-92 Partizan NIS Belgrade, Friendly game
Zalgiris Kaunas 90-77 VEF Riga, Friendly game, Kaunas, Lithuania
Pınar Karsıyaka 87-98 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Pinar Cup, Karsiyaka, Turkey
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 70-92 Partizan NIS Belgrade, Friendly game
Zalgiris Kaunas finished its preseason in style by rallying to beat VEF Riga 90-77 at home. Rolands Smits and Edgaras Ulanovas led the winners with 14 points. Tyler Cavanaugh added 12 for Zalgiris, that hit just 1-of-15 three-point shots in the first half and trailed 35-48 right after the break. Zalgiris improved its defense in the second half, while Keenan Evans and Smits fueled the hosts' comeback. Kevarrius Hayes scored down low to put Zalgiris ahead, 53-52. Lukas Lekavicius hit a triple for a 63-60 Zalgiris edge after 30 minutes. Cavanaugh and Smits each struck twice from beyond the arc to seal the outcome, 80-70, as VEF did not recover in the final 5 minutes.
Partizan NIS Belgrade downed Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 92-70 in Moscow, Russia. Tristan Vukcevic led 6 Partizan players in double digits with 17 points. Danilo Andjusic added 16, Kevin Punter and Ioannis Papapetrou had 13 each, Zach Leday 12 and James Nunnally 11. Vukcevic, Punter and Leday combined for 17 first-quarter points to give Partizan a 21-18 lead after 10 minutes. Papapetrou and Andjusic helped their team boost its margin to 41-32 at halftime. Nothing changed after that, as Partizan improved its lead to 66-50 at the end of the third quarter and cruised to a well-deserved victory.
In the Pinar Cup tournament, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul downed Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir 87-98. Carsen Edwards paced the winners with 20 points. Scottie Wilbekin added 19, Johnathan Motley had 16 while Devin Booker got 10 for Fenerbahce. Birsen and Edwards allowed Fenerbahce to get a seven-point lead, 18-25, at the end of the first quarter. Fenerbahce kept a 38-42 lead at halftime and extended it to 65-72 after 30 minutes, holding off Karsiyaka's fourth-quarter comeback to win the game.