By Eurohoops / info@eurohoops.net
Kosner Baskonia and Žalgiris Kaunas played a very evenly matched contest in which the Buesa Arena factor proved decisive.
Victory for the home side, 102-91, after a game in which Kosner Baskonia grew stronger as it went on, improving their record to 9–16. The Lithuanians fall to 14–11.
The win for the Basque team came thanks to outstanding team play, with as many as six players scoring in double figures: Markus Howard (15), Mamadi Diakite (11), Kobi Simmons (12), Rodions Kurucs (15), Timothée Luwawu-Cabarrot (19), and Trent Forrest (16).
It was a different story for Žalgiris Kaunas, who, despite Sylvain Francisco’s 30 points, never truly had a chance to win.
A 5–14 start seemed to suggest that Žalgiris would dominate the game, but the visitors’ strong opening minutes quickly faded.
By halftime, Kosner Baskonia were already ahead on the scoreboard (46–45).
The positive momentum and scoring carried over into the second half after the break, allowing Baskonia to approach the final minutes with great confidence.