By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Thomas Masiulis returned to Istanbul, where he was part of Šarūnas Jasikevičius’ coaching staff that led Fenerbahce to the EuroLeague title last season — this time as the head coach of Zalgiris.
And he won’t be returning to his new home in Kaunas empty-handed, as the Lithuanian side took down the defending champions and current EuroLeague leaders at Ulker Sports Arena with a final score of 92-82.
Zalgiris therefore made a major step toward a Top 6 finish, improving to 20–13 in the standings, while Fenerbahce slipped to 23–11, reopening the battle for first place.
It was Dustin Sleva who led the way for the winning side with 18 points, adding seven rebounds, while Arnas Butkevičius came close to a double-double with 13 points and eight boards for a team-high PIR of 23. Sylvain Francisco contributed 14 points and eight assists, Nigel Williams-Goss chipped in 13 points, and Moses Wright added 10.
On the other side, Wade Baldwin paced Fenerbahce with 19 points, while Talen Horton-Tucker followed with 18. Nando De Colo and Bonzie Colson chipped in 11 points each.
It all came down to the final five minutes in Istanbul, with the score tied at 78–78. Francisco and Williams-Goss then knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, but Horton-Tucker answered to bring Fenerbahce within 82–85. However, Zalgiris responded with a 5–0 run, including a key three-pointer by Sleva to extend the lead to 90–82 entering the final two minutes — which proved more than enough for Masiulis’ team to seal the victory.