By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Brose Bamberg defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 93-86 at home, improving its record to 7-11 while the visitors slipped to 11-7.
Despite being without head coach Andrea Trinchieri who underwent a shoulder surgery, Bamberg under interim coach Ilias Kantzouris got over Zalgiris in a tough game.
The final period: With six minutes on the clock, Bamberg’s team had a five-point advantage (62-57). Milaknis answered with a three-pointer, but Rubit came right back with a three of his own. With just three minutes left, Zalgiris cut the deficit to three (79-76) with White scoring down low.
The score remained close until Daniel Hackett made a big shot with 36 seconds to put Bamberg up by five (87-82). Kevin Pangos was trying to keep his team in the game, but Bamberg made its free-throws, grabbed offensive rebounds, stole a crucial ball thanks to Dorell Wright and finally won the game.
The star: Augustine Rubit was great for Bamberg. He finished the night with 22 points and seven rebounds while Daniel Hackett added 16 points, several of them in the fourth quarter.
The game: Zalgiris shot an impressive 56.7% from the field to start the game and got a seven-point lead at the half (37-44).
With veteran Nikos Zisis scoring back to back three-pointers, and Zalgiris’ Paulius Jankunas picking up his fourth foul, Bamberg managed to cut the deficit to just two points (49-51) and tied it at 56. With an impressive 8-0 run, the home side went up ahead by five points (64-59) and controlled the game until the end.
Not enough: On the losing side, Aaron White had a great game with 23 points and 8 rebounds while Arturas Milaknis added 18 (6/9 3P).