Zalgiris Kaunas improved to 2–0 in the EuroLeague after edging defending champion Fenerbahce 84–81 in a dramatic finish at Zalgirio Arena on Friday night.
Nigel Williams-Goss led the Lithuanian side with 20 points, while Sylvain Francisco added 18 and Moses Wright scored 11. Wade Baldwin poured in 36 points for Fenerbahce, marking a new EuroLeague season high, but his effort fell just short in the final seconds.
Zalgiris took control early behind Williams-Goss’s hot shooting, building a 29–20 lead after the first quarter. The hosts continued to execute efficiently in the second period, with Laurynas Birutis and Francisco combining for key baskets to push the advantage to 43–37 at halftime.
The home crowd came alive midway through the third quarter when Francisco found Birutis for an alley-oop before Azoulas Tubelis hit back-to-back three-pointers, extending the gap to 65–51. Fenerbahce answered with a Baldwin-led run, but Zalgiris carried a 65–53 lead into the final period.
Baldwin kept the visitors in it, scoring from all areas of the floor as Fenerbahce chipped away at the deficit. His back-to-back triples midway through the fourth cut the margin to one, and another long-range shot gave the Turkish club its first lead of the night at 75–74.
Williams-Goss responded with a floater, and veteran Edgaras Ulanovas buried a clutch three-pointer to restore Zalgiris’s edge. Arnas Butkevicius followed with another deep shot to make it 82–79 inside the final minute.
With 12.8 seconds left, Williams-Goss calmly hit both free throws to secure the win. Nicolo Melli’s three-point attempt at the buzzer missed, sealing Zalgiris’s victory.
Zalgiris shot 56.8 percent on two-pointers and held a 31–34 rebounding deficit but forced 12 turnovers while committing just 10. Francisco added four assists and Wright contributed four rebounds and two blocks.
For Fenerbahce, Baldwin’s 36 points came on 14-of-22 shooting, while Devon Hall scored 12 and Talen Horton-Tucker had 10. The defending champions fell to 1–1 in the standings despite shooting 60.9 percent from inside the arc.
Zalgiris will next face Real Madrid on the road, aiming to keep its unbeaten run alive, while Fenerbahce returns home to host Virtus Bologna.
