Zalgiris Kaunas continued its impressive EuroLeague turnaround with an 83-67 road victory over Besiktas Istanbul on Friday, November 6, extending its winning streak to four games.
Jonas Valanciunas dominated inside with 12 points and 11 rebounds in less than 20 minutes. Azuolas Tubelis led all Zalgiris scorers with 14 points, while Marius Grigonis added 13 and Carsen Edwards finished with 11.
The result improved Zalgiris to 6-4, putting its difficult 2-4 start further behind it. Three of the four consecutive victories have come by at least 16 points.
Zalgiris took control midway through the second quarter after Besiktas briefly reduced the deficit to four points. Jaylen Nowell scored on a second-chance opportunity before David DeJulius converted a turnover by Saben Lee into a fastbreak layup, making it 29-33.
Zalgiris head coach Tomas Masiulis called a timeout, and the visitors responded with a decisive 10-0 run. Valanciunas and Edwards scored five points apiece during the surge, helping Zalgiris take a 45-31 halftime lead.
The visitors continued to pull away after the break. They extended their advantage to 20 points at 56-36 in less than five minutes of the third quarter, completing a 23-7 run that stretched across the second and third periods.
Besiktas cut the deficit in the fourth quarter, but the early separation had already settled the contest. Zalgiris won the final period 21-23, with the hosts unable to mount a serious comeback.
Besiktas struggled to find its shooting touch, making 19 of 45 two-point attempts (42.2%) and six of 23 three-pointers (26.1%). Eugene Omoruyi scored a game-high 17 points, while Wenyen Gabriel contributed 14 points and seven rebounds. Anthony Brown added 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Zalgiris sits 10th in the EuroLeague standings at 6-4, while Besiktas dropped to 4-6 and 13th place.
The Lithuanian side visits Armani Olimpia Milan on Thursday, November 12, while Besiktas travels to ASVEL the following day.
