U18 Zalgiris Kaunas grabbed its first win at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Ulm in epic fashion, rallying from a 21-point second-half deficit to beat U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne 84-70 behind 31 points and 21 rebounds from Ignas Stombergas.

Dovydas Buika added 20 points for Zalgiris. Adam Atamna led ASVEL with 29 points while Theo Guedegbe had 16.

Guedebge stepped up early for ASVEL, striking twice from downtown in a 4-16 opening run. Stombergas rescued Zalgiris with 9 quick points, getting help from Buika to bring their team within 19-20. Atamna hit a floater and Guedegbe added a running hook to boost ASVEL’s lead to 22-25 after 10 minutes.

ASVEL found a go-to guy in Atamna, who showcased his talent in one-on-one situations and pulling the trigger twice from downtown. He joined forces with Guedegbe, combining for 33 first-half points to give ASVEL a 36-55 margin at halftime.

Buika and Kajus Mikalauskas fueled a 13-0 Zalgiris run that Maksim Brnovic capped with a follow-up layup that made it a five-point game, 54-59. Mikalauskas’ turnaround jumper completed Zalgiris’ comeback, 61-60, at the end of the third quarter.

An unstoppable Stombergas and Majus Bulanovas gave their team a 71-64 margin with over 4 minutes left. Buika stepped up in crunch time and his jumper sealed his team’s comeback victory, 79-66, with 2 minutes left.