Defending champion U18 Zalgiris Kaunas was shocked by competition newcomer U18 Next Gen Team 3SSB, 93-104, in a thrilling final game of the NextGen EuroLeague Finals opening day.
Zalgiris found inspiration from Jokubas Kukta with 22 points, and Dovydas Jakstonis combined 18 points with 9 rebounds. Maksim Brnovic scored 15 points, and Ignas Stombergas also netted 15 before fouling out.
The American team was led by Nasir Anderson with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Jalen Davis top scored with 26 points and bagged 6 steals. Blaze Johnson blasted 16 points, Cole Kelly added 12 and K’Nard Callendar scored 11 for a hard-working SSB which recorded 13 steals and 10 blocked shots.
The early scoring was evenly exchanged, before 3SSB pulled into a 22-28 advantage at the end of the first. A quick trio of scores from Davis extended the margin for the American team, which led 42-55 at the break.
Zalgiris rallied with a 9-0 run to open the second half, and a red-hot Stombergas scored 10 straight points to tie it, 58-58. Kelly netted 7 fast points to lead 3SSB back in front, 73-77, at the end of the third, despite Kukta draining 8 points in 90 seconds. The Lithuanian team again responded, and it was 93-95 in crunch time. But SSB produced the biggest plays down the stretch to seal a prestigious triumph.