Zalgiris Kaunas comfortably galloped through the Lithuanian Basketball League quarterfinals. Coached by Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris defeated Jonava Hipocredit 90-75 (32-14, 25-18, 15-26, 18-17) on the road and won the series 2-0. In the semifinals, Zalgiris will face Lietkabelis Panevezys.
Nigel Williams‑Goss opened the scoring, followed by two baskets from Laurynas Birutis, two three-pointers by Sylvain Francisco, and two powerful dunks by Azuolas Tubelis to make it 15-5. Arnas Butkevicius added a three-pointer and assisted Birutis, while Francisco knocked down another shot from deep, 23-12. Deividas Sirvydis scored four points, Dustin Sleva hit a three, and Maodo Lo finished the first quarter with a strong drive, giving Zalgiris a commanding 32-14 lead.
Moses Wright added points inside, Lo connected from long range, and Tubelis continued to build the advantage early in the second quarter, 41-19. Williams‑Goss attacked the basket, Sirvydis added points, and Tubelis pushed the lead further to 48-22. Late in the half, Williams‑Goss and Francisco hit from outside, while Tubelis and Francisco continued scoring to extend the lead to 57-32.
Birutis opened the third quarter with a dunk, Ulanovas added a mid-range shot, and Williams‑Goss hit a three to increase the margin to 64-36. Ignas Brazdeikis got on the scoreboard, and Birutis converted both free throws as Zalgiris led comfortably. However, in the final minutes of the quarter, Jonava managed to reduce the deficit, closing the gap to 72-58.
Giedraitis, Brazdeikis, and Sirvydis responded with interior scoring to restore a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. Giedraitis added a three-pointer, while Birutis finished a well-executed team play. Sirvydis scored five points late, and Wright hit the final basket of the game to seal a 90-75 victory and secure Zalgiris’ place in the semifinals.
Sirvydis led the balanced scoring with 16 points. Francisco tallied 14 points, Birutis finished with 12 points.
