Zalgiris Kaunas secured their second win in the Lithuanian Basketball League semifinals. Coached by Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris defeated Lietkabelis Panevezys 95-75 (20-19, 22-17, 32-20, 21-19) on the road. Game 3 of the best-of-five series will be played on Sunday at Zalgirio Arena.
Sylvain Francisco opened the scoring using a screen from Moses Wright before hitting a three-pointer on the next possession. Arnas Butkevicius and Francisco added two more shots from long range, while Laurynas Birutis finished an and‑one play after a Francisco assist, 14-11. Francisco continued his strong start with another three, and Dustin Sleva also connected from deep, but Lietkabelis managed to cut the deficit to one point by the end of the first quarter, 20-19.
At the start of the second quarter, Edgaras Ulanovas scored off a Maodo Lo pass, while Wright added four points, 26-27. Tubelis converted inside after a Ulanovas assist, and Butkevicius added points from the free-throw line. Francisco hit two more three-pointers, and contributions from Dovydas Giedraitis and Birutis helped Zalgiris close the half ahead, 42-36.
Zalgiris took control in the third quarter, led by Tubelis, who scored nine consecutive points to extend the lead to double digits, 51-41. Francisco followed with another three-pointer, free throws, and a driving layup, continuing the team’s momentum. Giedraitis added points from the line, and Ulanovas scored nine straight points to push the margin to 72-51. Sirvydis added a late basket to finish the quarter with Zalgiris leading 74-56.
In the final quarter, Wright opened with two dunks, while Ulanovas and Birutis added baskets to maintain a comfortable lead, 82-62. Over the last five minutes, Tubelis took over, scoring 13 consecutive points to seal the game. Zalgiris closed out a dominant 95-75 victory to take a strong position in the series.
Francisco had his best scoring game in LKL this season, finishing with 27 points. Tubelis followed with 24 points in the win.
