Zalgiris Kaunas let a late lead slip away and fell to Baskonia 91-102 in Vitoria on Friday night. Baskonia improved to 9-16 after registering its eighth home win of the season. Meanwhile, Zalgiris dropped to 14-11.

Sylvain Francisco led the team with 20 points, Dustin Sleva added 13, Moses Wright 12, and Ignas Brazdeikis 11.

Zalgiris started the game strongly: Francisco opened with free throws, Tubelis added four quick points, and a drive plus an alley-oop assist to Wright pushed the lead to 10-2. Brazdeikis scored immediately off the bench, Arnas Butkevicius hit a deep three, and Birutis finished inside as Kaunas controlled the rhythm early.

Sleva sparked the second period with five straight points, and although Baskonia briefly pulled ahead with outside shooting, Zalgiris answered through Francisco, Tubelis, and another Francisco three. Wright scored four in a row, Ulanovas hit from deep, and Brazdeikis added points, but the hosts held a narrow 45-46 lead at halftime.

After the break, Wright, Giedraitis, and Francisco kept Zalgiris competitive. Brazdeikis knocked down a three, Francisco connected with Wright for another alley-oop, and then scored seven consecutive points himself. Sleva’s timely baskets and threes stabilized the offense, but Baskonia closed the quarter with a corner triple at the buzzer for 71-75.

Sleva again provided momentum to start the final stretch, adding five quick points, and Francisco hit from long range. Tubelis also connected from deep, and Francisco continued his strong night with seven more points as Zalgiris built an 89-84 lead. However, several missed opportunities to extend the gap proved costly. Baskonia used Kaunas’ mistakes to retake the lead, and although Brazdeikis briefly tied the score at 91-91, Zalgiris failed to score in the final minutes and the hosts closed the game with an 18-2 run.