Sylvain Francisco’s fourth 20-point game this season proved key for Zalgiris Kaunas as it brought its four-game losing skid to an end against Virtus Bologna, winning 77-68 (25-13, 16-19, 20-19, 16-17). Zalgiris has now won seven straight games against Virtus, with this victory improving Andrea Trinchieri’s men to an 11-10 record, while Dusko Ivanovic’s charges fell to 6-15.
Another key man in the victory was Arnas Butkevicius, who did a bit of everything with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Edgaras Ulanovas had his best scoring night of the season with 16 points, while Dovydas Giedraitis added 10 points. Virtus’ Isaia Cordinier netted 18 points and Toko Shengelia posted 12 points.
Giedraitis and Francisco knocked down three-pointers either side of a Laurynas Birutis bucket as Zalgiris raced out to an 8-0 start. Andrejs Grazulis’ tip-in got Virtus off the mark 2:06 minutes into the quarter, but the visitors looked lost at sea and found themselves 16-4 down when Butkevicius drained a three-pointer from the Zalgiris logo. Nicola Akele and Momo Diouf did offer a boost to Virtus, but Ulanovas went to the line a couple of times and later hit a triple on the turn to give Zalgiris a 25-11 lead, with the score 25-13 after 10 minutes.
When Lonnie Walker hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the second frame – his first and second shots of the game – it looked like there was going to be no way back for Virtus, with Zalgiris up 31-13. With those two makes, Zalgiris was 8 for 10 from downtown. Matt Morgan converted Virtus’s first triple to make it 31-16, and slowly but surely the impact of Alessandro Pajola and Cordinier started to be felt, with the hosts’ lead trimmed to 11 points at 35-24 after a Pajola three. A stunning sequence by Butkevicius saw him race back to block Pajola before converting a three on the other end, 38-24, but Shengelia came to the fore in the closing stages as Virtus reduced the deficit to nine points, 41-32, at halftime.
Despite Francisco’s three to start the second half, Virtus’s momentum continued and Pajola’s triple saw the visitors get within seven at 44-37. Ulanovas, Francisco and Butkevicius stepped up to give Zalgiris breathing room at 52-40. Even though Virtus fought back again to get within eight at 55-47, Ulanovas restored a double-digit lead at 58-47. Alen Smailagic’s corner three gave Zalgiris a 12-point lead, 61-49, but Matt Morgan made a couple of free throws to set a 61-51 score after 30 minutes.
The more the game went on, the more it seemed that things were falling in Virtus’s favor. A 9-3 Virtus run to open the fourth, capped by an off-balanced basket by Cordinier, got the visitors almost within touching distance at 64-60. Francisco’s patience allowed Smailagic to dunk, 66-60, but Zalgiris soon found itself in the penalty with 4 minutes to play. Virtus again got within four points on a couple of occasions, with Grazulis and Cordinier converting (68-64, 70-66), then Francisco took center stage. His block on Morgan was followed by a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper down the other end, 72-66, before driving and scoring a layup with 40 seconds remaining to give Zalgiris a 74-68 edge. Butkevicius and Francisco added the cherry on top from the line, as Zalgiris won 77-68.
