Zalgiris gains second straight win by powering past Fenerbahce 21

Zalgiris Kaunas gained its second straight win by downing Fenerbahce Istanbul 86-75 at home on Friday.

Former Fenerbahce player Edgaras Ulanovas topped all scorers with 18 points, while Mantas Kalnietis led the offense with a double-double of 11 points and 11 assists. Zoran Dragic added 13 points, Tai Webster scored 11 and Tyler Cavanaugh had 10.

Nando De Colo led Fenerbahce with 17 points, while Pierria Henry and Jan Vesely both scored 13 for the visiting team, which drops to 3-8 after a three-game losing run.

Fenerbahce made a fast start with a triples from Henry and De Colo, along with a driving score from Vesely for a 4-9 lead. A three-pointer from Kalnietis helped pull Zalgiris closer, but Vesely and Devin Booker scored at the basket for a 9-15 lead. Ulanovas scored inside before Cavanaugh and De Colo traded triples, as the first quarter finished 16-18.

Free throws from Lukas Lekavicius and a fastbreak layup from Webster gave Zalgiris its first lead, but Melih Mahmutoglu sparked Fenerbahce’s offense with two baskets. Webster added 5 more points for a 27-22 advantage, before Vesely reasserted the visitors with a three-point play. Ulanovas responded with a corner three, Dragic stretched the lead with layup off the glass, and a steal and score from Janis Strelnieks made it 38-29 at the break.

Marek Blazevic and Strelnieks stretched the lead to 43-29 early in the third. Marial Shayok and Vesely narrowed the gap, but Dragic inside and Strelnieks from deep made it a 15-point margin. A 0-9 run capped by Achille Polonara’s triple and Shayok’s transition layup reduced the lead to single digits, but Kalnietis’s three-pointer and Josh Nebo’s alley-oop reignited the hosts. Henry hit 5 straight points and Vesely added a tip-in to make it 56-52, before Webster scored 4 points in a row. De Colo floated in a buzzer beater to end the third quarter 64-59.

Henry and Ulanovas traded long-range strikes early in the fourth, and Kalnietis was also on target from deep before Ulanovas restored a double-digit lead, 72-62. Dragic hit a triple and Kalnietis made a long two for a 79-68 advantage with three minutes remaining, before Ulanovas stretched the lead from the foul line. Then Dragic scored inside and Nebo dunked to seal the win, as Fenerbahce imploded in the final stages.