Zalgiris Basketball Players Dominate “Baskonia” of Vitoria with 99-82 Victory

“Zalgiris” basketball players beat “Baskonia” of Vitoria with 99:82 (22:14, 24:25, 28:22, 25:21).

The visitors scored the first five points of the game, with Tom Dimsch making a three-pointer and Schmidt making both free throws, and kept the lead until the end of the game.

After two free throws made by Marcus Howard, the home team got closer to 37:38 in the 18th minute, but Kaunas basketball players gained the biggest advantage in the game in the 26th minute after an accurate long shot by Schmidt – 62:44.

Schmidt, who started the match in the starting five, scored 21 points in 25 minutes and 30 seconds, making two of four 2-pointers, three of four long-range shots and all eight free throws. The native of Valmierie also grabbed eight rebounds, fouled four times, provoked five fouls on opponents and finished the game with a team-best efficiency rating of 27.

Brady Menek scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds for the Kaunas team, Keenen Evans scored 14 points, Dimša and Dovīds Ģdraitis scored 13 points each.

Chima Monks collected 32 points and nine rebounds for the hosts, while Howard scored 26 points.

“Virtus” of Bologna, led by the head coach of the Latvian national team, Lukas Banki, will play a home game against “Crvena Zvezda” of Belgrade on Friday.

“Zalgiris” is in fifth place with three wins in four games, while “Virtus” is sixth with two successes in three games.

In the ULEB Euroleague, 18 teams play a two-round tournament, the best six enter the elimination tournament, while the seventh to tenth place winners will compete in the “play-in” round. The final four tournament will take place in Berlin this season.

In the previous season, the basketball players of “Real” Madrid became the winners of the most prestigious club tournament in Europe for the 11th time, who defeated “Olympiakos” of Piraeus in the final game in Kaunas with the result 79:78.