2019-20Regular SeasonRound 1
Zalgiris Kaunas 58
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 70
October 04, 2019 CET: 19:00
Local time: 20:00 ZALGIRIO ARENA

Shields leads Baskonia to big road win

KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz opened the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with a prestigious road win by downing Zalgiris Kaunas 58-70- in front of a sellout crowd of 15,151 fans at Zalgirio Arena on Friday. Baskonia beat Zalgiris in Kaunas for the third consecutive season. Shavon Shields led the winners with 19 points. Toko Shengelia added 13 while Matt Janning and Luca Vildoza each had 10 for Baskonia. Lukas Lekavicius and Marius Grigonis led Zalgiris with 10 points apiece. Shields helped Baskonia to an early 9-13 lead but Edgaras Ulanovas and Jock Landale helped Zalgiris tie the game, 19-19, after 10 minutes. Shields kept pacing the guests, getting help from Janning and Vildoza to forge a 30-37 margin at halftime. Shengelia shined after the break and Janning took over late in the third quarter for a 46-55 Baskonia margin after 30 minutes. Zalgiris managed to get within 55-59 but Baskonia kept its composure through strong defense and cruised to a well-deserved win.

Shields got Baskonia going with a jumper which Patricio Garino followed with a three-pointer for a 2-5 lead. Zach LeDay stepped up with a turnaround jumper and Grigonis struck from downtown to tie the game, 7-7. Vildoza and Shields each hit a mid-range shot before a driving layup by Shengelia restored a 9-13 Baskonia lead. Baskonia reached its foul limit Zalgiris made the most out of it as free throws by LeDay and Ulanovas ignited an 8-0 run that Landale capped with a jump hook at 17-13. Shields stepped up for the guests and a layup by Pierria Henry tied it, 19-19, after 10 minutes. Achille Polonara hit a fallaway jumper early in the second quarter and Michael Eric erased Arturas Milaknis's triple with a layup-plus-free throw good for a 22-24 Baskonia edge. Grigonis buried a three-pointer but Shields singlehandedly kept the guests ahead, 25-28. Janning, Shields and Vildoza swished a three-pointer apiece to make it a double-digit game, 27-37. Grigonis answered from downtown to get Zalgiris within 30-37 at halftime. Lekavicius and Landale tried to change things for the hosts after the break but an unstoppable Shengelia and a put-back dunk by Youssoupha Fall made Zalgiris call timeout at 34-46. Landale and Ulanovas rescued Zalgiris, and Grigonis gave the hosts hope at 42-48. Thomas Walkup and LeDay each hit a one-handed shot but Janning followed a triple with a jumper for a 46-55 Baskonia lead after 30 minutes. Milaknis struck twice from downtown early in the fourth quarter and Landale added another triple that brought Zalgiris within 55-59. Shengelia scored in penetration and a three-point play by Vildoza gave Baskonia fresh air at 55-64. Shields and Vildoza kept pacing Baskonia until a layup by Shengelia rounded out the guests' win in style.

Pivotal performer

Vildoza did a little bit of everything to make his team secure a big road win. He finished the game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, a game-high 5 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn, good for a performance index rating of 17.

Game-changing moment

The guests' defense made the difference in crunch time. Zalgiris was limited to just 3 points in the final 8 minutes. The hosts had managed to get within 55-59 with 8 minutes to go but only made 1 of their next 13 shots.

Stellar stat

Two-point shots and blocks made the difference in the game. Zalgiris was limited to just 13-of-36 two-point shooting (36.1%) – its lowest mark at home since January 2015. Baskonia hit 22-of-35 shots inside the arc (62.9%). Fall had to do a lot with it; he had 5 blocks and changed a lot of shots.

Did you notice?

The game also marked Zalgiris' 75th anniversary. To commemorate its 75 years of history, Zalgiris wore special, 1980s-inspired jerseys and warm-up T-shirts. At halftime, there was a look back at the team's most glorious history and greatest wins.

Next game:

Both teams return to EuroLeague action on Friday, October 11. Zalgiris visits AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan at 20:45 CET. Milan features two former Zalgiris players, Arturas Gudaitis and Aaron White. At 19:00 CET, Baskonia visits Khimki Moscow Region, featuring a former team member, Janis Timma.

Shavon Shields - KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz - EB19
Friday, October 4, 2019
Euroleague.net
Referees: CHRISTODOULOU, CHRISTOS; PETEK, SASO; OBRKNEZEVIC, UROS
Attendance: 15151
By Quarter1234
Zalgiris Kaunas19111612
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz19181815
End of Quarter1234
Zalgiris Kaunas19304658
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz19375570
Zalgiris Kaunas
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
0 WALKUP, THOMAS 17:47 2 1/3     1 1 2 1 1 2     1 3 4
2 PEREZ, ALEX 7:01   0/2                   1 3   -6
4 LEKAVICIUS, LUKAS 22:38 10 4/7 0/2 2/4 1 1 2 2   5     3 3 2
10 HAYES-DAVIS, NIGEL 21:52   0/5 0/1   1 6 7 3   1   1 2    
13 JANKUNAS, PAULIUS 3:23   0/1   0/2                   1 -2
21 MILAKNIS, ARTURAS 15:08 9   3/7           2     1   2 8
23 GEBEN, MARTINAS 8:43 2 1/2     1 1 2 1             4
31 JOKUBAITIS, ROKAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
32 LEDAY, ZACH 24:26 7 3/8 0/1 1/2 4 2 6     1   2 3 3 3
34 LANDALE, JOCK 20:25 9 3/4 1/6   1 3 4 1 1 3 1   3 2 6
40 GRIGONIS, MARIUS 29:35 10 0/3 3/6 1/2 2   2 3   4   2 1 4 5
92 ULANOVAS, EDGARAS 29:02 9 1/1 1/2 4/5 3 2 5 2 2         4 20
Team           3 6 9     1         8
Totals 200:00 58 13/36 8/25 8/15 17 22 39 13 6 17 1 7 16 22 52
        36.1% 32% 53.3%
Head coach: JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
3 VILDOZA, LUCA 27:53 10 3/4 1/4 1/1   3 3 5 2 1     2 4 17
5 GONZALEZ, MIGUEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 HENRY, PIERRIA 23:41 4 2/4 0/3   1 5 6 2 2 3     2 1 5
10 LOPEZ, LAUTARO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
11 JANNING, MATT 19:25 10 2/2 2/4         2 2 3     1   8
12 DIOP, ILIMANE 3:47   0/1                     1   -2
19 FALL, YOUSSOUPHA 17:49 2 1/1   0/4 2 3 5     2 5   5 2 3
23 SHENGELIA, TORNIKE 31:47 13 6/7 0/3 1/1   2 2 2   3 1 1 2 1 9
29 GARINO, PATRICIO 13:03 3 0/1 1/2     2 2   1 1     4   -1
31 SHIELDS, SHAVON 35:58 19 4/6 2/5 5/6 1 4 5   1       1 3 21
33 POLONARA, ACHILLE 8:13 2 1/3     2 4 6       1   1 2 8
50 ERIC, MICHAEL 18:24 7 3/6   1/1 1 3 4     1     3 3 7
Team             1 1     1          
Totals 200:00 70 22/35 6/21 8/13 7 27 34 11 8 15 7 1 22 16 75
        62.9% 28.6% 61.5%
Head coach: PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

Head Coaches

JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
Zalgiris Kaunas
"Congratulations to Baskonia. In the key moments of the game, they were the team that kept a clear head, with a little bit more experience. They had been a little bit more times in these type of games, something that we were lacking. Small details decided the game. Unfortunately, also, we were not able to put the ball in the basket in a lot of good situations."
PERASOVIC, VELIMIR
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
"I think that both teams played very tough defense. Nobody could score easy because defenses were really good. If you look for bad things, you can say that we couldn't score on offense but when you play against an opponent like Zalgiris, which is tough and never gives up, it is very difficult to play. I think that we controlled the game and when we put Fall in the game, he made some blocked shots and they played totally different after that. It is a very important victory for us, especially because we have a tough schedule. We will play two more road games now and it is not easy, but this victory makes things easier for us."

Players

WALKUP, THOMAS
Zalgiris Kaunas
"I think we did a lot of good things defensively. We, for sure, have a lot of things to clean up, too. They hit some tough shots but this is a really good offensive team. Allowing 70 points is a number that we are happy with, but we have to do better offensively. There was a really good feeling within the team and with the arena at that point (55-59), the momentum was going our way, but they hit a couple of shots at that time and we made a couple of mistakes which were punished, so their lead went back to 9 or 10 points. We have to capitalize on moments like that."
GRIGONIS, MARIUS
Zalgiris Kaunas
"We didn't fulfil some details in our game. We didn't use our fouls at the right time and Baskonia made few heavily contested shots. Maybe a few made shots of our own would have given us a breakthrough in the game."
SHIELDS, SHAVON
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
"We were getting stops. Us switching defense kind of messed them up in the second half, especially late. We were also doing well on the other end, which helped us extend the lead a little bit. We obviously have a lot of things to improve on but this is a tough place to play and it was our first EuroLeague game on the road. We are happy that we came out with a win. We got the win and that is all that matters, so I am happy about that."
SHENGELIA, TORNIKE
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
"It is always tough to play here. They are a strong team, especially when they play at home. The atmosphere is incredible. I have to give respect to our opponents. I am glad we got the job done. It is a very important win. We play three road games in the beginning but this doesn't mean that we can relax now. We have to take this as a motivation. We have to keep striving and try to win the next one."
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