2017-18Regular SeasonRound 26
March 15, 2018 CET: 20:45
Local time: 20:45 FERNANDO BUESA ARENA

Granger, Vildoza lead Baskonia past Zalgiris

Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz recorded its third consecutive win by downing Zalgiris Kaunas 84-64 at Fernando Buesa Arena on Thursday. Baskonia improved to 13-13 in the standings to draw even with Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv for eighth place, while Zalgiris dropped to 15-11. Jayson Granger paced the winners with 20 points, Vincent Poirier added 15, Matt Janning and Johannes Voigtmann each scored 12 and Luza Vildoza dished 10 assists in less than 15 minutes for Baskonia. Kevin Pangos led Zalgiris with 12 points and Vasilije Micic added 11. Baskonia hit six three-point shots in the first quarter, three of them by a red-hot Granger. A buzzer-beating jumper by Patricio Garino gave the hosts a 27-19 margin after 10 minutes. Baskonia found new go-to guys in Vildoza and Voigtmann, who gave the hosts a double-digit margin, 43-33, at halftime. Janning and Garino combined for 10 points in a 16-0 run which Ilimane Diop capped with an alley-oop layup that broke the game open at 67-43, late in the third quarter. Nothing changed after that, as Baskonia boosted its margin to 78-51 with seven minutes to go and never looked back.

Poirier got Baskonia going with a three-point play and a layup. Janning soon struck from downtown for an 8-0 lead. Edgaras Ulanovas and Pangos each hit one from beyond the arc and got help from Brandon Davies to bring Zalgiris within 12-8. Janis Timma took over with a four-point play, but a triple by Pangos and a layup by Micic got Zalgiris within 16-13. Micic kept pushing Zalgiris, but Voigtmann joined the three-point shootout, Granger sank back-to-back shots from beyond the arc and a buzzer-beating jumper by Garino gave Baskonia a 27-19 lead after 10 minutes. Garino took over with a driving layup that made it a double-digit game, 31-21, early in the second quarter. Micic scored down low and Arturas Milaknis added free throws, but Granger and Janning kept Baskonia comfortably ahead, 34-25. Paulius Jankunas and Axel Toupane scored around the basket, but Vildoza and Voigtmann combined for 8 quick points, which caused Zalgiris to call timeout at 42-29. Milaknis and Pangos brought Zalgiris a bit closer, 43-33, at halftime.

Davies followed a put-back dunk with a layup in a 0-6 run that brought Zalgiris within 45-39 soon after the break. Granger rescued Baskonia with a triple-and-foul and Poirier added a layup, but Pangos and Antanas Kavaliauskas kept Zalgiris in the picture at 51-43. Garino dunked and added a layup in a game-breaking 16-0 run in which Janning nailed back-to-back triples. An alley-oop layup by Ilimane Diop made it 67-43. A floater by Ulanovas fixed the score at 67-45 after 30 minutes. Poirier stepped up with a floater and free throws early in the fourth quarter and Timma added a three-pointer for a 25-point Baskonia lead. A layup off a steal by Rodrigue Beaubois sealed the outcome at 78-51 with seven minutes left. Zalgiris kept fighting, but Baskonia cruised to the important win.

Johannes Voigtmann - Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz - EB17
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Euroleague.net
Referees: PUKL,SASA; HORDOV, TOMISLAV ; FOUFIS, IOANNIS
Attendance: 11227
By Quarter1234
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz27162417
Zalgiris Kaunas19141219
End of Quarter1234
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz27436784
Zalgiris Kaunas19334564
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 17:36 4 1/1 0/2 2/2       10   3     4 1 6
6 TIMMA, JANIS 24:52 7   2/4 1/1   2 2 1 3 1     2 1 9
7 VOIGTMANN, JOHANNES 27:54 12 1/2 2/2 4/9 1 6 7 2   3     1 4 15
8 MALMANIS, RINALDS 7:01 2 0/2   2/2   1 1   1     1 2 1  
9 HUERTAS, MARCELINHO DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 BEAUBOIS, RODRIGUE 12:04 2 1/1 0/3     1 1 2 1       3    
11 JANNING, MATT 26:34 12 0/1 4/8     2 2 2 3 1     2 2 13
12 DIOP, ILIMANE 23:48 2 1/2 0/1   1 1 2     2 2   3 3 2
15 GRANGER, JAYSON 22:24 20 1/2 5/7 3/3   2 2 1 1 3     2 5 21
17 POIRIER, VINCENT 16:07 15 5/8   5/5 1 5 6 1 2 1     3 3 20
19 MARTINEZ, IVAN 1:27     0/1                       -1
29 GARINO, PATRICIO 20:13 8 4/5 0/1     1 1 1 2 2 1   4 1 6
Team           2 3 5               5
Totals 200:00 84 14/24 13/29 17/22 5 24 29 20 13 16 3 1 26 21 96
        58.3% 44.8% 77.3%
Head coach: MARTINEZ, PEDRO
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
Zalgiris Kaunas
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
0 DAVIES, BRANDON 17:45 6 2/7   2/2 1 2 3 1 2 2     3 2 4
3 PANGOS, KEVIN 26:24 12 3/7 2/2     1 1 2   5     2 6 10
6 TOUPANE, AXEL 20:21 9 1/5 1/2 4/5   5 5   1 1   1 2 3 8
9 UDRIH, BENO 7:05   0/2           2 3 1   1     1
13 JANKUNAS, PAULIUS 20:07 2 1/2       2 2 2   1   1 2 1 2
20 MASIULIS, GYTIS 8:20 3 1/1   1/1 1 2 3     1     1 1 5
21 MILAKNIS, ARTURAS 15:20 4 1/2 0/1 2/2   1 1   2 2     2 2 3
22 MICIC, VASILIJE 21:36 11 5/8 0/1 1/1   2 2 4   2     3 2 10
30 WHITE, AARON 18:27 1     1/2       2 1 1     2 2 2
44 KAVALIAUSKAS, ANTANAS 15:03 3 1/2   1/2 1 2 3 1     1   2 1 5
66 VALINSKAS, PAULIUS 12:08 6 1/2 0/1 4/4   3 3     2     1 3 7
92 ULANOVAS, EDGARAS 17:24 7 2/2 1/1 0/1 1 1 2   1 3     2 1 5
Team           1 1 2               2
Totals 200:00 64 18/40 4/8 16/20 5 22 27 14 10 21 1 3 22 24 64
        45% 50% 80%
Head coach: JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS

Head Coaches

MARTINEZ, PEDRO
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
"We played a very complete game. We did very well defensively with aggressiveness, rebounding well and running the break. I want to point out that the team was able to overcome the adversities we had due to our physical problems, and did very well. We has to replace a very good player, Toko [Shengelia], who is always a big loss. We managed to do it as a team with a lot of players adding good things for us in aspects of the game that are not easy to be seen, like rebounds, defensive pressure and balance. In that sense, we had a very good game. I am not following streaks, to be honest. We don't have to look at what we have done, but look forward, which is always difficult. We have to be happy with today's win, but we return to practice tomorrow and wait for Toko and Marce [Huertas] to recover soon. I believe that we don't have to regret injuries, but see them as opportunities for others, like happened tonight. We cannot look for heroes or look for players to replace those important players who cannot play. You have to look for the team as a whole - play better defense, pass the ball better, be more focused. When you are missing a good player, you miss his points, his rebounds, his low post game or skills, which cannot be replaced by an individual player, but if the team is first and foremost for everyone, what we saw today can happen. We hope Toko can be back soon because the more we are, the better team we are, but it is a good sign to see that the team can overcome these adversities, which are part of the game. By losing a player, we don't stop being competitive, but showing it on the court is a good sign for the team."
JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
Zalgiris Kaunas
"Congratulations to Baskonia. Obviously, they were clearly a better team. We didn't find the way to attack them. We thought we were prepared, but in the end, on the court, nothing really came out like we thought it would be. It is hard to say why [we lost twice to Baskonia by big margins]. They hit a lot of shots in the game in Kaunas and something similar happened here tonight, but when a team has a lot of good three-point shooters, they cannot shoot 29 times from three-point range and 24 from two-point range. It is impossible that I didn't tell this to my team before the game. We know that Granger and Janning are basically shooters, and they combined for 15 three-point attempts. They can take 5 or 6 shots, but 15? I guess I didn't find the way to prepare my team. Matt Janning took 8 three-point shots and one inside the arc - forgive me, but that can't be. Our first game against them was in a double week and we came off a road win in Malaga, I think. We are a young team that doesn't know how to manage that kind of emotions in just 48 hours. And then Baskonia played with a great spirit today; Granger and Vildoza played great defense on Pangos. Kevin is having a great season, but today, he wasn't able to handle the defensive pressure. Teams already know that Kevin is one of the best players in the EuroLeague and go for him."

Players

GRANGER, JAYSON
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
"I know it is hard, because I am the one who wants to be 100%, trying to help the team, but I think it is all mental. I tried to push myself every week, trying to help my teammates, trying to do my best and luckily today, we had the win and everything went well. I think that the game against Maccabi is going to be really big for us. Of course, we have big games before like Bamberg and Barcelona on the road. We have to go game by game and see what happens then."