Zalgiris had a strong start at the Kaunas NIJT Qualifying Tournament by downing CSKA Moscow 84-61 in Group A on Friday. Martynas Echodas paced the winners with 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting and 8 rebounds. Kristupas Zemaitis added 12 points, Martynas Varnas got 11 while Raimundas Zuklevicius had 10 for Zalgiris. Alexander Gavrilov led CSKA with 15 points. Echodas shined early with a layup and a dunk-and-foul to give Zalgiris a 7-4 lead. Varnas took over with a coast-to-coast slam and a three-pointer but Maxim Morozov and Gavrilov kept CSKA within 12-10. Echodas kept pacing Zalgiris and a layup by Valentinas Mikalauskas made it a double-digit game, 23-12. Andrey Korolyatin and Gavrilov brought CSKA within 25-16 after 10 minutes. CSKA found a new go-to guy in Mikhail Maleyko, who brought his team within 27-23. Three-pointers by Zuklevicius and Zemaitis rescued Zalgiris and another slam by Echodas forced CSKA to call timeout at 36-25. Maleyko and Vladimir Staratelev made it a seven-point game, 38-31, at halftime. Echodas and Varnas combined for all points in a 7-0 run that boosted Zalgiris's lead to 45-31 right after the break. Gavrilov and Staratelev stepped up for CSKA but Echodas and Zemaitis kept the hosts way ahead, 54-39. A driving layup by Zemaitis and a corner triple by Ignas Fiodorovas gave Zalgiris a 20-point lead, 63-43, after 30 minutes. Nothing changed since that moment, as Zalgiris improved its margin to 69-43 and cruised to a well-deserved win.