Zalgiris uses tough defense to beat Tofas for second win

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas notched its second victory in as many games as it fended off U18 Tofas Bursa 59-76 in Group B of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Istanbul. Liutauras Lelevicius led the way with 17 points for Zalgiris, which won the U18 continental title in 2003 and 2007. Ugnius Jarusevicius scored 13 points, Dovydas Butka had 11 and Titas Sargiunas pitched in 10 points and 4 assists in the victory. Tofas fell to 0-2 in the group despite Ege Demir collecting 18 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. Berke Buyuktuncel added 14 points and Kivanc Col scored 10 points, but they were not enough.

Dovydas Butka scored nine points and both Radvilas Kneizys and Lelevicius hit three-pointers as Zalgiris raced away for a 2-15 lead. Buyuktuncel drained a triple at the other end and Demir had two baskets in a 13-0 run to tie the game at 17-17. Zalgiris ended a nearly 5-minute scoreless stretch and was up 17-21 after 10 minutes. Dominykas Butka’s three-pointer finished a 0-8 spurt and Zalgiris led 23-33. Demir again used his power and helped cut the gap to 35-36 before Sargiunas answered with a triple and Zalgiris went into half time up 38-41.

Lelevicius picked up two baskets to keep Zalgiris ahead 47-49 in the early going of the second half. The Lithuanian side’s defense stepped up and held Tofas to just 2 points in the final 6 minutes of the third quarter and led 49-57 after 30 minutes. In the fourth quarter, Kneizys knocked down two three-pointers as the margin grew to 54-65. Zalgiris delivered the knockout blow with a 0-7 run over more than 3 minutes for a 58-74 advantage with just more than a minute to play.