Zalgiris defeats Tofas in Turkey 0

Zalgiris continued their preparations for the season with a victory against Tofas Bursa on Wednesday. Having defeated the Turkish side 82-70, the Lithuanian champions started of the Gloria Cup 2018 on a high note.

While their opponents started off the game strong with an 8-2 run, Brandon Davies knocked back nine consecutive points to give the Kaunas side the leading role. The lead kept changing hands but after a couple of nice assists from Rokas Jokubaitis, the opening quarter was closed out with a single-point lead for the Lithuanians. The young Jokubaitis lobbed up a beautiful alley-oop for Laurynas Birutis to give the second quarter a start, as the intense affair continued. Nevertheless, neither team was ready to let up and it was still a one possession game at halftime ­– 39-37.

Things started to unfold much easier for Zalgiris after the break, as Brandon Davies led the team to a more tangible, seven point lead after three quarters. The margin finally reached double digits as Aaron White threw a slam dunk down, followed by a three-pointer from Arturas Milaknis. With time running out, there wasn’t much Tofas could do and Zalgiris celebrated another victory.

Brandon Davies led the way in scoring with 21 points and 5 boards, as Arturas Milaknis lit it up from downtown, knocking down 5-of-6 treys for 15 points. Paulius Jankunas finished up in double-digit scoring with 10 points and 6 rebounds, while Rokas Jokubaitis and Marius Grigonis ended the night with 6 apiece.

For Tofas, Diante Garrett had 14 points and 6 assists, as Kyle Weems dropped 13. Sammy Mejia finished the game with 10.