Zalgiris youngsters defeat the hosts, top the group 0
Another big-margined victory marked the third Zalgiris Kaunas game in two days. The Lithanian side squashed the local side Stella Azzurra 111:63 in Rome.
The third victory in the Euroleague Nike International Junior Tournament (NIJT) guaranteed not only the first place in the group, but also saw them through to the final, where they will meet Benetton Treviso.
Tauras Jogela led Zalgiris with 16, Rolandas Jakstas had 15 points and 8 rebounds, Edgaras Ulanovas scored 14 while Kaspars Vecvagars collected 13. Marius Grigonis and Egidijus Mockevicius, who also had 7 rebounds, added 10 each. Ojars Silins had 17 for Stella Azzurra and Giulio Casagrande added 8.
Dovydas Redikas and Edgaras Ulanovas scored six points each in the first quarter as Zalgiris rallied 14:0 to gain a solid lead at 15:3. Already after the first ten minutes of the game, there were no chances of a tight game, as the Lithuanian side was ahead by 21 points (30:9).
Zalgiris did not get too carried away and kept increasing their lead, answering with 9 straight points after allowing the Italians to get 4 in a row (40:13). The team from Rome scored 6 unanswered after a time out by their coach, but Edgaras Ulanovas scored to both get the visitors to 45:19 and score his 11 point.
The lead continuously grew and the advantage after three quarter was more than enough, as Zalgiris’ youngsters held a 80:42 advantage. The Lithuanian coaches let players, who don’t usually get to play that long onto the court, but that did not make a big difference to how the teams played.
Benetton Treviso will be Zalgiris’ opponent in the final after upsetting the more favored FMP Belgrade and CSKA Moscow teams. The Serbs were defeated 74:61, while the side from Moscow managed to give a worthy fight, lasting two extra periods.
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