In the ninth round of the premier European competition, Zalgiris hosted Bayern Munich on their home court in Kaunas. After significant suspense and a dramatic finish, victory went to the Lithuanian team by 74:73.
At the start of the game, Serge Ibaka was in good form, leading Bayern to a 7:2 advantage. However, Zalgiris had a more than ready response. They created a 13-0 run, mostly thanks to Keenan Evans. The Lithuanian squad led 16:12, and as time passed, they reached their biggest lead, 25:18, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second period, Zalgiris continued with a good shooting rhythm. This helped them reach a double-digit lead for the first time, 31:21, resulting in a timeout called by Pablo Laso. Rolands Smits found his shooting touch, accumulating 14 points early in the game. Bayern’s reserves completely brought the team back to life, tying the game at 37:37. In the end, the German squad finished the first half in their favor with a score of 43:41.
ZALGIRIS – BAYERN 74:73 (25:18, 16:25, 21:18, 12:12)
Arena: “Zalgirio Arena”, Kaunas
Referees: Perez, Kowalski, Baena
Zalgiris: Evans 11, Mitrou-Long, Lekavicius 11, Hayes, Giedraitis 2, Smits 16, Birutis 10, Dimsa 14, Lavrinovicius, Manek, Butkevicius 2, Ulanovas 8
Bayern: Weiler-Babb 11, Francisco 6, Edwards 3, Weidemann, Giffey 3, Bolmaro 12, Ibaka 20, Wimberg 2, Brankovic 4, Kharchenkov 4, Booker 8, Gillespie