Barça couldn’t extend their winning run in the EuroLeague. After last week’s three straight victories, Žalgiris proved too strong, pulling away in the final quarter to win 83–71. The game stayed tight throughout, but individual quality from Wright and Francisco made the difference. The result leaves Žalgiris at 21–14 and Barça at 20–15.
Tight stuff
The opening quarter was intense and high-scoring, with both sides shooting well, Clyburn striking early from three and Punter leading Barça’s offence. Despite some defensive lapses, the game remained finely balanced, ending 22–21 to the hosts.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern. Žalgiris edged the rebounding battle, but Barça responded through Brizuela and a superb buzzer-beating three from Punter to take a narrow 39–40 lead into halftime.
Zalgiris improve
After the break, the home side stepped up. Wright and Williams-Goss exposed Barça’s defence, while the visitors lost fluency in attack. Žalgiris moved ahead 59–56 heading into the final quarter, with Satoransky sidelined through injury.
Ends in defeat
A Juani Marcos three briefly tied the game, but it was short-lived. Žalgiris dominated the closing minutes, with Francisco simply stunning from beyond the arc, hitting 4/4 in the final quarter after going scoreless earlier. Barça struggled on both ends, and the Lithuanian side sealed a convincing 83–71 win.
MATCH STATS
Zalgiris, 83
Barça, 71
Zalgiris: Williams-Goss (16), Francisco (14), Wright (18), Tubells (9), Butkevicius (9), Brazdeikis (8), Giedraitits (2), Lo (2), Sleva (-), Birutis (2), Ulanovas (-)
Barça: Punter (16), Vesely (14), Satoransky (5), Clyburn (9), Shengelia (10), Juani Macros (3), Norris (2), Brizuela (8), Willy H. (4), Parra (-)
Periods: 22-21, 17-19 // 20-16, 24-15
Referees: Damir Javor, Luka Kardum, Eduard Udyanskyy