Baldwin, Baskonia overcome Larkin's early three-point streak, grab first win of 2022 / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Sonia Canada/Getty Images Credit Sonia Canada/Getty Images

Next-to-bottom Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (8-15) ended a slide of eight straight losses, downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul (12-9) 87-74 (22-24, 24-19, 26-15, 25-16) in a rescheduled EuroLeague Round 20 game.

Player of the Game EFF 31 Wade Baldwin Points 20 Accuracy 8-11 Rebounds 4 Assists 11

Baskonia finally gained their first win of 2022 after losing several games in the last possession. Efes, on the other hand, had a run of four wins in five games which didn't continue.

Wade Baldwin racked up a double-double consisting of 20 points (7/8 two-point shots, 1/3 three-point shots, 3/4 free throws) and 11 assists, which tied his career-best. He added 4 rebounds and 2 steals for a PIR of 31.

But the former Olympiacos and Bayern guard wasn't the only one with a double-double performance, as Matt Costello also had 10 points and 10 rebounds, proving once again that he's one of the most consistent players at Neven Spahija's disposal.

Simone Fontecchio had 15 points, Sandi Raieste 11 and Rokas Giedraitis 10 for Baskonia, who had to overcome a formidable Shane Larkin in the first half.

Larkin came in hot, sinking all 5 of his three-pointer attempts in less than seven minutes of action. However, despite the American superstar's shooting streak against his former team, Baskonia held their own.

Baldwin didn't score much, but dished out 5 assists to his teammates, making sure everyone was involved in the game.

The two teams didn't place emphasis on the defensive end at the beginning, which naturally resulted in a high-scoring, high-paced game.

Ergin Ataman saw Chris Singleton deliver on both ends and also Baskonia take every chance to run in transition. Vasilije Micic took over from Larkin in the second quarter, finishing the first half with 13 points, with his teammate having amassed 18.

Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz / Schedule

Crvena Zvezda Belgrade Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz86-83 Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Anadolu Efes Istanbul87-74 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizThu19:00

Even captain Bryant Dunston managed to hit a three-pointer in Efes's last play, giving his team a seven-point lead (43-36) going into the break. The EuroLeague champs were 10/17 from deep and only 5/13 on two-point shots, while Baskonia were struggling (3/15) from outside.

Things took an unpleasant turn for Efes when Rokas Giedraitis hit a three-pointer and Tibor Pleiss was called his 4th foul which sent him to the bench. After a solid 11-0 run for the hosts (53-50), Filip Petrusev scored a lay-up to break the Turkish slump.

But Baskonia and Giedraitis came back for good, scoring relentlessly in transition. The Basque side capitalized on their open looks and once Larkin stopped scoring, everything got easier.

Wade Baldwin and Steven Enoch helped Baskonia get a double-digit lead for the first time (82-70), while Efes were getting the ball in Micic hands in a helpless attempt to bounce back.

Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz: Wade Baldwin 20 (7/8 2PT SHOTS, 1/3 3PT SHOTS, 3/4 FT, 4 REB, 11 AST, 2 ST, 3 TO), Simone Fontecchio 15 (4/10 FG, 6/6 FT, 3 REB, 5 AST), Sandi Raieste 11 (4/4 FG), Rokas Giedraitis 10 (4/12 FG, 5 REB), Matt Costello 10 (4/6 FG, 2/3 FT, 10 REB.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Vasilije Micic 23 (8/17 FG, 5/6 FT, 4 AST, 3 TO), Shane Larkin 21 (7/12 3PT SHOTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 3 ST, 4 TO), Chris Singleton 8 (4 REB).

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