Zalgiris hold Real to their all-time scoring low to secure the win / News - Basketnews.com

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Zalgiris Kaunas (5-19) won their second straight contest at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, handing Real Madrid (20-6) their third consecutive loss 68-47 (18-11, 20-18, 11-8, 19-10).

Player of the Game EFF 17 Edgaras Ulanovas Points 15 Accuracy 5-9 Rebounds 2 Assists 2

Vincent Poirier cut Real's deficit to ten points at the start of the fourth, but Joffrey Lauvergne and Edgaras Ulanovas led Zalgiris to a decisive 9-0 run, gaining a commanding lead (58-39). The hosts held on to their advantage, securing a 21-point victory.

47 points is the lowest single-game score for Real Madrid in their EuroLeague history. Their previous scoring worst came in 2011 when they scored 49 points against Charleroi.

The Spaniards only converted 1 of 15 3-pointers and committed more turnovers than they dished out assists (14 against 12).

Edgaras Ulanovas led Zalgiris with 15 points (3/6 2PT, 2/3 3PT, 3/3 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 17 PIR.

"A win is a win. We are realistic. We know in which place we are, last in the EuroLeague," Ulanovas said. "It is nice to win, especially against a team like this, Real Madrid. We made them feel uncomfortable because in the beginning, we played good defense, with a lot of deflections, forced turnovers, and they missed some open shots"

It was a defensive battle to start the game, with neitherr team giving up an inch to their opponents during the first five minutes (6-6). However, that's when Zalgiris mounted a spurt, outscoring Real 12-2 to gain a double-digit lead (18-8).

Trey Thompkins' 3-pointer cut Real's deficit to four (16-20), but Zalgiris didn't let the visitors get any closer, only allowing them to score 29 points in the first half. Zalgiris had a nine-point advantage going into halftime, despite only converting one of ten 3-pointers (38-29).

2-pointers this season

54%19,8Points made:19,8Accuracy:53,8%Place in standings:9Record max:27Record min:10Most made 2FGs:Walter TavaresTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Zalgiris continued locking down Real on defense in the third, only letting them score eight points in the entire period. Even though Zalgiris only scored 11 points in the quarter themselves, it was enough to secure a double-digit lead going into the fourth (49-37).

Real played without Fabien Causeur, Thomas Heurtel, and Rudy Fernandez tonight. Zalgiris were forced to play without Mantas Kalnietis who underwent an ankle injury.

"Congratulations to Zalgiris, they played very good," Pablo Laso said. "We were not able to compete from the beginning - toughness, energy. And then when we came back a little bit in the third quarter, we didn't hit shots at all, so we were not able to come back to the game. So congratulations to them, they played very good."

Zalgiris: Edgaras Ulanovas 15, Joffrey Lauvergne 10 (6 REB), Lukas Lekavicius 10, Josh Nebo 10 (9 REB), Tyler Cavanaugh 7 (5 REB), Janis Strelnieks 6.

Walter Tavares: 12 (12 REB), Vincent Poirier 10, Trey Thompkins 7 (6 REB), Sergio Llull 6, Gabriel Deck 4.

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