Žalgiris Dominates at Virtus, Cruises to 74-91 Victory

Žalgiris Kaunas opened its back-to-back with an authoritative win in Bologna. Tomas Masiulis's team started behind but dominated in the paint and on the offensive glass, finishing with a 17-point victory at a silent PalaDozza. The Lithuanians notch their second straight win after routing ASVEL, while Virtus suffers its second consecutive loss.

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Virtus Leads First Quarter

The start belonged to the home team. Frazier's three-pointers led Virtus to win the first quarter 22-14 and pointed to a comfortable night for Mumbrú's squad. But Žalgiris responded in the second with a 13-23 run, took the lead for the first time (28-29) and reached halftime with an advantage (35-37).

Žalgiris Breaks Open Game After Halftime

In the third quarter, the Lithuanians imposed their physicality. Free throws from Carsen Edwards extended the lead (38-45) and Virtus found no way to stop Valančiūnas, who did serious damage on the offensive glass. The quarter's 18-28 run left the score at 53-65 with ten minutes remaining.

Read also:

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• Vezenkov Leads Olympiacos at Besiktas (73-81)

2-15 Closing Run

Virtus tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter and cut it to eight (62-70), but baskets from Sterling Brown restored the 12-point lead, and Valančiūnas and Butkevičius closed out the game with a 2-15 run that ended any local hopes.

Valančiūnas finished with 17 points, Sterling Brown added 14 and Grigonis chipped in 12. For Virtus, Alston Jr. led the way with 18 and Frazier contributed 14. Both teams return to action Friday: Virtus hosts Besiktas and Žalgiris faces Partizan.