Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius returned to winning ways in the EuroCup (BKT EuroCup). In front of their home crowd, the team from Lithuania's capital defeated Joventut Badalona for the second time this season, securing a 91-80 victory (17:18, 22:22, 27:24, 25:16) and bolstering their chances of advancing to the next stage of the competition. 

With their seventh win in thirteen games, the Vilnius team caught up with fifth-placed Beşiktaş Istanbul, who also have seven victories. The two teams are set to face off in Turkey in mid-month. 

The first quarter was a closely contested battle with both teams frequently exchanging the lead. Wolves Twinsbet were led by Anthony Cowan, who drew numerous fouls from the opposition, while Artiom Pustovyi caused significant trouble for the hosts. After the first 10 minutes, Joventut held a narrow lead at 18:17. 

The beginning of the second quarter followed a similar pattern. However, the Spanish club's coach soon called for a timeout as Wolves Twinsbet went on a scoring run to gain a 5-point lead at 30:25. Midway through the quarter, Alessandro Magro had to call his players for a meeting as the score was tied at 30:30. The tight contest continued until halftime, with Joventut holding a slight edge at 40:39 going into the break. 

Midway through the third quarter, the Wolves Twinsbet held a 53-51 lead after a long-range shot by Tre’Shawn Thurman. Jeffery Taylor's three-pointer restored the lead for the hosts with a couple of minutes remaining in the quarter (61:60), and Kristupas Žemaitis added another basket to give Wolves Twinsbet a 64-62 advantage. The two-point lead held until the end of the quarter, with the score at 66-64. 

Kristupas Žemaitis sparked a Wolves Twinsbet run in the final quarter with two three-pointers. Arnoldas Kulboka and Garrison Brooks added two-point baskets, pushing the Vilnius team to a double-digit lead at 76-66. Joventut struggled offensively, scoring their first points of the quarter only in the fifth minute, thanks to a three-pointer by Guillem Vives. 

Wolves kept their opponents at bay, never allowing them closer than seven points. As the game neared its end, Anthony Cowan took charge, scoring back-to-back baskets to extend the home team's lead to 86-73 with less than two minutes to play. The victory was secured. 

Six Wolves players scored in double figures, with Kristupas Žemaitis leading the way. He had his best game of the season in the tournament, contributing 17 points. 

Wolves Twinsbet: Kristupas Žemaitis 17, Anthony Cowan 15, Garrison Brooks (7 rebounds), Tre'Shawn Thurman, Jeffery Taylor, and Arnoldas Kulboka 10 each, Marek Blaževič 8, Andrew Andrews 7, Matas Jogėla and Regimantas Miniotas 2 each. Vaidas Kariniauskas and Daniel Baslyk did not play, as per the coach's decision. 

Joventut: Ante Tomić led with 18 points, while Artiom Pustovyi and Kassius Robertson added 12 points each.

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(Photo by Rokas Lukoševičius)