Vilnius Wolves Twinsbet (15-11) did what another team from the capital failed to do just days earlier – win in Klaipėda. Alessandro Magro’s squad claimed a 97:85 (22:18, 15:23, 30:23, 30:21) road victory over Neptūnas Klaipėda (10-16), snapping a four-game losing streak in the Betsafe-LKL championship.
The win gives the Vilnius club a temporary one-game edge over CBet Jonava (14-11). Meanwhile, things are heating up for Neptūnas – with Nevėžis-Optibet Kėdainiai (9-17) breathing down their necks.
The first quarter saw a balanced game from both sides. A few successful plays by the visiting big men gave Wolves a 22:18 lead after the opening ten minutes.
In the second quarter, the hosts knocked down several three-pointers in the span of four minutes, but the Wolves stayed close (30:28). Neptūnas’ foreign players slowly built a lead (41:34), but in the final seconds of the half, Kristupas Žemaitis hit a long-range shot to cut the Wolves’ deficit to 37:41.
After the break, Anthony Cowan really stepped into the game, but on the other end, Deividas Gailius answered with crafty plays and drawing fouls on long-range attempts. Heading into the decisive stretch, everything was still up in the air, but Wolves Twinsbet held a slight edge – 67:64.
With four minutes to go, Martynas Pacevičius tied the score from the free-throw line (82:82). Still, when it mattered most, the Wolves stayed composed, going on a 12:2 run and celebrating their first double-digit lead of the night with a minute left to play (94:84). Neptūnas couldn’t produce a miracle and had to concede defeat.
The top scorer and most efficient player for the winners was A. Cowan. The American guard dropped 30 points (5/7 2PT, 3/9 3PT, 11/12 FT) and finished with a 27 efficiency rating. Remarkably, 25 of his 30 points came in the third and fourth quarters.
On the other side of the barricades, D. Gailius shone. The Neptūnas captain delivered an 18-point (1/2 2PT, 2/6 3PT, 10/11 FT) and 20-efficiency rating performance.
“Wolves Twinsbet”: Anthony Cowan 30, Marek Blaževičius 15, Kristupas Žemaitis, Tre'Shawn Thurman, and Jeffery Taylor 13 each, Garrison Brooks 11, Andrew Andrews 2. Arnoldas Kulboka, Regimantas Miniotas, and Justinas Marcinkevičius did not score.
“Neptūnas”: Deividas Gailius 18, Desure Buie 12, Myles Hesson and Martynas Pacevičius 11 each.
(Photo by Rokas Lukoševičius / LKL)