“It is a tough loss for us. We were coming off a good sequence of games, then we ruined everything last Sunday in the second half of Pistoia’s game and followed that direction. We struggled defensively when they attacked us in the paint. We struggled offensively against their aggressiveness. We didn’t move the ball fast enough, we didn’t create advantages. It is a tough loss, for sure,” Coach Ettore Messina said after a 83-70 crushing defeat to Zalgiris Kaunas.

Zalgiris took control of the game late in the second quarter and never relinquished it. They started the game with a big line-up to match-up with Olimpia’s own lineup featuting Nikola Mirotic at the small forward spot. They set the tempo early with Edgaras Ulanovas, who scored 11 points in the first period alone. Olimpia never trailed by less than five points in the second half, never by less than seven in the fourth quarter. When the offense scored, the defense made some crucial mistakes on Smits, Birutis, Ulanovas again, and obviously on Keenan Evans, who took the game over in the second half. When the defense stepped up, especially with Nicolò Melli and Kyle Hines on the court together, the offense struggled.

In the fourth quarter, led by Shavon Shields, Olimpia came within seven. Zalgiris called time-out and off it Keenan Evand made a step back three and completed a three-point play in the ensuing possession. It was a personal 6-0 run that extended the lead to 13. Olimpia never gave up, in terms of effort, but never set the tempo. Stefano Tonut made a huge, impressive chase down block on Evans but it was too late for a momentum changing play. Olimpia made on three only in the first half, seven in the second, including some tough shots made by Shavon Shields on his way to a 21-point effort.

Unfortunately, the loss ruined Nicolò Melli’s historical night. He played his 157th EuroLeague game for Olimpia, a club-record that deserved to be rewarded in a different way. Zalgiris never played the part of the victim.