Klaipėda's Neptūnas (1-3) broke the ice in the European Cup. Gediminas Petrauskas' team defeated Hamburg's Towers (0-4) 97:88 (35:32, 22:15, 18:26, 22:15) in the points race at home.
This is the first victory for the port club in the tournament since February 2016, when they defeated Aris Thessaloniki (72:68) at home.
It was in the 2015-16 season that Neptūnas last competed in the European Cup, later competing in the FIBA Champions League for four years, and from 2020 until last season - exclusively on the domestic front.
In the 36th minute of the match, the German team created intrigue by catching up with the hosts again within one shot, but a two-pointer by Donatas Tarolis helped the local fans breathe a sigh of relief – 85:80.
Soon, LJ Thorpe, who had been dominating the visiting team with 22 points and 24 efficiency points, committed his fifth personal foul. Arnas Velička made 1 of 2 free throws, and after Tarolis' layup, Neptūnas took the lead 88:80.