Sylvain Francisco scores 30 points but Zalgiris loses on Baskonia and TLC’s court
Baskonia continues their home winning streak by dominating Žalgiris Kaunas 102-91. Despite Sylvain Francisco‘s 30 points, the Lithuanians failed to conquer one of EuroLeague‘s most difficult arenas. This performance allows the Basques to improve their record to 9 wins and 16 losses, while the Lithuanians see their record drop to 14-11.
Sylvain Francisco was different in Vitoria – a 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 piece for the second-highest season performance. 😮 pic.twitter.com/013qQYbac1
— BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) January 30, 2026
A Basque collective on fire against a heroic but isolated Francisco
The Basque team’s victory was built on remarkable collective play, with no fewer than six players reaching double figures in scoring. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot led the offensive charge with 19 points, closely followed by Trent Forrest (16 points), Markus Howard (15 points) and Rodions Kurucs (15 points). Kobi Simmons (12 points) and Mamadi Diakite (11 points) completed this excellent offensive distribution. Starting player Clément Frisch only played 5 minutes for 2 points and 1 assist.
On Žalgiris Kaunas‘ side, the story was quite different. Despite an exceptional performance from Sylvain Francisco, who scored 30 points, the visitors never really had a chance to take control of the game.
Very frustrated after the loss on Baskonia’s court (91-102), Sylvain Francisco didn’t make excuses and pointed out his team’s collective shortcomings, particularly on defense and in managing crunch time:
« We can’t win on the road giving up 100 points. With three minutes left, we had the advantage and we wasted it. We lacked aggression, we played with too much confidence and we didn’t deliver the knockout blow we needed », regretted the French point guard, marked by the terrible 2-18 run suffered at the end of the game. « It’s not about offense, it’s about defense. On the road, it’s impossible to win giving up that many points », he insisted, calling for a collective response before EuroLeague returns to Kaunas, with AS Monaco coming to town.
The start of the game had suggested a different scenario. A hot start with a 5-14 score seemed to indicate that Žalgiris would dominate the game, but this strong opening by the visitors quickly faded. By halftime, Baskonia had already taken the lead on the scoreboard (46-45).
The positive momentum and offensive efficiency continued in the second half after the break, allowing Baskonia to approach the final minutes with great confidence. This victory confirms the difficulty for opposing teams to win at Buesa Arena, one of EuroLeague‘s most intimidating venues.
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