JELGAVA, Latvia — Žalgiris and Ventspils have shown contrasting styles in winning their latest Baltic Basketball League  fixtures.

Playing at home Monday evening, Žalgiris showed no mercy to their Estonian guests Kalev/Cramo, doubling their score to win 102-51.

By half-time Žalgiris had already achieved Kalev/Cramo’s full-time score, going into half-time with a 57-18 winning score. Fortunately Kalev/Cramo saved themselves some embarrassment by producing a stronger second-half performance but it was never going to be enough to overcome their first-half deficit. Žalgiris also used the game as a chance to clear their bench with all but one player getting their name on the score-sheet.

Up in Estonia, Ventspils of Latvia had to fight much harder to defeat Rock 78-77. In a real see-saw battle, it took some Janis Strelnieks magic with just 2 seconds left on the clock to grab the victory for Ventspils. Down by 3, Strelnieks drained the clutch 3-pointer as the clock all but expired.

It took a while for Ventspils to get into the game with the hosts having the upper-hand for most of the game, but when it counted Ventspils were able to step up. The win solidifies Ventspils position in the top four of the competition.

Next up Žalgiris will host Ventspils on Friday. It will not be the same walkover as Monday evening but Žalgiris will still be relatively confident of claiming the victory.