ZAGREB, Croatia — Hosts Cibona proved too strong for Žalgiris on Wednesday evening, winning 64-52.

The loss sees Žalgiris slip further back in Group A, having won just one of their first four games. Nothing could split the two teams through the first period as it came to an end with scores tied at 16.

In the second period Cibona were able to develop a small lead but Žalgiris were able to keep them honest, going into locker room just four points astray (35-31).

As the second half got underway, Žalgiris were able to eat into the lead a little but some staunch Cibona defense continued to hold them off. As the third quarter came to an end fans were assured of a tight finish with their team leading by just three, 47-44.

However, any fares fans had that Cibona would not be able to hold were put to rest as their buffer continued to grow. In the end they were able to win comfortably with Žalgiris lacking the urgency needed to close the game out.

Speaking to euroleague.net following the game Žalgiris forward Dainius Šalenga was frank in summarizing the performance of Žalgiris.

“We played very bad, we made 22 mistakes and you cannot win games if you make 15 turnovers in the second half. That is the reason we lost,” Šalenga said.

The result now puts in doubt Žalgiris’ chances of moving through to the round of 16.