KAUNAS, Lithuania — The new year has brought new fortunes for Žalgiris who recorded a rare win in Europe, defeating Cibona 68-61.

Žalgiris’ Eurocup campaign is one they would rather forget with the prospects of progressing to the second-round already evaporated, but that didn’t stop them from playing their best when they met Cibona on Thursday evening.

Cibona of Zagreb, Croatia have experience a similar fate to Žalgiris this season, managing just two wins to date, and with one of those wins coming over Žalgiris this game was never a certainty for the Lithuanians.

Thankfully, a strong first half that saw them take a 17-point lead into halftime, a lead that was seemingly unassailable. This first half was built around the accurate shooting of American Marcus Brown, who was time and again the go to man for Žalgiris on his way to scoring a game 20 point.

Some of the 500-strong crowd would have been beginning to fret as the second half began to unravel, as Žalgiris denied the freedom they were given in the first half.

A late run by Cibona had hints of a comeback but in the end Žalgiris were able to prevail to begin 2010 in a more positive note than what they finished the previous year.

Žalgiris will wrap up their campaign on Thursday when they travel to Turkey to take on Fenerbahçe Ülker. Hosting a record, not much better than their own, Žalgiris will be playing with a renewed determination, if for no reason other than to avoid the wooden-spoon in group A.