Regular Season Game 3 - November 09, 2006 CET: 19:45 Local time: 20:45 - S.DARIUS AND S.GIRENAS SPORT CENTER

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
1-0 Regular Season 0-0
1-1 Overall 2-0

Referees

Crew Chief
SUDEK, PETR, Slovakia
Referee
SAHIN, TOLGA, Italy
Umpire
LEFWERTH, OSCAR, Sweden

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
82.5 Points 77.0
31.0 Rebounds 31.5
8.0 O. Rebounds 9.0
23.0 D. Rebounds 22.5
15.0 Assists 16.0
15.0 Steals 12.0
1.5 Blocks 5.5
17.5 Turnovers 11.5
66.7 % 2PT 53.8 %
41.3 % 3PT 40.4 %
73.7 % FT 79.4 %
98.5 Index 100.0

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
17.5 / Popovic Points 21.5 / Navarro
8.0 / BEARD, TANOKA Rebounds 8.5 / TRIAS, JORDI
3.5 / PENNEY, K. OR 4.5 / TRIAS, JORDI
7.0 / BEARD, TANOKA DR 5.0 / MARCONATO, DENIS
4.5 / Popovic Assists 3.5 / TRIAS, JORDI
2.5 / Jankunas Steals 2.0 / TRIAS, JORDI
0.5 / MOTTOLA, HANNO Blocks 2.0 / TRIAS, JORDI
3.0 / PENNEY, K. Turnovers 3.0 / Kasun
100.0 % / GINEVICIUS, VIDAS 2PT 100.0 % / MARCONATO, DENIS
55.6 % / PENNEY, K. 3PT 50.0 % / Navarro
100.0 % / Popovic FT 100.0 % / Navarro
23.0 / Popovic Index 24.5 / TRIAS, JORDI

THE TAKE

A pair of Group C powerhouses will meet for the third straight year when Zalgiris Kaunas hosts Winterthur FCB at the Darius and Girenas Sport Center on Thursday in Lithuania. Barcelona (2-0) boasts a 6-1 record all-time against Zalgiris (1-1), despite the fact that the majority of the games have been tight affairs. Barca has won twice by 1 point, another time by 2 and it took their first-ever meeting, in the 1985 Saporta Cup final, by 77-73. The recent games have brought out the best in each team's star player. Zalgiris big man Tanoka Beard has averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds against Barcelona, while Winterthur's star guard Juan Carlos Navarro has averaged 22 points and 2.5 steals in his four games against Zalgiris. Zalgiris is coming off of an 83-65 home win over Eldo Napoli, which saw the team improve to 1-1 in Group C. Beard posted 17 points and 11 boards to lead Zalgiris, while fellow big man Hanno Mottola had 17 of his own. Barcelona improved to 2-0 last week with an 82-69 win over Benetton Treviso, as Navarro drilled four triples on his way to 20 points. More good news for Barca was the 19-point performance from center Mario Kasun, who'll be needed against the Zalgiris battery of big men. Barcelona has one of the strongest front lines in the league, with Denis Marconato, Fran Vazquez, Michail Kakiouzis, Jordi Trias and Kasun covering almost any need. What Zalgiris lacks in depth, it makes up for in experience between Beard, Mottola and Paulius Jankunas, a trio that has played a big role in the team's Euroleague-best 67% two-point field goal shooting. Young Mantas Kalnietis has sparked a lively Zalgiris backcourt, that is led by point guard Marko Popovic and aided by sharp-shooting Kirk Penney. They will get help this week from shooter Marcelinho Machado, who will make his Euroleague debut after having been sidelined. Kalnietis's energy will be needed for the defensive effort on Navarro, while Popovic and Vidas Ginevicius will need to find a way to contain Jaka Lakovic, Ginaluca Basile and Roko-Leni Ukic. Among the most important factors in the game for the hosts will be to avoid foul trouble and to control the pace in order to challenge the great depth of talent Barcelona brings. Zalgiris plays a more limited rotation that sometimes features only seven players. Barcelona will no doubt look to play an aggressive game that could tire out Zalgiris by the end.

Quotes Head Coaches

BAGATSKIS, AINARS
Zalgiris
"It's sad that we lost tonight. I would be much happier if could have won by at least one point. Before the game I talked with my players and asked them to play hard against their opponents. Just like Barcelona played against us tonight. We knew that Navarro is great player but we couldn't stop him. He punished us just like last year. Of course, we could have won tonight. I called for timeout in the middle of the fourth quarter and told my players that the real game just had begun. It was true, but fortune was on Barcelona's side this time. We still make mistakes on defense. Our defense worked well for 20 seconds, but during the last seconds we let them make open shots. Unfortunately, Machado didn't help us a lot tonight."
IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Winterthur FC Barcelona
"In this competition, it's really important to win some games on the road if you want to get a spot in the Top 16. Zalgiris is a team with great outside shooting. They don't use a very complicated system, but they are very effective. Besides that, their inside players can make their outside shots. This is a team that plays well in transition, because their players like to run fast. They often use a zone defense. That could be good for us, but the win won't be easy. We need to play good basketball if we want to come home with another win."

Players

MACIULIS, JONAS
Zalgiris
"We are learning our lessons in the Euroleague and now we know that every game in this competition demands maximum concentration and effort. It's nothing like our local league, where we play too relaxed sometimes. Regardless of who we are playing, we must turn up our defense in every game. I think defense will be a key factor in the game against Barca. We played good defense in the last game against Napoli, but we can do even better. And we will need to against Barcelona. I watched them playing a few preseason games and they didn't play very well then. But they improved their game a lot and are playing much better now. They do not put a lot on any particular player, so you cannot go after just one. Of course, the core of every team is the playmaker. If he struggles, the team struggles too, so our luck in the upcoming game depends heavily on how we handle Lakovic and Navarro."
BASILE, GIANLUCA
Winterthur FC Barcelona
"We've started the Euroleague season on the right foot and we want to keep it going. Against Zalgiris, we must first of all forget the last Spanish League game against Tau, which we lost at home. We all know this will be a difficult game, because Zalgiris is a tough team, with several players that can score at ease. Even though we beat them twice in the Top 16 last year, I remember that it wasn't easy."
Juan Carlos Navarro - Winterthur FCB Winterthur FC Barcelona became the exclusive leader in Group C and one of the three undefeated Euroleague teams by edging Zalgiris 86-92 in Kaunas, Lithuania on Thursday. Barcelona is now 3-0, the only undefeated team besides Greek powerhouses Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, while Zalgiris fell to 1-2. Juan Carlos Navarro was the man of the game with 31 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 10 of 10 free throws. His 32 points were his second-best ever in a Euroleague game. Mario Kasun added 16 points and 9 rebounds for the winners while Jaka Lakovic had 10 points. Jonas Maciulis led Zalgiris with 19 points. Hanno Mottola added 18 on 8-for-11 shooting, Tanoka Beard had 14, Paulius Jankunas nad Marko Popovic 12 each and Kirk Penney 11. It was a balanced game for 39 minutes. Navarro allowed Barcelona to keep slim leads throughout the second half and hit 4 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.

It took Navarro just 10 seconds to hit his first bomb from the downtown, which Rodrigo de la Fuente followed with a long jumper before Maciulis and Popovic made easy layups. The Zalgiris defense then let Denis Marconato get loose for a dunk, but Beard answered with a triple from the left wing that brought the hosts within 7-9. Barcelona kept running its offense through its big men and that allowed the guests to keep full control. Zalgiris coach Ainars Bagatskis called a timeout that paid off as Maciulis and Popovic fueled a 10-4 run that put the hosts in front, 19-17. But Navarro hit his trademark "bomba" and then canned a jumper from the high post to give Barcelona a 19-21 edge after 10 minutes.

Jankunas got Zalgiris started in the second quarter to tie the game at 21-21, but Navarro answered with a pair of free throws. Penney stepped up for Zalgiris, as he banked in a jumper and scored in penetration. Kasun woke Barcelona up with a spectacular dunk. Zalgiris ran its offense well but struggled in defense, as Gianluca Basile followed a bomb from downtown with a layup for a 32-33 Barcelona edge. Maciulis buried a triple in transition while Jankunas fed Mottola followed for a layup. Zalgiris defense still allowed too many open spots, like Michail Kakiouzis' easy layup which gave Barcelona an six-point lead, 34-40. Zalgiris was far away from being done in the first half, as Popovic and Jankunas combined for all points in a 6-0 run which tied it at 40-40. Lakovic buried a triple but a baseline jumper by Jankunas brought the hosts withn 42-43 at halftime.

Jonas Maciulis - Zalgiris KaunasNavarro opened the second half with a quick jumper off the dribble, as Barcelona had outrebounded its opponent by 13-25 so far in the game. Navarro was unstoppable now, as he fired in two more jumpers and then buried one from downtown to give the guests a 47-52 margin early in the third quarter. Lakovic followed a layup with a big three-pointer, but Beard was not unstoppable to keep Zalgiris in the game. Popovic fed Penney for a fastbreak layup which brought the hosts within 53-57. Navarro - who else? - nailed another from downtown, De La Fuente hit a jumper while Lakovic's driving layup gave the guests a 58-64 margin. Zalgiris kept struggling in defense, as Jordi Trias dunked it while Ukic fired in an open jumper. Even when Jankunas made free throws, Navarro capped his third quarter exhibition with a layup for a 65-72 Barcelona lead after 30 minutes.

Penney got the hosts going with a triple but Ukic copied him on the other end. Zalgiris turned to man-to-man defense but Ukic canned another three-pointer from the right corner. Jankunas tried to wake Zalgiris up with free throws and Maciulis added a put-back basket, and by the time Mottola bettered Kasun's layup with a triple, Zalgiris had got within 75-80. Maciulis hit another from downtown to send the crowd on their feet. Kasun and Jankunas exchanged free throws but Barcelona kept running its offense through Navarro, who followed Kakiouzis' jumper with a critical layup. Mottola drove from the high post and dunked it to bring Zalgiris within 84-86 with a minute to go. Penney buried Zalgiris' hopes with an unsportsman foulon Navarro, who calmly made free throws to give Barcelona a 84-88 edge and ball possession. More free throws by the ever-present Navarro and a dunk by Kasun fixed the final score at 86-92, as Barcelona handed Zalgiris its second Euroleague loss of the season.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Antanas Pakula, Kaunas
Referees: SUDEK, PETR (SVK), SAHIN, TOLGA (ITA), LEFWERTH, OSCAR (SWE)
Attendance: 5000
By Quarter1234
Zalgiris19232321
Winterthur FC Barcelona21222920
End of Quarter1234
Zalgiris19426586
Winterthur FC Barcelona21437292
Head coach: BAGATSKIS, AINARS
Zalgiris
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 GINEVICIUS, VIDAS 9:45               1         1    
5 MACHADO, MARCELINHO 22:30     0/3     2 2 1 1       1    
6 BEARD, TANOKA 29:45 14 4/8 1/3 3/3 3 3 6 2 2 1   1 4 4 16
7 PECIUKAS, VAIDOTAS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 MACIULIS, JONAS 27:15 19 4/7 3/7 2/3 5 3 8   2 1     2 3 21
9 KALNIETIS, MANTAS 5:00                 1           1
10 JASIKEVICIUS, VYTENIS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
13 JANKUNAS, PAULIUS 20:00 12 3/4 0/2 6/6 5 2 7 2         2 4 20
14 SILINSKIS, DARIUS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 PENNEY, KIRK 23:30 12 3/5 2/5   1 1 2 1   2     5 1 4
24 POPOVIC, MARKO 32:00 11 3/6 1/7 2/2       7 1 1   1 1 5 12
25 MOTTOLA, HANNO 30:15 18 7/9 1/2 1/1 1 3 4 2   2     1 1 19
Team                   2           2
Totals 200:00 86 24/39 8/29 14/15 15 14 29 16 9 7 0 2 17 18 95
61.5% 27.6% 93.3%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Winterthur FC Barcelona
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
5 BASILE, GIANLUCA 25:00 7 2/3 1/2   1 1 2     1     2   4
8 TRIAS, JORDI 23:00 6 3/6     4 5 9 3 1   1   3 2 16
9 MARCONATO, DENIS 16:00 4 2/3       2 2 4   1     2 1 7
10 LAKOVIC, JAKA 27:45 10 2/2 2/5   1 3 4 4 1 3     2 1 12
11 NAVARRO, JUAN CARLOS 32:00 31 6/8 3/6 10/10       2 1 2     1 9 35
14 DE LA FUENTE, RODRIGO 17:00 6 3/5             1 1 1       5
17 VAZQUEZ, FRAN 1:15   0/2     1   1 1              
20 KAKIOUZIS, MICHAILIS 17:00 4 2/3 0/1   1 5 6 1         1   8
21 UKIC, ROKO 12:15 8 1/3 2/3                   2   3
41 KASUN, MARIO 22:45 16 5/10   6/6 3 6 9 1         4 4 21
44 GRIMAU, ROGER 6:00   0/1     2   2     1     1   -1
Team                   3           3
Totals 200:00 92 26/46 8/17 16/16 13 22 35 16 7 9 2 0 18 17 113
56.5% 47.1% 100%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

BAGATSKIS, AINARS
Zalgiris
"It's sad that tonight we lost. I would be much happier if would win at least by one point. Before the game I talked with my players and asked them to play hard against their opponents. Just like Barcelona played against us tonight. We knew that Navarro is great player but we couldn't stop him. He punished us just like the last year. Of course, we could win tonight. I called for timeout in middle of fourth quarter and told my players that the real game just had begun. It was true but fortune was on Barcelona side this time. We still do mistakes in defense. Our defense worked well for 20 seconds but during the lasts seconds we let them make an open shots. Unfortunately, Machado didn't help us a lot tonight."
IVANOVIC, DUSKO
Winterthur FC Barcelona
"As I expected, this game was very hard and emotional. In the beginning, we ran good defense and offense. But later both teams played more offensive basketball. This season Zalgiris is a very strong team. They look really impressive on offense. If you want to win against Zalgiris you have to be very good on offense, too. I always enjoy games in Kaunas because the fans create a unique atmosphere here."

Players

MOTTOLA, HANNO
Zalgiris
"Barcelona is a great team. We can play with them, but we just couldn't beat them tonight. There are some players in Barcelona like Michael Jordan, who have the reputation and sometimes that reputation affects even referees. The thing is that in the last minute they had a ball and controlled the situation."
LAKOVIC, JAKA
Winterthur FC Barcelona
"It was difficult win but I think we deserved it, because we played better tonight. Navarro had an excellent game tonight. Zalgiris is very talented team and they will be doing well this season. We studied the Zalgiris defense but I have to say tonight was a very good game for everybody on our team. The game was fun and interesting to watch."
KAKIOUZIS, MICHAILIS
Winterthur FC Barcelona
"Zalgiris is hard team, especially when they playing at home. So we were prepared for a hard game. In the last minutes, Zalgiris made efforts to win the game and we had to concentrate. It's a very big victory for us. We didn't make many stupid mistakes, and that's why we won the game. In the Spanish League, we are not doing very well, but it's the strongest local league in Europe so it's hard to win every game there."
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