Utena‘s Nevėžis-pacolas Club Claims First Season Victory Over Juventus
Utena, Lithuania – Nevėžis-Pacolas Club secured their first win of the season, defeating Juventus utena 84-81 in a tightly contested match. The victory marks a turning point for Nevėžis-Pacolas after a challenging start to the campaign, while Juventus suffers its first defeat.
The game saw significant momentum shifts, with Juventus initially building a 20-point lead in the first quarter (20:10) and maintaining control through the first half, leading 29-20. however, Nevėžis-Pacolas rallied in the second half, fueled by a strong performance from Tony Perkins, ultimately overcoming a late push from Juventus captain Šarūnas Beniušis. This win is crucial for Nevėžis-Pacolas as they aim to climb the league standings, while Juventus will look to rebound and regain their early-season form.
Nevėžis-Pacolas established a 17-point advantage in the second quarter (37-20) before entering halftime ahead 54-42. Juventus began to close the gap in the third quarter, with successful offensive plays narrowing the deficit to 58-62. The fourth quarter saw a dramatic equalization at 74-74 after a basket by Lukas Uleckas.
However, Perkins quickly restored Nevėžis-Pacolas’ lead, pushing it to 84-77 with less then two minutes remaining. Despite Beniušis’ efforts to reduce the margin (81-84), Nevėžis-Pacolas held on for the victory.
Tony Perkins lead all scorers with 29 points (6/9 two-pointers, 1/2 three-pointers, 14/16 free throws), adding 4 rebounds and a game-high 34 utility points.Devon Daniels was the top performer for Juventus, contributing 19 points (5/10 two-pointers, 2/4 three-pointers, 3/3 free throws), 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for 24 utility points.
Juventus Utena: Devon Daniels 19 (7 assists), Šarūnas Beniušis 13, Paulius Valinskas 10, evaldas Šaulys 9 (1/6 three-pointers), Malikas Johnson, Lukas Uleckas (1/5 three-pointers, 6 rebounds), and Erik Venskus (1/4 three-pointers) – 8 each.
Nevėžis-Pacolas Club: Tony Perkins 29 (34 utility points), Trent McLaughlin 11 (1/6 three-pointers, 5 rebounds), Jonas Zak 10 (2/3 three-pointers), Justinas Marcinkevičius 9 (1/5 three-pointers), Ned Montvila and Ethan Chargois (1/6 three-pointers).
