Vytautas leave APOEL empty-handed in Nicosia

NICOSIA (FIBA Europe Cup) - APOEL Nicosia could not get over the hump against Vytautas Prienai-Birstonas and entered the FIBA Europe Cup winter break by picking up their second loss in Group M after being edged out 75-69 by the Lithuanian team. 

The Prienai-Birstonas side joined German outfit Telekom Baskets at the top of the group standings with a 2-0 record, while APOEL will enter the new calendar year sharing the lower end of the table with the also winless Redwell-Gunners.

Turning Point: With the score tied at 64-64 and 8:20 left on the clock in the final quarter, Tomas Delininkaitis drained a three-pointer that instigated a 9-0 run for the Lithuanian side, allowing the visitors to eventually pull away 63-54. In the final minutes of the game, APOEL did get as close as within three points, but could never fully recover from the bad stretch at the start of the period.

Stats Don't Lie: One thing you cannot blame the Nicosia team for is lack of desire and effort in this game, as shown by their sizable advantage in second-chance points. The Cypriot side made up for its sub-par 35% shooting with hustle plays on the glass, getting their hands on 14 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 23 points, compared to just 2 by Vytautas.

Game Hero: Arturas Valeika had his best game of the season for Prienai-Birstonas, scoring 21 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. The 31-year-old big man was particularly noticeable in the last quarter of play, making his mark with two rim-shattering dunks and an important and-one play down the stretch for a total of 7 points in the final frame.

The Bottom Line: Two games into the Second Round, APOEL already find themselves in a tricky situation in Group M, with group leaders Vytautas and Telekom Baskets already two wins in front in the win column.

While the six-point defeat is a major improvement from last week's 38-point loss in Bonn, a combined 14-of-49 shooting night from Robert Brown, Theron Bussey, Michael Burnatowski and Akeem Wright simply won't cut it in the Second Round of the competition.

FIBA