Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Zalgiris 83-76 to continue their fine form of late and keep them in the hunt for a place in the Euroleague’s postseason with a 15-13 record. Both sides played a tight game throughout as Wade Baldwin paced the yellow-and-blue from the get go and Keenan Evans answered for the visitors as Maccabi took a slim 42-40 lead into halftime. However, Andrea Trinchieri’s team saw Evans again take center stage in the third quarter to take a 62-56 lead after thirty minutes of action. But Tamir Blatt drilled home a pair of key triples in the final frame to put Oded Katash squad in front for good as Baldwin closed out the win.

Baldwin scored 16 points, Blatt added 11 points while Josh Nebo, Bonzie Colson and James Webb all scored 10 points in the win. Evans scored 18 points and Edmond Sumner chipped in with 14 points in the loss.

“It was tough,” Maccabi coach Oded Katash began. “We have to give Zalgiris credit, they played really well. They are a well coached team and it was intense, aggressive and nothing went easy for us. But we stuck to it and we had a comeback with our second lineup. As a team we stuck there and we showed it, that was a big one for us.”

Wade Baldwin spoke about the win, “Our toughness decided the game. The group that was out there with Tamir, John, AC, Webb and Rivero held it down for us in the fourth quarter and played extremely tough. We played through a lot of physicality on their side, closed the game out at home with no fans here.”

Bonzie Colson shared his thoughts on the victory, “We knew it was going to be a tough game. They are an aggressive team but we had some good plays and it was a great team win for us. Defensively, getting stops, getting steals, so it was a good team win for us for sure. The mentality is that we play with grit and we play with confidence and we play with toughness as well, If we do that we are a dangerous team and we have to stick to our principles and stay with what we do.”

Lorenzo Brown drained a corner 3-ball, Wade Baldwin added points and Jake Cohen went from deep to get Maccabi Tel Aviv off an running in the first quarter, Edmond Sumner had the hot hand for Zalgiris, Jasiel Rivero scored inside and so did James Webb as the squads were all knotted up at 21-21 after ten minutes of play.

Brady Manek went from deep to begin the second quarter, Antonius Cleveland answered right back, Keenan Evans scored a deuce, Bonzie Colson went from downtown, Tamir Blatt added a deuce as Rolands Smits scored to give Zalgiris a slim 33-28 lead with 5:16 left in the first half.

John Dibartolomeo scored his first points of the game, Brown fed Nebo for a monster alley-oop, Lukas Lekavicius scored, Webb and Brown responded while Blatt drilled a triple to end off the half and give Oded Katash’s team a 42-40 advantage.

Evans led off the third quarter with one basket after the next, Brown tried to keep Maccabi close, Arnas Butkevicius and Manek scored, Brown, Colson and Nebo put in points but Tomas Dimsa and Edgaras Ulanovas responded as Andrea Trinchieri’s squad grabbed a 62-56 lead.

Cleveland and Webb scored to begin the fourth quarter, Manek went from deep, Rivero scored while Blatt hit a pair of triples and Baldwin added a deuce to put Maccabi in front 72-67 with 5:10 remaining in regulation time. Ulanovas scored a tough bucket in the lane, Smits drained a 3-pointer, Baldwin took the ball to the hoop, Butkevicius came right back with a layup, but Baldwin hit a pair of free throws, Nebo put in a deuce as did Colson to close out the victory.