Panevėžys club Lietkabelis secured a hard-fought 64-57 away victory against Botevgrado Balkan, marking their third win in four EuroCup matches and setting a new club record for their best-ever start to a European tournament.
The visiting Lithuanian side traveled to Bulgaria for the fourth round of EuroCup Group D play, grinding out a defensive battle that tested both teams’ shooting efficiency in a low-scoring affair. Nenad Čanak’s squad entered the match with two wins from their opening three European outings, while the Bulgarian champions were searching for their first victory of the tournament after dropping their first three games.
Fevrier and Schumacher Drive Lietkabelis Past Balkan
Ivan Fevrier anchored the visitor’s attack from the opening tip, scoring nine of the team’s first eleven points during a sluggish start in Bulgaria. The forward finished the night with a team-high 17 points, shooting 5-of-7 on two-pointers and converting all four free-throw attempts while grabbing 8 rebounds to accumulate 22 index rating points.
Alexander Schumacher provided support from the backcourt, adding 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals while drawing five fouls.
Danielius Baslykas and Keondre Kennedy chipped in 10 points apiece, with Baslykas hitting both of his attempts from beyond the arc to help stretch the floor during key stretches.
Milošas Iličius and Marius Valinskas each contributed 5 points.
Ognjenas Jaramazas, Gabrielius Maldūnas, and Gytis Nemeikša added 2 points apiece.
For the hosts, Aleksandras Stoimenovas led all scorers with 17 points.
Stoimenovas also tallied 4 assists and 5 turnovers.
Konstantinas Toshkovas scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
Gael Bonilla contributed 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists alongside 4 turnovers.
Pavlinas Ivanovas added 8 points.
Ulrichas Chomche recorded 7 points with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Second-Half Swings and Fourth-Quarter Run Seal the Outcome
Defensive intensity dominated the opening twenty minutes. Lietkabelis restricted Balkan to just 25 points in the first half, using a 9-0 run in the second quarter to construct a 26-13 advantage before taking a 33-25 lead into intermission.
That cushion vanished quickly after the break when the Bulgarian club opened the third quarter with a 10-2 surge to level the score at 35-35.
The hosts even briefly grabbed the lead at 43-42 in the third period before Panevėžys reclaimed control ahead of the final quarter at 49-45 thanks to steady execution down the stretch.
A 7-0 run in the fourth period pushed the visitors ahead 59-49 with six minutes remaining.
A 7-0 run in the fourth period pushed the visitors ahead.
Despite a late Balkan push that trimmed the deficit to five points, Schumacher sank two free throws with 12 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
Shooting Struggles and Turnovers Define the Physical Encounter
Both teams battled heavy shooting cold spells throughout the evening. Lietkabelis shot just 33 percent from the field, making 14 of 36 two-point attempts and missing heavily from long range with a 5-of-21 mark on three-pointers, alongside converting 21 of 31 free throws. Balkan struggled even more from the perimeter, hitting only 2 of 16 attempts from deep for a 13 percent success rate.
Ball security proved to be the decisive metric separating the squads. While the Lithuanian team was outrebounded by their opponents 32 to 42, Balkan committed 21 turnovers compared to just 10 mistakes for the disciplined visiting defense.
Lietkabelis Shares Top Tier Before Hosting Ratiopharm Ulm
With three victories through four rounds, Lietkabelis shares the top tier of Group D alongside Istanbul Bahçeşehir while leaving Balkan winless at 0-4. The Panevėžys organization will now return home to host Ratiopharm Ulm in their next EuroCup fixture, following a domestic league matchup against Gargždai scheduled for October 24.