Siauliai 89, Maxima Roma 86 — Siauliai survived a breathless EuroCup Basketball shootout at home, edging Maxima Roma 89-86 in a game that swung on nearly every possession and was not settled until the final seconds.

An offensive showcase in Lithuania

If the previous night's EuroCup Basketball slate was defined by defense, this one was its mirror image. Siauliai and Maxima Roma traded baskets from the opening quarter, both teams pushing the pace off makes and misses and refusing to let the other build any meaningful separation. The lead changed hands repeatedly, and neither coach could find a lineup that reliably got stops.

The hosts shot the ball well from deep and attacked the offensive glass with intent, while Roma answered with quick ball reversal and a steady diet of drive-and-kick threes. It was the kind of game where the crowd sensed early that the final margin would be small.

How it was won

• Fourth-quarter shot-making: Siauliai's guards hit back-to-back perimeter shots in the closing minutes to turn a one-possession deficit into a lead they would not surrender.
• Free-throw discipline: The hosts converted their late trips to the line, denying Roma the cheap points that so often decide tight European games.
• Rebounding edge: A handful of crucial defensive boards in the final two minutes ended Roma's second-chance hopes.
• Turnover control: Siauliai protected the ball in crunch time after a sloppy middle stretch that had let the visitors back in.

Tactical story

Maxima Roma's game plan was clear: play fast, hunt threes, and force Siauliai's big men to defend in space. For three quarters it worked beautifully, with Roma's guards collapsing the defense and finding shooters on the weak side. The problem came late, when Siauliai switched to a smaller, switchable lineup that took away the kick-out lanes and forced Roma into contested pull-ups.

Offensively, Siauliai's advantage came inside-out. When the ball touched the post, Roma's help defense arrived a step late, opening up corner threes and cutters along the baseline. That simple pattern generated the cleanest looks of the night and, ultimately, the winning margin.

Standout performers

Siauliai's backcourt was the story, combining for the bulk of the scoring and handling Roma's pressure without blinking down the stretch. The frontcourt chipped in with effort points and a decisive rebounding presence. For Roma, the guards were electric in transition and kept the visitors in front for long stretches, but the late-game shot selection — heavily three-point reliant — proved costly when legs tired.

Season impact

In EuroCup Basketball's group phase, home wins are currency. Siauliai's ability to close out a high-scoring game they could easily have lost is the kind of result that builds confidence and, more importantly, keeps them in the qualification conversation. Maxima Roma leave with a moral victory and a scoring output that suggests they will trouble plenty of opponents, but they will need to tighten their late-game execution to convert these near-misses into points.

The 89-86 scoreline will be remembered as one of the more entertaining games of the round — a reminder that in European basketball, tempo and shot-making can be just as decisive as defensive structure.