BC Roma SPQR 92-87 Lietkabelis — BC Roma SPQR held off a determined Lietkabelis fightback to open their EuroCup Basketball campaign with a hard-fought 92-87 home victory, surviving a tense final two minutes to close out a game they had led for most of the evening.

In a contest that swung repeatedly, Roma's ability to generate efficient offence late in the shot clock proved decisive. Lietkabelis, who kept the game within reach throughout, had chances to steal it in the closing stages but could not convert on a pair of rushed three-point attempts with the deficit at three points.

Match overview

• Final score: BC Roma SPQR 92, Lietkabelis 87
• Competition: EuroCup Basketball
• Margin: 5 points
• Venue: Rome, at home

Quarter by quarter

• Q1: Roma 24-21
• Q2: Lietkabelis 24-22
• Q3: Roma 20-19
• Q4: Roma 26-23

No quarter was won by more than three points, which captures the tightness of the encounter. Roma edged the first and third periods, Lietkabelis took the second by a basket, and the fourth quarter — the one that decided the result — went to the home side by three, largely on the back of disciplined execution in the final five minutes.

How the game was won

Roma's half-court offence was the difference. When Lietkabelis switched aggressively on screens, Roma responded by attacking the mismatches inside, drawing help defenders and kicking out to shooters. That pattern produced a steady flow of open looks and kept the home side ahead even when their transition game was contained.

The visitors stayed in touch through their three-point shooting and their work on the offensive glass. Every time Roma appeared ready to pull away — a six-point lead here, an eight-point lead there — Lietkabelis answered with a quick burst, usually sparked by a corner three or a put-back after a missed shot.

Key moments

• Roma opened with a 9-2 run in the first three minutes to establish early control.
• Lietkabelis closed the first half with a 7-0 surge to cut the deficit to a single point at the break.
• A 10-2 Roma run midway through the third quarter restored a two-possession cushion.
• With under two minutes left, Roma's defence forced two straight empty possessions to protect a five-point lead.
• Ice-cold free-throw shooting in the final 30 seconds sealed the win.

Standout performers

Marco De Santis led Roma with a composed all-round display, scoring efficiently from the perimeter while also setting up teammates in pick-and-roll situations. Jalen Whitfield provided the late-game scoring punch, converting tough contested shots when the offence stalled, and Roma's frontline did enough on the boards to prevent Lietkabelis from dominating the second-chance points column.

For Lietkabelis, Rokas Petrauskas was the standout, carrying the scoring load through the middle two quarters and keeping his team within striking distance. The Lithuanian side's ball movement was sharp for long stretches, but a handful of turnovers in the fourth quarter — several of them unforced — proved costly in a game decided by single possessions.

Tactical story

Roma's coaching staff made a clear choice to slow the tempo after Lietkabelis's early transition baskets, preferring to grind out possessions in the half court. That decision reduced the visitors' fast-break opportunities and forced them to score against a set defence, which is where their shooting percentage dipped late. Lietkabelis, for their part, stayed with a switch-heavy scheme that worked well in the first half but left them vulnerable to interior mismatches as the game wore on.

Season impact

Opening the EuroCup group phase with a home win is valuable in a competition where road results are hard to come by, and Roma will take confidence from winning a tight game rather than a comfortable one. Lietkabelis leave with a narrow defeat but plenty of encouragement: on this evidence they will be competitive in every fixture and will fancy their chances in the return meeting on home soil.