UTENA (Basketball Champions League) - Juventus Utena pounded the boards and got back on the winning track in the Basketball Champions League with an 81-71 home triumph over Telenet Oostende.

In a pivotal Group D battle with respect to the race to the play-offs, the hosts bounced back from two straight defeats to improve to 6-3 while the Belgian outfit, which never led in Lithuania on Tuesday night, slumped to 4-5.

Oostende, who lost at home in the first encounter between the sides, trailed 46-41 at half-time but started well in the third quarter and had an opportunity to go in front with 5:48 left in the frame when Marko Keselj put up a mid-range jumper and missed.

Valdas Vasylius chased down the rebound and passed to Gytis Sirutavicius, who raced to the other end and drilled a 3-pointer for a 51-47 lead. Telenet Oostende got to within two points later in the quarter but that was as close as they would get.

By the end of the contest, Juventus Utena, blown out at SIG Strasbourg on Gameday 8, had out-rebounded Telenet Oostende, 42-25. Fifteen of their rebounds had come on the offensive glass including 4 apiece for Vaidas Cepukaitis and Ovidijus Galdikas and 3 from Vasylius.

Vytautas Sulskis and Jamar Diggs each did a little bit of everything to help Juventus get a precious victory.

Small forward Sulskis, one of the revelations of the competition, had 16 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Point guard Diggs had 8 assists and 9 rebounds to go with his 9 points.

"It was very tough game," Sulskis said.

"We knew before we came in that it is a very important game and win for us. The coach said before the game, that we must forget the first game we won in Belgium. In the second half, we played better in defense and we won."