NICOSIA (FIBA Europe Cup) - APEOL Nicosia will be hoping to get back on track on Thursday in the FIBA Europe Cup Second Round after starting their Group M campaign with a setback in Bonn.

On the wrong end of a 38-point defeat against Telekom Baskets last week, the Cypriot side welcomes Vytautas Prienai-Birstonas in the last FIBA Europe Cup fixture of the calendar year.

"All we can do is analyse the game and play smarter in the future," APOEL coach Dimitrios Koustenis said after the loss at the Telekom Dome. "In order to come in here and have a chance to win, you have to play consistent for the entire 40 minutes."

However, even playing at home, Vytautas will be just as dangerous of an opponent as Nicosia's German rivals from last week. Having started the Second Round with a 91-72 victory against Redwell-Gunners, the Lithuanian side remains the top-scoring team in the entire competition with an average of 98.2 points per game.

Playing at an ultra-fast pace, the Prienai-Birstonas team are also number one in rebounds and assists, averaging 41.8 boards and 27.0 dimes per game in the FIBA Europe Cup.

While APOEL already faced Lithuanian competition earlier this year, when they picked up two victories against struggling Siauliai in the Regular Season, Vytautas will be a much tougher nut to crack.

The domestic league standings speak louder than words, with Siauliai ranked dead last in the Lithuanian LKL with a 2-15 record and Vytautas currently occupying fourth place after their recent back-to-back victories on the home front.

🏀 Ολοκληρώθηκε η προτελευταία προπόνηση εν όψει του αγώνα με την Prienų-Birštono Vytautas. Την Πέμπτη στηρίζουμε τον ΑΠΟΕΛ (Ελευθερία-19:00) pic.twitter.com/S5dVHXLFua

— APOEL Official Feed (@apoelcomcy) December 20, 2016

The last outing against Telekom Baskets was a rough one for all top APOEL players and was not indicative of their true potential. A bounce-back game is in order for the likes of Akeem Wright, Murphy Burnatowski, Brandon Mobley and Theron Bussey, who have been solid contributors throughout the season.

One thing that Vytautas has in common with Telekom Baskets is roster depth, which, according to coach Koustenis, was the biggest difference-maker in Germany last week.

Six players average double-digits in scoring for the Lithuanian team, with veteran guard Tomas Delininkaitis leading the way with 14.8 points and 4.8 assists and big man Mindaugas Kupsas doing his part with 13.6 points and 2.8 boards.

FIBA