Rytas Vilnius (7-1) defeated Zalgiris Kaunas (8-1) 84-75 (21-18, 25-8, 17-21, 21-28) in the Lithuanian Basketball League. The Green and Whites suffered their first blow in the local competition.
After the close first period, Rytas dominated in the second quarter, outscoring Zalgiris by 17 points. Rytas created a 24-point lead (46-22) and it seemed more than enough for the convincing victory.
However, Zalgiris did not raise a white flag and came back to the game in the fourth period. The Kaunas club cut the deficit to just 5 points (73-78), despite being 20 points behind at the start of the decisive period (50-70).
Lukas Lekavicius fired up the team but Kenneth Smith hit a crucial trey and sealed the deal for Rytas.
For the winners, Mindaugas Girdziunas posted 21 points (5/5 2PT, 1/4 3PT, 8/8 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 27 PIR. Ivan Buva added 21 points (7/8 2PT, 0/1 3PT, 7/9 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 turnovers, and 21 PIR.
Lukas Lekavicus led the route for Zalgiris, posting 23 points (5/8 2PT, 4/6 3PT, 1/1 FT), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 27 PIR.
Rytas: Mindaugas Girdziunas 21, Ivan Buva 21, Lukas Uleckas 11.
Zalgiris: Lukas Lekavicius 23, Josh Nebo 12, Mantas Kalnietis 8, Arturas Milaknis 8.
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