A third quarter surge led Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius past visiting Kalev/Cramo Tallinn, as the Lithuanian side overcame grabbed a 95-73 (11-16, 20-18, 35-18, 29-21) VTB United League victory.
Lietuvos Rytas now hold a 8-6 record and are fifth in Group A. Meanwhile, Kalev/Cramo are eighth, as they only have 3 victories to go with their 11 losses.
The team from Vilnius struggled from the get go. Lietuvos Rytas were down by five after the first quarter, but managed to cut the lead before halftime.
However, led by Renaldas Seibutis, who scored all his 12 points in the third quarter, Lietuvos Rytas managed to set themselves up with a 14-point lead entering the final quarter.
Outstanding play from Eimantas Bendzius, who hit three consecutive three-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, fully sealed the deal – Lietuvos Rytas came up with an impressive victory.
After setting the VTB United League record for most three-pointers made (17/28) a week ago, Lietuvos Rytas didn’t step off the gas pedal today either, hitting 14 of 28 from downtown.
Janis Blums and Nemanja Nedovic led Lietuvos Rytas in scoring with 19 points each. Eimantas Bendzius added 17, while Renaldas Seibutis and Dejan Ivanov, who also had 9 rebounds, both ended the game with 12 points to their names.
Gary Wilkinson scored 19 for Kalev/Cramo, while Armands Skele finished the game with 16. Bamba Fall and Frank Elegar both contributed 10 points each.
