Lietuvos
Rytas suffered the first loss in the Lithuanian League (LKL), as Rudupis pulled
off a sensational 90-88 (17-17, 17-27, 31-15, 25-29) victory against last year’s league runners-up on
Saturday in Prienai.
The team
from Vilnius dropped to 8-1 in the standings, while the victory allowed Rudupis
to move to the third place with a 7-2 record.
Neither
team could pull away in the first quarter, but Lietuvos Rytas managed to open
up 44-33 lead before heading into the locker rooms for the halftime talk.
However,
Rudupis managed not only to erase the deficit in the third quarter, but even
had a six-point edge before the start of the final period.
Although it
didn’t take long for the visitors to come back into the game, Rudupis did not
collapse under pressure.
On the
contrary, the home team managed to regain the six-point lead at 79-73, to which
they held on until the end of the game, converting crucial free-throws
confidently.
Former
Zalgiris player Dainius Salenga finished the game with 27 points, Gediminas
Orelik scored 15, while Edgaras Zelionis added 10 points and eight rebounds for
Rudupis.
Lietuvos
Rytas were led by Tyrese Rice, who scored 20 points, while Renaldas Seibutis
and Mindaugas Katelynas both finished the game with 14 points, as Lawrence
Roberts had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
