Pieno Zvaigzdes became the
last team to qualify for the Lithuanian Cup Final Four after taking a 68-63 (18-15, 18-16, 18-12, 14-20)
victory against Siauliai in the extra qualifying round, held in Radviliskis on
Sunday.
An extra semifinal spot opened
up after Lietuvos Rytas decided to pull out of the tournament, after having a
small conflict with the Lithuanian Federation (LKF) over the broadcast rights.
Trevon Hughes took Pieno
Zvaigzdes on his back and led the way with a game-high 26 points, Eimantas
Bendzius nailed 5-of-7 three-pointers for 21 points, while American big man
Sylvester Morgan finished the game with eight.
“I didn’t tell the player
anything after the game, I was just screaming out of joy. It’s a big achievement
for the club, because it’s only our first year in the Lithuanian League (LKL)
and we’ve already managed to make the Final Four in the Lithuanian Cup,” said Roberts
Stelmahers, the Latvian coach of Pieno Zvaigzdes.
In a low scoring game, Cam
Long was the leading scorer for Siauliai, but his 13 points didn’t save the
supposed favorites of the game to take the victory. Rashaun Broadus and Edvinas
Ruzgas also finished in double-digits with 11 points each, while Arvydas
Siksnius added nine.
Pieno Zvaigzdes will have to
face Rudupis in the semifinal now. As a matter of fact both of these sides
already met in the quarterfinals, where Rudupis came out on top, but the fact
that Lietuvos Rytas pulled out, gave Pieno Zvaigzdes another chance, which they
used to full extent.
The other semifinal will
feature Zalgiris, the favorites to win it all, and Nevezis, who beat Siauliai
in the quarterfinal. The Lithuanian Cup Final Four will take place in Kaunas on
17-18 of February.
