Ignas Sargiūnas delivered a performance for the ages as Rytas Vilnius (13-8) defeated Lietkabelis Panevėžys (10-11) 96–81 in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).
Sargiūnas shattered personal records and set new season highs for both scoring and efficiency, finishing the game with a staggering 58 efficiency points. He poured in 43 points on near-perfect shooting (14/15 FG), while adding 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and drawing 9 fouls.
His 58-efficiency mark ties for the fourth-highest single-game performance in LKL history and stands as the league’s best mark in 30 years.
Rytas secured the win despite missing key players Artūras Gudaitis and Jerrick Harding.
Rytas opened the match with two quick triples (6–2), but Lietkabelis responded with a run to take an 11–6 lead. While Kay Bruhnke, Ignas Sargiūnas, and Augustas Marčiulionis tried to close the gap, Paulius Danusevičius kept the visitors ahead (23–16). At the end of the first quarter, Lietkabelis led 28–23.
In the second quarter, three-pointers from Gytis Masiulis and Sargiūnas melted the deficit, and Ignas Urbonas eventually put Rytas back in front (32–30). The hosts maintained their momentum to lead 45–40 at halftime.
Rytas pushed their advantage to double digits in the third (52–42). Although Lietkabelis’ Estonian guard Kristian Kullamäe sparked a brief comeback to bring the score to 55–50, Sargiūnas remained unstoppable. His scoring kept Rytas in control, ending the third quarter up 67–63.
In the final period, Sargiūnas took over completely, extending the lead to 78–67. Jamel Morris tried to keep Lietkabelis in the hunt, narrowing the gap to 80–71, but Rytas refused to let the game slip away. Remarkably, Sargiūnas did not miss a single shot until the second half of the fourth quarter.
Rytas: Ignas Sargiūnas 43 (9/9 3PT, 5/6 2PT, 58 EFF), Kenneth Smith 15, Kay Bruhnke 13, Augustas Marčiulionis 10.
Lietkabelis: Kristian Kullamäe 23, Jamel Morris 18, Warren Washington 9 (8 REB), Justas Furmanavičius 7, Nikola Radičevičius 7.