In the opening game of the international Satchel CUP friendly tournament, Rytas Vilnius defeated Istanbul Erokspor 104-87 and will advance to the tournament final tomorrow against Hapoel Jerusalem.
Kay Bruhnke opened the scoring with a successful shot, and Artūras Gudaitis soon doubled the advantage (4:0). The visitors from Turkey managed to get on the board only after more than two minutes of play, when K. J. Yebo scored (4:2). The Vilnius team responded with a quick run: Gytis Radzevičius drained a shot from deep, and Martynas Paliukėnas added a two-pointer (9:2). K. J. Yebo answered with a three-pointer (9:5), but the offense of Rytas did not slow down. A. Gudaitis converted a free throw, the opponents scored from under the basket, and soon after, A. Gudaitis rattled the rim with a dunk (12:7). After the guests attacked successfully once more (12:9), G. Radzevičius stepped up as the hero of the possession, hitting an incredible shot while drawing a foul and adding the bonus point from the charity stripe (15:9). On defense, Gytis Masiulis met his opponent with a block, and Gabe Devoe converted the fast break into two points (17:9). Although the opponents managed to retain possession after a block by K. Bruhnke and A. Sow scored two points, the German import quickly answered with two free throws at the other end of the floor (19:11). Shortly after, the Vilnius side briefly lost their rhythm. G. Devoe was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul, and the opponents capitalized: they made their free throws, scored a two-pointer, and an added free throw by Sow cut the deficit to the minimum (19:18). Rytas mounted a response before the end of the period. A. Gudaitis hit a free throw, G. Devoe scored four consecutive points, and after an unsportsmanlike foul by Erick McCollum, A. Gudaitis remained flawless from the line (26:18), followed shortly by a three-pointer from distance by Ignas Urbonas (29:18). K. J. Yebo added one more free throw, and after ten minutes, the scoreboard showed 29:19.
K. Bruhnke opened the second quarter with another three-pointer (32:19). After the opponents scored two points, G. Radzevičius responded with a drive (34:21). Metehan Akyel and Jordan Usher tried to revive their team offense (34:25), but K. Bruhnke was accurate once again (36:25), and a two-pointer by E. McCollum was instantly erased by Cassius Winston (38:27). After the Turkish club big man Sow scored two points, C. Winston nailed two consecutive shots from deep on the opposite end – 44:29. The opponents replied with a 5:0 run, forcing Rytas to call a timeout (44:34). Following the talk, A. Gudaitis sank a free throw, but James Webb cut into the deficit with a three-pointer (45:37). G. Devoe delivered from beyond the arc right on time (48:37), J. Webb made one free throw, and K. Bruhnke closed out the quarter with two made free throws. Rytas headed into halftime holding a double-digit lead – 50:38.
In the third quarter, the players of Istanbul Esenler Erokspor attempted to seize the initiative, putting together two consecutive successful possessions, and following a turnover by Artūras Gudaitis in his own half, closed the gap to 50:42. The response from Vilnius did not take long: after a scoring drought of just over two minutes, Cassius Winston revitalized the offense (52:42), and Kay Bruhnke soon drilled a long-distance bomb – 55:42. Although Keye Vuurst was unable to reply with a three, E. Arna scored from distance for the visitors (55:45). Nevertheless, C. Winston continued to increase his point total (57:45). On defense, A. Gudaitis rejected his opponent with an emphatic block, and on offense, Gytis Radzevičius tipped in a miss by C. Winston (59:45). The Turkish club coaching staff was forced to call a timeout. After the huddle, K. J. Yebo made both free throws (59:47), but C. Winston knocked down another three-pointer – 62:47. Soon after, Davis Jr. and G. Radzevičius traded three-pointers (65:50). As emotions reached a boiling point, K. Bruhnke and E. Arna were assessed double technical fouls. Davis Jr. scored two points for the visitors, but Sow quickly committed a foul on Augustas Marčiulionis, who immediately silenced the opponents with a three-pointer – 68:52. The teams exchanged free throws, and near the end of the quarter, Matas Jogėla scored a two-pointer, adding a free throw after the opponents were hit with a technical foul that brought the arena to its feet (75:57). Ahead of the final frame, Rytas held a commanding 18-point cushion – 75:57.
The fourth quarter was not short on intensity; players were penalized with technical fouls, which only energized the crowd. After the opponents committed a foul, Winston stepped up to the line and knocked down both attempts – 78:63. A. Gudaitis threw down a dunk, and the opponents answered with a basket inside (80:65). The visitors continued to score, but M. Devoe maintained the distance from the free-throw line (82:67). J. Usher added a field goal, and Sonsirma contributed two more points (82:71). K. Bruhnke stepped to the line, but after making only one attempt, A. Gudaitis grabbed the offensive rebound and scored two points. The sides traded baskets, but C. Winston struck again from distance (90:76), while the opponents came up empty on their possession. Devoe added another long-range shot, A. Sow replied with a dunk, and C. Winston kept scoring efficiently (95:78). The remaining time brought no significant changes, and Rytas Vilnius secured the win with a final score of 104:87.
Tomorrow, the capital city club will take on the winner of Saturday opening contest – Hapoel Jerusalem. EuroCup champions JL Bourg Basket and Istanbul Erokspor will battle for third place. If you do not have tickets yet, you can purchase them at bilietai.lt.