Vilnius Rytas (7–2) opened the second LKL, sponsored by Betsson, round with a hard-fought victory in the Sun City. Giedrius Žibėnas’ men defeated the short-handed Šiauliai (4–5) on the road 105:100 (19:22, 27:20, 31:27, 28:31).
he hosts came out energized, and after strong stretches from Oskaras Pleikys and Cameron Reddish, they led 12:6. The visitors from the capital found their answers through contributions from several players (15:14), but the end of the quarter belonged to Šiauliai, who built a three-point cushion – 22:19.
Pleikys continued his strong performance (25:19), though it did not last long – Jerrick Harding and Gytis Masiulis responded with two two-pointers each, giving the visitors their first slightly more comfortable lead (33:28). Both sides traded successful possessions almost every trip down the floor. Drawing a foul while shooting a three in the final seconds, Jordan Walker helped carry Rytas into halftime with a stronger position – 46:42.
Right after the break, it seemed the Vilnius side no longer intended to get dragged into a tight battle (51:42). But the hosts did not lose composure – thanks to Reddish and Danielis Baslykas, the gap shrank to a single point again (55:56). Following a stretch of basket-for-basket play, the Lithuanian vice-champions pulled ahead once more and had no major reasons for concern – 77:69.
After Kay Bruhnke’s two-pointer, the gap grew to double digits for the first time (81:71), yet the lead evaporated quickly before the fourth quarter even reached its midpoint (84:85). Key shots from Jerrick Harding allowed his team to regain control with a record lead (97:86). Šiauliai kept fighting for every chance they had, but the final buzzer confirmed that Darius Songaila’s squad could not deliver an upset this time.
Several of Žibėnas’ players had notably solid offensive performances.
Harding led the way with 21 points, 5 assists, and 24 efficiency. He was surpassed only by Gytis Masiulis (20 pts, 5 reb., 3 ast., 28 eff.). Among the big men, Jacob Wiley posted 14 points, 8 rebounds (21 eff.), while Artūras Gudaitis added 16 points, 8 rebounds (19 eff.).
Šiauliai were carried by Cameron Reddish and Oskaras Pleikys, with major support from Marius Valinskas. The American delivered a 28-point show (5/12 2PT, 5/12 3PT, 3/4 FT) with 27 efficiency, while the Lithuanians scored 23 and 18 points respectively, both reaching an efficiency of 25. In addition, Valinskas dished out 8 assists.
Šiauliai: Cameron Reddish 28, Oskaras Pleikys 23, Marius Valinskas 18, Danielis Baslykas 15, Dayvion McKnight 12.
Rytas: Jerrick Harding 21, Gytis Masiulis 20, Artūras Gudaitis 16, Jacob Wiley 14, Ignas Sargiūnas 10, Jordan Walker 9, Ignas Sargiūnas, Gytis Radzevičius 6.
Source: LKL.lt