For the second year in a row, Vilnius Rytas survived the fifth and final game of the semifinals to secure a spot in the Betsafe-LKL finals.
Giedrius Žibėnas’ team defeated Panevėžys 7bet-Lietkabelis at home 94:70 (24:17, 27:16, 24:26, 19:11), winning the series 3-2. Last year, Rytas achieved a similar result against Wolves Twinsbet to reach the finals and went on to claim the championship.
The Vilnius team will face Kaunas Žalgiris in the finals, starting Thursday, June 12. Panevėžys will begin the bronze medal series against Jonava CBet a day earlier, on Wednesday, June 11. Both series are best-of-three.
Panevėžys, led by Mantas Rubštavičius and Džordže Gagičius, started strong in the decisive game (12:8), but the home team quickly erased the deficit. By the end of the first quarter, two three-pointers by Parker Jackson-Cartwright and one long-range shot by Margiris Normantas gave Rytas a 24:17 lead.
Ignas Sargiūnas energized the team in the second quarter, extending the lead to 33:20. Panevėžys stabilized briefly, but a late three-pointer from Jackson-Cartwright increased the gap to 51:33 at halftime.
After the break, Rytas’ lead reached 22 points several times, though Lietkabelis managed to cut nearly half the deficit by the end of the third quarter (58:70). Rytas quickly regained control, stretching the lead to 75:59.
In the final ten minutes, Panevėžys’ chances faded as the difference grew to 88:65. Both coaches then gave young players some court time before the final buzzer confirmed Rytas’ victory and a place in the finals.
Gytis Radzevičius led the winners with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 22 efficiency points. He was well supported by R.J. Cole, who added 13 points, 5 assists, and 19 efficiency points.
Panevėžys played without Vytenis Lipkevičius and Martynas Varnas, while Savion Flagg was unavailable for Rytas.
The game also set a playoff attendance record, with 5,070 spectators in the arena.
Rytas: Gytis Radzevičius 15, R.J. Cole 13, Parker Jackson-Cartwright 11, Ignas Sargiūnas 11, Gytis Masiulis 10, Margiris Normantas 8, Ąžuolas Tubelis 7, Artūras Gudaitis 7
7bet-Lietkabelis: Mantas Rubštavičius 20, Dovis Bičkauskis 13, Djordje Gagic 12, Oleksandr Kovliar 9, Paulius Danusevičius 9