In the third “Grand Derby” of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), sponsored by Betsson, Kaunas Žalgiris (20-1) secured a dominant 98:81 victory (35:9, 23:24, 25:24, 15:24) over Rytas Vilnius (12-8).
The hosts controlled the game from the opening whistle. The match began with three-pointers from Edgaras Ulanovas and Sylvain Francisco, and as Dustin Sleva joined the scoring run, the lead quickly grew to 13:2. Žalgiris soon became unstoppable (26:6), and after points from Maodo Lo, they were already blowing out their opponents.
Rytas Vilnius attempted to revive their offense with baskets from Jerrick Harding and Gytis Masiulis (42:19), but it wasn’t enough to change the momentum. Žalgiris maintained their dominance (49:21), while Rytas head coach Giedrius Žibėnas was assessed a technical foul. By halftime, Rytas Vilnius trailed 33:58.
G. Masiulis and Kenneth Smith started the third quarter successfully (41:64), but the deficit was too large for a comeback. While Rytas played the quarter on even terms with their rivals, the gap remained insurmountable. To make matters worse, Jordan Caroline suffered an ankle injury late in the period – 57:83.
The final quarter was a mere formality.
G. Masiulis converted several attacks and hit another shot from beyond the arc, but Moses Wright kept Žalgiris firmly in control (89:67). Jerrick Harding’s night ended early as he was sent to the locker room after receiving his second unsportsmanlike foul.
Gytis Masiulis was the standout performer for Rytas Vilnius, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and an efficiency rating of 27.
In contrast, one of the team’s leaders, Artūras Gudaitis, had a quiet night. In 17 minutes, he scored 3 points (0/5 2pt, 3/4 FT), grabbed 3 rebounds, and finished with a 0 efficiency rating.
Žalgiris: Moses Wright 16 (4 reb, 24 EFF), Deividas Sirvydis 11, Dustin Sleva 11, Sylvain Francisco 11, Laurynas Birutis 10 (7 reb), Edgaras Ulanovas 10.
Rytas Vilnius: Gytis Masiulis 20, Jerrick Harding 15, Ignas Sargiūnas 14, Augustas Marčiulionis 10 (6 reb, 5 ast), Jordan Caroline 8.