ilnius Rytas made history with a spectacular victory, advancing to the FIBA Champions League Final Four. This Thursday evening, after an intense battle in the semi-final, the Vilnius team defeated perennial league finalist and champion, La Laguna Tenerife, with a score of 87:69.
The game started dynamically. Marcelinho Huertas opened the scoring with a precise shot in the first quarter, but Speedy Smith quickly responded with a long-range effort (2:3). Martynas Paliukėnas and Speedy Smith soon added two more points each, extending the lead to 7:4. Although the opponents managed to narrow the deficit to a minimum, both teams exchanged successful attacks. With less than half a minute remaining in the quarter, Rokas Giedraitis tied the score with a well-aimed shot (19:19). The capital’s team managed one more attack: Patty Mills was fouled, and Gytis Masiulis hit a free throw, restoring a one-point advantage – 18:17.
The second quarter also began with teams exchanging accurate attacks (21:13). Soon, Jerrick Harding added two points, Gytis Masiulis converted two free throws, and Jerrick Harding scored another (26:21). Jaime Fernandez tried to reduce the Vilnius team’s lead (28:22), but Kay Bruhnke increased the difference with a dunk (30:22). Giorgi Shermadini and Jerrick Harding exchanged successful shots and each made one free throw (33:25). La Laguna Tenerife, led by Patty Mills and Giorgi Shermadini, cut the deficit to 3 points (35:32), but Augustas Marčiulionis sank a three-pointer, and Speedy Smith added two free throws (40:32). Giorgi Shermadini closed the quarter with a dunk, and the Vilnius team went into halftime leading 40:34.
The situation on the court remained similar after the long break. Patty Mills opened the quarter with a precise shot, but Kay Bruhnke again dunked, and Speedy Smith fired from long range (45:36). Soon, Speedy Smith added two more points, but Marcelinho Huertas responded. Shortly after, Jerrick Harding and Joan Sastre exchanged accurate attacks (49:40). Then a more successful period began for the opponents: Marcelinho Huertas scored two points and added one free throw, and Fran Guerra added two more points for Tenerife, who also made another free throw after a Rytas timeout (49:46). Jordan Caroline’s shot cooled the opponents’ momentum again (52:46). The teams continued to exchange successful attacks, and Vilnius entered the decisive quarter with a 62:53 lead.
Rytas started the final quarter stronger. Although Joan Sastre hit a three-pointer in the first minute, Rytas, led by Jerrick Harding and Ignas Sargiūnas, quickly built an unprecedented lead (70:56). After three minutes of scoring drought, Patty Mills made free throws for La Laguna, but A. Gudaitis punished the opponents with a dunk. Tenerife struggled to create shots until Fran Guerra broke their scoring drought with a field goal with just over three minutes left (80:64). The remaining time was a formality, and Rytas celebrated a historic victory.
Rytas Vilnius won tonight’s game by an 18-point differential, the biggest margin in a BCL semi-final since 2020, when AEK BC beat Casademont Zaragoza by a 24-point differential. Jerrick Harding scored 29 points, the second-highest scoring performance by any player in a BCL semi-final; he has now scored 25 points in seven different BCL games, a joint-most in league history (also Kevin Punter, Levi Randolph, and Keith Langford).
In the final, Rytas will face the winners of the second semi-final – AEK.