Fresh off their return from China, Rytas Vilnius (0-1) dropped their home opener, falling 102:105 (25:31, 23:20, 32:27, 22:27) to the squad coached by Paulius Malašauskas.
Augustas Marčiulionis and Langston Wilson traded three-pointers early on as Rytas Vilnius attempted to take charge (14:10). However, Gargždai responded with an 8:0 run, capitalizing on turnovers from the home side as Evaldas Šaulys put the visitors ahead, 20:14. A tightly contested battle followed, with Matas Jogėla converting from the line, but Gargždai finished the opening frame stronger to lead 31:25.
The deficit widened in the second quarter when Wilson handed Malašauskas’ squad their first double-digit cushion of the game (36:25). Ignas Urbonas and Martynas Paliukėnas delivered vital baskets for Vilnius, but the hosts struggled to establish consistent rhythm, managing only to trim the margin to 48:51 by halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, Artūras Gudaitis threw down a slam (50:51) to ignite a personal scoring flurry. A three-pointer by Paliukėnas put Vilnius back in front (56:54), but the lead was short-lived as Gargždai answered with a surge of their own to lead 68:60. The momentum swung back and forth—Michael Devoe edged Vilnius ahead once more (75:74), Paliukėnas struck again, and after three quarters, Rytas Vilnius held a fragile 80:78 advantage.
JaQuan Carlos leveled the game from the charity stripe, Wilson restored the visitors’ lead, and Stanley Davis buried a shot from downtown to make it 85:80. Gargždai continued to press their advantage (88:80) with under half a quarter left to play.
Vilnius fought back fiercely down the stretch: Kay Bruhnke sank a triple, Jogėla flushed an emphatic dunk, and then added another layup inside (92:96). Carlos countered with a three, matched by Gytis Radzevičius, but Carlos struck again to push the score to 102:95. With one minute left, Marčiulionis threw down a dunk, and Jogėla kept the home side’s hopes alive (99:102). Davis drew a foul and split a pair of free throws, while Jogėla showed nerves of steel to pull Vilnius within one (102:103).
With just 7 seconds remaining, Davis held his composure under pressure, sinking both free throws (105:102), and a last-gasp effort by Vilnius fell short.
Carlos turned in a masterclass performance, erupting for 31 points, dishing out 9 assists, grabbing 5 rebounds, and amassing an efficiency rating of 36.
All five starters for Rytas Vilnius scored in double figures, but it was not enough to prevent defeat.
Rytas Vilnius: Augustas Marčiulionis (2/7 3PT), Artūras Gudaitis, and Matas Jogėla (3/7 3PT) – 20 each, Kay Bruhnke 12, Gytis Radzevičius 10 (6 reb.).
Gargždai: JaQuan Carlos 31 (5/8 3PT, 9 ast.), Ben Krikke 21 (5 reb.), Stanley Davis 19, Langston Wilson 16.