By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris Kaunas was the favorite in the Final for the Lithuanian Cup, but Lietuvos Rytas became the team to celebrate in the end, winning the title game 57 – 67. Behind 20 points and 7 rebounds by Antanas Kavaliauskas, and with a great defensive display, the team from Vilnius won the trophy for the first time since 2010.
After some balanced, more or less, first 8 minutes the new Cup holders began to make their intentions clear with a 0 – 10 run that made it 17 – 27. It took long for Zalgiris to respond and even then, their answer was not emphatic enough since Lietuvos Rytas finished the first half with the score being 23 – 29.
The game went exactly where Rytas wanted. By maintaining and then expanding their lead during the third period, coach Pacesas’ players managed to fight back every attempt Zalgiris made to come closer.
With an overall 31% in its shooting attempts, the team from Kaunas could not ask for much. Meanwhile, Lietuvos Rytas was effective enough to stay out of any trouble, until the end of the final buzzer, which found the team victorious and absolutely ready to lift the Cup.