By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Lietuvos Rytas had no trouble against Juventus Utena in Game 1 of Lithuanian League quarterfinals as they recorded a 97-64 home win and lead the best-of-five series.
The first ten minutes were the only period in which Juventus was equal to the home team. The rest of the game belonged to Rytas starting from the second quarter as they won it 20-6 to go on the halftime break with a double-digit advantage (35-22).
Without a doubt, the deciding factor in this game was the guest team’s three-point shooting as they scored only three times out of 25 attempts with the first one coming in the third quarter.
Rokas Giedraitis led the winning team by scoring a game-high 21 points while Loukas Mavrokefalidis recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. On the other side, Mindaugas Kupsas tried to push his team with 18 points.
A bit later, in a tough game, Neptunas Klaipeda managed to come out on top against Pieno Zvaigzdes with a 91-81 home victory in Game 1. Although the score was a tie at 79 with five minutes remaining, Neptunas made a crucial 10-0 run which was more than enough to secure the game in the end.
Laimonas Kisielius led the way for the victors with 18 points in addition to Renaldas Seibutis’s 15 points. On the other side, Trevon Hughes was the most efficient in his team with 16 points.