Lietkabelis Panevezys lost all chances to win its first Lithuanian League title by registering a 79-76 road loss against Rytas Vilnius in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.
Domestic Leagues: Lietkabelis is Lithuania's runner-up
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Rytas won the series 4-1 to conquer its first Lithuanian League title since 2010. Margiris Normantas led Rytas with 15 points. Gediminas Orelik led all scorers with 16 points. Gabrielius Maldunas and Nikola Radicevic each added 15, Kristupas Zemaitis 11 and Djordje Gagic 10 for Lietkabelis. Gagic, Radicevic and Orelik combined for all points in a 0-14 run which allowed Lietkebalis to keep a 17-23 edge after 10 minutes. Vytenis Lipkevicius struck from downtown to make it a double-digit game, 19-30, early in the second quarter. Maldunas and Zemaitis kept the guests fully in charge, 35-44, at halftime.
Rytas rallied after the break and Lukas Ulecka's three-pointer brought the hosts as close as 61-62. Radicevic stepped up for Lietkabelis but Kenneth Smith and Normantas each struck from beyond the arc to complete Rytas's comeback, 67-65, with under 6 minutes left. Orelik and Maldunas made Lietkabelis regain a 75-76 lead with 55 seconds remaining. Ivan Buva and Ulecka each made free throws, and Orelik missed from downtown seconds before the final buzzer, allowing Rytas after to celebrate a Lithuanian League title.