Zalgiris takes back Lithuanian League title!

Zalgiris Kaunas reclaimed its Lithuanian League title after a one-season lapse by downing host Lietuvos Rytas 97-87 at home on Saturday to win their best-of-five final series 3-2. Isaiah Taylor exploded for 32 points, while Arnas Butkevicius had 16, Rolands Smits and Ignas Brazdeikis 11 each. Taylor scored 19 points in a close first half, after which the hosts led 26-25. Zalgiris was clinging to the same one-point advantage, 70-69, after three quarters, but boosted it to 82-77 midway through the fourth before Marcus Foster tied it up and Kendale McCullum gave Rytas the lead, 86-87, with 2:05 to play. Over the final 2 minutes, Taylor poured in 9 more points as Zalgiris finished the game with an 11-0 run to lift the trophy before 14,000 delirious fans at Zalgirio Arena. As such, Zalgiris claimed its 24th national club title since 1994 and avenged its loss in the finals last season, when Rytas broke the Kaunas team's record-setting 11-year streak of trophies.