Overtime win gives Zalgiris crucial lead in LKL finals 0

Zalgiris Kaunas took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Lithuanian League finals on Wednesday with a 71-68 win over Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius at Zalgirio Arena.

Paulius Jankunas collected 20 points and 11 rebounds and James Anderson added 12 points for the defending champs.

The teams went into the fourth quarter knotted at 48-48 and the next 10 minutes featured five lead changes and four ties, the last of which came through a pair of Jankunas free throws that made it 62-62 with 1:01 remaining. Billy Baron missed twice for Rytas in the final minute of regulation time and Will Cherry’s shot for the lead was blocked by Antanas Kavaliauskas.

In the extra session, neither team led by more than a shot. Arturas Milaknis sank the go-ahead triple with 52 seconds remaining and added a pair of free throws with 7.7 seconds left. Ksistof Lavrinovic for Rytas and Jankunas ach split free throws in the closing seconds before Siim-Sander Vene’s offensive rebounds secured the victory for Zalgiris.

Kavaliauskas led Rytas with 22 points and 9 rebounds and Lavrinovic scored 15 in defeat.