Rytas edges Khimki with Logan’s buzzer-beater

David Logan banked in an off-balance jumper on the buzzer to lift Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius to a dramatic 93-91 win over Khimki Moscow Region at Siemens Arena in the Lithuanian capital on Wednesday. It was a second consecutive triumph for Rytas and raised its record to 2-3 in Group B action, while Khimki returned to the loss column and saw its record drop to 3-2. Big man Drew Gordon dominated with 21 points for the winners, and Logan added 16 points and 5 assists in victory. Deividas Gailius scored 14, while Arturas Gudaitis amassed 12 points and 15 rebounds in victory. For Khimki, Alexey Shved led the way with 22 points and also distributed a team-high 7 assists. Earl Rowland added 16 points and MarkoTodorovic chipped in 13 in defeat.

The teams remained close throughout the high-scoring contest. Khimki built an early 7-14 lead behind Todorovic and Shved, but Gudaitis, Gailius and Rashaun Broadus fought Rytas back to a tie, 22-22, at the end of the first quarter. Corey Fisher scored 7 points during an 11-2 second quarter run that saw Rytas take the lead, which stood at 47-42 at halftime. After the break, Khimki put together a 2-14 run to take a slim lead, 54-55, but Gordon and Gailius hit threes for Rytas. The teams remained close for the remainder of the game, but Rytas was in front until Sergey Monia hit a three-pointer to make it 89-89 with 63 seconds left on the clock. Logan scored on the next possession, but Rowland tied it at 91-91 with a pair of free throws. Rytas had 12 seconds for its final possession: Logan took the ball, lost the dribble, but still managed to bank in a long two-pointer at the buzzer to lift Rytas to an important win.