Lietuvos Rytas picks up key win in Belgrade

Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius bested partizan NIS Belgrade 76-85 to keep at least a share of first place in Group E. Rytas improved to 5-1, while dropping Partizan to 1-5. Antanas Kavaliauskas scored 23 points and Gediminas Orelik added 21 for the visitors, who started the game 2-12 and remained in control the rest of the way. Martynas Gecevicius added 17 points; Both Orelink and Gecevicius dished 6 assists. Travis Leslie scored 12 for the winners. Milan Macvan led Partizan with 22 points and 7 rebounds and Edo Muric netted 14 in defeat.

Free throws by Orelik and Adad Juskevicius’s layup gave Rytas a 0-4 start. Edo Muric opened the scoring for Partizan from the line. Orelink connected from downtown on back-to-back possessions before Kavaliauskas scored inside to make it 2-12 midway through the first quarter. Macvan scored on the offensive glass and soon added a three-point play as Partizan sought to dig its way out of an early hole. Nikola Milutinov dunked and Macvan sank free throws to make it a 2-point game. Milutinov slammed in his own miss to tie it before Kavaliauskas put Rytas up 16-18 at the end of the quarter. Baskets by Martynas Gecevicius and Travis Leslie gave the visitors an 8-point advantage. Macvan kept the visitors in the hunt and Mihajilo Andric connected from behind the arc to make it 25-28. Kavaliauskas scored 5 staright points to restore an 8-point Rytas lead. Macvan drilled a three and Boris Dallo a layup, but Kavaliauskas made it 32-38 at halftime.

Gecevicius extended the difference to 9 with a triple to start the second half. Partizan fought back through Milutinov inside and a Vanja Marinkovic three. Juskevicius put Rytas up by double figures and Leslie’s slam after Juskevicius’s steal made it 37-49. After a timeout, Milenko Tepic heated up for Partizan with back-to-back threes. Orelik also netted one from behind the arc, but Andreja Milutinovic’s basket-plus-foul narrowed the gap to 50-54. The teams traded baskets, with Gecevicius leading the way for Rytas, which went ahead 58-64 on a Billy Baron layup at the end of the quarter. Threes by Gecevicius and Orelik cemented the visitors’ control at 62-73. Leslie put Rytas up 13. Partizan tried to rally and got within 71-79 on a Muric slam with three minutes remaining, but Rytas was already slowing the game down to waltz to victory.