Avtodor uses great team effort to win in Vilnius

Avtodor Saratov registered its second consecutive win in Group E by downing two-time Eurocup champion Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius 81-97 in the Lithuanian capital on Wednesday. Saratov went up to 2-1 while Rytas dropped to 1-2. Jeremy Chappell paced the winners with 15 points. Travis Peterson added 14, Malcolm Armstead had 13, Artem Zabelin, Evgeny Kolesnikov and Artem Klimenko each got 11 while Denys Lukashov contributed 10 for Avtodor. Nico Laprovittola led Rytas with 14 points. Julius Jucikas had 13, Deividas Gailius and Antanas Kavaliauskas each added 12 while Gediminas Orelik got 10 for the hosts. Gailius and Laprovittola shined early to give Rytas a 27-23 lead after 10 minutes. A three-point play by Gailius boosted the hosts' lead to 44-36 but Armstead had 10 points in a 2-14 run which allowed Avtodor to get a 46-50 edge at halftime. A 2-15 run which Lukashov capped with a three-pointer broke the game open, 55-74. Avtodor boosted its margin to 61-82 and hold off Rytas's fourth-quarter comeback to cruise to a well-deserved road win.

Kavaliauskas got Rytas going with a turnaround jumper which Mindaugas Lukauskis followed with a triple for a 5-2 lead. Zabelin answered from downtown and a three-pointer by Kolesnikov gave Avtodor its first lead, 6-8. Gailius and Kavaliauskas stepped up for Rytas and Laprovittola hit one from beyond the arc for a 13-9 lead. Lukashov scored off a midcourt steal and a baseline jumper by Peterson tied it at 13-13. Chappell hit a mid-range shot and exchanged triples with Orelik. Gailius followed a triple with free throws in a 7-0 run which Adas Juskevicius capped with a layup. Lukashov kept Avtodor within 27-23 after 10 minutes. Klimenko hit a jump hook early in the second quarter but Jucikas kept his team ahead, 30-25. Klimenko scored again, Laprovittola hit his second triple and a layup by Marius Runkauskas made Avtodor call timeout at 35-27. Peterson hit a running hook and bettered Laprovittola's layup with a three-pointer. A dunk by Klimenko forced Rytas to stop the game at 37-34. Kavaliauskas stepped up with 5 unanswered points, Chappell scored in penetration and a layup-plus-foul by Gailius restored a 44-36 Rytas lead. Armstead followed a jumper with a stop-and-pop three-pointer in a 0-9 Avtodor run that put the guests back ahead, 44-45. An unstoppable Armstead kept Avtodor ahead, 46-50, at halftime.

Orelik scored in penetration right after the break but Kolesnikov did better with back-to-back three-pointers for a 48-56 score. Zabelin also struck from downtown to make Rytas stop the game at 48-59. Kavaliauskas scored down low and Orelik nailed a corner triple but free throws by Jeff Brooks gave Avtodor a 53-61 margin. Zabelin scored around the basket, Orelik banked in a running shot and a three-pointer by Armstead restored a 55-66 Avtodor lead. Brooks and Zabelin hit free throws, Chappell scored in transition and a triple by Lukashov broke the game open, 55-74, after a 2-15 run. Rokas Giedraitis hit a one-handed floater and Jucikas scored again but Kolesnikov, Klimenko and Peterson kept Avtodor way ahead, 61-82, after 30 minutes. Juskevicius downed a five-meter jumper early in the fourth quarter and got plenty of help from Ksistof Lavrinovic and Laprovittola to bring Rytas within 72-82, after an 11-0 run. Avtodor went scoreless for more than 4 minutes until Peterson rescued the guests with a key basket. Brooks made free throws in a 0-11 run highlighted by Peterson's three-pointer which sealed the outcome, 73-93, as Rytas never recovered.