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VENTSPILS, Latvia – Lietuvos Rytas have made a strong statement in moving into the Final Four, defeating Ventspils 79-69 on Monday night, to be the only team to move into the Final Four with a clean sweep record in the quarter finals.
Running out to a 13-point lead by the end of the opening quarter on the back of some wayward shooting from their hosts, the red and blacks were able to do enough to hold on over the remaining 30 minutes in a less-than-perfect performance.
Jonas Valanciunas and Mindaugas Katelynas lead the guests with 14 points apiece.
The game could not have started any worse for the hosts who hit just one-of-14 shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes with Arturs Berzins picking up their solitary five points in the opening frame.
Berzins finished the night with 11 points, just one of two Ventspils players to make it into double figures.
Gundars Vetra's team found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter but it was not enough to see them make a dent in their visitors' lead as Valanciunas' used his height under the hoop to pick up six points and two rebounds in the frame, despite sharing his time on court with Predrag Samardziski.
Going point-for-point with Lietuvos Rytas after the break, Ventspils season was going to need a late miracle if it was going to remain alive.
A pair of Jahmar Young free-throws with three-and-a-half minutes to play gave Ventspils a slight glimmer of hope as the lead was cut to eight points.
However, time was working against Ventspils as their tactic to foul heavily in the dying stages proved fruitless with Lietuvos Rytas' shooters retaining cool heads at the free-throw line.
Running out to a 13-point lead by the end of the opening quarter on the back of some wayward shooting from their hosts, the red and blacks were able to do enough to hold on over the remaining 30 minutes in a less-than-perfect performance.
Jonas Valanciunas and Mindaugas Katelynas lead the guests with 14 points apiece.
The game could not have started any worse for the hosts who hit just one-of-14 shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes with Arturs Berzins picking up their solitary five points in the opening frame.
Berzins finished the night with 11 points, just one of two Ventspils players to make it into double figures.
Gundars Vetra's team found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter but it was not enough to see them make a dent in their visitors' lead as Valanciunas' used his height under the hoop to pick up six points and two rebounds in the frame, despite sharing his time on court with Predrag Samardziski.
Going point-for-point with Lietuvos Rytas after the break, Ventspils season was going to need a late miracle if it was going to remain alive.
A pair of Jahmar Young free-throws with three-and-a-half minutes to play gave Ventspils a slight glimmer of hope as the lead was cut to eight points.
However, time was working against Ventspils as their tactic to foul heavily in the dying stages proved fruitless with Lietuvos Rytas' shooters retaining cool heads at the free-throw line.
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