„Neptūnas“ lost away 83:86 (23:26, 19:14, 23:17, 18:27) to Utena.
In the best-of-five series, „Neptūnas“ is trailing 0-2. The Klaipėda team will have to win all remaining series games, with the next one taking place on June 1st.
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„You saw everything yourselves… A rough start. We fixed our defense in the middle of the game. We allowed too many free throws to Juventus, we only took 19 ourselves, making just 11. I can’t say much bad about the team defense. Juventus made 8 assists but scored 86 points. We defended well as a team, but individually we did not hold up,“ said G. Petrauskas, hoarse and with teary eyes after the game.
With just a few dozen seconds left in the game, R. Lomažas hit a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to a minimum (83:84). E. Šaulys went to the free throw line again and made the shots (86:83). Arnas Velička could have tied the game with a long three-pointer, but the shot missed and Utena celebrated.
„At the end they pressed, stole the ball. We missed free throws, they went on a 7:0 run in 42 seconds. That’s how a 10-point lead melted away. They felt they could come back into the game,“ explained G. Petrauskas about the ending.
In this match, „Neptūnas“ led 61:44, but that lead still slipped away. However, the coach found positive aspects.
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„The third quarter was good. There are positives, but when we play the end of the game and have a 6-point lead with 1.5 minutes left, we commit two fouls in a neutral spot, they make the free throws. There were positive things compared to the game in Klaipėda. It’s night and day. The outcome is identical,“ said G. Petrauskas.
Now „Neptūnas“ faces an (im)possible mission – to come back from a two-win deficit. What will the coach say before the decisive game?
„What difference does my message make? Everything must be proven on the court, not with nice or harsh words during training. I don’t focus on the result, we need to prepare as best as possible for the game in Klaipėda,“ said G. Petrauskas.
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