The third place in the tournament was taken by Kėdainiai’s “Nevėžis-Paskolų klubas”, while the representatives of Tartu “Ulikool” finished fourth.
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The match started with an even fight – after the first quarter, the scoreboard showed a tied score (26:26). However, in the second quarter, the initiative was taken over by VEF basketball players – scoring 27 points in ten minutes, they went into halftime leading 53:42.
After the break, the Šiauliai team fell into an even bigger hole and at one point trailed by 19 points (47:66). The hosts, loudly supported by their fans, managed to recover and caught up with the visitors in a few shots, but at the end of the match, luck smiled on the opponents, who celebrated the victory (95:88).
The most productive player for the hosts was Cedric Henderson. He spent 31.8 minutes on the court and scored 24 points, making 7 of 13 two-pointers, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and all 4 free throws. Henderson added 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and recorded 20 efficiency points.
Dovydas Romančenko also had a solid performance – the forward scored 19 points, hitting 3 of 3 two-pointers, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and 4 free throws. Additionally, he grabbed 5 rebounds and, with 22 points, was the most valuable player for “Šiauliai”.
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Karolis Lukošiūnas added 12 points, Dayvion McKnight scored 9 (7 assists).
VEF was led forward by the hard-to-stop Jordan Sears, who scored 31 points and had an efficiency rating of 25. Caleb Asberry scored 23 points and collected 26 efficiency points.
“Šiauliai”: Cedric Henderson 24, Dovydas Romančenko 19, Karolis Lukošiūnas 12, Tauras Jogėla 11, Dayvion McKnight 9, Selim Fofana and Efton Reed 4 each, Erikas Venskus 3, Simas Jarumbauskas 2.
VEF: Jordan Sears 31, Caleb Asberry 23, Luis Rodriguez 14, Mareks Mejeris 10, Amari Kelly 8.
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