VILNIUS — Žalgiris broke Lietuvos Rytas’ hold on the Baltic Basketball League Cup, upset  their hosts in a surprise win 73-66 in Saturday’s final.

Žalgiris qualified for the final by beating Ventspils 86-74 at home on Friday evening, while Lietuvos Rytas assured themselves of home court advantage by beating Šiauliai 81-78 on the same night.

No one would argue that these were the [private_supervisor]two teams that deserved to be in the final, having dominated all other opposition this season. And like every match involving these two teams, it was a classic fight to the finish.

In the early stages it looked like Lietuvos Rytas would cruise to back to back trophies, establishing a healthy 14 point (46-32) lead when the buzzer sounded to indicate half-time.

But the second half indicated the unveiling of a rejuvenated Žalgiris lead by American import Marcus Brown and Aleksandar Ćapin off the bench. Brown was particularly impressive, sinking his shots from in and outside the perimeter.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Brown had his team back within a point of Lietuvos Rytas (58-57).

If their is ever a time you need your team your step up, the final quarter of the season deciding game would be the time to do it. Incidentally, if their is a time you can ill-afford your team to show fragility  then this is certainly it.

With that thought in mind Žalgiris trainer Darius Maskoliūnas’ joy was visible to all present as Lietuvos Rytas folded under sustained pressure as they were outscored 16-8 by their guests in the final quarter.

The victory marks a shifting in powers in Lithuanian basketball with Zalgiris not only winning the BBL but also claiming bragging rights as the only Lithuanian team to make it past the first round of Europe’s premier basketball competition, Euroleague.

Controversy aplenty in Šiauliai

In contrast to the major final in Vilnius, up in Šiauliai the tension remained to the final buzzer, or even in the eyes of some after the buzzer had sounded.

Having dominated the first-half, Ventspils were still looking comfortable taking a 10 point lead into the final quarter, but were aware of what Šiauliai are capable of, especially in front of their parochial home crowd.

Sure enough Šiauliai surged back into the game to finally capture the lead at 80-78 with 56 second remaining. But with 11 seconds left, a Janis Strelnieks three-pointer looked as if it would win the game for Ventspils, as they reclaimed the lead  to be up 83-82.

But as the buzzer sounded a last ditch tap-in from Šiauliai was able to capture the game for the Lithuanians. But Ventspils were not convinced. Although the initial shot that missed had been launched before the final buzzer, Ventspils were adamant that the resulting tap-in only came after the buzzer had sounded.

However, replays supported the referees and Ventspils returned to Latvia empty-handed, making it a clean sweep for Lithuanian teams in the 2009/2010 edition of the BBL. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]two teams that deserved to be in the final, having dominated all other opposition this season. And like every match involving these two teams, it was a classic fight to the finish.

In the early stages it looked like Lietuvos Rytas would cruise to back to back trophies, establishing a healthy 14 point (46-32) lead when the buzzer sounded to indicate half-time.

But the second half indicated the unveiling of a rejuvenated Žalgiris lead by American import Marcus Brown and Aleksandar Ćapin off the bench. Brown was particularly impressive, sinking his shots from in and outside the perimeter.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Brown had his team back within a point of Lietuvos Rytas (58-57).

If their is ever a time you need your team your step up, the final quarter of the season deciding game would be the time to do it. Incidentally, if their is a time you can ill-afford your team to show fragility then this is certainly it.

With that thought in mind Žalgiris trainer Darius Maskoliūnas’ joy was visible to all present as Lietuvos Rytas folded under sustained pressure as they were outscored 16-8 by their guests in the final quarter.

The victory marks a shifting in powers in Lithuanian basketball with Zalgiris not only winning the BBL but also claiming bragging rights as the only Lithuanian team to make it past the first round of Europe’s premier basketball competition, Euroleague.

Controversy aplenty in Šiauliai

In contrast to the major final in Vilnius, up in Šiauliai the tension remained to the final buzzer, or even in the eyes of some after the buzzer had sounded.

Having dominated the first-half, Ventspils were still looking comfortable taking a 10 point lead into the final quarter, but were aware of what Šiauliai are capable of, especially in front of their parochial home crowd.

Sure enough Šiauliai surged back into the game to finally capture the lead at 80-78 with 56 second remaining. But with 11 seconds left, a Janis Strelnieks three-pointer looked as if it would win the game for Ventspils, as they reclaimed the lead to be up 83-82.

But as the buzzer sounded a last ditch tap-in from Šiauliai was able to capture the game for the Lithuanians. But Ventspils were not convinced. Although the initial shot that missed had been launched before the final buzzer, Ventspils were adamant that the resulting tap-in only came after the buzzer had sounded.

However, replays supported the referees and Ventspils returned to Latvia empty-handed, making it a clean sweep for Lithuanian teams in the 2009/2010 edition of the BBL. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]two teams that deserved to be in the final, having dominated all other opposition this season. And like every match involving these two teams, it was a classic fight to the finish.

In the early stages it looked like Lietuvos Rytas would cruise to back to back trophies, establishing a healthy 14 point (46-32) lead when the buzzer sounded to indicate half-time.

But the second half indicated the unveiling of a rejuvenated Žalgiris lead by American import Marcus Brown and Aleksandar Ćapin off the bench. Brown was particularly impressive, sinking his shots from in and outside the perimeter.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Brown had his team back within a point of Lietuvos Rytas (58-57).

If their is ever a time you need your team your step up, the final quarter of the season deciding game would be the time to do it. Incidentally, if their is a time you can ill-afford your team to show fragility then this is certainly it.

With that thought in mind Žalgiris trainer Darius Maskoliūnas’ joy was visible to all present as Lietuvos Rytas folded under sustained pressure as they were outscored 16-8 by their guests in the final quarter.

The victory marks a shifting in powers in Lithuanian basketball with Zalgiris not only winning the BBL but also claiming bragging rights as the only Lithuanian team to make it past the first round of Europe’s premier basketball competition, Euroleague.

Controversy aplenty in Šiauliai

In contrast to the major final in Vilnius, up in Šiauliai the tension remained to the final buzzer, or even in the eyes of some after the buzzer had sounded.

Having dominated the first-half, Ventspils were still looking comfortable taking a 10 point lead into the final quarter, but were aware of what Šiauliai are capable of, especially in front of their parochial home crowd.

Sure enough Šiauliai surged back into the game to finally capture the lead at 80-78 with 56 second remaining. But with 11 seconds left, a Janis Strelnieks three-pointer looked as if it would win the game for Ventspils, as they reclaimed the lead to be up 83-82.

But as the buzzer sounded a last ditch tap-in from Šiauliai was able to capture the game for the Lithuanians. But Ventspils were not convinced. Although the initial shot that missed had been launched before the final buzzer, Ventspils were adamant that the resulting tap-in only came after the buzzer had sounded.

However, replays supported the referees and Ventspils returned to Latvia empty-handed, making it a clean sweep for Lithuanian teams in the 2009/2010 edition of the BBL. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]two teams that deserved to be in the final, having dominated all other opposition this season. And like every match involving these two teams, it was a classic fight to the finish.

In the early stages it looked like Lietuvos Rytas would cruise to back to back trophies, establishing a healthy 14 point (46-32) lead when the buzzer sounded to indicate half-time.

But the second half indicated the unveiling of a rejuvenated Žalgiris lead by American import Marcus Brown and Aleksandar Ćapin off the bench. Brown was particularly impressive, sinking his shots from in and outside the perimeter.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Brown had his team back within a point of Lietuvos Rytas (58-57).

If their is ever a time you need your team your step up, the final quarter of the season deciding game would be the time to do it. Incidentally, if their is a time you can ill-afford your team to show fragility then this is certainly it.

With that thought in mind Žalgiris trainer Darius Maskoliūnas’ joy was visible to all present as Lietuvos Rytas folded under sustained pressure as they were outscored 16-8 by their guests in the final quarter.

The victory marks a shifting in powers in Lithuanian basketball with Zalgiris not only winning the BBL but also claiming bragging rights as the only Lithuanian team to make it past the first round of Europe’s premier basketball competition, Euroleague.

Controversy aplenty in Šiauliai

In contrast to the major final in Vilnius, up in Šiauliai the tension remained to the final buzzer, or even in the eyes of some after the buzzer had sounded.

Having dominated the first-half, Ventspils were still looking comfortable taking a 10 point lead into the final quarter, but were aware of what Šiauliai are capable of, especially in front of their parochial home crowd.

Sure enough Šiauliai surged back into the game to finally capture the lead at 80-78 with 56 second remaining. But with 11 seconds left, a Janis Strelnieks three-pointer looked as if it would win the game for Ventspils, as they reclaimed the lead to be up 83-82.

But as the buzzer sounded a last ditch tap-in from Šiauliai was able to capture the game for the Lithuanians. But Ventspils were not convinced. Although the initial shot that missed had been launched before the final buzzer, Ventspils were adamant that the resulting tap-in only came after the buzzer had sounded.

However, replays supported the referees and Ventspils returned to Latvia empty-handed, making it a clean sweep for Lithuanian teams in the 2009/2010 edition of the BBL. [/private_subscription 1 year]

— This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.