Besiktas waste 22-point lead but survive a double-overtime thriller against Rytas / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Besiktas Icrypex (2-1) edged out Rytas Vilnius (1-2) 82-79 (22-6, 22-21, 11-21, 21-14, 5-5, 8-5) to get the second victory in the Basketball Champions League.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Dedric Lawson Points 17 Accuracy 8-12 Rebounds 12 Assists 5

Besiktas led the way in the fourth quarter, having 4 points advantage with 1:20 to go (69-65). However, Rytas did not raise a white flag. Gytis Radzevicius hit a crucial trey to reduce the deficit to just one point in the next attack (68-69).

Both teams could not put the ball into the basket in the last 65 seconds. Though, Ivan Buva saved the day for Rytas, drawing a foul with 3 seconds to play. He converted only one free throw from the charity stripe to tie the game at 69. The last Egehan Arna's three-pointer was off the mark.

The first overtime went neck to neck. Isaiah Whitehead created a 2-point lead for Besiktas with 1:10 to go (74-72). Margiris Normantas tied the game at 74 with 56 seconds on the clock. Both clubs had chances to win the game but the shots were not falling.

In the second overtime, the Turkish squad built a 5-point advantage (79-74) but Rytas had an opportunity to send the game to the third overtime. However, Mindaugas Girdziunas' shot from behind the arc did not reach the goal (79-82). Besiktas got a very tough W.

Besiktas had a very strong start of the game, leading by 22 points in the second period (38-16). Nevertheless, the Lithuanian team came back and erased the deficit to 7 points at the end of the third period (48-55).

Besiktas were led by Trevon Bluiett who posted 21 points (4/7 2PT, 3/6 3PT, 4/5 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 22 PIR.

For Rytas, Margiris Normantas was a top scorer, accumulating 18 points (2/3 2PT, 3/8 3PT, 5/5 FT), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 14 PIR.

Besiktas: Trevon Bluiett 21 (6 REB), Dedric Lawson 17 (12 REB, 5 AST), Isaiah Whitehead 16 (9 AST).

Rytas: Margiris Normantas 18, Gytis Radzevicius 13, Mindaugas Girdziunas 13 (5 AST),, Ivan Buva 12 (8 REB).

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