«Neptunas» Klaipeda, Lithuania vs. «Tsmoki-Minsk» Minsk, Belarus

Neptunas (Lithuania) pulled out a win over Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) at home, 75-72, in Week 11 of the regular season. The stats do a great job of reflecting just how close this game was. Nine lead changes, nine ties and a game-winner in the final seconds – Marius Runkauskas, who starred all night from beyond the arc, closed the contest out in style.

Intro
The first time these two teams met this season, the game went to overtime, with the outcome decided in the final seconds. Today’s encounter promised just as much excitement. Neptunas needed to escape the group cellar and take revenge for that loss, while the Belarusians continued to improve their chances at a postseason berth.

The visitors were more energetic to start the contest and quickly built a lead. Neptunas found an answer for Benson and Hunter with Marius Runkauskas’s 3-pointers. The Lithuanians didn’t manage to catch Donaldas Kairys’s club in the first quarter, but trailed by just five points, 21-16.

Thanks to Sarakauskas’s efforts, Neptunas evened the score, but failed to go ahead. They then gave up a 10-point Tsmoki run, which Runkauskas would once again liquidate. The Lithuanian sniper had 16 points in the first half, beating the buzzer with a 3-pointer to keep Neptunas within five points, 37-32.

After halftime, Neptunas came alive, taking its first lead a few minutes into the third quarter. The Lithuanians stretched the defense on the outside, punishing the opposition with 3-pointers. But defensive mistakes kept the home team from building its lead. Benson and Hunter got to the basket, hitting lay-ups and earning trips to the charity stripe to keep Tsmoki-Minsk out in front, 58-54.

Turning Point
Neptunas was quiet for the first half of the fourth until Runkauskas got hot again. He tied the game with a 3-pointer, while Girdziunas gave the home team the lead. With 30 seconds to play, Runkauskas knocked down two free throws, putting Neptunas on top by three. All the home team needed to do was get one more stop, but Tsmoki would not go quietly. Parrish Patty got bumped on a long-range attempt and converted all three attempts to tie the game with 14 seconds left.

On the final possession, there wasn’t any doubt Runkauskas would try to win it for Neptunas. The guard drained the clock near midcourt, then drove to the basket, only to have his runner swatted away by Keith Benson. But the Lithuanian dove backwards, collected the ball and drained an unbelievable 3-pointer under pressure. Neptunas wins, 75-72, on the back of a thrilling performance from Runkauskas.

Star of the Game
Marius Runkauskas. The Lithuanian guard was a point-scoring machine tonight. He seemingly couldn’t miss, hitting contested shots, fadeaways, scoring out of double teams, and drilling ‘3’s’ from well beyond the arc. In the end, he was rewarded for his efforts with a huge win.

Stat of the Game
10 – the number of 3-pointers from Marius Runkauskas, a new League record! His 40-point total, meanwhile, ranks 2^nd in League history.

Top Performers
Neptunas: Marius Runkauskas – 40 points; Mindaugas Runkauskas – nine points, five assists; Vitautas Sarakauskas – seven points, eight rebounds; Arnas Butkevicius – two points, eight rebounds; Valdas Vasylius – two points, six rebounds.

Tsmoki-Minsk: Vincent Hunter – 13 points, five rebounds; Keith Benson – 12 points; Aliaksei Trastsinetski – 10 points; Parrish Patty – eight points, five rebounds, six assists; Demonte Harper – six points, five rebounds; Branko Mirkovic – five points, five rebounds.