Vilnius club Rytas secured a 77-70 semifinal victory against Argentina’s Boca Juniors at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Beijing, erasing an eight-point deficit in the final quarter to advance to the final.
The journey to the title match at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium pitted debutants against each other in a tournament featuring six teams divided into two groups, continuing an event format established in 2019 that moved to the Far East in 2023, with Singapore hosting the previous three editions. As the reigning champions of the Basketball Champions League, the Lithuanian squad faced a suffocating defensive scheme from their South American opponents that neutralized the perimeter game from the opening minutes.
Defensive Stranglehold and the Loss of Cassius Winston
The early action saw vilniečiai take a brief 7-5 advantage before Buenos Aires surged ahead 16-11 at the end of the first period. Buenos Aires controlled the tempo for nearly 14 minutes, forcing Rytas into difficult outside shots and limiting their scoring. The Lithuanian team managed just a single three-pointer from six attempts in the opening period as the Argentine side built a 40-33 lead by halftime, during which Michael Warren paced the Argentine club with 7 points while Kay’s Bruhnke and Michaelis Devoe each tallied 6 points for the capital side.
Compounding the tactical struggles, the Vilnius club lost Cassius Winston in the first half after he sustained a hamstring injury following a seven-minute appearance where he contributed two points and four efficiency credits. With their floor general sidelined, the team relied on a collective effort from Kay’s Bruhnke and Michael Devoe, who kept the deficit manageable while trailing 58-50 heading into the final quarter.
Fourth-Quarter Comeback and Crucial Execution
The fourth quarter triggered a complete offensive turnaround. Sparked by Augustas Marčiulionis and Ricky Lindo, who connected from beyond the arc, Rytas eroded the lead until Marčiulionis leveled the score at 64-64 with five minutes remaining.
Artūras Gudaitis put the Lithuanian club ahead 68-67 with three minutes on the clock by converting a missed shot in the paint. Devoe then seized control, scoring seven consecutive points—including a decisive perimeter shot—to stretch the margin to 73-68 with 100 seconds left.
The Road Ahead for the World Title
The win sets up a championship showdown against NBA G League United, who advanced by defeating the Basketball Africa League champions, the RSSB Tigers of Kigali, Rwanda, by a score of 114-95 in the earlier semifinal (reported as 114-93 by lrt.lt, which also noted a 29-point performance from Lester Quinones and 24 points from Phillipas Wheeler for the G League side, contrasted with 22 points from Teafale’as Lenardas jaunesnysis for the Tigers). Meanwhile, Boca Juniors will face the RSSB Tigers in the third-place game.
Rytas enters Sunday's final having won both group-stage games against the Tigers (107-89, where Kay's Bruhnke scored 20 points and Craig Randall led the Tigers with 20 points) and China's Shanghai Sharks (107-66) before overcoming their toughest test against the South American champions.