Žalgiris secures fifth consecutive Citadele KMT title with convincing victory

In a dominant showcase of basketball mastery, defending champions Žalgiris Kaunas secured their fifth consecutive Karalius Mindaugas Cup (Citadele KMT) trophy by defeating 7-bet Lietkabelis Panevėžys in the final game wit

The team, under the strategic guidance of coach Andrea Trinchieri, capitalized on a commanding second quarter to establish a lead that proved insurmountable for the determined Panevėžys squad, led by coach Nenad Čanak.

Žalgiris' victory was propelled by a standout performance from Laurynas Birutis, who not only contributed significantly with 12 points but also had 5 rebounds. For his outstanding display this weekend, Laurynas Birutis was rightfully awarded the Citadele KMT finals MVP title.

Complementing the team effort in the final, Keenan Evans led the scoring with 16 points, while Tomas Dimša and Brady Manek added 12 points each to secure the victory. Leader of 7-bet Lietkabelis, Deividas Sirvydis, posted 15 points.

In the contest for third place, Rytas Vilnius emerged victorious with a 94-89 triumph over Šiauliai. Despite late-game surge in an attempt to unsettle Rytas and their coach Giedrius Žibėnas, Šiauliai and coach Žydrūnas Urbonas fell short in the end.

Margiris Normantas led the charge for Rytas with an impressive 22 points. Marcus Foster contributed 19 points to Rytas' cause, while Shaquille Keith stood out as Šiauliai' leading scorer with 25 points.

The Citadele KMT Final Four teams battled not only for glory but also for a substantial prize fund totaling 90 thousand euros. Žalgiris Kaunas, as the champions, secured the lion's share with 40 thousand euros, while the runners-up, 7-bet Lietkabelis Panevėžys, earned 25 thousand euros. Rytas Vilnius, claiming third place, was awarded 15 thousand euros, and Šiauliai, finishing fourth, received 10 thousand euros as part of the prestigious tournament's prize distribution.