Lithuanian “Ritas” made a sensational comeback and won the Basketball Champions League title, defeating Greek AEK, overcoming a 20-point deficit in the third quarter.
Rytas is the first team from Lithuania to reach the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League in its 10-year history. Until the 2025/26 season, Rytas did not advance beyond the quarter-finals of the tournament.
In the semifinals, the Lithuanian team defeated five-time tournament winner Tenerife by 18 points. In the final, Rytas faced AEK Athens, a two-time tournament finalist.
The Greek team was the heavy favorite to win before the match, having reached the Final Four for the fourth time in 10 years. In the end, AEK came close to winning, but the Lithuanians pulled off a miraculous comeback to win the title.
How was the final?
- The Lithuanians finished the first quarter with a crushing 10-point deficit, while AEK increased it to 17 points (42:25) before the break. And during the third quarter, the Greek team's advantage over “Ritas” was 20 points.
- AEK entered the final quarter with a +18 lead over Rytas. However, in the last 10 minutes, the Lithuanian team made a miraculous comeback: they won back the entire point deficit, thanks to which the regular time of the game ended in a draw – 80:80.
- In overtime, “Ritas” took the lead for the first time since the beginning of the match and won: the final score was 92:86.
- Simas Lukošus was a key player in Rytas' comeback. In the final quarter alone, the Lithuanian forward hit five three-pointers, including the last one with 20 seconds left in regulation. Lukošus finished the game with 23 points, earning him the Final Four MVP award.
This is the first ever title in the Basketball Champions League for “Ritas”. Overall, it was the third time the Lithuanian team triumphed at the international level: they also have two victories in the Eurocups (in 2005 and 2009).
In addition, Rytas became the first team in Champions League history to make a comeback in the final match of the tournament, overcoming a 10-point deficit.
How did “Ritas” comment on the victory?
- Simas Lukošus, Final Four MVP : “I feel incredible. I can't explain what happened because I still have to figure it out myself. Our work throughout the season paid off. I'm just so happy for the team. We did something special.”
- Jerrick Harding, Rytas player: “This is the best day of my career, without a doubt. What can I say? We came back from a 20-point deficit. It's unheard of. That's what this team is. We proved it.”
- Gedrius Zibenas, head coach of Rytas : “These guys are special. Throughout the season, they [Rytas] never gave up, especially in the most difficult moments. Big respect to AEK, they are a really talented team: they started the game with a lot of confidence, but we didn't panic. I think that was our superpower: we just knew that we had to keep playing well.”