Despite trailing throughout regulation, Reyer tied the game late to force overtime, where it clinched a hard-fought victory
Reyer rallies back to beat Lietkabelis, 93-100, in overtime
Umana Reyer Venice pulled off a superb comeback to beat 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 93-100 in overtime. The hosts led throughout regulation, being up by 15 three minutes into the third quarter. Yet, Reyer took its first lead in overtime and pulled away to clinch the victory on Thursday. Reyer celebrated its first road win of the season and improved its record to 4-5, with Lietkabelis dropping to 3-5.
Kyle Wiltjer led all scorers with 22 points, with Mfiondu Tshimanga Kabengele recording a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Parks and Amedeo Tessitori netted 13 points each and scored 10 in the comeback effort. Dovis Bickauskis and Martynas Varnas paced Lietkabelis with 16 points apiece. Georgios Kalaitzakis scored 14 points and Marko Pecarski added 13.
Game Videos
Gabrielius Maldunas opened the scoring in transition, but Kabengele netted back-to-back buckets to put Reyer in front, 2-4. Mantas Rubstavicius and Varnas drilled a triple each before Bickauskis extended Lietkabelis’s run to 8-0 from the charity stripe. Wiltjer attempted to end the Lithuanian side’s momentum with a floater, but Varnas nailed another one from deep for a 13-6 lead. Wiltjer and Pecarski exchanged baskets before Varnas scored 5 unanswered points to extend Lietkabelis’s lead to 20-10. Then, Oleksandr Kovliar, Kalaitzakis and Justin Briggs all opened their accounts for the hosts, but Tessitori netted 8 points off the bench to keep the visitors within 30-20 after 10 minutes.
Grantas Vasiliauskas nailed a hook shot to start the second quarter, but Tessitori scored from inside and Davide Moretti sank Reyer’s first triple of the night, cutting the difference to 32-25. A three-point play from Vasiliauskas restored a double-digit lead before Aamir Simms and Bickauskis traded triples to make it 41-31. Rubstavicius scored Lietkabelis’s seventh triple of the first half, but Reyer responded with Jordan Parks hitting two free throws and Moretti nailing his second from beyond the arc to trim the deficit to 44-38. What followed was a sloppy last 2 and a half minutes of the first half, with turnovers and missed shots by both sides, as Lietkabelis maintained a 47-40 cushion at halftime.
Varnas took his tally to 15 points with a layup before 5 points from Pecarski and a triple from Bickauskis extended Lietkabelis’s run to 10-0 and its lead to 57-42. Reyer responded with a 2-9 surge, but Rubstavicius knocked down one from downtown for a 62-51 lead. Kalaitzakis and Wiltjer took over in an exchange of blows, scoring 4 and 8 points, respectively, as Reyer cut the difference to 70-62 heading into the closing quarter.
Wiltjer started strong in the fourth, completing a three-point play to take his tally to 20 in less than 19 minutes on the floor. Then, Kalaitzakis and Wiltjer traded buckets before 5 points from Kovliar allowed Lietkabelis to secure a 77-69 cushion. Reyer pushed for a comeback after an unlikely buzzer-beating bucket from Pecarski, with Kabengele scoring back-to-back baskets and Ennis netting inside to bring the visitors within 79-74. Yet, Bickauskis replied with 5 points including a triple after a Reyer turnover to make it 84-76 with 02:18 left on the clock. Reyer didn’t give up and responded with a 0-8 run inspired by Kabengele, who nailed a rare triple to tie it, 84-84. Then, Lipkevicius netted a turn-around bucket with 24 seconds remaining, but Ennis scored a layup to force overtime.
Parks netted a jumper for Reyer’s first lead of the night, but Bickauskis responded with a bucket and Pecarski made 2 of 2 from the line to put Lietkabelis back in front, 90-88. Yet, a couple of free throws from Kabengele were followed by a corner three from Carl Wheatle, an Ennis layup and 5 points from Parks to complete an extraordinary Reyer comeback.