NKL Round 8 (Regular Season): Telsiai defeats Suduva-Mantinga in the closest game of the week

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Eleventh-ranked Suduva-Mantinga (3-2) gave a tough game to top-ranked Telsiai (8-0) in Marijampole on Saturday. The visitors from Telsiai managed to secure only two-point victory 71-69. However their fans expected much easier game. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Keishawn Davidson (188-2001, college: Belmont, agency: One Motive Sports) who helped to win the game recording 18 points and 9 assists and center Tadas Budrys (205-2002) who added 18 points and 7 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) during the contest. Forward Justinas Jogminas (197-1997) responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 13 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). Undefeated Telsiai have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 8-0 record. Suduva-Mantinga at the other side keeps the eleventh place with two games lost. Telsiai are looking forward to face Atletas (#17) in Kaunas in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Suduva-Mantinga will play on the road against Mazeikiai (#16) and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Bottom-ranked Rytas 2 (0-8) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their eighth consecutive match to fifth ranked Neptunas-Akv. (5-3) 74-62. The winners were led by guard Dziugas Remeikis (190-2006) who scored that evening 25 points and Ernestas Jonkus supported him with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Even 15 points by guard Kornelijus Snitka (194-2008) did not help to save the game for Rytas 2. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Neptunas-Akv. have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with P.Olimpas and Omega-Tauras. Rytas 2 at the other side still closes the standings with eight games lost. Neptunas-Akv. will play against P.Olimpas (#4) in Plunge in the next round. Rytas 2 will play on the road against Vilkaviskis (#12) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
An interesting game took place in Kaunas where higher ranked Omega-Tauras (5-3) was upset on its own court by tenth ranked Alytus (4-4) 85-74 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was CJ Hall who scored 32 points. Jacob Cook produced 21 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts. Alytus moved-up to ninth place, which they share with Zalgiris II. Loser Omega-Tauras dropped to the fourth position with three games lost. They share it with Neptunas-Akv. and P.Olimpas. Alytus will meet at home higher ranked Palanga (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Omega-Tauras' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Kaunas to the arena Zalgiris II.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 8: Vilkaviskis lost to Palanga on the opponent's court 81-87. P.Olimpas managed to outperform Kedainiai in a home game 75-62. Zalgiris II managed to beat Kretinga on the road 101-85. Stekas defeated Mazeikiai on its own court 74-70.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 24 points and 5 rebounds by Scooter Williams of Alytus.



Palanga - Vilkaviskis 87-81:
Very expected game when 12th ranked Vilkaviskis (3-4) was defeated on the road by third ranked Palanga (6-2) 87-81 on Saturday. However just six-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. Palanga looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward William Jenkins III (203-1996, college: Virginia Union, agency: BIG) who scored 20 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Forward Rokas Uzas (202-1988) chipped in 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American guard Jordan Stafford (190-2003, college: Gettysburg) produced 27 points and forward Emilis Bartninkas (206-2004, agency: Players Group) added 11 points and 13 rebounds respectively for the guests. Five Vilkaviskis players scored in double figures. Palanga maintains third position with 6-2 record having just two points less than leader Telsiai. Loser Vilkaviskis keeps the twelfth place with four games lost. Palanga will meet Alytus (#10) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Vilkaviskis will play against Rytas 2 and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Vilkaviskis: J.Stafford 27+1reb, B.Bagdonavicius 17+8reb, P.Danisevicius 13+2reb+9ast, E.Bartninkas 11+13reb+1ast, Z.Mantvydas 10+6reb+5ast, T.Pazarauskas 2+2reb+1ast
Palanga: J.William 20+9reb+2ast, U.Rokas 20+5reb+5ast, J.Titas 18+3reb+2ast, J.Julius 8+3reb, C.Armin 8+5reb+7ast, U.Antanas 6+9reb+1ast

P.Olimpas - Kedainiai 75-62:
Very predictable result in Plunge where fourth ranked P.Olimpas (5-3) defeated 13th ranked Kedainiai (3-5) 75-62 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was center Matas Macijauskas (210-2002) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). American center Emmanuel Byrd (206-2004, college: Truman St.) chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. P.Olimpas' coach Mindaugas Tamusauskas used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Medas Kuprijanovas (197-1996) produced 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and point guard Paulius Semaska (184-1993) added 12 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the guests. P.Olimpas have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain fourth position with 5-3 record, which they share with Neptunas-Akv. and Omega-Tauras. Loser Kedainiai keeps the thirteenth place with five games lost. They share the position with Stekas. P.Olimpas will meet Neptunas-Akv. (#5) in the next round. Kedainiai will play against Stekas (#14) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kedainiai: S.Paulius 12+5reb+3ast, M.Amir 11+8reb, M.Kuprijanovas 10+9reb+4ast, V.Vainius 8+2ast, I.Lukosius 8+6reb, S.Vainius 7+2reb+2ast
P.Olimpas: M.Macijauskas 20+10reb, I.Razutis 15+2reb+2ast, M.Vladyslav 9+5reb+5ast, M.Maziliauskas 8+4reb+1ast, B.Emmanuel 6+8reb+6ast, M.Najeeb 6+4reb+2ast

Kretinga - Zalgiris II 85-101:
Not a big story in a game when 15th ranked Kretinga (1-7) was defeated at home by ninth ranked Zalgiris II (4-4) 101-85 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was guard Majus Bulanovas (195-2007) who scored 20 points and 5 rebounds. Forward Dovydas Jakstonis (196-2008) chipped in 15 points and 8 rebounds. American power forward Justin Young (201-1998, college: CPP) produced 27 points and 7 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and point guard Mantvydas Staniulis (187-1997) added 11 points and 9 assists respectively for the hosts. Four Zalgiris II and five Kretinga players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Zalgiris II maintains ninth position with 4-4 record, which they share with Alytus. Loser Kretinga keeps the fifteenth place with seven games lost. They share the position with Mazeikiai. Zalgiris II's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Kaunas Omega-Tauras.
Top scorers:
Kretinga: Y.Justin 27+7reb+1ast, J.Warren 17+2reb+2ast, D.Sarauskas 12+4reb+1ast, M.Staniulis 11+2reb+9ast, D.Edgaras 10+6reb, K.Metrikis 3+4reb
Zalgiris II: B.Majus 20+5reb+1ast, J.Dovydas 15+8reb+1ast, G.Dominykas 12+3reb+5ast, N.Mistautas 10+3reb+1ast, K.Sabeckas 9+2reb+3ast, A.Sten-Markus 8+4reb+1ast

Rytas 2 - Neptunas-Akv. 62-74:
Bottom-ranked Rytas 2 (0-8) is still winless. This time they could not use their home court advantage losing their eighth consecutive match to fifth ranked Neptunas-Akv. (5-3) 74-62. Neptunas-Akv. players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. The winners were led by guard Dziugas Remeikis (190-2006) who scored that evening 25 points and guard Ernestas Jonkus (187-1999, agency: BIG) supported him with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Even 15 points (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) by guard Kornelijus Snitka (194-2008) did not help to save the game for Rytas 2. Forward Adomas Pocius (200) added 12 points for the hosts. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Neptunas-Akv. have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with P.Olimpas and Omega-Tauras. Rytas 2 at the other side still closes the standings with eight games lost. Neptunas-Akv. will play against P.Olimpas (#4) in Plunge in the next round. Rytas 2 will play on the road against Vilkaviskis (#12) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Rytas 2: K.Snitka 15+2ast, A.Pocius 12+3reb, K.Martynas 9+2reb, S.Nojus 8+1ast, B.Kaloyan 6+5reb, B.Armandas 4+1reb
Neptunas-Akv.: R.Dziugas 25+1reb, P.Nojus 14+5reb+1ast, Z.Eimantas 10+10reb+2ast, J.Ernestas 8+7reb+7ast, R.Maciulis 7+1reb+3ast, Z.Aironas 7+4reb+3ast

Suduva-Mantinga - Telsiai 69-71:
Eleventh-ranked Suduva-Mantinga (3-2) gave a tough game to top-ranked Telsiai (8-0) in Marijampole on Saturday. The visitors from Telsiai managed to secure only two-point victory 71-69. However their fans expected much easier game. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Keishawn Davidson (188-2001, college: Belmont, agency: One Motive Sports) who helped to win the game recording 18 points and 9 assists and center Tadas Budrys (205-2002) who added 18 points and 7 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) during the contest. Forward Justinas Jogminas (197-1997) responded with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 13 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) and guard Domantas Vilys (188-2000) scored 14 points. Telsiai have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 8-0 record. Suduva-Mantinga at the other side keeps the eleventh place with two games lost. Telsiai are looking forward to face Atletas (#17) in Kaunas in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Suduva-Mantinga will play on the road against Mazeikiai (#16) and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Suduva-Mantinga: J.Jogminas 28+13reb+1ast, D.Vilys 14+1reb+3ast, J.Ramanauskas 10+3reb+3ast, R.Pipiras 7+4reb, G.Mokseckas 7+7reb+1ast, M.Bublyk 3+1reb
Telsiai: B.Tadas 18+7reb, D.Keishawn 18+1reb+9ast, M.Quinton 10+3reb+1ast, O.Kaminskis 8+5reb+1ast, V.Kevon 6+3reb+1ast, J.Kazakauskas 6+7reb+1ast

Stekas - Mazeikiai 74-70:
Everything went according to plan in Vilnius where fourteenth ranked Stekas (3-5) beat 16th ranked Mazeikiai (1-7) 74-70 on Saturday. Stekas looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international forward Darius Tarvydas (200) who had a double-double by scoring 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. ex-international swingman Edvinas Seskus (196-1995, agency: BIG) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Stekas players scored in double figures. Guard Tautvydas Kupstas (193-2000, college: UWF) produced 21 points and 7 rebounds and Ukrainian Artem Lopukhov (207-2002) added 19 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. Mazeikiai's coach Darius Pakamanis rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Stekas moved-up to thirteenth place, which they share with Kedainiai. Mazeikiai lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the fifteenth position with seven games lost. They share it with Kretinga. Stekas will meet Kedainiai (#13) in the next round. Mazeikiai will play against Suduva-Mantinga and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Mazeikiai: T.Kupstas 21+7reb+3ast, A.Lopukhov 19+7reb, R.Williams 10+4reb+3ast, K.Laurynas 8+2reb+1ast, P.Armandas 6+6reb+2ast, A.Kone 4+1reb
Stekas: W.Simeus 18+5reb+1ast, S.Edvinas 17+6reb+5ast, T.Darius 16+10reb+6ast, D.Bucas 11+5reb+1ast, T.Troska 7+4reb+1ast, M.Dastinas 5+3reb+6ast

Omega-Tauras - Alytus 74-85:
An interesting game took place in Kaunas where higher ranked Omega-Tauras (5-3) was upset on its own court by tenth ranked Alytus (4-4) 85-74 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was American guard CJ Hall (188-2002, college: SIUE) who scored 32 points. The other American import guard Scooter Williams (196-2001, college: La Tech) chipped in 24 points and 5 rebounds. American forward Jacob Cook (198, college: Concordia, MN) produced 21 points and 8 rebounds and point guard Nedas Vydmantas (186-2006) added 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) respectively for the hosts. Alytus moved-up to ninth place, which they share with Zalgiris II. Loser Omega-Tauras dropped to the fourth position with three games lost. They share it with Neptunas-Akv. and P.Olimpas. Alytus will meet at home higher ranked Palanga (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Omega-Tauras' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Kaunas to the arena Zalgiris II.
Top scorers:
Omega-Tauras: J.Cook 21+8reb, N.Vydmantas 17+4reb+1ast, S.Vasiliauskas 7+6ast, S.Sliogeris 7+2reb+4ast, J.Levickas 5+2reb, G.Stankevicius 5+5reb
Alytus: H.CJ 32+4reb+2ast, W.Scooter 24+5reb+2ast, J.Ernestas 12+7reb, V.Sarunas 6+3reb+3ast, G.Karolis 6+11reb+3ast, B.Darnell 4