Turin, Italy

– Led by their 6-10 big man Marijonas Petravicius’ team-high 20 points and 7 rebounds, Lietuvos Rytas defeated BC Khimki Moscow 80-74 to take their second Eurocup title in the team’s history (discuss the game).

With the win, the Lithuanian club secured a spot in the 2009-2010 Euroleague season.

Khimki would hold a nine point lead over Rytas at halftime, and would carry a double-digit lead several times during the second half, but Rytas would mount an exciting comeback.

Though Petravicius was solid throughout the final and was named MVP of the Final Eight, it was Steponas Babrauskas that would hit big shot after big shot during the comeback, including a crazy three-point shot and a tip-in that finished off a 17-0 run and would gave Rytas a 68-64 lead.

After Khimki closed the lead to 74-71 with less than a minute remaining, Babrauskas would hit another three to seal the win.

For Lietuvos Rytas, Petravicius hit 8-9 shots from the field.  Steponas Babrauskas ended the game with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Chuck Eidson, the 2008-09 Eurocup MVP, added 14 points for the Lithuanian club.

Kelly McCarty led BC Khimki with 20 points.  Former NBA player Carlos Delfino added 16 points and Timofey Mozgov 11 points and 9 rebounds.   In addition to Delfino, Khimki also featured three other former NBA players in Milt Palacio (Belize), Jorge Garbajosa (Spain), and Maciej Lampe (Poland).

The ULEB Eurocup is a tournament in which the winners of the competition are invited to participate in the Euroleague, the highest tier of European basketball.

Links and Resources: Discuss: Eurocup final: Lietuvos Rytas vs Khimki (Interbasket Forum), Lietuvos Rytas 80-74 BC Khimki Game Recap (Euro Cup Basketball), Lietuvos Rytas Eurocup Team Page (Euro Cup Basketball), Carlos Delfino returing to the NBA? (Interbasket)