Guard Simonas Lukosius (23 points, 7/10 from three-point range) emerged as the hero, leading Rytas Vilnius to their first Basketball Champions League (BCL) title with a memorable 86-92 comeback victory over AEK Athens, who had once led by 20 points.
The Baltic side, trailing 55-35 in the third quarter (minute 26), forced overtime with three nearly consecutive three-pointers from the game’s standout performer. The 43 combined points from James Nunnally (23) and Frank Bartley (20) were not enough for the Greek team to secure a final they had dominated for three quarters (63-45).
AEK started the match at full throttle, and a three-pointer from Vassilis Charalampopoulos prompted a Lithuanian timeout just four minutes in (10-4, min. 4). Rytas improved their shooting, but the physical display from Dragan Sakota’s squad allowed Athens to keep the lead (17-10, min. 8).
The Greek side controlled the game with authority through the first three quarters. They looked to extend their advantage at the Olímpic in Badalona, but a buzzer-beating three from Simonas Lukosius set the score at 25-15 after the first quarter. The situation remained unchanged early in the second period, as AEK continued their dominance, this time fueled by James Nunnally, who became a constant headache for the Baltic defense (34-19, min. 13).
From that point, both teams made numerous errors on mid-range and long-distance shots, keeping Rytas alive (37-25, min. 17). In the final stretch of the first half, with Nunnally again leading the charge, AEK reached their game-high lead, going into halftime up 42-25—seemingly putting the final within reach for the Greeks. The 17-point halftime advantage was the largest in this part of the game in BCL history.
After the break, two consecutive three-pointers from Speedy Smith brought Rytas closer, though the gap remained significant (44-31, min. 23). The response proved short-lived, as AEK surged ahead once more behind an unstoppable Nunnally, who continued scoring in every fashion, much to the dismay of Giedrius Zibenas’ squad (55-35, min. 26).
Late in the third quarter, the Greeks maintained their level despite repeated Lithuanian attempts to rally, and the score stood at 63-45 heading into the final ten minutes—a seemingly insurmountable lead. But just when all appeared decided, Jerrick Harding sparked Rytas, cutting the deficit to just 12 points with nearly the entire fourth quarter remaining (65-53, min. 32).
That was when the Baltic team began to believe in the impossible. With three minutes left, a three-pointer from Lukosius brought them within five points, sending the Rytas fans at the Olímpic into a frenzy (75-70, min. 37). AEK had multiple opportunities to seal the win but squandered them. Lukosius then hit two more threes to tie the game at 80-80 with 19 seconds remaining. Lekavicius had a chance to win it for the Greeks but missed, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra period, Rytas carried forward their momentum and…
