Photos: Aija Valtmane
Danguole Pupkevičiūte scored 13 points and forced four fouls in the fourth quarter to lead short handed Šiauliai Vilmers past TTT Rīga 76-72 on Sunday, November 13, at the historic Daugava sports hall in Rīga, Latvia.
Players of the game
Rūta Stiprā was fouled out with 06:03 to go, while Morgan Lenahan left the court after a technical foul with 04:22 to go.
Šiauliai was down by four points 63-67 and with five active players left.
This was the time when Danguole Pupkevičiūte took over.
Guard dished out two assists to Kamile Berenyte and Iryna Savchuk – both made three point shots for a 69-67 lead.
Pupkevičiūte forced three fouls and scored seven points in the last 100 seconds to seal the win.
Šiauliai point guard scored 13 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter.
A 2022 European junior champion added seven rebounds and five assists in her most memorable performance to date.
Pupkevičiūte had one steal, one blocked shot and seven forced fouls for a efficiency rating of 16.
Rūta Stiprā carried Šiauliai throughout the game.
Latvian power forward scored 27 of the team`s first 63 points.
Stiprā – literally the strong one – grabbed six rebounds and forced 10 fouls for a game high efficiency rating of 27.
Kamile Berenyte had nine points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Morgan Lenahan (Wagner College) jumped in with seven points, six rebounds and six assists.
Iryna Savchuk and Brigita Rimkevičiūte scored nine and seven points respectively.
Kate Vilka (Krēsliņa) led TTT with a game high 31 points.
Shooting guard connected 11 of 22 field goal attempts and 6-of-10 free throws.
Vilka had one assist, one steal, +/- ratio 3 and six forced fouls for a team high efficiency rating of 16.
It was her third game after maternity leave – and with a full family in the stands.
Marta Miščenko scored 13 points before she was fouled out.
Center added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and three forced fouls for a efficiency rating of 15.
Estere Petrus and Katrīna Trankale scored nine points each.
Key stats
Šiauliai players made 10 three pointers for a second day in a row – including a 7-of-15 show in the first half.
The Sun City won the battle of rebounds 42-31 and scored more second chance points 15-10.
Šiauliai extended its lead up to nine points midway the third quarter 53-44.
TTT finished the third quarter with a 0-9 run to retake the lead 55-57.
Pupkevičiūte opened the final frame with six straight points.
Trankale tied the game at 59 and Vilka at 61.
Stiprā scored second chance points for another lead but Miščenko tied the game again.
Vilka made a three pointer and added a free throw after Lenahan got a technical foul and left the court.
Pupkevičiūte scored or assisted for 19-of-21 Šiauliai points in the fourth quarter.
It was a maiden win for Romualdas Petronis and his team.
Game notes
Šiauliai lost center Enrika Matiukaite due to injury.
TTT played without two starters – Dominika Paliulyte was injured on November 5 and Gunta Baško on November 11.
Danguole Pupkevičiūte and Brigita Rimkevičiūte won the 2022 European U18 championship in Heraklion, Greece.
Three teams finished the Rīga stage with a 1-1 record.
SBŠ Ostrava took the first place thanks to a +14 ratio.
TTT Rīga followed with +3, while Šiauliai had -17.
Standings, as of November 13, 2022
SKK Polonia Warszawa 3-0 (+26)
Levharti Chomutov 2-1 (+29)
Neptūnas Klaipeda 1-2 (+1)
SBŠ Ostrava 1-1 (+14)
TTT Rīga 1-1 (+3)
Šiauliai Vilmers 1-1 (-17)
Rīga Stradiņš University 0-3 (-56)
Frankivsk Prikarpattya 0-0
Tie-breaker: SBŠ Ostrava 1-1, +14; TTT Rīga 1-1, +3; Šiauliai Vilmers 1-1, -17.
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