Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius (16-14) suffered yet another frustrating loss in the Betsafe-LKL. The team was edged out on the road by Uniclub Bet-Juventus Utena (13-17), who secured a 94:86 (27:23, 27:24, 23:21, 17:18) victory on their home court.

This win was especially important for Uniclub Bet-Juventus, currently in sixth place, as they are battling for position with "Šiauliai-Casino Admiral" (13-17). Meanwhile, the Wolves continue to trail third-placed CBet Jonava (17-13) in the standings.

In previous matchups this season, the Wolves had won twice, while Uniclub Bet-Juventus had one win.

The hosts started the game stronger, jumping out to an 11:6 lead. However, Anthony Cowan and Marek Blaževič quickly tied it at 11:11. Laurynas Beliauskas helped Utena regain the lead at 19:12, though it didn’t last long – Blaževič gave the Wolves a short-lived edge at 22:21.

By the end of the first quarter, the hosts held a slim lead (27:23), which gradually grew into double digits (41:30). The Wolves tried to close the gap (40:44), but couldn’t fully recover – trailing 47:54 at halftime.

Utena tightened their grip on the game in the third quarter as Evaldas Šaulys and Justinas Ramanauskas restored a solid lead at 65:54. Laurynas Beliauskas continued to be a driving force, converting multiple possessions and drawing fouls while attacking both from long range and close in. Thanks to his efforts, Uniclub Bet-Juventus extended their advantage to 74:59.

However, the Wolves ended the third quarter with a 7–0 run that injected new energy into the team, trimming the deficit to 68:77. The momentum carried into the fourth quarter – Regimantas Miniotas hit a three-pointer to bring the Wolves within 8 points (74:82), and soon after, Kristupas Žemaitis and Marek Blaževič took advantage of their chances to close the gap even further (84:86).

With just under two and a half minutes left, Beliauskas scored a two-pointer while Žemaitis missed on the other end. Utena edged closer to victory (89:84), and Dominick Green’s free throws nearly sealed it at 92:86. Blaževič did not finish the game after being assessed both a technical and an unsportsmanlike foul.

The Wolves were already without Vaidas Kariniauskas and also lost Jeffery Taylor in the second quarter after he received two technical fouls in quick succession. Technical fouls were also issued to Šarūnas Beniušis and head coach Alessandro Magro.

Utena played without the injured Tookie Brown and long-absent Žygimantas Skučas.

Wolves Twinsbet: Marek Blaževič 24 pts (5 reb), Andrew Andrews 17, Kristupas Žemaitis 15, Anthony Cowan 11 (7 ast), Regimantas Miniotas 7 (10 reb), Tre’Shawn Thurman and Jeffery Taylor 5 each, Garrison Brooks 2. Arnoldas Kulboka did not score. Justinas Marcinkevičius did not play (coach’s decision).

Uniclub Bet-Juventus: Laurynas Beliauskas 21, Dominick Green 17, Sukhmail Mathon 13 (9 reb).

(Photo by Rokas Lukoševičius / LKL)