Rytas holds on at home vs. winless Turin
Rytas Vilnius stood down a comeback attempt by Fiat Turin to win 86-79 at home in the Lithuanian capital on Wednesday, ending a two-game losing streak in Group D. Rytas evened its record at 2-2 while Turin, again without head coach Larry Brown on the bench, remains winless.
Dominique Sutton's double-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds sparked the winners, while five of his teammates -- Deividas Sirvydis, Manny Harris, D.J. Seeley, Martynas Echodas and Evaldas Kairys -- scored 10 each. Tony Carr, with 20 points, led Fiat's comeback from 17 down in the third quarter to within 80-77 late. Tyshawn Taylor added 19 and James McAdoo 12.
Kairys started strong and Sutton added a triple as Rytas shot in front 9-4 on the way to a double-digit lead. It was all Fiat could do to keep it to 22-12 after one quarter but soon after, McAdoo, Carlos Delfino and Jamiel Wilson cut the difference to 32-27. Sirvydis answered quickly, however, and the hosts held onto a 44-34 edge at the half. Sutton and Kairys were joined in dominating under the rims by Echodas to boost the lead to 58-41.
Carr and Victor Rudd lowered the difference in a 0-12 run late in the third. Early in the fourth, Carr's three-point play made it 62-58. Giuseppe Poeta hit a tough layup to keep Fiat within 70-65 with 5 minutes left. Sutton, inside and out, restored a double-digit lead, 77-67, but only momentarily. Taylor scored 5 points to cut the difference again to 80-77 entering the final minute. Sutton's free throws, a big block by Kairys and D.J. Seeley's layup ended the threat to the delight of the home crowd.