G League United came through against Rytas 89-86 in the Intercontinental Cup on Saturday evening. The visitors held on for a narrow victory after a competitive contest where momentum shifted several times. By then, the home side had built enough of a lead to feel comfortable, but G League United refused to let it slip away.
Rytas started brightly, finding their rhythm early. They finished with 30 successful field goals from 63 attempts and hit seven three-pointers from 22 attempts. Their ball movement was sharp — 18 assists compared to just seven for the visitors. Things came to a head in the second half when G League United tightened up defensively.
The visitors relied on volume rather than efficiency. They attempted 70 field goals and made 31, while their three-point shooting was modest at six from 27. What they lacked in accuracy they made up for in aggression. Nine steals against Rytas's four showed they were looking to create opportunities from mistakes. They also limited their own turnovers to just five, compared to 13 for the hosts.
We had called for a G League United win, with 52 per cent confidence. The result proved that assessment right. They had been through tougher fixtures recently — a 114-95 win over the Tigers and an 119-89 victory against Beijing Royal Fighters — and carried that confidence into this game. The deeper squad made the difference when Rytas tired.
On the boards, Rytas dominated with 37 rebounds to 32, including nine offensive rebounds. That should have given them more second-chance opportunities, but G League United's 25 defensive rebounds kept things manageable. Free-throw shooting told another story: the visitors converted 21 of 28 attempts while Rytas managed only 19 of 31.
G League United now sit top of the table with two wins from two matches. The gap is still small in a tournament this early, but winning away against a side that had beaten Shanghai 107-66 just three days earlier carries weight. Rytas's run of form continues, but this was a reminder that consistency matters more than any single performance.
