On March 31st, at the Klaipėda “Švyturys” Arena, Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) basketball team will seek to reinforce its status as the strongest team in the Lithuanian Student Basketball League (LSKL). In this final, VDU will face the Vilnius University (VU) team, which has reached the decisive LSKL stage for the first time.
This is not only a fight for VDU’s 20th title in LSKL history but also an opportunity to extend an impressive dominance – the team has the chance to win the championship for the tenth time in a row.
Semifinal barrier: dominance in Kaunas and an unexpected loss in Klaipėda
The road to the final was not without challenges. In the semifinals, VDU basketball players faced the Klaipėda University (KU) team. The first match in Kaunas became a true demonstration of VDU – the victory was achieved with a margin of 51 points (136:85). However, in the second game in Klaipėda, the situation changed – KU managed to take revenge and secured a victory with a score of 103:89.
Nevertheless, the overall result of the two games (VDU won by a margin of 37 points) meant that the Kaunas team advanced to the grand final. After the semifinal matches, VDU coach Arūnas Juknevičius admitted that in the second game, his players were not fully focused:
“When after the first semifinal game we had a 50-point lead, how can you make the players work on defense? We just enjoyed basketball, that’s all. We understood that the ticket to the final was already in our hands, so we didn’t push ourselves.”
Despite this, the KU team demonstrated that even with only six players, they can challenge the LSKL giants. Klaipėda’s leaders Kristupas Leščiauskas (33 points), Lukas Polekauskas (27 points, 14 rebounds), and Tomas Zelenskij (17 points, 10 rebounds) added intrigue to the game. However, VDU player Titas Januševičius, scoring 28 points, ensured that the Kaunas team did not lose the opportunity to fight for yet another championship title.
The final challenge: VDU vs. VU – a new history in LSKL
VDU has been dominating Lithuanian student basketball for more than two decades, but this year’s final opponent is new. The Vilnius University team has reached the LSKL final for the first time, so it is no surprise that this game is generating significant interest.
The grand final will take place on March 31st at 19:30 at the Klaipėda “Švyturys” Arena. Before that, at 17:00, the bronze medal match will take place, where Klaipėda University and Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) will compete.
During the event, spectators can expect not only high-level basketball but also a show program, prizes, and other entertainment.
Will VDU manage to extend its championship streak and achieve a historic 20th LSKL title? The answer will be revealed soon – the grand final is approaching!
