result. Rytas lost to Žalgiris in Kaunas 72–57 and the series was tied at 1–1. The third crucial game was played in Vilnius, however it was unsuccessful for the home team. Despite having multiple leads, Rytas lost 73–71 to Žalgiris Kaunas and did not qualify to the LKL Finals for the second time in club history = Žalgiris won the series 2–1. Team captain Steponas Babrauskas described it as a "tragedy". Moreover, one of team leaders Renaldas Seibutis injured his eye after contact with Vytenis Lipkevičius and required surgery causing him to miss the rest of the season. The disastrous season continued for Rytas in the VTB playoffs. After defeating Triumph Lyubertsy 3–0 in the first round, Rytas lost to Nizhny Novgorod 1–3 in the semifinals, losing a chance to play in the 2014–15 EuroLeague season. Rytas finished in third place in the LKL, winning the series against TonyBet Prienai 3–0 and winning the bronze medal. This was the team's worst season since 1998–99. Tough years in EuroCup and LKL (2014–2017) 2014–15: Return to EuroCup After an unsuccessful LKL season the previous year, taking only third place, Rytas lost any chance of qualifying for the EuroLeague that year. The team was not invited to the qualifying tournament as before and had to return to the second-tier European league EuroCup. As a result, the club made changes. Firstly, the club's biggest stars Renaldas Seibutis, Omar Cook and Darius Songaila left the team. Secondly, the team played most of its games in the newly reconstructed Lietuvos rytas Arena instead of the Siemens Arena. Thirdly, Rytas withdrew from the Russian VTB League. Virginijus Šeškus, a former multiple LKL bronze medalist with Prienai, was signed as head coach of the team, along with his past team members Artūras Valeika and Mindaugas Lukauskis, who played six seasons in Rytas previously. Club owner Gedvydas Vainauskas said shortly afterward that the enthusiastic Šeškus reminds him of former team coach Rimas Kurtinaitis, who led Rytas to its biggest victories in club history. Lithuania national team member Adas Juškevičius and former NBA player Travis Leslie were signed as well. On 15 October 2014, Rytas started the EuroCup season by a 92–65 victory over Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade. They finished first round with an 8–2 record and took first place in the group. On 16 December, the team roster was strengthened with addition of Kšyštof Lavrinovič, who signed a two-year