rytas won their first two matches against Budućnost Podgorica and Cibona Zagreb, but lost the final game against Galatasaray by a score of 71–63. As a result, Lietuvos rytas had to play at the second-tier European competition, EuroCup. The team, led by Renaldas Seibutis, Jonas Valančiūnas and Tyrese Rice, made it to the quarterfinal round for the fifth time in a row and defeated Donetsk, qualifying to the 2012 Eurocup Basketball Final Four, but lost to Valencia Basket 80–70 in the semifinals. Rytas finished third after a 71–62 win against Spartak St. Petersburg. The team finished third in the regular season round of the VTB United League and qualified for the eighth final. They defeated Nizhny Novgorod and advanced to the quarterfinals where they met Khimki. Khimki were the reigning EuroCup and VTB League champions and were considered heavy favorites but Rytas unexpectedly won the series 2–1. The Final Four tournament was organized at Siemens Arena. After a tense semifinal, Lietuvos rytas lost to CSKA Moscow 79–72, but went on to win third place against Lokomotiv-Kuban 91–83. Despite two third places in international competitions, Rytas lost the LKL final series to Žalgiris Kaunas, with Žalgiris winning 3–0. This was the worst domestic season in the team's history; Rytas lost all six of its matches (five in LKL and the BBL finals) to its rival. Following the conclusion of the season, Tyrese Rice, Lawrence Roberts, Aleksandar Rašić and Jonas Valančiūnas left the team. 2012–13 After losing most of their leaders during the summer, Rytas formed a younger squad. Players like Nemanja Nedović were expected to be the future of the team. However, the season was not very successful. It started with the loss of the Lithuanian Supercup to Žalgiris Kaunas. After struggling in the opening months, Lietuvos rytas released coach Aleksandar Džikić, promoting Darius Maskoliūnas as head coach. Though the game had improved, thanks to Leon Radošević, Renaldas Seibutis and Nemanja Nedović, the EuroLeague season was finished with a 2–8 record. The team did not fare much better in the VTB United League. After Leon Radošević and Predrag Samardžiski were released, Rytas signed Milt Palacio, Tomislav Zubčić and Patrick O'Bryant. The rookies were not much help, however, and Rytas still missed the VTB playoffs, with Donetsk defeating Rytas in the deciding game. Coach Maskoliūnas was fired and replaced by Dirk Bauermann. Rytas began to play much better, and in April scored