CHEMNITZ (FIBA U20 European Championship 2018) – Ukraine started the FIBA U20 European Championship 2018 in Chemnitz with a sensational win over Spain, Richard Freudenberg's game-winner saw Germany defeat Israel, while Lithuania averted disaster against Montenegro in overtime after wasting a 26-point lead on the opening day of the tournament.

The Vadym Pudzyrei-coached Ukrainians got the ball rolling in Group B with an 82-79 win over the powerful Spanish side, with Illia Niemtsu and Illya Tyrtyshnyk leading the way with 17 points apiece.

Aleix Font had a great individual performance for the Spaniards with a game-high of 28 points, but it wasn't enough to hold off an inspired team effort by Ukraine.

Illia Niemtsu netted 17 points, as Ukraine shocked Spain

"This is only the first step, but we have big plans," Ukraine forward Niemtsu told FIBA.basketball after the huge win. "We know that we're the underdogs, but we have big ambitions and we're going to try to play even better and win more."

In the other game of the group, Croatia outlasted France 68-58 in a defense-first contest, as Mateo Colak netted a team-high 14 points and Mate Kalajzic chipped in with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Elsewhere, Richard Freudenberg got Germany on the right track in Group C, burying a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds of the game to give the tournament hosts a 60-59 victory.

Richard Freuenberg knocked down the biggest shot of the day

"You dream of such a shot all the time. To make it here at a European Championship at home, is something special. We have to try and tick this game off now, and focus on tomorrow's game against Greece," commented Germany's game hero following the win.

Filip Stanic had a team-high 12 points for the home side, while Nelson Weidemann and Freudenberg chipped in with 11 and 9 points, respectively. Michael Mor Brisker had 13 points for Israel.

In the other Group C game, Greece steamrolled Romania 92-62, with point guard Dimitris Moraitis putting together a solid 16-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist and 3-steal game in just under 23 minutes of playing time.

Meanwhile, Lithuania were on the brink of letting a 26-point disappear into thin air in a Group A fixture against Montenegro, ultimately prevailing 94-82 in overtime after their opponents ran out of steam.

Milos Popovic nearly helped Montenegro pull off a 26-point turnaround

Gytis Masiulis double-doubled with 21 points and 15 rebounds, but could not stop Milos Popovic on the other end, with the Montenegrin captain commandeering the comeback with 27 points, 16 boards and 4 assists.

Turkey had no massive turnarounds to worry about against Great Britain, registering a 76-62 victory in the other Group A game, as Muhaymin Mustafa and Berke Atar collected 20 and 14 points, respectively.

Lastly, Italy and Serbia picked up easy double-digit wins in Group D, defeating Nordic teams Sweden and Iceland, respectively. Led by Alessandro Lever's 27-point effort, Italy inscribed an 85-71 win over Sweden, while Serbia topped Iceland 107-60 with 10 different players scoring at least 9 points.

FIBA