MALAGA (Spain) - If opening day of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 is a sign of things to come ... we will certainly have some fun in Malaga. Lithuania closed off Saturday's action with a thrilling comeback victory over hosts Spain;  Slovenia made history; France turned the tables on Serbia and Australia faced a struggled but prevailed.

Lithuania say good night to hosts Spain

 
Lithuania proved to be unruly guests on opening day of the U17 World Cup with a 71-68 victory over hosts Spain to take command of Group B in the last game of the night.

Five days after losing 80-49 to Spain in a friendly, Lithuania shrugged off a 14-point third quarter deficit by scoring the next 17 points. Lithuania fended off every Spain attack the rest of the way with Justas Stonkus converting all four free throws in the final 10.4 seconds to secure the win.

"It's a big win for us because we played a friendly game against them a couple days ago and we lost by 30 points. It's a very big win for us and I am very proud of my players," said Lithuania coach Remigijus Bardauskas.

Stonkus finished with 24 points, Petras Padegimas had 12 points and Aleksas Bieliauskas chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Baltic side. Aday Mara paced Spain with 15 points while Izan Almansa and Sergio De Larrea both scored 13 points in the loss.

Spain do not have good history with Lithuania at the U17 World Cup at home as Spain were beaten by Lithuania in the third place game of the 2016 U17 World Cup in Zaragoza.

Vide fantastic for historic Slovenia

Let's move to U17 World Cup history ... debutant Slovenia defeated Mali 65-56 for their first victory in the competition - in their first-ever game. Jan Vide torched the Africans for 31 points and talked about the special moment ... even giving a call over to Luka Doncic and the senior national team.

"It feels amazing. We knew it would be a tough game. The first half we thought it was going to be easier but we fought until the end. It’s an amazing feeling to win the first game in our first game," said Vide, who also had 10 points, 2 assists and 3 steals. "I hope (Doncic and co.) are watching it ... they for sure support us."

France sleep through opening bell, roll to win

Noah Penda led the way

France looked early on like they would be the first favorite to tumble, but after sleeping through the opening bell woke up in plenty of time to collect a surprisingly safe 81-68 win against Serbia. France fell behind 13-2 and trailed 26-13 after 10 minutes. Les Bleus responded with a 14-2 run in the second quarter and added a 15-1 surge in the third quarter to open a 14 point lead and decide the game. Noah Penda led the way with 13 points.

In Rocco Australia trust

Two-time runners-up Australia needed a 14-1 run in the final 5 minutes to finally put Poland away for an 85-68 victory in Group C. Rocco Zikarsky led the Oceania powerhouse with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks while Joshua Dent chipped in 9 points, 10 rebound and 7 assists.

About Zikarsky, Australian head coach Justin Schueller said: "He was outstanding from the start and set the tone. He made them really have to have a plan against him. I think his efforts on the glass were really the point of difference early on. Great job by him. We were able to go a little smaller and manage the game late. But he’s definitely going to have a big impact on this tournament."

USA, Canada roll

The two FIBA Americas powers United States and Canada both rolled to opening day wins over teams from FIBA Asia.

 
The five-time undefeated champions United States scored the first 13 points and never looked back in a 120-44 blowout of Lebanon.  Ian Jackson and David Castillo both picked up 21 points to lead six players in double figures.

Canada showed they can dominate as well in a comfortable 94-46 win over New Zealand with Ishan Sharma scoring 16 points and Christian Nitu tallying 14 points to pace four Canadians in double figures.

Top Highlight of Day One 

Well, if you are named Shortt and you dunk on a guy 7-foot-6 tall, you should deserve the Top Highlight.

Picture of the day

The headline says it all - Canada's Christian Nitu wowed even our photographer, who snapped this great shot.

Other results

Argentina beat Egypt 59-50
Dominican Republic eased past Japan 81-69.

FIBA