TAMPERE (Finland) - Lithuania began their FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Group B campaign with a 94-70 win over a gutsy Great Britain side at the Tampere Deck Arena on Wednesday.
In a nervy curtain-raiser, Lithuania pulled clear late on to create breathing space to get their EuroBasket adventure off to a good start, led by Jonas Valanciunas, who had a near double-double of 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Turning Point
Lithuania recovered from a 5-0 deficit early to race away with a 12-0 run in the early stages of the first quarter, which soon became a double-digit cushion within the first possessions of the following period. To Great Britain's credit, they reduced the deficit late in the second quarter to keep the game interesting going into the break.
However, that was as good as it got for GB, as Rokas Jokubaitis drilled Lithuania's first triple, two minutes into the third, which highlighted a 15-2 burst that put the Baltic nation 58-38 ahead, a lead they comfortably held on to.
TCL Player of the Game
Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 18 points and 9 rebounds, shooting an impressive 7-for-13 from the floor as Great Britain could not contain him under the basket.
Jokubaitis supported with 12 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, while Azuolas Tubelis had 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. For GB, Akwasi Yeboah was their standout with a team-high 17 points in defeat.
Stats Don't Lie
Despite having to wait until the early stages of the third quarter to hit their first three-pointer, Lithuania got the job done inside the paint, collecting 13 offensive rebounds and scoring six second-chance points in the first half.
Lithuania certainly took advantage of its superior height to keep ahead, shooting 50 percent from the field.
Despite providing highlights, Great Britain's size hampered them throughout, especially in the absence of big man Gabe Olaseni. They were out-rebounded 57-31.
Bottom Line
It wasn't as convincing as they would have liked, but Lithuania is off to a winning start in Tampere. They shot a convincing 50 percent from the floor, despite struggling from three-point range, where they missed their first ten attempts and went 2-for-19 overall, going 65 percent from two-point range.
Great Britain's overall performance gives them hope for improved performances moving forward. However, they will want to improve their field goal percentage, going shooting 33 percent from the floor.
They Said
"Our numbers are not so good to how we are usually, because we missed a lot of three pointers, missed a lot of free throws, but we understand it's the first game and everyone is a little bit nervous, but we played good defense, we had a good fast break, and it's a good result for us." - Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuania head coach.
"I played good offensively, but it doesn't matter, i still struggled a couple of times, defensively, I need to be better for that. A few 50-50 decisions not to risk it, maybe just swing it. But overall, it's a good way to start, and most importantly, with a win." - Lithuania's Azuolas Tubelis.
"I thought certain moments in the game, their experience was the difference at times. I'm really proud of how we competed, how we achieved certain areas that we wanted to. I appreciate that it's a 24-point loss, but there are some areas that we knew we had to try and clean up; we can't give a team 23 offensive rebounds and let them go to the line 36 times, that's a challenge for any team at any level." - Marc Steutel, Great Britain head coach.
"Solid first half from us, but we have to be more consistent putting together performances for the full 40 minutes. We know the calibre of opponents that we've got and when we give a team 23 offensive rebounds, it's always going to be tough to win any game." - Great Britain's Carl Wheatle.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA