Group B: Lithuania land first win in 10 years; Zandalasini delivers for Italy

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BOLOGNA (Italy) - There was joy for Lithuania as they celebrated being back at FIBA Women's EuroBasket for the first time since 2015 with an exciting triumph against Slovenia in their opener, while Italy won a dramatic encounter against Serbia. Lithuania leaned on their exceptional teamwork and defense to get it done - despite a monumental double-double from Jessica Shepard for Slovenia. Meanwhile Italy blew a 15-point lead but recovered to get over the finish line thanks to the brilliance of Cecilia Zandalasini.

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Lithuania light it up on their return to sink Slovenia

There was a lot to love for Lithuania as they beat Slovenia 77-71 to get off to the perfect start with a strong team performance built around some eye-catching defense. Racing their way into a double-digit lead after some nice early work by teenager Juste Jocyte, they were on the front foot for much of the contest.

Then when put under pressure from a Slovenian fight-back, they held firm - helped by a big go-ahead three ball with just over a minute remaining from Brigita Sinickaite that settled the nerves. Jocyte led the way with 17 points and 6 assists, supported by 15 points from Egle Sventoraite.

Meanwhile Shepard claimed a stellar 25 points and 17 boards for Slovenia.

Zandalasini inspires Italy in roller-coaster success

A combination of headline work from leader Cecilia Zandalasini and big plays from Lorela Cubaj and Stefania Trimboli during crunch time got the job done 70-61 for Italy against Serbia. They looked to be coasting to victory heading into the last period, but a 14-2 start to the fourth quarter by Serbia put the result back in the balance.

To the relief of the Italian fans, their team dug deep and made some clutch plays. A big 'And-1' by Cubaj was followed by a superb three-point shot from Trimboli, with Zandalasini also then making a huge triple in the last minute to wrap things up. She finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, with Jovana Nogic impressing in defeat with 19 points for Serbia to register her highest ever total in the competition.

FIBA