Lundberg, Denmark shock Lithuania in Vilnius

VILNIUS (Lithuania) - Who's the underdog of the Vilnius bubble now? Denmark grabbed their first win of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers, taking down juggernauts Lithuania in their own backyard with an 80-76 win on Friday.

With this win, Denmark stayed alive in the hunt for the two tickets available from this group, along with the already qualified Czech Republic. Lithuania dropped to 1-2, falling two games behind undefeated Belgium.

Turning Point: It all came down to the last two possessions of the game. Gabriel Lundberg took the responsibility after a Danish timeout, beat Jonas Maciulis one-on-one and finished his off-balance runner to make it 78-76 with 18 ticks on the clock. Lithuania called a timeout of their own, went for a Mantas Kalnietis three-pointer to win it, but it was short. Adama Darboe picked up the loose ball, stayed calm from the line to set the final score.

Game Hero: It's next to impossible to find a game hero not named Gabriel Lundberg when they are winning games. The point guard was unstoppable, finishing with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, while going 9-of-9 from the charity stripe.

Stats Don't Lie: You've got to make your free throws. Lithuania missed eight of them, out of 21 attempted. Denmark was +6 in free throws made, just enough to escape with a win here.

Bottom Line: Denmark, Czech Republic and Lithuania are now in a 1-2 tie in this group, behind the perfect 3-0 Belgium squad. Denmark will play against Czech Republic on Sunday, Lithuania's job isn't getting any easier as they search for their way past the unbeaten Dario Gjergja team.

They Said:

FIBA