KAUNAS (Lithuania) — It’s only August 20, and the crucial games on the road to Qatar in Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers haven’t started yet.
However, we have already witnessed one of the most exciting games in recent memory in a friendly encounter between two Baltic powerhouses. In Kaunas, Estonia won 110-108 thanks to Kristian Kullamae’s clutch two-pointer.
The story of the game
The two teams started the game with opposite approaches: Lithuania tried to take advantage of their inside game thanks to Marek Blazevic’s presence, while Estonia welcomed the Kaunas crowd with a three-point party.
The hosts went on a 16-8 run to close the first quarter up 31-28, and extended their lead to 41-30 with 6:50 on the clock in the second. Lithuania, however, slowly fought back.
Laurynas Beliauskas woke up the Lithuanian offense with a crazy three-pointer with 1:15 to play, but couldn’t convert the ensuing free throw. At halftime, Estonia was leading 50-49.
Entering the second half in Kaunas, both teams continued to go back and forth, definitely not slowing down the pace.
Following circus shots and alley-oop dunks, Maik-Kalev Kotsar had the opportunity to extend Estonia’s lead, but Ązuolas Tubelis blocked him at the end of the third quarter. Heading into the fourth, Estonia led 79-75.
Augustas Marciulionis stepped back for a deep three to tie the game at 83-83 less than four minutes into the fourth, but Kristian Kullamae answered later on with back-to-back shots, continuing his fantastic night from the field.
Without Henri Drell, forced to leave the court for a few minutes, the Estonians found themselves having to contain the hosts’ late push. Matas Jogela converted from deep to put Lithuania up 94-92, but Markus Ilver immediately tied the game with a driving layup. Finally, overtime was needed in Kaunas.
In the ultimate five minutes of the game, Estonia’s fantastic three-point night didn’t end, with Matthias Tass opening from deep. Lithuania found another lead at 100-97 thanks to Justas Furmanavicius. Neither team surrendered, with Artur Konontsuk putting Estonia back in front at 104-102 before Sander Raieste flew in for a one-handed dunk.
Guess what? It didn’t end there, with Dominykas Stenionis scoring a three-pointer to give Lithuania a 107-106 lead with 40 seconds to go. Henri Drell was crucial at the line, while Gytis Radzevicius went 1-of-2: it was tied again at 108-108, with Estonia having the last shot. That’s when Kristian Kullamae won it for the guests. Cold as ice.
The player of the game
It can’t be anybody but Kristian Kullamae. He started the game a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, left the floor for the vast majority of the encounter, and then turned it on in the clutch to silence Zalgirio Arena.
He led his country with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Henri Drell had a huge 29-point outburst, as did Azuolas Tubelis on the losing end.
The stats of the game
The whole Estonian team was on fire from beyond the arc from the very beginning. They finished 11-of-26 (42%), with three players scoring more than 20 points.
The takeaways from the game
Heading to their two final friendly games before the window, against the Arizona Wildcats and the Michigan Wolverines in back-to-back games (August 22 and 23), Lithuania can be satisfied with their reaction following a difficult first quarter. It took a shot like Kullamae’s to bring them down.
Following a 3-3 record in the First Round, Lithuania will now face tough matchups in Group J, taking on Turkiye in Istanbul on August 28 and Bosnia and Herzegovina at home in Vilnius on August 31.
Their Baltic neighbors had the same record in the First Round, qualifying for Group L by carrying three victories into the Second Round. They will face Hungary on the road on August 27 and host Finland in Tallinn on August 30. This victory can give them the right boost heading into these games.
FIBA