TAMPERE (Finland) - Hosts Finland were made to work hard, but eventually got over the line to beat Sweden 93-90 in front of 11,865 fans in Tampere.
They had the star power of Lauri Markkanen with a team-high 28 points, but also a pivotal contribution from 18-year-old Miikka Muurinen down the stretch as the game went down to the wire.
Turning Point
Both teams matched each other, blow for blow and bucket for bucket, in a fiercely intense battle. Sweden edged ahead at 75-72 in the fourth, but Finland responded, thanks to consecutive scores from teenager Muurinen.
A triple from the wing by Mikael Jantunen handed the hosts an 86-81 advantage with 3:31 left. However, Sweden, didn't give up the fight and twice closed the gap to a single point, only for Finland to hold their nerve from the free throw line to close out the game.
TCL Player of the Game
When Finland needed their star man, he delivered. Lauri Markkanen scored the majority of his first-half points at the free-throw line, as Sweden made life as difficult as they could.
Then an emphatic dunk to start the third gave his nation the needed boost, and despite more pressure from their neighbors in yellow, Markkanen helped Finland through the storm to lead all scorers with 28 points.
Edon Maxhuni added 15 points for the victors in what was a physical first test with Sasu Salin adding 11 points to 7 assists. Ludvig Hakanson led Sweden with 28 points including six triples.
Stats Don't Lie
In a pulsating encounter that featured 20 lead changes, the most significant lead of the game was eight points, which Finland established in the first quarter, leading 21-13 with two minutes to play.
Despite Sweden shooting the ball better than their counterparts at an impressive 63 percent, they were let down by their free throw shooting with eight misses from 17 attempts.
Bottom Line
The hosts passed their first test on home court. They will face off against Great Britain on Friday, looking to improve to 2-0 against a spirited GB side that is looking to bounce back. Sweden's next test will come against the world champions, Germany, who dominated their opener against Montenegro.
They Said
"We can do much better, but on the other hand, this is a typical EuroBasket opening game. We think about our past tournaments, I am very proud of our spirit, and we finally got our first victory," - Lassi Tuovi, Finland head coach.
"Always the first games are a little bit tough in tournaments, we can learn a lot, and until the next game, we will prepare differently and be ready," - Edon Maxhuni.
"I'm very proud of how we approached the game, and there were a lot of ups and downs, and it was a difficult place to play for us. We kept believing in what we do and the plan we made, and the guys were playing for each other, with 25 assists split between many guys. I'm also bitter that we put together a performance that's good enough to win at this level but still can't get the result," - Mikko Riipinen, Sweden head coach.
"Happy that we fought from the first minute to the last minute, but our execution and some small details in the end of the game wasn't enough," - Viktor Geddefors, Sweden.
For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!
FIBA