MONS (Belgium) - Belgium made a statement on the opening gameday of FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers action with a dominant 86-65 win over Baltic powerhouse Lithuania.

The hosts ran riot in the third quarter as they threatened to inflict a huge defeat on Lithuania, who salvaged some pride with 34 points in the fourth to reduce their arrears.

Turning Point: The contest was evenly poised at 11-7 after the first five minutes. After the next five, Belgium had opened up a 14-point advantage and never looked back. Their advantage peaking at 37 points at 68-31 by the end of the third quarter.

Game Hero: Retin Obasohan played a major role off the bench with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting as well as adding 3 assists and 3 steals as Belgium were able to spread out the minutes.

Stats Don't Lie: Lithuania were held to 31 points through the opening 30 minutes with their fourth quarter 34-point blitz coming too late.

Bottom Line: A great start for Belgium with a statement made and they will be looking to make it 2-0 when they visit Denmark on Monday. As for Lithuania, there will be expectations to avoid a similar performance in front of their home faithful in Vilnius - taking on Czech Republic.

FIBA