Lithuania started EuroBasket 2011 with a difficult 80-69 victory against
Great Britain. The tournament hosts really struggled to break away from the
opponents and a 5-point third quarter had left many fearing for the worst.
Team GB started the game with two three-pointers, but it was Lithuania, who
were shooting the ball better from downtown, hitting 10-of-17 long range
attempts on the night.
Lithuania had a 49-39 lead at halftime, but managed to score only five points
in the entire third period, while Britain scored 18 themselves to take over the
initiative of the game.
It was three-pointers that allowed Lithuania to bounce back and re-take the
lead. This time, not letting a double-digit advantage to melt.
Rimantas Kaukenas led Lithuania with 16 points, Sarunas Jasikevicius added
13, while Ksystof Lavrinovic collected 12 points. Simas Jasaits finished with
11, Mantas Kalnietis had 7 points and 5 assists while Martynas Pocius chipped
in with 6.
Luol Deng had a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds for Great
Britain, Daniel Clark scored 15 points, while Joel Freeland finished the game
with 14 points.
