In their preparations for the upcoming FIBA World Cup, Lithuania secured a victory against the Puerto Rican national team with a final score of 93:80.
The first quarter saw a closely contested battle between the two teams. Puerto Rico even held a slight advantage initially, but Lithuania swiftly turned the momentum in their favor.
The Lithuanians picked up the pace in the second quarter, heading into halftime with an 11-point lead, fueled by a 9-point run just before the break.
Jonas Valanciunas-led Lithuania beat Puerto Rico #JonasValanciunas https://t.co/Bq9SQt0Tpy
— TalkBasket (@TalkBasket) August 19, 2023
Both teams maintained a strong rhythm in the second half. Despite Puerto Rico’s attempts to narrow the point gap, their efforts fell short. The players from the Baltic nation remained focused until the very end.
The final quarter was a back-and-forth battle, and this consistency allowed Lithuania to maintain a stable lead. In the end, they triumphed with a 13-point difference.
The standout performer among Coach Kazys Maksvytis’s selections was the dominant Jonas Valančiunas, who achieved a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He was closely followed by Rokas Jokubaitis, who contributed 14 points. Puerto Rico’s top scorer was Jordan Howard, who finished the match with 18 points.
Lithuania’s opponents in the World Cup include Egypt, Mexico, and Montenegro, while Puerto Rico will face Serbia, South Sudan, and China. The FIBA World Cup is scheduled from August 25th to September 10th, taking place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. As both teams fine-tune their strategies and lineups in these warm-up matches, anticipation grows for the exciting basketball showdown on the global stage.