Lithuania comfortably defeated Greece with a score of 92-67, securing their place in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup.
The start of the game favored the Lithuanians, who imposed their trademark tough defense, allowing only two points in the first three minutes. They capitalized on this with a nine-point lead, but Greece responded at the end of the quarter, leveling the score. It seemed that the Greeks were the better team from that point onward and were close to establishing a double-digit lead, but then Lithuania made another surge.
This momentum carried into the third quarter, where the game was played in series for a while until Donatas Motiejunas hit a three-pointer to give Lithuania a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Baltic team opened the fourth quarter in a similar fashion and at one point had a 10-point lead from beyond the arc. They continued in the same rhythm throughout the remainder of the game, breaking the opponent’s resistance with their defense and securing a calm finish to reach the top eight.
The top scorers for the winning team were Rokas Jokubaitis with 19 points, and Ignas Brazdeikis added 18. For the Greek team, Thomas Walkup with 21 points and Giannoulis Larentzakis with 17 points were the standout performers.
Lithuania will face the United States in the next round to determine the first place in the group, while Greece will play against Montenegro.
๐ฑ๐น Quarter-finals bound ๐ฑ๐น
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) September 1, 2023
Lithuania keep going full steam ahead ๐ and rout Greece with a HUGE fourth quarter!#FIBAWC x #WinForLietuva
First half
Lithuania entered this game as the favorite, but Greece is by no means an easy opponent, especially when they threaten from unexpected sources. This was evident to the team led by Kazys Maksvytis at the beginning of the game. Perhaps a tougher game was expected, given the respective team concepts of both sides, but it was somewhat lacking. Neither team imposed their rhythm, even though Lithuania threatened to do so when they took a 9-2 lead. However, the Greeks bounced back and restored balance.
The second quarter brought a much better performance from the Greeks, especially from the former Partizan player Ioannis Papapetrou. He scored from all positions, put together five points, and was primarily responsible for Greece coming close to a double-digit lead. The roles from the first half reversed, with Lithuania now finishing the period better.
Second half
Lithuania opened the second half with a 12-3 run. Their shooting improved, making everything easier for them. Greece managed to respond through Thomas Walkup and Dimitris Moraitis, leveling the score, but they didn’t have the strength for a second push. The decisive move came through Donatas Motiejunas, who hit a precise shot to give his team a six-point lead, the margin they held onto for the last 10 minutes.
The mentioned sequence by Moraitis was the last effort Greece had in them to disrupt their opponent. Lithuania started the fourth quarter with three-pointers, dominated inside, and played strong defense. When you add it all up, the result was a routine victory for Maksvytis’ team, securing a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
LITHUANIA โ GREECE 92:67 (20:20, 19:23, 25:15, 28:9)
Arena: Mall of Asia arena, Manila;
Referees: Baki, Kozlovskis, Mazzoni.
Lithuania:ย Dimsa 6, Jokubaitis 19, Kuzminskas 5, Sedekerskis, Valanciunas 15, Bendzius 15, Brazdeikis 18, Karinauskas, Maldunas, Motiejunas 8, Normantas 3, Sirvydis 3.
Greece: T. Antetokounmpo 2, Bochoridis, Chatzidakis, Larentzakis 17, Lountzis 2, Moraitis 5, Papagiannis 4, Papanikolaou, Rogkavopoulos 7, Walkup 21, Papapetrou 9.