Lithuania vs Great Britain

After a high-scoring first quarter that saw both teams trade baskets, Lithuania gradually edged ahead in the second before an 18-0 blitz late in the period effectively settled the tie. The hosts shot efficiently from inside the arc while their big men dominated the boards, and Great Britain never got the margin back to single digits after that decisive run.

Jonas Valančiūnas and Azuolas Tubelis were near-impossible for Great Britain to handle. The pair combined for 41 points on 13-of-18 shooting (72.2%), pulled down 15 rebounds, and dished 8 assists between them — a combined efficiency rating of 58.

Tubelis led Lithuania in scoring with 21 points. Valančiūnas added 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, plus 3 blocks.

Great Britain forward Myles Hesson carried the scoring load for the visitors with a game-high 22 points, but the supporting cast could not keep pace with Lithuania's overwhelming depth and size advantage.

With the game still competitive in the second quarter, Lithuania unleashed an 18-0 run that flipped a narrow lead into a blowout. The sequence was driven by Lithuania's frontcourt: Valančiūnas cleaning the offensive glass for putbacks, Tubelis finishing through contact, and the debutants pushing the pace in transition. Great Britain had no answer for Lithuania's length and simply could not score for a stretch of more than four minutes.

Kasparas Jakucionis — making his senior Lithuania debut — delivered an all-round performance that underlined why the Milwaukee Buck was one of the most anticipated arrivals in the programme. The 19-year-old guard posted 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 28 minutes, with a team-high plus-minus of +35. He controlled the tempo, found cutters and hit timely shots.

Matas Buzelis, the Chicago Bull forward, also debuted and finished with 12 points in 23 minutes. His athleticism was on display in transition, including a lob dunk — part of a sequence the FIBA broadcast described as "a little bit of showtime."

Azuolas Tubelis (21 points) and Jonas Valančiūnas (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) formed an unstoppable frontcourt duo. Between them they shot 13-of-18 from the floor — 72.2% — and their physical presence forced Great Britain to collapse their defence, opening up perimeter looks for Lithuania's guards.

Myles Hesson was the standout for Great Britain with a game-high 22 points, keeping the visitors within reach during stretches. But he lacked sufficient support as GB's offence ran dry against Lithuania's length.

Lithuania's 105 points reflected their efficiency inside the paint rather than a three-point barrage. The 72.2% shooting from Valančiūnas and Tubelis tells the story of an interior assault that no GB defender could slow. The 18-0 blitz in the second quarter was the decisive sequence — Great Britain scored just 13 points in the entire second period. Lithuania's 36-point first quarter also set a tone that GB never matched.

Great Britain's 85-point tally, while respectable, came at a lower efficiency — Hesson's 22 accounted for more than a quarter of their output, exposing a lack of secondary creation against a locked-in Lithuanian defence.

Lithuania finish the First Round at 3-2 and advance to the Second Round of the European Qualifiers, carrying their results forward. They travel to Italy on Sunday (5 July) for their final First Round fixture, a match that will determine seeding.

Great Britain (1-4) are eliminated from Second Round contention. They will host Iceland on Sunday, playing only for pride after this defeat confirmed they cannot escape the bottom of Group D.

Italy also qualified for the Second Round as a result of this match.

This was never a contest beyond the first quarter. Lithuania's 18-0 blitz in the second period broke the game wide open, and their blend of seasoned NBA big men and electrifying young talent was too much for a limited Great Britain side missing sufficient firepower. The debut of Jakucionis and Buzelis signals Lithuania's long-term planning is on track; the immediate concern is whether they can carry this form into the Second Round against stronger opposition.