Lithuania continued to showcase its deep arsenal, securing a victory over Montenegro, 91-71, and claiming the top spot in Group D of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Tuesday.
Following an initial exchange of points in the first quarter, the 8th-ranked Lietuva asserted their dominance in the middle periods.
Tomas Dimsa ignited with nine points exclusively in the second period, propelling Lithuania to outscore Montenegro by 22-13 and secure a 48-40 lead at halftime.
The Lithuanian team maintained their onslaught, unrelentingly pressing forward in the third quarter, thereby doubling their advantage to 16 points as they entered the final period with a score of 66-50.
“Three last quarters we controlled the game. We did a good job, we took an important victory with a big point difference,” said head coach Kazys Maksvytis.
Rokas Jokubaitis converted nine of his twelve shot attempts, amassing 10 points along with six assists and five rebounds for the triumphant side.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas provided a dynamic boost off the bench, contributing 15 points, while Jonas Valanciunas added 11 points and secured eight rebounds.
Lithuania exhibited a field goal accuracy of 58 percent, successfully converting 35 of their 60 attempts, and simultaneously limited Montenegro to a mere 33 percent.
Nikola Vucevic emerged as the top scorer for Montenegro, amassing 19 points, albeit with a lackluster 4-of-13 shooting from the field. However, he efficiently capitalized on all 11 of his free throw shots.
Marko Simonovic and Kendrick Perry also recorded 13 points each, despite the defeat.
Montenegro concluded the first round with a 2-1 win-loss record.
Both teams are scheduled to return on Friday for the second round. They share a group with the United States and the victor between Greece and New Zealand tomorrow.
The Scores:
Lithuania 91 – Jokubaitis 19, Kuzminskas 15, Valanciunas 11, Brazdeikis 10, Dimsa 9, Motiejunas 8, Sedekerskis 8, Bendzius 5, Kariniauskas 3, Normantas 3, Maldunas 0.
Montenegro 71 – Vucevic 19, Simonovic 13, Perry 13, Popovic 8, Radoncic 7, Mihailovic 5, Radovic 3, Slavkovic 2, Ivanovic 1, Dubjlevic 0.
Quarterscores: 26-27, 48-40, 66-50, 91-71.
