Just after a hard and volatile fight, Lithuanians won against New Zealand representatives and secured a place in the quarterfinals, in which they will stand up against the Turkish team.
Lithuanians held the initiative strongly in their hands before they stuck in the decisive quarter, when Corey Webster collected nine points in a row. Run of 12: 0 let Tall Blacks for the first time in the match to take the lead (59:58).
Jonas Valanciunas, the key enforcer of Lithuania, collected eight out of eighteen team points in the fourth quarter and did not give away the advantage for New Zealanders. The Toronto Raptors centre had 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Lithuania advanced to quarterfinals despite New Zealand late rally
2014-09-09, 09:58
Published in
Sport
Jonas Valanciunas dominated in the paint while Lithuanian National Basketball team held on to beat New Zealand 76:71 (23: 9, 13:17, 22:24, 18:21) in the Round of 16 at FIBA World Cup in Barcelona.