Andrei Kirilenko fires as Russia defeat Lithuania 83-74 to qualify for Semi Finals – Olympics Men Basketball Recap
The Russian men basketball team qualified for the semi finals of the London Olympics when they defeated Lithuania in the first quarterfinal of the tournament here on Wednesday.
The Russian side were able to control the Lithuanian attack and hold on for a well fought 83-74victory.
Andrei Kirilenko continued his fabulous form in the Olympics with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the night, going 5 of 8 from the field and 9 of 12 from the foul line. Timofey Mozgov also had a good night for the Russians, finishing
with 17 points and 4 rebounds while going 6 of 11 from the field and 5 of 8 from the free throw line.
Rimantas Kaukenas scored a team high 19 points for Lithuania, while Darius Songaila was exceptional from the field finishing with 15 points and 5 rebounds for the night. Songaila went 4 of 5 from the field and a perfect 7 of 7
from the free throw line as he attempted to put the Lithuanian side in the semi finals.
Both teams started the game, fiercely fighting for lead, as the pressure of elimination brought out their best. A free throw by Kirilenko tied the scores at 9, and Russia scored 6 straight points after that to take a 15-9 lead
in the game.
Vitaliy Fridzon then scored on two free throw attempts in the final minute as the Russian side took a 17-10 lead to end the first period. Lithuania scored only 1 point in the final four minutes and forty seven seconds of the period,
allowing Russia to run away with an early lead.
Lithuania, however, stayed close of the Russians and a three pointer by Kaukenas cut the deficit to 17-23 early in the second period. Kaukenas later scored a two point shot as Lithuania trailed by only four points with 3:38 remaining
in the period. Fridzon’s three pointer with 1:20 left in the half ensured that Russia take a 32-27 lead into halftime.
The Russians did a good job to hold on to the lead in the second half despite a rally by Lithuania, and Kirilenko scored four straight points as Russia again stretched their lead to 8 in the early going of the third.
A three point shot followed by another two pointer by Victor Khryapa gave Russia momentum as they raced to a 46-32 lead. Lithuania then stepped up their offense, and ended the third period with an 11-2 run that saw them cut into
the Russian lead. Russia led by just 54-50 as both teams entered the final period.
Kaukenas started proceedings in the final period with a three pointer, making it a one point game. However, Russia quickly extended their lead with a 7-0 run which saw Sergey Monya score 5 points. Mantas Kalnietis scored a three
pointer as he attempted to keep the Lithuanian side in the game. His shot had Lithuania trailing 63-69 with 3:28 left in the game. However, Monya instantly replied with a three pointer and sucked out any momentum left in the Lithuanian offense. Kirilenko and
Fridzon then guided Russia to an 83-74 victory.
Russia shot better from the field than Lithuania at 45.2%. They did struggle from the distance, going 5 of 17 for the night whereas Lithuania were 8 of 19 from the same distance. Both teams were evenly matched over the course of
the game. Russia progresses into the semi finals with the victory, where they will face Spain, who beat France.
Tags: