F.Y.R. of Macedonia knockout Lithuania 67 – 65 to reach semi finals of FIBA EuroBasket - Part 1
F.Y.R. of Macedonia pulled out a stunning performance to upset the hosts and clinch a spot in the EuroBasket semi finals here on Wednesday. Macedonia recorded a close win over Lithuania, edging out their opponents at the death with a 67 – 65 score line.
Lester McCalebb was the most potent weapon for F.Y.R. as he piled on 23 points in the game and was largely responsible for keeping his side in the with a shout. He was ably assisted by Vojdan Stojanovski, whose accurate shooting accumulated 15 valuable points while Vlado Ilievski turned up with some late game heroics and a total of 12 points.
For Lithuania, there was no particular standout performer. Robertas Javtokas top scored with 13 followed closely by Darius Songaila who had 12. Lithuania lacked a player to really take the game by the scruff of the neck and put them in the clear when they had the chance.
After the game, Lithuania’s Coach Kestutis Kemzura praised the opponents and said they deserved all the success they were getting in the tournament. He also lamented his side’s exit from the EuroBasket.
"Congratulations to F.Y.R Macedonia. They did a great job. They made important shots at the end. They played smart, right and good. Our problem was rebounding during the whole game. When it's a close game and you get to the end, a shot can decide the game as was the case. It's a huge disappointment for us but we have to show character. Our European Championship is not finished."
F.Y.R. of Macedonia’s head coach Marin Dokuzovski was pleased with his underdog side.
"I think we showed that we are one of the best teams in Europe even though many thought our run was down to luck. We deserve to be here. We played without pressure, we played very free and with great tempo."
Lithuania started the game in ascendency and outscored their opponents in the first quarter. They went up 4 – 9 straight away and kept a stranglehold on the lead until the end of the quarter. The largest lead of the half was established with around 4 minutes remaining at 10 – 17 by the hosts. However, by the end of the quarter the gap was reduced to just 2 points after a strong end by Macedonia.
The second quarter followed a similar script with Lithuania again starting strong; however the scores still remained close. They threatened to pull away when Pocius knocked down a shot with 4:09 remaining to stretch the lead to 8 points, but Macedonia just would not stay down. They clawed their way back into the game and ended the first half just 4 points adrift at 30 – 34 after McCalebb dropped a two pointer from within the paint.
Link for Part-2: http://www.senore.com/F-Y-R-of-Macedonia-knockout-Lithuania-67-65-to-reach-semi-finals-of-FIBA-EuroBasket-Part-2-a97489
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