Lithuania edge out Greece 73 – 69 for the fourth spot in FIBA EuroBasket - Part 1
Lithuania and Greece played out a terrific match to decide the fourth and fifth place finish in the EuroBasket tournament on Saturday. The hosts had that little bit extra on the night which helped them get past the finishing line
first as they dumped Greece 73 – 69 for the win.
Both teams were evenly matched and played good basketball throughout the game. They each had their highs and lows as the match progressed but Lithuania produced the goods at the crucial time to get the victory.
Martynas Pocius was the top scorer for Lithuania with 13 points. Darius Songaila was impressive for his 12 points and 4 rebounds as well. Robertas Javtokas was a force to reckon with, especially on the boards. He recorded a double-double
with 10 rebounds and the same number of points.
For Greece, Nick Calathes was the main man. He was everywhere on the court and helped his team in all departments. He had a game high number of points at 16, game high assists with 7 and also had the most steals of any player with
3. Antonios Fotsis was also terrific with a double-double at 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Greece Forward Michail Bramos did not appear too downhearted after the game. The player was adamant that his side had put in a good shift and there didn’t seem too much more they could do.
"It was a good game. Both teams worked hard. We wanted to win in every game and we are satisfied with our efforts."
Greece Head Coach Ilias Zouros echoed those sentiments when talking to reporters. He said the game was pretty much a dead rubber and Greece were already more concerned about the Pre-Olympic tournament. The coach enjoyed the game
and was happy with his players for putting up a show with not much on the line.
"Congratulations to my players. This game meant nothing as both sides had already qualified for the Pre-Olympic tournament. Still, my players went out determined to win. We played with nine players today. It was a very nice game."
Greece were actually quicker coming out of the blocks and played very well in the first half. They started the game with an 8 – 2 run to get into an advantageous position early. Lithuania clawed their way back and reduced the lead
to just 1 point with 3:55 left on the clock. However the Greeks pulled away again, stretching the lead to 8 at one point and ending the quarter leading by 6 with the score at 20 – 14.
A 4 – 0 start by Greece to the second quarter took their lead into double figures within the first two minutes, but came back into the game afterwards. The hosts piled on some points and also produced good defence. Their efforts
seemed close to bearing fruit with 4:28 remaining when they pulled to within 2 points of the opposition at 27 – 29.
Greece though held on to the lead and ended the first half at 37 – 32.
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