By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Lithuania got the 76-71 win over New Zealand in a game that started like a walk in the part, but ended like a dog fight. However, “Lietuva” had more quality and Jonas Valanciunas in a very big game with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
After a 23-9 start in the first quarter, Lithuania kept for the most part of the game a double digits lead. However with seven minutes to go New Zealand got the lead (59-58) for the first time, thanks to a three pointer by Corey Webster who scored in total 26 points. The game ultimately was decided in details. After a 8-0 run which included a big three by Jonas Maciulis, Lithuania got a 73-65 lead with 61 seconds left and it was proven enough. New Zealand made it a three points game (74-71) with 17 seconds before the final buzzer, but couldn’t do much more.
“This is what we expect from him. We know what he is capable of,” said coach Kazlauskas of his star, Jonas Valanciunas. “He has matured as a player now. He is no longer the kid that he used to be. He has learned to respect every opponent. He knows the value of every game now”. Jonas Maciulis added: “It was indeed a tough game. Everybody said we are the favorites. But we did expect a tough game. I’m really glad that we won, although we had some casualties”. As for his teammate, Jonas Valanciunas, he underlined: “His size and his strength are huge. It’s not only the size, but he also made those shots look easy. He was incredible in free-throws which is not his normal strength. I think he was the main reason they won the game”.