Lithuania rally past Canada
Lithuania came back from 17 points down to edge Canada in their thrilling Group D showdown in Izmir.
The European powerhouse seemed to be headed to their first loss of the tournament after the Canadians took a 56-39 lead five minutes into the third period. However, Tomas Delininkaitis and Linas Kleiza spearheaded the Lithuanians' rally to lead the squad to their second victory in as many outings. Canada had a chance to seal the win but Jermaine Anderson's three-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired.
The Canadians were the aggressors early in the game, relying on the hot hands of Denham Brown and Andy Rautins as they raced to a 7-0 start. The two players scored five points each as Canada ended the first period with a 20-12 advantage. The Canadians’ slick defence also paid off, forcing their fancied opponents to commit several turnovers.
Led by big man Kleiza, Lithuania stepped up their tempo in the second period and trimmed the Canadians' lead to only three points, 29-32, with less than four minutes remaining in the quarter. However, Joel Anthony countered with six straight points as Canada ended the period with an 11-4 run. The Canadians continued their aggressiveness in the third period, building a 17-point lead behind the hot shooting of Anderson, who scored six points. Given up for dead, the Lithuanians suddenly came alive behind the efforts of Delininkaitis and Kleiza, whose buzzer-beating trey trimmed Canada's advantage to only two points, 55-57, heading into the fourth period. The two squads battled nip-and-tuck throughout the final quarter but it was the Lithuanians' steady execution that gave them their second straight victory.
Kleiza topscored for the Lithuanians with 18 points and hauled down 10 rebounds. Delininkaitis and Martynas Pocius added 11 points apiece for Lithuania, who followed up their 92-79 win over New Zealand on opening day. Forwards Jonas Maciulis and Tadas Klimavicius also made their presence felt in the shaded lane. Maciulis finished with eight points and six rebounds while Klimavicius had seven points and six boards.
Anderson led the Canadians with 15 points, five assists and four steals. Backing him up was Anthony and Brown, who contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. Levon Kendall added nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Canada absorbed their second straight setback after losing to Lebanon, 71-81, on opening day.
Lithuania are scheduled to play defending champions Spain on Tuesday while Canada will take on France. Both teams will have a rest day tomorrow.