USA loses to Lithuania at FIBA Basketball World Cup

USA loses to Lithuania at FIBA Basketball World Cup

In a surprising turn of events at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines on Sunday, the United States suffered an unexpected 110-104 defeat to Lithuania.

Lithuania established a commanding 17-point lead at halftime and, despite a late resurgence by the US, managed to secure only their third-ever victory over the Americans. This loss also marked the first time since 2002 that the US experienced defeat in the group stage.

Both nations, however, will advance to the quarterfinals scheduled for Tuesday. Lithuania, as the top seeds in Group J, will face Serbia, while the United States will take on Italy.

Jonas Valančiūnas contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks for Lithuania, while Anthony Edwards led the US with a game-high 35 points, tying Carmelo Anthony for the second-highest point total in a US Basketball FIBA game. Kevin Durant holds the record with 38 points, achieved during the 2010 tournament.

Lithuania’s head coach, Kazys Maksvytis, emphasized the need for his team to remain focused on the next game, saying, “Congratulations to my players, but we need to have a short memory to prepare for the second game.”

USA head coach Steve Kerr was critical of his team’s performance, acknowledging that Lithuania had “delivered a strong performance.”

While addressing reporters after the game, Kerr stated, “We’re fortunate that this loss doesn’t jeopardize our ultimate goal, which is to win the gold medal. This experience is valuable for us in the context of FIBA. Losing is always difficult, and I probably won’t get much sleep tonight. However, for us to improve, we needed to face this challenge. Our response was crucial, and in the next game, we must start as strongly as we did in the second half. We can’t afford to ease into the game at all. I hope this serves as a valuable lesson, and we use it to become better.”